Anyone watch Eurovision?

[PhaedrusR]

The Contest’s huge gay following, I believe, does influence the BBC in how they present it at least - three gay men covering it on the main TV and radio coverage this year, for example. It all depends on how general PC and inclusion agenda driven you believe Auntie or Auntcle or Gender Neutraltie to be these days, and how or if they tailor their news and entertainment output accordingly. Now 20 years ago, even, and certainly beyond, there would by no drag competitions on the main BBC channels and no girl/boy kissing girl/boy type shows. Two men presenting a news show was common place. On Breakfast, nowadays, how often do you see two female news anchors together, but rarely if ever, two men? Coincidence or a broadcasting policy? Nothing wrong whatsoever with predominantly gay men in large numbers attending the Contest and celebrating flamboyantly. It creates a great atmosphere and visually entertaining TV. No problem with that whatsoever, and nor should I have. Also nothing wrong with adjusted pronouns, and a man with a beard in a dress, but referred to as ‘she’ winning the Eurovision Song Contest. These are the times we live in, and in fifty years time, no doubt the society of then will look back at that of today’s as staid and suppressing. It’s a generational thing. Mix in or opt out.

Would the Swiss song/performer have won if not current 'trend' of 'non-binary'.

Recent Eurovisions seem sometimes to be based on the public virtual signalling, more than just 'best song'. (And politics/regional favouritism, Greece/Cyprus, Sweden/Finland, etc.). e.g. Ukraine, Conchita Wurst (Austria, 'bearded lady'.)

Truly off-topic: The 'culture wars' debate around transgender is difficult and more nuanced than both sides would have you believe. The term transvestite seems to have been lost, and now seems to be argued on twitter, e.g. jkr and grahaml and msm and their dissenters. Not getting into the extremes of that on both 'sides'!

 

[PhaedrusR]

And the other is, I suppose I can understand why Israel are in the competition, as there are a lot of Jewish folk all around Europe, but even then, why is Israel, Cyprus and the aforementioned Australia all in a European event?

@Ant7t That's a surprisingly pretty ignorant comment. Israel's participation in Eurovision has nothing to do with 'lot of Jewish folk around Europe', the implication being they'll vote for Israel; whereas they probably vote for their favourite song or country. And would vote for their home native European country of birth/residence if they could!

Israel is a member of the European Broadcasting Union. Cyprus is an EU member state since 2004 and is in Europe. Then take a look at a map and see how Israel is to the east of Cyprus on the Mediterranean coast. It is about proximity to Europe (like Turkey) and being a Western-style nation.

The winner Switzerland isn't in the EU either! But like Cyprus is in Europe continent and in the EEA.

Others have answered why Australia is now in the competition.

 

[LV73]

Back in the 90s, two comedy shows decided to do their own Eurovision songs.

Father Ted, My Little Horse for Ireland

The High Life for Scotland, Biff Baff Boff, I Want To Have It Off.

Sadly, neither made it.

Ooh dearie me!

 

[PhaedrusR]

Ooh dearie me!

The Father Ted My Little Horse Eurovision pastiche video is posted earlier in this thread! Watched it again and it's still funny.

 

[Sazza]

I think I've only missed about two Eurovisions in all the years I remember watching them, somewhere around the Bucks Fizz era. Two things that bug me, is (and I will get to why I quoted this bit), too much English being sung. In they way backs, most were sung in their own language and only in English if they won. Euro- of the vision implies showcasing their own culture / language.

And the other is, I suppose I can understand why Israel are in the competition, as there are a lot of Jewish folk all around Europe, but even then, why is Israel, Cyprus and the aforementioned Australia all in a European event?

@Ant7t That's a surprisingly pretty ignorant comment. Israel's participation in Eurovision has nothing to do with 'lot of Jewish folk around Europe', the implication being they'll vote for Israel; whereas they probably vote for their favourite song or country. And would vote for their home native European country of birth/residence if they could!

Israel is a member of the European Broadcasting Union. Cyprus is an EU member state since 2004 and is in Europe. Then take a look at a map and see how Israel is to the east of Cyprus on the Mediterranean coast. It is about proximity to Europe (like Turkey) and being a Western-style nation.

The winner Switzerland isn't in the EU either! But like Cyprus is in Europe continent and in the EEA.

Others have answered why Australia is now in the competition.

Yes @Ant7t that is indeed an incredibly ignorant, offensive comment. It is nothing to do with how many Jewish people there are in Europe.

@PhaedrusR has explained so no need for me to repeat but please be very careful in future.

 

[maymorganlondon]

I still haven't fixed my telly, so no Eurovision for me.
I thought the winning song was strong and catchy.
Olly has had a total mare. His performance at the semis he had mic pack issues.
The setting for the song was vile, and his voice was definitely affected.
As usual there is the angst about why we didn't win or do better.
Sam Ryder did so well because of his relentless enthusiasm with the other acts, the public and promoted the hell out of himself and the song. Not a whiff of put-on Eurovision enthusiasm: he wasn't faking. The song was pretty good, with a strong chorus.
Mae Muller last year and Olly on Saturday had basic beige songs in my view... and they weren't visibly promoting themselves and the song.
Sweden are good at Eurovision and pop in general because they take it so seriously. Even their competition to select an entry is taken seriously and is a national institution.
Heroes was fantastic.
I'm just surprised at how many acts disappear without a trace after they win or seem very quiet. I'd have thought Loreen would be much more prominent, even here... but really has anyone heard other material than her two winning songs? It's a shame.
Last year I wanted Cha cha cha to win!

 

[PhaedrusR]

This, of course, is the best UK Eurovision entry.

 

[maymorganlondon]

The musical in the intro/intermission performed by the presenters going through the history of Eurovision was one of the best things on the night. Inventive, creative, well written.

Apparently the UK entry was supposed to be a spaceship going through the galaxy. Not a lavatory. No, me neither.

Disagree that the winner was a standout song. Well performed and staged, but not great/memorable, imho.

Ok, I found the song I was thinking of, from Belgium 2003, Sanomi by Urban Trad. It actually came second to Turkey. Not quite as I remember it, but many comments on youtube that it's one of the best songs not to win and many people remember it and search for it and come back to it. It stuck in my memory as tuneful, atonal and layered, with middle eight, switch and crescendo. A nice piece of work. Using a made-up language.
It could do with a 2024 rework with symphonic orchestra, samples, etc.!

Belgium 2003, Sanomi, Urban Trad.

Reminiscent of Adiemus (Karl Jenkins), or similar to Enya or Enigma, etc

Adiemus (similar made-up language)

Thank you for posting both of those. I like Karl Jenkins' work. I'd never come across the Belgian entry but it's fantastic. Given the friction between Flemings and Walloons, a made-up language is a sensible option for them!

 

[maymorganlondon]

I thought we had some overlooked strong entries in the 1990s, not just Katrina and the Waves.
Love City Groove was one I really thought would be in the mix for top spot in 1995 with a perfect slice of melodic rap and summer?

And who could forget Ms Oh Ah Just a little bit!
No wonder Australia earned a spot. We have not been the only country to plunder their shores for an artist.

 

[PhaedrusR]

I thought we had some overlooked strong entries in the 1990s, not just Katrina and the Waves.
Love City Groove was one I really thought would be in the mix for top spot in 1995 with a perfect slice of melodic rap and summer?

And who could forget Ms Oh Ah Just a little bit!
No wonder Australia earned a spot. We have not been the only country to plunder their shores for an artist.

Yes fair to say it's of its time. I'm not a big fan of rap with simple rhyming couplets, compared to something fantastically good like Gangsters Paradise which actually has proper rap poetry lyrics, telling a story (albeit distasteful gangster life), with decent music behind it.
Lyric version, good phrasing.

The Gina G UK entry was good but more of a Euro song rather than just a good well written song Like Love Shine a Light, which won! Pretty much a perfect song parcel. The recent YouTube comments show some people re/discovering it. Oh to be young!

I think Sweden do well because they pick decent songs and tracks that you would hear in a club or in the charts. Not manufactured Euro pop aimed for the contest. And no gimmicks. I think Lorreen is big in the clubs and Heroes was a massive dance club hit before it appeared on Eurovision.

The winner, Switzerland's The Code, is growing on me. I hadn't seen the video and full lyrics which makes it more understandable 'between the 1's and 0's' (i.e. non-binary).
It seems to take from Lorreens 'oh ohs' and Spaceman's high notes and mix them. I still don't think the rap section at the beginning is needed.

Described as an Operatic Drum 'n Bass, rap, pop song (what a mixture), it's something I could imagine Freddie Mercury doing now. (Remember Barcelona? Another banger).

Plus I like trains.

 

[donna255]

I think I remember that. And there's that connection with Graham Norton too.

Yes, Graham was in Father Ted. I forget the name of the priest he was, but he was always taking a youth group camping etc and wanting them to do River Dance.

 

[donna255]

There are men who just like dressing up in women's clothes. Transvestites, they don't want to be women, just dress at one now and then.

Drag goes back to Victorian music hall, when men and women dressed as the opposite sex and preformed. Also, Panto. Modern drag is the same. The most famous in the UK way back was Danny La Roo. Now, it would be RuPaul, makes records has a TV show.

 

[Bettyboo]

It’s become trashy and unwatchable for me and why the BBC and the Government continue to spend millions on this event I don’t know.

 

[donna255]

They cannot escape. The big 5 countries are locked in and guaranteed a place every year. They signed and sold their soul way back in the 1950s when the whole thing started. The best the UK can do and have succeeded in do is not winning too much as it costs millions to host the thing. What? You thought it was an accident they enter so, so or horrid songs each year?

 

[Toril]

I had it on in the background so didn’t really pay that much attention to the performances. However, I thought Olly sounded off key and pitchy when he started and words failed me with regards to the Irish entry.

The one that I thought was the most catchy was the Croatian entry but it was pipped to the post by Switzerland. The Swiss entry was alright but, as far as I’m concerned, is easily forgotten. If anyone asked me to hum the melody now, I couldn’t.

The song contest has moved away from the song part, in my opinion, and has become more of a political and diversity competition. The diversity part isn’t an issue but the politics element is.

 

[ianrobo111]

Would the Swiss song/performer have won if not current 'trend' of 'non-binary'.

The song was good though and the juries won it for them and not the public. Swiss won because they wanted to stop Baby from winning and group think led them to Switzerland as the only one to beat Baby who like Kaajia last year was the overwhelming public favourite.

The Juries now where there is a fav song to win that they dislike are now fixing it to such extremes and this makes the juries irrelevant now to most people. You can drop them and still have someone present the results of the public vote, so get the whacky people.

Of course the winner being non binary is just a stick that extremists can beat EV with, agree with the point about Transvestite disappearing, after all Dana and Conhitta won so damn easy and it has always been a part of entertainment FFS, Dames in panto.

Sadly some people's hatred leads to some enormous rubbish written since Saturday.

 

[donna255]

I had no idea Nemo was non-binary. Just thought the song was good along with I think two others. The German good vocal and the blue man bald good vocal, good song.

 

[Bonaventure]

I think George Michael (RIP) would have loved Olly’s performance Personally I just wanted to get the Cif out and scrub those tiles! (My OCD!)

But seriously, I liked Years & Years, but IMO this was pretty weak in comparison and a real step down from Spaceman. That song had an anthemic quality which made it perfect.

 

[Ant7t]

@Ant7t That's a surprisingly pretty ignorant comment. Israel's participation in Eurovision has nothing to do with 'lot of Jewish folk around Europe', the implication being they'll vote for Israel; whereas they probably vote for their favourite song or country. And would vote for their home native European country of birth/residence if they could!

Israel is a member of the European Broadcasting Union. Cyprus is an EU member state since 2004 and is in Europe. Then take a look at a map and see how Israel is to the east of Cyprus on the Mediterranean coast. It is about proximity to Europe (like Turkey) and being a Western-style nation.

The winner Switzerland isn't in the EU either! But like Cyprus is in Europe continent and in the EEA.

Others have answered why Australia is now in the competition.

I wrote that before the previous comments, and now stand corrected. Thanking you

 

[Ant7t]

Yes @Ant7t that is indeed an incredibly ignorant, offensive comment. It is nothing to do with how many Jewish people there are in Europe.

@PhaedrusR has explained so no need for me to repeat but please be very careful in future.

Understood. And not that it makes any difference, I meant no ill. I have Jewish family members: past and present.