With the first semi-final less than five days away, it
seems like a good time to write a Eurovision preview. :)
Eurovision used to consist of just one show a year through
2003 (with poor finishers getting relegated for a year).
Starting in 2004, the organizers added a semi-final to
allow all countries to participate every year. But with
more and more new entrants (Albania, Andorra, Belarus,
and Serbia and Montenegro in 2004, Bulgaria and Moldova
in 2005, Armenia in 2006, and the Czech Republic, Georgia,
and Serbia and Montenegro as separate countries in 2007),
2008 introduces a third night of Eurovision.
This year's format consists of two semi-finals, each with
nineteen songs. In each semi-final, the top nine songs (as
selected by the public) will advance to the final. In
addition, a tenth song (the one with the highest score
from the backup juries that did not finish in the public's
top nine) will also advance. Last year's winner (Serbia),
and the four countries who contribute the most money to
the running of the EBU (France, Germany, Spain, and the
United Kingdom) have guaranteed spots in the final.
On each of the three days (0520, 0522, and 0524), the
show begins at 2100 CET (1900 UTC, 1500 EDT, 1200 PDT).
While several of the national broadcasters stream the
shows over the internet, high demand makes it difficult
to reliably watch them (assuming one can get a connection
in the first place).
The official site uses a peer to peer technology which
works quite well, with the plugin available here:
http://octoshape.com/plugin/get.asp
First of all (because a lot of people like to make fun of
Eurovision), I will point out some of the lyrical cliches
in this year's songs (this just includes the English
language ones - many more no doubt exist in other
languages :) ).
all I want is you
all night long
an open book
are you ready
be my everything
beat the drum
blessing in disguise
blood, sweat, and %#$$$
blue suede shoes
every breath you take
have some fun
hold me tight
hold me till the morning
in your heart
I am the one$
I love you
I need you
I need you here
I wanna be with you
I want you
I'm gonna miss you
just walk away
let me love you
live forever
love like this
meant to be
oceans and mountains between us
set myself free
set you free
someone out there
staying alive (2 songs)
tell me goodbye
the stars above
when I look into your eyes
when I think of you
when the lights go down
you're gone forever
As for this years entries, fear not Eurovision fans - I
(your humble critic) have done my research evaluating the
songs, and I will mention the most interesting ones here.
For each song, I will provide a link to the most relevant
performance (sometimes a promotional video, sometimes a
live performance).
All lyrics available at (this link also shows the running
order of the semi-finals):
http://diggiloo.net/?2008
And of course, much more information available at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurovision
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurovision_2008
And for the public's assesment of whether each song will
win or make the top ten:
http://odds.bestbetting.com/specials/music/eurovision/winning-nation
http://odds.bestbetting.com/specials/music/eurovision/specials/top-10-finish-in-final
For some reason, this has become the year of the novelty
song.
First, an example of a novelty song done right.
SPAIN
A hilarious parody of Reggaeton (a form of music from
Puerto Rico). Do check out the lyrics for this one. It
mentions Oregon, Michael Jackson, basketball player Pau
Gasol, and the King of Spain (quoting him telling Hugo
Chavez to shut up).
http://www.rtve.es/eurovision08/files/videos/chiki_ingles2.flv
A couple of examples of novelty songs done wrong:
IRELAND
This well-know puppet character has a career on children's
television since the 1990s. It has six number one (in
Ireland) singles to its credit, but I don't find this one
entertaining at all. I expect (and hope) that it crashes
and burns.
http://download.omroep.nl/nos/songfestival/2008/sf_ierland.flv
ESTONIA
Sometimes well-known performers (a couple of comedians and
the host of the local version of "Who Wants to be a
Millionaire") can win a national selection with pure trash
based on their fame alone. That happened in here.
http://download.omroep.nl/nos/songfestival/2008/sf_estland.flv
A couple of other songs have some novelty elements in them
(but I wouldn't call them novelty songs).
LATVIA
A Swedish dance song with pirate lyrics (and costumes).
This might qualify with help from neighbor Lithuania.
http://download.omroep.nl/nos/songfestival/2008/sf_letland.flv
BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
Maybe the weirdest song this year (my wife's favorite,
also), even without the performance - which adds even more
weirdness (no, they can't use live animals at Eurovision).
This guy spent a couple of years in New York trying to form
a band, but eventually returned to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
He has a reputation for quirky songs, and will have an
unusual staging for his performance in Belgrade.
http://download.omroep.nl/nos/songfestival/2008/sf_bosnie.flv
A couple of other countries have songs that fall into the
somewhat strange category.
AZERBAIJAN
Their debut entry. I don't like this arrangement very much
(interesting video, though), and this would win my vote for
song I would most like to hear performed by someone else.
http://download.omroep.nl/nos/songfestival/2008/sf_azerbeid.flv
BELGIUM
Belgium finished second in 2003 singing in an imaginary
language, so they have decided to try that gimmick again.
This stands out on first listen, and could do well.
http://eurovision.tv/upload/video/2008/BEL.flv
Rock songs have only made a few appearances in Eurovision
before the last few years, but for the fans, I will point
out the two entries in that style this year.
FINLAND
Finland sends a rock number for the third year in a row.
Not expected to do well, though they did gain a bit of
attention for a preview video that made fun of the rock
lifestyle (and made the band members look depraved).
http://download.omroep.nl/nos/songfestival/2008/sf_finland.flv
TURKEY
Will do well as usual due to the Turkish diaspora. Not
particularly interesting to me, but once again, rockers
know how to make better videos.
http://data.morveotesi.com/pool/video/deli_clip.wmv
No solo male artist has won Eurovision since 1990 (and
before that, only one other solo male artist - Johnny
Logan - has won since 1966). I don't believe that a male
will win this year, despite Russia's status as the betting
favorite.
RUSSIA
This song seems boring to me, but he has a big following in
many of the ex-Soviet countries, which will get him a lot
of votes. Will almost certainly finish in the top five.
http://bilandima.ru/title/presscenter2008/Dima_Bilan_Believe.wmv
BELARUS
Strangely, Ukraine's first entry (in 2003) had the same
title ("Hasta La Vista"). Possible qualifier for the final,
but not expected to do well.
http://download.omroep.nl/nos/songfestival/2008/sf_witrus.flv
More than ever, female artists have dominated this year's
selections. First, I will present my list of songs with
some potential that I don't expect to finish at the top.
SWEDEN
The winner of the 1999 Eurovision Song Contest (as Charlotte
Nilsson) returns to try to become only the second person
(after Johnny Logan) to win twice. The fan favorite this
year (and a solid effort), I don't think it has quite enough
to reach the top five.
http://download.omroep.nl/nos/songfestival/2008/sf_zweden.flv
NORWAY
One of the most American sounding songs this year (and one
of my favorites), I again think this can't do much better
than reaching the bottom of the top ten.
http://download.omroep.nl/nos/songfestival/2008/sf_noorwegen.flv
SLOVENIA
It never hurts the presentation for an artist to have the
looks of a beauty queen (a former Miss Slovenia). She has
also starred in movies, hosted television shows, and has
her own underwear label. The "wronged by love" song this
year (the title translates as "to hell with it").
http://download.omroep.nl/nos/songfestival/2008/sf_slovenie.flv
MALTA
A song (called "Vodka") with a plot like a James Bond
thriller (and a video to match - I consider this the most
interesting video of the year). The lyrics have several
Russian references - from "Na zdarovye" to Gorky Park.
http://download.omroep.nl/nos/songfestival/2008/sf_malta.flv
CZECH REPUBLIC
An ordinary pop song that for some reason has the longest
odds in the show (along with a half-dozen other countries)
to win - 500-1, and the longest odds (33-1) against a top
ten finish. It won't win, but I don't see it finishing at
the bottom of the pile as the odds suggest.
http://eurovision.tv/upload/video/2008/CZA.flv
GEORGIA
Karen Kaveleryan ranks as the most successful English
language FSU lyricist, and he has a pretty good record
at Eurovision. He wrote the lyrics for Russia in 2002 and
2006 (both of which finished in the top ten), and last
year, he had TWO MORE entries (Armenia and Belarus), and
both of THOSE finished in the top ten. This year, he has
equalled and passed the old record of representing four
different countries in Eurovision, contributing the lyrics
for Georgia and Ukraine. While people consider Ukraine a
lock to finish in the top five, the bookmakers in the
polls expect Georgia to barely qualify for the final, so
Karen's string of top ten finishes could stop here.
http://download.omroep.nl/nos/songfestival/2008/sf_georgie.flv
NETHERLANDS
Another decent if not spectacular song with long odds
(400-1 to win and 25-1 to finish in the top ten). Another
former "Idols" contestant (third place) who seem to show
up in as Eurovision entries in countries where the bigger
stars don't want to enter.
http://download.omroep.nl/nos/songfestival/2008/sf_nederland.flv
POLAND
Many people have called this an instant wedding song
classic, but it seems a little boring to me. I mention it
here because of her American roots (born in Seattle).
http://download.omroep.nl/nos/songfestival/2008/sf_polen.flv
Finally, I believe that the winner will come from one of
these four songs.
ARMENIA
One of the biggest stars in Armenia ("best female artist"
four years running), who released her first album at age
thirteen, and has toured the United States several times.
http://download.omroep.nl/nos/songfestival/2008/sf_armenie.flv
GREECE
The other American in this year's contest. She looks slutty
and generally annoying in this video, and an interview on
Azerbaijani television confirmed my impressions. When asked
about her birthplace, rather than answering the United
States (or New York), she dodged the question by replying
"I'm Greek."
http://youtube.com/watch?v=nJRPN5tC7aU
SERBIA
The other artist in this year's show who has annoyed me for
something said in an interview (dissing ALL of the other
songs). The composer of this song (Zeljko Joksimovic - who
finished second in 2004 as a performer and composer, and
wrote the song that finished third in 2006) returns for
another try, and again has one of the favorites. He will
also serve as one of the hosts this year - the first time
a host has had a song he or she wrote in the contest.
http://download.omroep.nl/nos/songfestival/2008/sf_servie.flv
UKRAINE
A huge favorite to represent Ukraine in 2005, the rules
changed at the last minute to prevent this supporter of the
political opposition from winning the Ukrainian final (even
then, she might have actually won - numerous complaints
surfaced about people not able to get through to vote for
her), Ani Lorak (spell it backwards) had all five songs
in the national final this year, after the national
broadcaster selected her as its representative in December.
http://download.omroep.nl/nos/songfestival/2008/sf_oekraine.flv
No doubt a couple of the entries I chose to ignore will
qualify and then do well if the final, but I will try to
cover those in a later post.
As an update, the first round of rehearsals have finished.
You can find blogs describing them (including photos and
videos) on the web. I have read a couple of opinions of
people watching the rehearsals who said (after seeing just
the first rehearsal) "game over - we're going to Moscow
next year." I won't concede the victory to Russia just yet
(it could get a bad draw in the final), but most observers
expect it to do VERY well. Maybe it does deserves its
designation as the favorite, after all.
seems like a good time to write a Eurovision preview. :)
Eurovision used to consist of just one show a year through
2003 (with poor finishers getting relegated for a year).
Starting in 2004, the organizers added a semi-final to
allow all countries to participate every year. But with
more and more new entrants (Albania, Andorra, Belarus,
and Serbia and Montenegro in 2004, Bulgaria and Moldova
in 2005, Armenia in 2006, and the Czech Republic, Georgia,
and Serbia and Montenegro as separate countries in 2007),
2008 introduces a third night of Eurovision.
This year's format consists of two semi-finals, each with
nineteen songs. In each semi-final, the top nine songs (as
selected by the public) will advance to the final. In
addition, a tenth song (the one with the highest score
from the backup juries that did not finish in the public's
top nine) will also advance. Last year's winner (Serbia),
and the four countries who contribute the most money to
the running of the EBU (France, Germany, Spain, and the
United Kingdom) have guaranteed spots in the final.
On each of the three days (0520, 0522, and 0524), the
show begins at 2100 CET (1900 UTC, 1500 EDT, 1200 PDT).
While several of the national broadcasters stream the
shows over the internet, high demand makes it difficult
to reliably watch them (assuming one can get a connection
in the first place).
The official site uses a peer to peer technology which
works quite well, with the plugin available here:
http://octoshape.com/plugin/get.asp
First of all (because a lot of people like to make fun of
Eurovision), I will point out some of the lyrical cliches
in this year's songs (this just includes the English
language ones - many more no doubt exist in other
languages :) ).
all I want is you
all night long
an open book
are you ready
be my everything
beat the drum
blessing in disguise
blood, sweat, and %#$$$
blue suede shoes
every breath you take
have some fun
hold me tight
hold me till the morning
in your heart
I am the one$
I love you
I need you
I need you here
I wanna be with you
I want you
I'm gonna miss you
just walk away
let me love you
live forever
love like this
meant to be
oceans and mountains between us
set myself free
set you free
someone out there
staying alive (2 songs)
tell me goodbye
the stars above
when I look into your eyes
when I think of you
when the lights go down
you're gone forever
As for this years entries, fear not Eurovision fans - I
(your humble critic) have done my research evaluating the
songs, and I will mention the most interesting ones here.
For each song, I will provide a link to the most relevant
performance (sometimes a promotional video, sometimes a
live performance).
All lyrics available at (this link also shows the running
order of the semi-finals):
http://diggiloo.net/?2008
And of course, much more information available at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurovision
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurovision_2008
And for the public's assesment of whether each song will
win or make the top ten:
http://odds.bestbetting.com/specials/music/eurovision/winning-nation
http://odds.bestbetting.com/specials/music/eurovision/specials/top-10-finish-in-final
For some reason, this has become the year of the novelty
song.
First, an example of a novelty song done right.
SPAIN
A hilarious parody of Reggaeton (a form of music from
Puerto Rico). Do check out the lyrics for this one. It
mentions Oregon, Michael Jackson, basketball player Pau
Gasol, and the King of Spain (quoting him telling Hugo
Chavez to shut up).
http://www.rtve.es/eurovision08/files/videos/chiki_ingles2.flv
A couple of examples of novelty songs done wrong:
IRELAND
This well-know puppet character has a career on children's
television since the 1990s. It has six number one (in
Ireland) singles to its credit, but I don't find this one
entertaining at all. I expect (and hope) that it crashes
and burns.
http://download.omroep.nl/nos/songfestival/2008/sf_ierland.flv
ESTONIA
Sometimes well-known performers (a couple of comedians and
the host of the local version of "Who Wants to be a
Millionaire") can win a national selection with pure trash
based on their fame alone. That happened in here.
http://download.omroep.nl/nos/songfestival/2008/sf_estland.flv
A couple of other songs have some novelty elements in them
(but I wouldn't call them novelty songs).
LATVIA
A Swedish dance song with pirate lyrics (and costumes).
This might qualify with help from neighbor Lithuania.
http://download.omroep.nl/nos/songfestival/2008/sf_letland.flv
BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
Maybe the weirdest song this year (my wife's favorite,
also), even without the performance - which adds even more
weirdness (no, they can't use live animals at Eurovision).
This guy spent a couple of years in New York trying to form
a band, but eventually returned to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
He has a reputation for quirky songs, and will have an
unusual staging for his performance in Belgrade.
http://download.omroep.nl/nos/songfestival/2008/sf_bosnie.flv
A couple of other countries have songs that fall into the
somewhat strange category.
AZERBAIJAN
Their debut entry. I don't like this arrangement very much
(interesting video, though), and this would win my vote for
song I would most like to hear performed by someone else.
http://download.omroep.nl/nos/songfestival/2008/sf_azerbeid.flv
BELGIUM
Belgium finished second in 2003 singing in an imaginary
language, so they have decided to try that gimmick again.
This stands out on first listen, and could do well.
http://eurovision.tv/upload/video/2008/BEL.flv
Rock songs have only made a few appearances in Eurovision
before the last few years, but for the fans, I will point
out the two entries in that style this year.
FINLAND
Finland sends a rock number for the third year in a row.
Not expected to do well, though they did gain a bit of
attention for a preview video that made fun of the rock
lifestyle (and made the band members look depraved).
http://download.omroep.nl/nos/songfestival/2008/sf_finland.flv
TURKEY
Will do well as usual due to the Turkish diaspora. Not
particularly interesting to me, but once again, rockers
know how to make better videos.
http://data.morveotesi.com/pool/video/deli_clip.wmv
No solo male artist has won Eurovision since 1990 (and
before that, only one other solo male artist - Johnny
Logan - has won since 1966). I don't believe that a male
will win this year, despite Russia's status as the betting
favorite.
RUSSIA
This song seems boring to me, but he has a big following in
many of the ex-Soviet countries, which will get him a lot
of votes. Will almost certainly finish in the top five.
http://bilandima.ru/title/presscenter2008/Dima_Bilan_Believe.wmv
BELARUS
Strangely, Ukraine's first entry (in 2003) had the same
title ("Hasta La Vista"). Possible qualifier for the final,
but not expected to do well.
http://download.omroep.nl/nos/songfestival/2008/sf_witrus.flv
More than ever, female artists have dominated this year's
selections. First, I will present my list of songs with
some potential that I don't expect to finish at the top.
SWEDEN
The winner of the 1999 Eurovision Song Contest (as Charlotte
Nilsson) returns to try to become only the second person
(after Johnny Logan) to win twice. The fan favorite this
year (and a solid effort), I don't think it has quite enough
to reach the top five.
http://download.omroep.nl/nos/songfestival/2008/sf_zweden.flv
NORWAY
One of the most American sounding songs this year (and one
of my favorites), I again think this can't do much better
than reaching the bottom of the top ten.
http://download.omroep.nl/nos/songfestival/2008/sf_noorwegen.flv
SLOVENIA
It never hurts the presentation for an artist to have the
looks of a beauty queen (a former Miss Slovenia). She has
also starred in movies, hosted television shows, and has
her own underwear label. The "wronged by love" song this
year (the title translates as "to hell with it").
http://download.omroep.nl/nos/songfestival/2008/sf_slovenie.flv
MALTA
A song (called "Vodka") with a plot like a James Bond
thriller (and a video to match - I consider this the most
interesting video of the year). The lyrics have several
Russian references - from "Na zdarovye" to Gorky Park.
http://download.omroep.nl/nos/songfestival/2008/sf_malta.flv
CZECH REPUBLIC
An ordinary pop song that for some reason has the longest
odds in the show (along with a half-dozen other countries)
to win - 500-1, and the longest odds (33-1) against a top
ten finish. It won't win, but I don't see it finishing at
the bottom of the pile as the odds suggest.
http://eurovision.tv/upload/video/2008/CZA.flv
GEORGIA
Karen Kaveleryan ranks as the most successful English
language FSU lyricist, and he has a pretty good record
at Eurovision. He wrote the lyrics for Russia in 2002 and
2006 (both of which finished in the top ten), and last
year, he had TWO MORE entries (Armenia and Belarus), and
both of THOSE finished in the top ten. This year, he has
equalled and passed the old record of representing four
different countries in Eurovision, contributing the lyrics
for Georgia and Ukraine. While people consider Ukraine a
lock to finish in the top five, the bookmakers in the
polls expect Georgia to barely qualify for the final, so
Karen's string of top ten finishes could stop here.
http://download.omroep.nl/nos/songfestival/2008/sf_georgie.flv
NETHERLANDS
Another decent if not spectacular song with long odds
(400-1 to win and 25-1 to finish in the top ten). Another
former "Idols" contestant (third place) who seem to show
up in as Eurovision entries in countries where the bigger
stars don't want to enter.
http://download.omroep.nl/nos/songfestival/2008/sf_nederland.flv
POLAND
Many people have called this an instant wedding song
classic, but it seems a little boring to me. I mention it
here because of her American roots (born in Seattle).
http://download.omroep.nl/nos/songfestival/2008/sf_polen.flv
Finally, I believe that the winner will come from one of
these four songs.
ARMENIA
One of the biggest stars in Armenia ("best female artist"
four years running), who released her first album at age
thirteen, and has toured the United States several times.
http://download.omroep.nl/nos/songfestival/2008/sf_armenie.flv
GREECE
The other American in this year's contest. She looks slutty
and generally annoying in this video, and an interview on
Azerbaijani television confirmed my impressions. When asked
about her birthplace, rather than answering the United
States (or New York), she dodged the question by replying
"I'm Greek."
http://youtube.com/watch?v=nJRPN5tC7aU
SERBIA
The other artist in this year's show who has annoyed me for
something said in an interview (dissing ALL of the other
songs). The composer of this song (Zeljko Joksimovic - who
finished second in 2004 as a performer and composer, and
wrote the song that finished third in 2006) returns for
another try, and again has one of the favorites. He will
also serve as one of the hosts this year - the first time
a host has had a song he or she wrote in the contest.
http://download.omroep.nl/nos/songfestival/2008/sf_servie.flv
UKRAINE
A huge favorite to represent Ukraine in 2005, the rules
changed at the last minute to prevent this supporter of the
political opposition from winning the Ukrainian final (even
then, she might have actually won - numerous complaints
surfaced about people not able to get through to vote for
her), Ani Lorak (spell it backwards) had all five songs
in the national final this year, after the national
broadcaster selected her as its representative in December.
http://download.omroep.nl/nos/songfestival/2008/sf_oekraine.flv
No doubt a couple of the entries I chose to ignore will
qualify and then do well if the final, but I will try to
cover those in a later post.
As an update, the first round of rehearsals have finished.
You can find blogs describing them (including photos and
videos) on the web. I have read a couple of opinions of
people watching the rehearsals who said (after seeing just
the first rehearsal) "game over - we're going to Moscow
next year." I won't concede the victory to Russia just yet
(it could get a bad draw in the final), but most observers
expect it to do VERY well. Maybe it does deserves its
designation as the favorite, after all.
