It is time for our “Aftermath” contest! Every year we share our views on the acts from The Eurovision Song Contest (well except for last year)! However before, we really didn’t have a platform to share our combined personal views on the matter, but now we have thanks to our “Premath/Aftermath” contests. The idea is simple, we vote before rehearsals and after the contest and then compare the two to check the differences!
The ET Premath 2021 was won by Lithuania yet again having also won last year’s ET Eurovision 2020.
So the difference between the rankings apart from the obvious – “Before the contest” (Premath) and “After the contest” (Aftermath) – is that you will have to send two top 10s! One just like normal, your favorite top 10 songs of the season that will be revealed just like in the Premath.
As well as one top 10 from only the grand final of this year’s contest. If you only have songs from this season’s grand final, you only need to send one top 10!
The reason behind this is that we always seem to have a slight if not a big disagreement with the juries each year. Many of you guys are very musically interested, The Fridas and the ETSC reveals that we are diverse in our voting, as well as showing us that we have a slightly if not a very different perspective than that of the juries have in their voting! So why not show our own professional views as the jury of this year’s Eurovision song contest combining it with the televote to get us a very exciting score that will be shown at the end of the results of this year’s Aftermath.
The ET Aftermath will always be after the contest (hence the name) as it is intended to not be a ranking of only the songs per say, but the overall performance in the contest as well! This is of course just a moral guideline and individually ranked!
The rules: You can vote by sending your top 10 of all the songs that participated in this year’s ESC AND your top 10 songs that featured ONLY in the Grand Final to: schultze94@gmail.com!
Disclaimer: Dont post your top 10 ranking in the comment section below! They will not be counted and it will perhaps influence future voters! Once you have sent your votes you can’t change them! So think carefully before you do!
Deadline: The voting will close on the 28th of June 23:59 and revealed the day after in the comment section below of the result article on the 29th of June at 19:00!
The Eurovision Times 
This masterpiece was also at the quiz last night:
I don’t like it … Have never listened to it outside my review sessions.
Hahaha maybe I forgot to write ” for masterpiece.. :D
No, seriously, I liked the song, but that stageing, ROFL! :D
And Icelandic version is much better..
I only remember her impressive chest …
No boots?? :D :D :D
No. I’ll pay attention when I am adressing Svala’s edition again. 🙃
The English translation and the performance ruined it
The Icelandic version in studio is excellent
I agree 100% :)
Did you like styling at ESC?
Lol no
Agreed
I don’t really mind the song, it’s a rather anonymous. But here’s one of the few cases where the outfit actually felt disturbing to me, affecting my overall experience. I hope she won’t take it personally.
Yes, it is one of those 5/12 to 7/12 songs ESC is packed with. Around 70 % of the songs are stranded in this ‘grey zone’ on my list. I don’t mind those song, but I don’t find them interesting either.
There were also a lot of them in that period.
How do you rank Bulgaria 2009? :D
1/12
:D :D
I remember that she sang an Icelandic version in the NF semi… I liked that one a lot… unfortunately, the song lost a bit in the translation to English and then again in the delivery on stage (outfit, presence…) imo…
yeah the NF version was simply great! but it lost all charm going on stage overproduced!
I am analysing the 1984 lyrics now. Why do I always quote RUS16 (Thunder and lightning, it’s getting exciting) when the 1984 winner begins with the line ‘Lightning and thunder, magical wonders’???
I just noticed that Russia was 8th both with televote and jury vote but 9th overall? :o
Hi oxi, can you do me a favour and confirm that the Diggiloo Thrush translation of GRC95 is correct? I find the lyrics as presented in the translation a bit disturbing. Thanks!
Yes, the translation is correct.
I always found the lyrics of Greece 95 kinda “too patriotic” for my taste.
I agree. Patriotic victimhood isn’t a very appealing thing to witness imo.
They’re accurate.
Thanks, dimitris. 😀🙁
Oxi, have you also seen Paris Thomopoulos naked in theater? :P
Noooo! Where???!!! :P
Lol. I thought among all the other young actors you’ve seen naked in theater you had seen him too.
No, unfortunately I haven’t ;)
Well, don’t be greedy. You’ve seen half the young Greek actors naked already. :P
ΛΟΛ :P
Btw, what do you think of him? ;)
He’s nice. Is he the one playing in that ERT daily series?
No, he plays in “Zaketa” on weekends :)
I see. I haven’t examined his case closely. I’m now following this guy:
Yep I had already spotted Leventoyannis in “Malista, Chef” Mega series a few years ago :)
lol. Do you have a catalogue? I didn’t remember he even played in that.
He played the barman :)
Yes, now i remember.
Well that’s nice
:)
Same with Iceland
I think Iceland was 5, 5, 4?
How is this possible? :o
It has to do with the pts attributed to the song and to the songs around it more than the actual place in the ranking. Ukraine f.i had a massive televote compared to Iceland but ended up lower because of the juries.
Yeah, I thought of that as well, but still being ranked 5th with the juries and 5th with the televote but overall 4th (8,8,9 in Russia’s case) is kinda awkward.
Then dont look at Australia 2019 results you’ll be shocked
;) :P
With the new system you can’t really look at the individual components as standalone placements. It’s about the combination of points. It’s less about Russia placing 8th with either set and more about how their combination of points puts them in 9th. It’s probably because two acts scored just below them in each vote but then did very well in the other set, so the combination put both of them ahead even though Russia beat each in one set.
It happened with Croatia in the semis too, they qualified with both sets of voting but placed 11th when the points were combined.
poor Albina!
In Croatia’s case it’s even weirder :o
Juries killed Finland and Ukraine who both did better in televote but got 5th and 6th overall instead
Have they sacked their manager? Wanting to keep moving up quickly it would seem
https://www.facebook.com/groups/116646205040695/permalink/4140781752627100/
And I’m done with 90s Eurovision!! Definitely my favorite decade so far.
1999
1. 🇮🇸 | 2. 🇭🇷 | 3. 🇪🇪
1998
1. 🇳🇱 | 2. 🇨🇾 | 3. 🇩🇪
1997
1. 🇵🇱 | 2. 🇪🇪 | 3. 🇹🇷
1996
1. 🇪🇪 | 2. 🇮🇪 | 3. 🇵🇱
1995
1. 🇳🇴 | 2. 🇸🇮 | 3. 🇭🇺
1994
1. 🇫🇷 | 2. 🇭🇺 | 3. 🇷🇺
1993
1. 🇧🇦 | 2. 🇮🇪 | 3. 🇳🇴
1992
1. 🇨🇾 | 2. 🇫🇷 | 3. 🇵🇹
1991
1. 🇫🇷 | 2. 🇮🇹 | 3. 🇸🇪
1990
1. 🇭🇷* | 2. 🇫🇷 | 3. 🇮🇱
* There’s no Yugoslavia emoji so I had to use Croatia since Tajči is Croatian.
1. 1994 – 7.60/10
2. 1990 – 7.55/10
3. 1995 – 7.48/10
4. 1991 – 7.23/10
5. 1998 – 7.04/10
6. 1997 – 6.88/10
7. 1996 – 6.78/10
8. 1999 – 6.65/10
9. 1993 – 6.64/10
10. 1992 – 6.61/10
My Top 3 Countries:
1. Estonia – 8.60/10
2. Hungary – 8.50/10
3. Poland – 8.50/10
My Bottom 3 Countries:
3. Spain – 5.70/10
2. Austria – 5.33/10
1. Malta – 5.10/10
My Favorite Entries (no particular order):
Yugoslavia 1990; France 1991; Italy 1991; Cyprus 1992; Bosnia 1993; Ireland 1993; Cyprus 1994; France 1994; Hungary 1994; Poland 1994; Portugal 1994; Russia 1994; Hungary 1995; Norway 1995; Slovenia 1995; Turkey 1995; Estonia 1996; Ireland 1996; Estonia 1997; Italy 1997; Netherlands 1997; Poland 1997; Turkey 1997; Cyprus 1998; Germany 1998; Netherlands 1998; Croatia 1999; Estonia 1999; Iceland 1999
If I had to pick my top entries of the decade they’d probably be Yugoslavia 1990, France 1994, Estonia 1996, Estonia 1997, and Iceland 1999.
Also for some reason I already totally knew Italy 1997 and Turkey 1997, but I have no idea how so
Sorry this comment is so long
Morgan can you change that 1999 to 1990 I messed up lmao
Oh god I did it twice ugh
ok!
While I agree so much in some years (1991, 1993, 1995) and that you have my all time faves in your tops (Ireland 96, Bosnia 93) I also can say Yugoslavia 90 is in my all time bottom 10 and I can’t stand Estonia 96 :p
hahahaha I love everything about Yugoslavia 90, I think it’s perfect and perfectly performed
Estonia 96 was my favorite Estonian entry for awhile but I like Estonia 97 more now
Oh and Germany 98, the first “televote goes for the joke entry” entry ever :'( I also don’t like Iceland 99 :o so we’re like 50/50 some we agree completely and feel alone in the world (Bosnia 93) and some we’re total opposite ahah! but glad France got three Top 2 from you, it’s all that matters to me ahah! and Ireland 96 <3
Hahaha I liked Germany 98 a lot, I could tell it came off as a joke but honestly I would listen to it as an actual song, I thought it was really entertaining and fun. Of course I don’t understand the lyrics though so they could be totally ridiculous.
I figured Iceland 99 wouldn’t be popular here but it’s like everything I like about late 90s music (which is not much) and reminds me of the kind of music I remember from like random VHS tape musical things I remember watching as a kid.
I have to start supporting France, it may become my official adoptive country a few years from now 😳
…and four French kids! 😳 you’ll have to become a huge fan of Griezmann’s ass too :p
Ready for the dark ages of the 80s? :p
I can assure you I’m already a fan of Griezmann’s ass.
I wasn’t sure if I was gonna mention this on here cuz lmao and I don’t know if you actually care but me and French boy went to the ~next level~ like you were encouraging lol. I’m basically ready to marry him already, let’s get goin. American boys suck it’s impossible to find one who is cute, sweet, and has goals for his future lmaooo, it’s like you can only choose one or two but can’t have all three here, so I’m holding on tight to this guy.
I am totally ready for the 80s and I am such a slut for cheesy 80sness so I don’t think it’ll be much of a dark age for me haha. Nothing can be worse than the 2000s.
…also actually had my friend who went to Caen’s management school and he said they had another campus in Le Havre, so still think that’s what he’s attending
sadly esc in the 80s is not the 80s! it’s puke, best summed up by French dress in 87: it literally looks like she took a dump and forgot to put her dress back up :p
Wow his ass is beautiful…
He told me what the name was but ~naturally~ I don’t remember it, so maybe you’re right lol.
Maybe I’ll come out of the decade and say you were right but I’m going to go into it telling myself that I will love every second of it haha
and even as a top I find his bulge hot, and as a girl you might appreciate it :p
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EqmEK0UW8AAxEpp?format=jpg
I would gladly let him ruin me
I like ISL99 … and I have been fighting with Morgan over this for 15 years. 😉
Thank you!!! I didn’t want to be alone on that one lol. I think it would have been a MUCH better winner too.
Sweden is my 99 winner :p
I don’t hate Sweden 99 but it’s nowhere near my top lol. I’d say it’s the best of my “meh”s for the year. 99 for me was Iceland, Croatia, Estonia, Bosnia, Germany, Lithuania.
Bosnia, Estonia and Lithuania were next for me, but all have flaws. Germany is, once more, my last.
Charlotte is the better singer but Selma’s contemporary disco beats Charlotte’s schlager any day on my list. I have Iceland in 4th place behind BIH, HRV and IRE (I know that I am very alone on the last one … lmao)
Hahahaha Ireland was my last of 1999
Go away … I will never talk to you again. 😉 🤣
PJ likes IRE too.
Very happy about your 1992 top 2 btw, but where is Italy???
Lol I liked it but didn’t love it. Ended around 10th-ish from me.
Do you know Mia Martini’s sad story?
Btw, now you understand why Evridiki is such an ESC legend. She brought 3 totally different songs to ESC, and two of them are among the masterpieces the contest has produced. ❤
Yes I totally loved Evridiki’s entries. Her most recent one not so much, but the first two absolutely. I wish Greece/Cyprus would send those beautiful dramatic ethnic ballads again, I’ve not been much interested in either of their songs since I started watching in 2013 but I’m loving both of them in 90s ESC.
Yes I do know of Mia Martini, very sad. I’m not sure how I first learned of her though.
through her sister, Loredana Bertè:
Yes that’s definitely how lol
Couldn’t agree more on CYP/GRC 90s vs post-Millenium. I have a very soft spot for GRC96 (including the dancer … LOL) btw.
Do you also know that Mia was the sister of Loredana Bertè? You read it first here. 😀
Btw, what do you think about the orchestra after having watched the 1990s? Does it add to the atmosphere of the songs or do you still prefer backing tracks? I am not being judgmental but simply want to know your perspective because, as you know, I respect your opinion a lot … unless we talk IRE99 that is. 🤣
Here is my takes on the orchestra. Before watching 90s Eurovision, I was pretty anti-orchestra. I thought moving away from it brought us into the modern era.
My opinion changed a bit. I am not anti-orchestra anymore but I’m not pro-orchestra either. My main opinion is just that live music should be allowed, whether it is a live orchestra or a band like Måneskin playing their instruments live. Conversely, I think acts should also have the option to perform with a backing track as well, as certain genres of music would be harmed by only being able to be played with actual instruments. A lot of music nowadays is just made with some synthesizers and a drum beat, and they shouldn’t be forced to be accompanied by an orchestra or any live musicians. The main thing is that the individual artists should be able to have the choice how their song is played.
I still am very pro-prerecorded backing vocals too but I know I am very much so in the minority here on that one lol
“I thought moving away from it brought us into the modern era” and it gave us the worst decade possible in esc history! As you said, the idea that the EBU is despotic on the subject to the point of refusing even a simple flute to be played live is ridiculous to say the least!
You’re right lol. I think it should be an option for all entries but nothing should be mandated.
esc in the 90s was great, musically speaking moving forward and in many new exciting directions (compare Uk and Norway 95) and so, pushing forward with the current music did mean ditching the very dated “here’s that country’s conductor” and having many songs not written with a live orchestra in mind not having them to struggle with that (Spain 93?) but having the whole “WHAT?! you have an INSTRUMENT?! LOL what are you, a musician or something?” as the reaction to anyone who wanted to play live (I remember the very heated issue Slovenia 2009 brought forward and back then esc was trying to move away from the dark age, so along with juries back, it made sense they’d allow live instruments too, for those who wanted, but the EBU was extremely and firmly against it, in a year ironically won by a fake violin…)
I really don’t understand why it’s so awful to the EBU to allow musicians to play their music live. I can understand logistical issues with setting up an entire orchestra, but it shouldn’t be that hard to let someone play a guitar, no?
they remember Spain 90 in fear?
Thanks for your reply.
We agree on the orchestra then. I never argued that it should be obligatory either. On the other hand, we still disagree on backing vocals. Imo they add a lot of atmosphere and different layers to many of the 1990s performances. Just check ISL95 again f. e.
The title of Germany 98 – “Guildo hat euch Lieb” – means “Guildo has your Love” and is all about how much people adore Guildo. I don’t remember much more right now, though. I prefer not to think about the song 😂
You can see the results of PJ’s ESC revisits on this VFoS page: https://virtualfestivalofsongs.wordpress.com/2020/11/17/past-eurovision-specials/
You’re bound to find someone to agree with you on just about anything from every year; it’s rare to be entirely alone in your opinion. You should join us for the next revisit! :)
Lmaooo
I’ll definitely check out the next revisit!! I may just need a reminder since I seem to never remember these things lol. If it’s a contest I haven’t watched yet though I’ll probably prefer to discover it on my own first, so depending on when the next revisiting is I’ll probably not join in if it’s anything earlier than the 80s.
I think PJ is running the next one in September. We’ll know then what year it is then :) (More or less every other VFoS winner get to choose)
I love YUG90 too, but I can’t stand DEU98. And where is fantastic SVN97 on your list?
Lol so Germany 98 is my big unpopular opinion. Glad to see someone else loving Yugoslavia 90 though, I just loved everything about it.
Slovenia 97 is great, it ended up high on my ranking I just only mentioned my 10/10s and my top threes.
SVN97 isn’t a 10/10? *faints*
May I recommend checking the lyrics? 😉🤣
Lmaooo I can check them but it won’t change anything
Hopeless case … 😉
Poland is my 1997 winner, too <3
Netherlands 98 is awesome, and you have great top 3 choices for all of 97, 96, and 94.
"Guildo hat euch Lieb", on the other hand… *shudders*
I haven't heard all songs from the nineties, however, particularly from the earlier years
Poland 1996 is one of my bf’s all time favorite esc song and one of the rare ones he genuinely added to his deezer playlist :o
POL96 is my sister’s all time favourite. She even drove to Poland to attend a Kasia concert many years ago. 😀
96 or 97?
1996 is a bit too shouty for my taste, same as 1994. I really like 1995, however
96 whose live wasnt “great” but the song is!
Hahaha I figured Germany 98 could have proven to be an unpopular choice.
Poland 97 was just amazing though, I never hear it talked about so when it started I had no expectations and it just blew me away. Totally loved it, it deserved a better ranking.
I would definitely recommend diving through the contests to hear the songs you don’t know!
I know random songs from here and there from most years, but not all songs from all years. I saw several contests from the mid-70s in their entirety from a couple of years ago. They’re also a lot of fun, but in a different way to the 90s :)
I’m most excited for the 70s, there are a lot of random 70s songs I’ve heard that I love. France 1979 will always be one of my all time favorites.
Fra 75, 77 and 79, but not a good country in the early 70s! and I showed you Turkey 75! I have a lot of “new countries” winners in the 70s: Israel 74, Turkey 75, Greece 76… and Uk 78 is underrated!
I totally forgot Slovenia 1995 should be in my top five of the decade, swap that out with Estonia 1996 lol
I can’t stand EST96. LOL
All this Estonia 96 makes me cry I love that entry so much hahahahaha
1996 is all about POL, PRT and SWE for me. I have Estonia in 18th place. LOL
I loved Poland, liked Portugal, and Sweden was a big meh from me lol
A mixed bunch then … 😀🤔🙁
Dont listen to them. Estonia 96 is great ❤
I can always count on you <3
Whose sister is she? #twinning
Elena Tsagrinou?
LOL
Hadise ‘s😛
No idea if he’s around here post-contest, but a good luck to my fellow Maneskin believer since Day 1 Hjallis and his Finland tomorrow in the Ice Hockey World Championship Final! My Canadians didn’t bring the best team over this year but we somehow still made the Final haha
Didnt Canada lose all first games anyway? The last final was already Finland-Canada! Hope Finland wins it again O:)
Yup including a loss to Latvia, I think we only got in the knockouts b/c Germany lost their final game in the groups. But then somehow we beat the favourite in Russia and then USA today! The tournament is always a mixed bag for us given it happens during the NHL playoffs, especially this year too. Cheering for Canada obvs but I never minded Finland, much better than Russia or USA.
yup, Finland is the romantic winner! and they love it so much there, and not a country used in winning much, so seeing them get a b2b is great!
Almost forgot. So-bad-it’s-good song of the day:
I never really got the “so bad it’s good”: like I either like it (for whatever reason) or I don’t. Nothing is really “good” by mistake to me, and it’s often an excuse to like something one feels one shouldn’t like or just to mock it! I HATE Bulgaria 2009, never ever would want to watch it except maybe a full rerun of esc 09!
Well at least there’s some unintended comedy :)
That’s true but I usually dont go back to watch them (like Belarus 2010?) I’s just cringe to me and while I hate some of them Ive learned in my esc lifetime (lol…) that all entries have genuine fans who do like it so I feel odd laughing or mocking the ones who arent purposely trying to be funny (which is why I prefer Ukraine 2009. Hate the song but love the live!)
I see what you mean. Maybe guilty pleasure would be a better term then.
Everyone’s right to enjoy whatever song he enjoys for his or her own reason. I admit (and maybe it’s a tough thing to admit) I totally avoid rewatching some songs! Maybe I should give them a second or third chance later. But Im just happy tagging along Lina’s discovery of old esc!
Of course there are songs I also avoid. Israel and Malta in 2006 are very hard to get through for instance. It can also be songs that are simply boring.
Then there is stuff like this which I really enjoy. Now obviously this is an orchestra of people who knew they couldn’t play their instruments properly, so they made an artistic point out of it. Guess it makes a difference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmqBzFcHQis
Fabulous. At least they all managed to play all those wrong notes in the right order. I enjoy hearing songs and music completely destroyed like this, very funny. Reminds me of UK comedian Les Dawson on his Piano.
I had to check out Les Dawson on YouTube. I love it. Especially the “Unforgettable” one… “I forgot it…”. ROFL
LOL. I loved Les. A reall old time comedian. 😊
Dou you know the Hoffnung Music Festivals?
I didn’t but do now! Was listening to some excerpts from 1956. Sugar Plums (after Tchaikovsky) 🤣😂
Sugar Plums is genious!
OMG I forgot how awful that really was but it was so funny! Am howling 🤣😂
Everything about it was wrong. The dancers on stilts were rubbish and pointless. The outfits were hideous.
The vocals were shocking especially the Elvira lookeylikey screeching like a banshee. Classic car crash Eurovision. 😆
I put this on an old thread … LOL
c/p
@ Lina, things you need to know about ESC in the 1980s:
1. Spain sent an Argentinian tango to Harrogate in the year of the Falkland War (1982)
2. UKD84 (Belle and the Devotions) were booed after their performance. Reasons given for this audience reaction are that a) English football fans had behaved badly in Luxembourg earlier in the year and b) the backing singers were hidden backstage while two of the ladies onstage had their microphones switched off.
3. Only a few minutes before Mary Ross went onto the stage in 1984 she learned that her partner had cheated on her. Check the lyrics to understand how this situation perfectly fits the lyrics of the German entry.
Thank you I love these history lessons
Gonna try to get started on the 80s today before I start my new job tomorrow
I keep rewatching Yugoslavia 90 and am falling in love with the blond bassist with the white bass. So sexy.
He is probably 60 years old now …
a dilf
I have finished my review based on lyrics for 4 editions now. Of course it is much easier to judge lyrics in languages I can either speak (German, English, French, Spanish) or at least understand (Italian, Portuguese, Dutch). For the languages I do not understand I asked friends for help. A big thank you to my ex-GF, who speaks Finnish, Swedish and Polish among other languages. Out of the languages I had to deal with so far, I only miss support for Greek among family and friends, and therefore I asked for help from our Greek ET friends the other day.
Looking at some older years first, it struck me that back then even the happy and up-tempo songs had decent lyrics. Perhaps they made an effort because everyone thought that the juries would consider lyrics too. Whatever the reason might be, I am very happy to have found some decent shake shake lyrics instead of the twaddle we are being served with most dance songs these days.
I do judge the lyrics both as poetry in its own right and regarding their interaction with the music, but the latter is being done in an amateurish way because, apart from visiting a musical grammar school and learning guitar for twelve years all those years ago, I have no formal training in music. I will add my overall score and my ranking in the respective years in brackets.
1968
🏆 Belgium: The entire package gives me the feel of a melancholic medieval tale. The simple topic of the song revolves around waiting for a loved one to return and is dressed in beautiful imagery lent from the medieval world of chivalry, tournaments and courtly love: “Monteront tes couleurs aux créneaux de mon cœur”, “Veille ma tendresse sur ton étendard”, “Je tourne sans cesse mon rouet d’espoir” etc. We can almost picture the “pauvre princesse” as Lord Tennyson’s “Lady of Shalott”. However, in contrast to Tennyson’s poem BEL68 hints at a happy ending: Just consider the subtle change from “Quand tu reviendras” to “Car tu reviendras” in the last stanza of the song. I love details like this. Add Claude Lombard’s long and ethereal vocal rendition, and we are transported to a world long gone by, a world in which tender words are sustained by vocals that sound like a clear spring singing in spring. (1st – 12/12)
🏆 France: Speaking of springs, the French entry is another song referencing medieval storytelling, namely cantastoria (in Italian) or Bänkellied (in German). Listening to the tender music and Isabelle’s restrained vocal rendition, we wouldn’t expect to be told such a horrific story: A young lady is being violated by three wolf-like men in the forest. The story is told in three chapters, and each chapter is framed by doubt: “Elle chante au milieu du bois, la source, et je me demande/S’il faut croire à cette légende d’une fille qu’on y trouva”. Should we believe the story we are being told? In the third chapter of the story we learn that the girl has been transformed after or as a result of the violation: “Quand on l’a soulevée de terre/On aurait dit comme un grand lis/Entre les feuilles, entre les pierres/Une claire source a jailli/Une claire source a jailli.” The use of peaceful imagery from nature is sublime and makes the story even more heartrending. Am I the only one who thinks that this little gem wouldn’t be out of place in Ovid’s ‘Metamorphoseon libri’? The girl has been transformed into the very spring the singer is telling, contemplating and doubting the story at. Art should never come up with solutions but with questions, and that is what the lyrics of FRA68 do: You can’t have only one version of events because there isn’t enough evidence. (2nd – 12/12)
🥇 Austria: Karel Gott’s melancholic and pondering meditation on alienation and loneliness in large modern cities was served with matching lyrics using strong poetic imagery which is perfectly in synch with the singer’s powerful vocals. I absolutely love the opening line of this song: “Nun trägt schon die Stadt ihr Abendkleid”. We are confronted with a rather dystopian scenario here: The people living in this city share nothing but alienation and loneliness, and the only hint at a relationship between them is a question without answer: “Viele tausend Fenster leuchten hell in dieser Stadt/Und du fragst dich: Wer mag wohl dahinter sein?/Viele tausend Fenster sagen stumm: Hier lebt noch wer/Grad’ wie du so einsam und allein.” I love the contrast between “hell” (bright) and “stumm” (silent) in the chorus. (6th – 7/12)
🥇 Norway: Just like Austria the Norwegian song is addressing problematic aspects of modern life, namely the constant stress and rush people are under. In the lyrics the central subject of the song is transported by several rhetorical devices like the ‘stammering’ at the beginning of most lines (“Må… må… må… må… må… må skynde meg” etc.) and the constant use of the enjambment (incomplete syntax at the end of the line, meaning running over from one poetic line to the next line), which makes the lyrics sound rushed, especially because this running over from one line to the next does not run smoothly but ends in another ‘stammering’. These lyrics are very cleverly done and they were served with a hectic instrumental track which perfectly underlines the lyrical content of the song. It is also worth noting that the central piece of the lyrics (the stanza beginning with “Men én gang”) is the only calm part of the song. However, this is only a very short moment of hope because things get hectic and stressful again: The entire day seems to be structured by the last bus (“siste bussen”) and the absolute necessity to catch that bus for reasons that are never explained. Being in a constant rush seems to have become an end in itself, and the question “Why?” is conspicuously absent in this song. People need to function, not to think or ask questions, and this modern condition has specific effects on people this hectic entry allows us to bodily experience. This song does not aim at being pleasant or easy listening but wants to transport the ‘Stress’, which is the song’s title but never explicitly mentioned in the lyrics. The entire package makes me think of Wolfgang Iser’s definition of literature as ‘Probehandeln.’ And at the end, things look pretty bleak: The possibility of a different and calmer way of life is also constantly deferred: Whenever this song is sung, having time for everything and relaxing is always only a possibility for next year: “kanskje neste år.” It isn’t an option now because we all have to catch our very own last bus. This is very cleverly done indeed. (4th – 8/12)
🥇 Portugal: I don’t have much to say about the Portuguese lyrics, but they belong into this list nevertheless. ‘Verão’ features slightly melancholic end of summer lyrics with simple yet effective imagery. I like the circular hope of the last stanza very much: “E o Verão que sonho perto/Vai trazer para mim eu sei de certo/Aquilo que este agora veio tirar.” Unfortunately, I don’t think that the music fits the lyrics in this case. Music and vocals should sound warm and soft instead of stale and empty. (16th – 3/12)
Wrong year. LOL 1968 I wanted to start with 1984 first and forgot to change the year …
I can update if you wish!
Thanks.
* longing … Gosh!
I’m going to work on Frida’s article and watch the in-tape videos, and then maybe work my way back to esc 2021 (I need to rewatch all postcards for instance, which I havent watched since the contest)
Will the Euro/Olympics + Eurovision winning/hosting both happen once more with Italy 2021? I reckon it might! Greece 2004 (Euro + Olympics) and then winning Eurovision in 2005; Portugal 2016 (Euro + Portuguese-speaking Brazil hosting Olympics) and then winning Eurovision in 2017! So Italy (who can win “Euro 2020” officially, and then win Eurovision in 2021 lol) Of course we have the exceptions of Spain 2008/2012 or London 2012: so it means the two exceptions are for Big 5 countries, which could be bad for Italy or even its Eurovision runner-up France! Anyway, besides Brazil in the first one of the century, only Big 5 countries won the World Cup this century (Italy 2006, Spain 2010, Germany 2014, France 2018) and that lead to anything relevant in Eurovision!
I could totally see Italy as the big favorite of this Euro, plus they would want some revenge for not qualifying in WC 2018! But then so did Netherlands, and they did win Eurovision 2019 and host Eurovision 2021 after all! And both failed to qualify because of… Sweden, the decade’s heavyweight in Eurovision! :p
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Just sent in my aftermath ranking… it was at some points quite different to my premath one :-)…