"Alternative" 30 day challenge

Thank you to everyone who has read (or put up with) my 30 day Eurovision challenge. As with all of these challenges, I enjoyed doingd them and researching them a lot. I guess it ges to show that although it is 'just' a ong contest, for those who love it, there ismuch more than meets the eye!!!!

So what next...?

What I'd love to do is come up with another 30 day Eurovion challenge but with alternative categories. Thanks to @melodimen and @PauloPanic on twitter we came up with a few good topics such as :-

favourite wind machine moment
favourite key changes
best head turns
best strutting
best finger pointing
biggest semi-final shocka
biggest on-stage car crash
loopiest entrant
fave UK entry since Katrina
best/worst outfit
best costume change
most pointless gimmick
worst lyric
worst background dancers
artist whose hair was most likely to be set on fire
song with lack of tune


Any other category headers would be very much welcomed (the funnier and bitchier the better!!!)
You can leave suggestions as a message on here, or tweet me @_forky or leave me a message on facebook. If I can get 30 headings I can research them through September and post my challenege during October :o)

Day 30 - an entry that should have won

1998 Netherlands : Edsillia Rombley – Heme en aarde (Heaven and earth)
1999 Iceland : Selma - All out of luck
1984 Ireland : Linda Martin – Terminal Three
1989 Sweden :Tommy Nilsson – En dag (One day)

Sooooooooooooooooooooooooooo many songs in the category. Songs already mentioned the challenge that ALSO fit under this banner include Amina 1989, Frederika 1994 and Urban Trad 2003.

Although we all have our personal favourites, there are songs which the consensus tells us will win, or songs that are mass fan favourites. There are also songs which appear to be 'too good for Eurovision' Many of the Dutch entrants in the nineties could be this. Edsillia really belted this fan favourite out with a professional stage show yet still only managed to come 4th behind Israel, UK and Malta.

Iceland were well and truly robbed of victory by those Euro-hijackers, Sweden. Their soon to be plastic faced Charlotte Nilsson flicked her hair during her ABBA-copied song about heaven. I wish did go to bloody heaven. Anyway, Selma's perfomance and song were just brilliant clever yet memorable, active yet not OTT. In my eyes she won.

Linda had to wait almost another decade before she won Eurovision. This Johnny Logan written number (which gained second place)proves that Ireland can do other stuff apart form dreary ballads or Celtic inspired folk songs. Love the hair !

To redress the Swedish balance here is one of my fave Swedish numbers. It came in fourth, behind Yugoslavia,UK and Denmark, although this song is much better than all of those put together.

Day 29 - your favourite entry to dance to

2010 France : Jessy Matador - Allez! Ola! Ole!

This song was just so brilliant! The whole performance was so energetic and to be honest the vocals did not suffer so much. It was relevant and contemporary and in way way showed the modern side to French music. On the night though it did not do too well, coming in arespectable 12th out of 25. On further inspection though the reason for this result is clear. Based on televoting ALONE, this would have been 8th. The jury, however, totally disagreed and had this an unbeliveable 22nd.


You can do nothing but dance though !!!

Day 28 - your favourite ballad

1984 Netherlands : Maribelle - Ik hou van you (I love you)
2004 Iceland : Jónsi - Heaven

Two very good ballads that also did not do well in the competition.

Maribelle had been tipped to do well in the 1984 contest,however even after an almost flawless vocal performance she only came 13/18. Some even blamed her unflattering outfit for her bad score. However, this song is one of the best-known of all Dutch Eurovision entries, has been recorded by several other artists, and is still performed regularly today.

Due to Iceland's good plaing in 2003, Iceland did not need to enter the semi-final for 2004 and had a guaranteed spot in the final. Jonsi's song is very lyrical yet what he actually says is open to a lot of interpretation. His performance on the night was good, as well as being one of the few who actually took to the stage alone. He finished 19th out of 25.

Day 27 - an entry performed by someone you think is hot

2007 Ukraine: Ani Lorak - Shapy Lady
2005 Slovenia: Omar Naber - Stop

Found this catagory quite difficlut to be honest.
ESC, especially of late, has been about good looking girls and not really about good looking boys. Shame as it should be about the music *throws up*

Day 26 - an entry that makes you think of someone

2011 Iceland : Sjonni's Friends - Coming Home

Although vey sad, I really enjoyed the story behind Sjonni's Friends.
The group won the Icelandic national selection with the Icelandic song "Aftur heim". The original artist was meant to be Sigurjón Brink himself, however before he was set to compete in the third semi-final, Sigurjón unexpectedly died, due to natural causes. Sigurjón's family decided, on reflection that they would like for the song to remain in the competition, and that it should be performed by Sigurjón's friends a tribute band consisting of Sigurjón's real life musician friends the band formed after his death. The song was then rewritten into English by his widow, Þórunn Erna Clausen.

Havng lost someone close to me very suddenly, the song makes sense.

Day 25 - your favourite song from a national final

1999 Sweden : Martin - (Du är så) yeah yeah wow wow (You are so) yeah yeah wow wow
1999 Sweden : Crosstalk - Det gäller dej och mej (It’s about you and me)
1999 Estonia: Joel De Luna, Mati Kõrts, Jassi Zahharov & Mait Trink – Opera on fire
1999 Belgium : Alana Dante – Ready for the sunsand
1999 Netherlands : Colors – Positivity
1999 Netherlands : Double Date – E-mail to Berlin

The reason I have chosen a bunch of songs from 1999 is simple. When I used to buy ESC videos from my ‘supplier’ he would fill up the excess tape with other stuff. When I bought a load of tapes back in 1999/2000 he filled a lot of the empty space with excepts from the 1999 national finals. It kind of shocked me some of the songs which did not get through – there were some real classics !!!

Yeah yeah wow wow – love the 60s feel of this. The visual of this with all of the TV screens would have worked SO well on the stage. Asm actually surprised nobody has nucked this yet…




Det gäller dej och mej – very Swedish yet not to schlagery. Not too sure Swedish rap ever took off…




Opera On Fire - let’s throw in as many music styles in 3 mins- even if they don’t go together !!!
Although I have the National final coverage on video, no copy seems to exist on line, so you will have to do with the vocal




Ready for the sunsand – pure Flemish dance. So Typical of the 90s scene in Belgium.





Positivity – This song really took advantage of the relaxation of language rule. 1999 was the first year a song could be in any language and not just an official language of the country of origin.




E-mail to Berlin – Well, this is just appallingly bad. Looks like a bad auction for x-factor XD

Day 24 - an entry that makes you laugh

1987 Israel : Lazy Bums (AKA Datner and Kushnir) – Shir Habatlanim (The Bums’song)

BTW, this one makes me laugh in a good way, not in a 'really embarrassing' way

I have very fond memories of this song. I can actually remember singing the chorus of this song (with other children) on a school coach.
I guess the song is funny lyrically, if you understand Hebrew, but the performance was quite whacky (especially without props and costume changes) and very much influenced by the Blues Brothers. The fact that the nonsense chorus is immensely catchy also helps.

Not everyone in Israel found it funny. The Minister of Culture threatened to resign if they performed.
They performed but he did not resign….

Day 23 - your favourite presenter/presenting team

2011 Germany: Anke Engelke, Judith Rakers and Stefan Raab

To be honest, the presentation teams are really something I don’t pay a lot of attention too… maybe that means that most of the Eurovision presnters have been doing their job properly. I guess the Samantha Fox/Mick Fleetwood of Eurovision was Italy 1991. Entertaining for the wrong reasons. The contest was hosted by 2 former winners - Gigliola Cinquetti (1964) and Toto Cutugno (1990) and the latter’s poor English skills not only made presenting the acts a painful but the voting at the end was excruciating.

However, I have not chosen that. I have actually chosen the most recent presenting team for Eurovision. The German presentation overall was very good and all 3 presenters had a great rapport and connection with each other and the audience and the participants. They were also able to balance the serious technical part of the event with some humour (Who says the Germans have no sense of humour!!!)

To illustrate this I have chosen 2 clips.
Firstly, the introduction to the reprise of Satellite at the start of the 2010 final
Secondly, an excerpt of Anke and Stefan doing their own versions of Euro hits (badly!) from SF2

Day 22 - your favourite interval act

1988 : The Hothouse Flowers – Don’t Go

There have been some pretty memorable interval acts. Who can forget Riverdance in 1994? Or the amazing camerawork and cinematography of the interval act of Norway 1996? Or the Madcon Flashmob of 2009?
There have also been some pretty awful ones too - yes I mean you, Guy Tell and your piss poor “arrow through an apple on my head” act – where 10 mins was wasted by him setting up the rebounds and balloons on the arrows - whereby the final important arrow actually missed the apple significantly… (even though Swiss Tv tried to fool us by shoing us the slo-mo replay of your rehearsal, which DID work)

This was probably the interval act I most clearly remember as a kid.
OK, I know it is literally just an extended pop video but it felt relevant at the time. It served a purpose, espeiclaly at a time then Europe was 'coming together' and this fact was being ever exploited. It was also catchy and fun.
It comes to a point where the most memorable performance or song is the one that is not actually in the contest XD

Day 21 - your favourite performance

1998 Germany : Guildo Horn & Die Orthopädischen Strümpfe - Guildo hat euch lieb! (Guildo loves you!)
2008 Bosnia and Herzegovina : Laka – Pokušaj (Try)

Guildo’s performance in 1998 was literally groundbreaking. It was the first time a singer broke through the 4th wall between the stage and the audience. This level of ‘interaction’ had never been seen before and however bad the song/singing his infectious personality and slightly anarchic streak made him a star. This highly individualistic performance gave Germany their most memorable placing for a long time and also came a respectable 7/25. Because of this, interaction with the audience is now much more mainstream and individuality is recognised and applauded.

10 years later another rather bizarre off-beat singer came to our attention. Representing Bosnia and Herzegovina that was Laka, with his sister Mirela on backing vocals, with their self penned song “Pokušaj”. Their rather eccentric staging, dress sense and dancing made them easy qualifiers from the semis and finished a respectable 10th in the finals

Day 20 - your favourite non-qualifier from a semi-final

2004 Estonia : Neiokõsõ – Tii (Road)
2009 Latvia : Intars Busulis - Probka (Traffic Jam)
2010: Lithuania : InCulto – Eastern European Funk

Although I have an obvious soft-spot for the Belgians, I also have a soft spot for the Baltic countries and it just so happens that I have chosen three class songs from the 3 former Soviet states.

My chosen Estonian entry was one of those marmite tracks. Although the song was a really interesting one to listen to, the girls’ performance was not quite up to scratch on the night. In 2004 there was only 1 semi final and 10 places were up for grabs for the 22 competing nations. It finished in unlucky 11th, just one place away from being in the final

Probka was my guilty pleasure of 2009. I am a sucker for weirdly timed songs (this mainly being in 7/8) It was a bit retro, a bit anarchic, a bit weird. The performance on the night was just a little too introverted and small for the stage, plus the two girls were a little too animated for the song. It came last in semi final 2

I have to say I was one very upset lady when Inculto failed to get out of semi final 2. They opened the show, which can be a good thing especially when you are such an energetic band with a stomping song, but somehow in the ether of Euroland it got forgotten about coming in a far off 12th. If just the televoters had go their way, it would have come in 8th *shakes fist*

Day 19 - your favourite Italian entry

1997 Italy : Jalisse – Fiumi di parole (Rivers of words)

Another simple choice, although was closely followed by Alice and Battiato’s “Treni Di Tozeur”

I always find this song slightly ironic.
Italy had been in and out of the conest throught the 80's and then RAI did not submit an entry in 94, 95 and 96 citing lack of support for the contest in the country. They then returned with this song but then withdrew again. RAI withdrew from the competition completely until 2011, when they came 2nd. This decision always seems a strange one considering that the song did so well (4/25)

Day 18 - your favourite German entry

1996 Germany : Leon – Blauer Planet/Planet of Blue

Ooooooooooooooooooh, controversial!!!

1996 was a sad year for German Eurovision. After appearing in every Eurovision since 1956, this was the first year there was to be no German presence. The German public had chosen a song that they thought would be on the stage in Oslo, but for the one (and only) time ever the EBU had a ‘pre-selection’ contest.
Due to the influx of Eastern European countries wanting to enter, as well as the separate states that were once Yugoslavia, 30 countries had applied to be in the contest. So in the March the EBU had a pre-selection 8 jurors of each country were sent audio of the 29 songs (Norway were hosts and so automatically gained a place in the final) wanting the 22 tickets to the final. The bottom 7 would be out.

Hungary, Germany, Denmark, FYROM, Russia, Israel and Romania were out. Their songs never to be heard on the Eurovision stage.

So, Leon and his Blue Planet never made it. Shame, as the song was very contemporary for it’s time and probably the most relevant song that year. I mean, German music in 1996 was full of this dance style. It could have been big. We will never know.

The next year, the German preselection show was called “Der countdown laeuft” in honour of Leon’s failed song. Ironically Leon came back that year with another stomper of an entry, with another electronic song but with roots in Schlager and line dancing…. And came second.

I guess it was never meant to be…

Day 17 - your favourite French entry

2003 France : Louisa Baïleche - Monts et merveilles (The moon and the stars)

This category was actually pretty tough. I could have easily chosen “La Source”, “Black and white blues”, “L'amour à la française” or ”Divine” but I felt that this song need a bit of love.

The song is undeniably French, I mean in a rhythmical sense rather than linguistically, but not a typical French balladeer type number. Like many Eurovision songs that I like, I love the different tempos and rhythms of the song, especially the way the chorus seems like one long breathless line of words. I also like the “na-na-na” part in the middle which not only provides aural relief from the tune but also builds up more tension towards the very last chorus.

Also like many Eurovision sings I like, this was very much overlooked on the night, coming a disappointing 18/26. The staging of the song didn’t really work, particularly on such a large stage and could have done with less band and more movement.

Day 16 - your favourite Spanish entry

1990 Spain: Azúcar Moreno – Bandido (Bandit)

This one was an easy one for me.

Mainly remembered for the ‘false start’ where to the two Salazar sisters entered the stage at the wrong point in the music due to the backing track not working. The footage of the ladies storming off stage and then the backing instrumentalists not sure wether they should mime along or stay static, is quite hilarious and always used on those ‘isn’t Eurovision mad and sad?!?!?!’ compilation shows…

The song itself is amazing. This kind of dance influenced-flamenco sound has been totally under utilised in Eurovision even though, as you can see in this case, it does work !

Day 15 - your favourite UK entry

1987 UK : Rikki – Only the light

This was a really hard ne to choose because there have been so many memorable songs and so many unmemorable ones too!

I finally decided on this one, which I think will be quite an unusual choice.
The song came a dismal 13th, which was our worst result ever to that point (and was still the worst until 1999) This song is a cracking one to sing along too and I also know the backing singers dance almost off by heart XD

Day 14 - your favourite Irish entry

1978 Ireland : Colm C T Wilkinson - Born to sing

A tough category but a simple choice in the end.

Colm has gone on to much greater things since (and before ESC) and this showmanship really does come out in his performance. His diction of the song is perfect and he really seems to sing the song and make it meaningful. Also in this sing is a good example of tempo changes between the verses and the choruses.

Like most great ESC songs, the live perofmance is much better than the studio version.

Am also loving the curtains nicely worn by the backing singers...

Day 13 - your least favourite entry of all time

2004 Switzerland : Piero and the music stars – Celebrate

Oh dear.

Everything about this is just wrong. WRONG WRONG WRONG WRONG WRONG !!!!

Basically it’s like the very bad prequel to Glee with some very badly dressed adults, doing their best to imitate children. In fact it’s like a very bad parody of an excruciatingly bad Junior Eurovision performance. It’s boringly repetitive lyrics are infantile and most of all the song really doesn’t mean a thing.

Piero’s voice really doesn’t suit this kind of song. Piero himself actually won the premiere edition of the Swiss reality talent show ‘Music Star’ in 2003 and the 4 backing singers were also participants in the show. It was literally the biggest thing ever. No wonder then that this piss poor bag o’shite won…

Not content with one key change they have two – in the wrong place. By the end of the song everybody looks and sounds absolutely knackered and sounds more like an aerobics video than a singing competition by the end of it all.

However the best bit is when he hits himself with the microphone #epicfail

This song was in the very first semi-final ever created in 2004 and as justification for this pile of tripe, it scored NIL POINTS. The only entry ever to have scored 0 in a semi-final and I know you will agree with that score…

Day 12 - your favourite entry of all time

1988 Netherlands : Gerard Joling - Shangri-La

I just love this song (even though it didn’t do too well coming 9/21)

I love the way the song incorporates as many tempo and beat changes as possible.
It starts off by punching away with the chorus and then gets into the first verse. I then love the way after the first full chorus it goes into a slow bridge and chorus part, then after a brief interlude the bridge is repeated again but at a much faster pace. The song is full of standard and syncopated beats and although it chops and changes, it never feels disjointed.

This is such a strong that sounds much better on the ESC stage than it did on any recording.

I think this was the first song I properly learnt to sing in Dutch and I think I fell in love with this language and the sentries in this language. It is a song I just cannot get bored of listening to and singing along to :o) If only it was available on UK karaoke…

Day 11 - an entry, in a language you don't know, that you can sing along to

1994 Hungary : Friderika Bayer - Kinek mondjam el vétkeimet (Whom can I tell my sins?)

The 1994 contest was a class year and contained a lot of diverse entries, possibly due to the enlargement of the Eurovision pool that year and the previous year. This particular year saw the first entry from Hungary, a vey simplistic entry very well sung by Friderika. Probably still the best Hungarian entry ever entered.

Day 10 - an entry that you liked at first but are now bored of

2005 Greece : Helena Paparizou - My Number One

Shame really.

Looking back, this was one of those years where everything else was really of such piss poor quality that this one stood out a mile. As a concequence of this win, Greece (like Turkey, the winner 2 years previously) now seem to think they now have a God-given right to win the contest every year... even though almost all of their entries are complete pants, and mainly get through due to diaspora voting. Maybe they need a kick up the backside like Turkey and Armenia got this year...
I mean Sakis Rouvas... who *does* he think he is....?

I wouldn't mind Helena coming back for a third bite of the cherry, maybe for Sweden..?

Day 9 - an entry that you didn't like at first but now like

2011 Russia : Alex Sparrow - Get You

Unlike 'Popular' which I still dislike, this song from this year has grown on me somewhat.
I still think Alex Sparrow is a very weird-looking, swarmy man who obviously loves himself before all others and his singing (especially live) was not exactly outstanding, but the song does have some redeeming qualities.

However, Scott Mills can be thaked for making me see this song in a new light.
He gave me imagaes of slightly sterotypical '80s camp men (a la Duncan Norvelle) going "Oooooooh! Get you!" with over exaggerated hand gestures.. I now cannot sing or listen to the song without doin a limp wristed motions every time the chorus comes on XD

Day 8 - your favourite 2nd-placed entry

2003 Belgium : Urban Trad - Sanomi

A song in a made up language by the world's best made up country.
beaten into 2nd my the might of Sertab Erener but also pushed the shit that was tATu into 3rd place (when it should have been 23rd)
Because of this entry I now own all their albums :o)




And as a Brucie Bonus, one of the most -structured songs yet catchiest ESC songs EVER... beaten into second by the might that was "Hallelujah"

Day 7 - your favourite entry by a group

1972 Spain Mocedades - Eres tú (You are)

Normally at this point I would disclaim “How the hell did this not win?” but in this case I won’t. It is not that this song did not deserve to win, as it did, but the 1972 contests was actually quite a good one with the UK, Luxembourg and Israeli entries all fairly distant. This was also the contest of Belgians Nicole and Hugo’s wonderfully flattering matching purple jumpsuits and the amazing lyrics of Sweden’s Nova.

This was such a strong song and still sounds good after almost 40 years. A big hit at the time, in both Spanish and English, and has been covered in many more different languages. During the 50th anniversary celebrations, this song was voted the 5th best ESC song ever.




However as an extra, this is pretty good too (if not totally underestimated on the night)

Day 6 - your favourite entry by a duet

1963 Denmark : Grethe & Jørgen Ingmann - Dansevise (Dance Ballad)

This was one of the winners of ESC I never really heard about for a long time… and didn’t really get to hear or own the song for a long time. There is a lot of ‘controversy’ with the possible rigged voting that year and the strange staging for that year’s contest but this song was the winner.

I love the song, especially the very haunting guitar at the start. The Danish language is not the easiest to listen to or sing along to but it does have a haunting quality. I also love the ending with its crescendo before going quiet and slow again. Sounds sooooo sad :o(

Day 5 - your favourite entry by a male soloist

1997 Iceland : Paul Oscar Minn Hinsti Dans (My Final Dance)

OMG – that is all I can say.

I remember watching this from inside my dorm room in Scarborough watching this, thinking I had actually seen televisual history.

The outfit, the hair, the sofa, the leather clad girls, the choreography, the inappropriate self-touching but most of all THE MUSIC.

It really was far too much for this girl to take…

http://youtu.be/ud2MbWKwYzw

Day 4 - your favourite entry by a female soloist

1991 France : Amina - C'est le dernier qui a parlé qui a raison (It's the last one who spoke who is right)

Talk about being robbed…

This should have been the rightful winner of the 1991 contest, however the contest actually ended in a tie… Through count back the Swedish entry won. *boo hiss*
The French entries in the 1990s were a little on the ‘different’ side with very different and diverse influences. I love all the standing still choreography and the use of the scarf and her voice is just so clear.

Do you think she’d do it again…? I’d love it…


1991: Amina - C'est le dernier qui a parle..... by songfestivalweblogNL

Day 3 - your favourite winning entry

1971 Monaco: Séverine - Un banc, un arbre, une rue (A bench, a tree, a street)

I guess this song is just classy. The songwriting aspect of this song is very clever.

The song is very clevery written and seems very simple, which of course it is not.
Firstly we start with the chorus, although asafe start as it gets the ear worm inside your head and it is then able to be repeated more that the normal 2 times. The verses are also very clever. The repitition on the past part of each line is something that can then be used to get the listener involved. Now I am not the biggest fan of 'al-la-la' but in this case it really adds something to the song. By doing this at the end it emphasisies the orchestration and slight chord changes in the music that would not be identifyable if she was singing.

Severine really belts out this song and the song itself really shows off her vocal abilty, tone and control. It also looks like she is passionate about the song and its meaning (the loss of childhood)

Day 2 - your least favourite winning entry

1974 Sweden: ABBA - Waterloo

OK - it is controversial but I feel it is justified.

Let’s go back to 1974. Let’s be honest here and say that it really was a poor year. Apart from the infectious flamenco rhythms of Peret (and his strange microphone) from Spain and the bouncyness of Mouth and McNeil from the Netherlands nothing else was really of any worthy note.

ABBA looked different. They looked like a band and obviously had enough experience in their homeland to look confident on stage but the clincher was the conductor. Sven-Olof Walldoff entered in his famous Napoleon outfit which obviously fitted in with the whole “Waterloo” theme and the scen was set.

The song is passable. The music does have a very repetitive rhythm and is at a good speed for clapping along with but the lyrics are slightly confusing. Although the first verse kind of makes sense and has a point the second verse really stretches the point.

The fact that ABBA then went on to become one of the most famous bands ever almost makes this song a bit of a cult. It isn't quite as good as everyone makes out.

Sorry.

Day 1 - a song from your favourite contest

1988 Belgium: Reynaert - Laissez briller le soleil (Let the sun shine)

My favourite contest is 1988.

The list of reasons is endless.
1) A fantastic stage at the Royal Dublin Society
2) A great (?) array of 1980s outfits, hairstyles and dance routines
3) One of the best interval acts and songs ever
4) A thrilling and nailbiting cliffhanger of a finish (watched on by Bruce Forstyth)
5) But most of all, the body of work of the 21 songs is a great album in itself. From the ballads of Sweden, UK and Norway; to the uptempo ditties of Finland, Turkey and Yugoslavia; then to the weirdness of Iceland, Israel and Greece; and back to the Schlager-tinged melodies of Netherlands, Denmark and Portugal.

So, here is one of the lesser known songs of that year but I think one of the best.
Oh, and it's Belgian... we might have a lot of theirs over the next month :o)