In case you’ve not registered, one of the biggest events of the year is just around the corner. No, not the FA Cup final, not the Indy 500, not the Kentucky Derby, not Norwegian Constitution Day, not even Referendum Day; no, it is now less than two weeks until the Eurovision Song Contest! One hundred and twenty-five million people will watch around the globe, from the UK to Russia, from Iceland to Azerbaijan, as far away as Australia even, with the first semi-final on May 10th in Düsseldorf, the second on 12th May, and the final on 14th May (have I mentioned, I’ll be there?)
Of course, the forty-three songs on show in the Düsseldorf Arena will be the best possible entries each country had to enter this year, and there will be no one thinking, “I wish [someone else] was representing us, they are so much better!” – no, why would anyone think that? Such heretical thoughts would never pass anyone’s lips!
Okay, let’s drop the pretense. Beauty, they say, is in the eyes of the beholder. Taste is relative. Some people love rock. Some people love ballads. Some people love opera music. Well, maybe not common people… but anyway, there are a few tracks that are quite deserving of representing their countries, but which didn’t get through their national selections. I have picked a few that I would dearly loved to have seen on stage in Germany. You may agree, you may not – you may not care – but it would be remiss of me not to draw attention to a few hidden gems from the national selections I followed, or have heard about along the way! My two favourites are the last two, just so you know!
“Nótt” – Yohanna (Iceland)
The Icelandic national selection – Söngvakeppni Sjónvarpsins - was overshadowed by the death of Sigurjón Brink, whose entry eventually won the competition after it was entered in his place by his friends. An understandable outcome, but it did beat two songs that would, in different circumstances, have been thoroughly deserving winners too. The first is Nótt, which was, for many, the favourite to win. Yohanna represented Iceland in 2009, finishing second to Norway with the song, Is It True? This is a beautifully-delivered song from someone who can really sing. Any year other than 2009 and she would have won Eurovision, and she was unlucky not to win Söngvakeppni Sjónvarpsins this year – and she’s only twenty-one! Wow. In a word: sumptuous.
“Ástin Mín Eina” – Erna Hrönn Ólafsdóttir (Iceland)
Iceland required that all the entries to Söngvakeppni Sjónvarpsins were in Icelandic. I liked this, although it does pose a slight problem for me – I can’t understand even a word of Icelandic! Norwegian, I can read, as long as it’s not too complicated, and can pick out bits of conversations. Swedish, I can to a lesser degree. Icelandic – forget it, it’s completely different. I am completely lost. But this is another very good entry from this year that doesn’t rely upon fireworks on stage, lots of dancing or gimmicks, just a well-delivered song. It’s very good. I have no idea what the song is about, and Erna’s eyes are slightly too eyeballing at times, but it’s still very good. In a word: intense.
“Spring För Livet” – Sara Varga (Sweden)
I’m nearly allowed myself two entries from Sweden, but I settled on one in the end. There were a few other candidates for this list from Sweden that will get honourable mentions later, but I really liked Sara Varga’s entry, Spring För Livet. This is partly – I admit – because it is written and sung in Swedish, and I do like entries that go against the modern grain of singing in English. It’s good to celebrate language. Sadly, Swede’s tend to like their music in English! Still, I like this for its simplicity. Sara has a beautiful voice too. It won a place in the final through Andra Chansen, the second chance final. Perhaps you’re noticing a trend here, because this is another simple song, a ballad with very little going on in the background. It’s another female too… What can I say? I am easily led, I have a soft spot for female vocalists, I appreciate simplicity… I think it’s fair to say that Melodifestivalen had a number of good songs this year, but not many very good entries. But there are a few honourable mentions at the end nevertheless! In a word: exquisite.
“You’re Like A Melody” – Hanne Sørvaag (Norway)
Like with Sweden, there are a couple of honourable mentions at the end for Melodi Grand Prix, but, quite frankly, of the entries that didn’t qualify from Norway’s national selection, Hanne Sørvaag’s You’re Like A Melody is far and away the best. Yes, I know, another female, but she has a guitar this time! It is a different style to the previous three, being much more upbeat, with more of a beat behind it, and, for the first time in this list, it’s in English, and it’s matched by some rather cheesy choreography too. The backing singers really add to this and I would certainly not have complained had this appeared in Düsseldorf! In a word: captivating.
“Banjo Laura” - Lauris Reiniks (Latvia)
Okay, I’ll admit, I didn’t follow the Latvian national selection – unlike the Swedish, Norwegian, Icelandic, Finnish and Irish ones. There’s a limit to what you can reasonably follow! But, if an injustice has been done this year, it’s with this! “Musiqq” won the Latvian selection this year with an entry which, whilst not bad, was average. It won’t set Düsseldorf alight, although it does have its merits, but it does mean that this wonderful song will not be representing Latvia in Germany – and that is slightly disappointing to me, because I do really like it! Having finally tracked down a live performance of the song, I can see perhaps why it didn’t win the Latvian national selection, but it is fundamentally a better song. In a word: “done”.
Honourable Mentions
A few Norwegian and Swedish honourable mentions. From Norway, the catchy Trenger Mer from Sichelle (written by Christine Dancke, I do believe, whose radio show on NRK’s P3 radio station I do sometimes listen to); Fire Below by The Lucky Bullets; Dance Tonight by The BlackSheeps (part-English, part-Norwegian). But Stella Mwangi will do better in Düsseldorf than any of those three. Sweden: Me And My Drum (Swingfly); In The Club (Danny Saucedo); Oh My God! (Le Kid). That’s quite an eclectic mix!
So, coming up next (hopefully today)… my revised top ten rankings for Eurovision!