Eurovision Song Contest 2011 (Düsseldorf, Germany)

[Eyes]

^^I think it's actually supposed to be some idea of a comeback.

However, the UK has one of the best music scenes on the planet, we should be sending entries like Blue every year, rather than sending X-Factor rejects, long dead bubblegum-pop acts 10 years late, and nobodies (2008, 2007 and 2010 in order).

We just don't benefit much from diaspora votes that are always going to be there no matter what they do. Cyprus giving 12 points to Greece is a fact of life, but there aren't any countries who do that to us, so we need to work harder, and we should, considering we are in general better at music.

It's just the ridiculous opinion of EV that we have over here. As shown by 12 points to Ireland, 10 points to the (nice, but) blandest entry in the competition, and 8 points to Moldova. As soon as the UK starts really taking it seriously like everyone else does, we'll do well, and Blue were an important step towards that (Or they would have been if they had got top 10).

A speculation I've heard on another forum is that the juries were trying to set up a battle with Italy, Ukraine and Sweden for the last few votes (it would make sense in Italy's case, because I can't see how people voted for it)

Italy was original, alive (in a live interpretation, that's a major point, it's more important than being technically perfect) and had some musical qualities.

I thought Italy was really boring. Even more boring than France, which at least had nice vocals. And the sound in the bridge... painful.

ETA:

No offense, everyone, but I'm struggling to see how anyone could not see Running Scared as winning material. As soon as I heard it for the first time I said to myself "That should win," and now it actually has.

Because it's forgettable...hey, I already don't remember it.
It's made to please people who doesn't really care about music, who are happy with something easy to the hears. But when you think about it, there is no material in it, nothing to remember.

Or because it's emotionally structured. I thought it was memorable, actually. Definitely a track that stood out from first listen, and again in the contest live - while UK and Sweden, my other favourites, had slightly less amazing live performances - in Sweden's case because it was too loud.

I've had the accusation of music I like only 'appealing to people who don't care about music' several times before and I hate it. I care about music; I love it. The opening bits, and then the lead up to the glorious chorus, just stand head and shoulders above everything else.

Maybe the lyrics mean less, but the instrumental is beautiful, and the lyrics manage to fit perfectly with the timing. It makes me feel emotional, and that's what counts for me.

 

[iBender]

I doubt you'd ever see the UK take it seriously.

If we did, we'd call on America and have a Snoop Dogg/Metallica Cross Over, or call on Led Zeppelin or the Spice Girls, wheel them out and have them sing for us, but we don't, so that's what you get instead; Blue.

No self respecting artist in the UK would dare play the Euro Vision song contest for fear of losing and becomming a joke or winning and being forever asscociated with the Euro Vision song contest.

 

[Count Zero]

I don't know, taking it too seriously can also lead to embarrassing results (see a good number of German entries over the decades). I think, above all, it should be fun and then, you'll do well, eventually.

 

[Shaytan]

Or because it's emotionally structured. I thought it was memorable, actually.

I actually don't think it will be remembered for a long time, even by people who liked it.

I miss the time when sending the Wampas to the Eurovision was a serious possibility
I don't want to win the Eurovision, I want to laugh at it

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2sw1-0Fqwc[/yt]

 

[Count Zero]

I missed Jan Delay's performance on Saturday and just watched it on YouTube and frankly, I'm a bit surprised by the lukewarm reception here. He played "Oh, Johnny" from his last album Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Soul first and I think it's a powerful song, probably the best from an album whose sound doesn't really appeal to me. The second song was "Klar" from his second album Mercedes Dance, again a bit too souly for me, I would have preferred the intro from the same album. The songs of his I like best all would have been too political and with too much of an anti-German undertone to them for such a venue, though. Too bad. But I think those were good songs to groove along to.

 

[Eyes]

I doubt you'd ever see the UK take it seriously.

If we did, we'd call on America and have a Snoop Dogg/Metallica Cross Over, or call on Led Zeppelin or the Spice Girls, wheel them out and have them sing for us, but we don't, so that's what you get instead; Blue.

No self respecting artist in the UK would dare play the Euro Vision song contest for fear of losing and becomming a joke or winning and being forever asscociated with the Euro Vision song contest.

That is really unfortunate, really. People like Lena and Eric Saade are really big artists in their home territories and are being sent to Eurovision as the pride and joy of the nation. The best we can do is a 7-year defunct boyband.
If we sent someone like Adele next year, or even Hurts, who are already huge in Europe, we'd be getting top 10 every time.

But I do enjoy a lot of the cheesiness, to be honest, particularly Scandinavian entries. I wouldn't want that to go.

 

[JoeZhang]

It was a desperate dull evening as most of the countries now take it very seriously, so you just get slick corporate euro-pop - not something I'd tune in for. We all voted for Moldova as they provided the best comedy value. I certainly think us brits are getting increasingly out of step from the rest of europe as we want cheese, stupid costumes and general weirdness rather than people trying to actually win - where the people singing about being pirates of the sea or doing a cheerful song about Genghis Khan?

I missed Jan Delay's performance on Saturday and just watched it on YouTube and frankly, I'm a bit surprised by the lukewarm reception here. He played "Oh, Johnny" from his last album Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Soul first and I think it's a powerful song, probably the best from an album whose sound doesn't really appeal to me.

Powerful? It was awful, it was like a german version of Jay Kay.

 

[iBender]

I'm somewhat glad we take the Brit Awards more seriously than Eurovison.

 

[JoeZhang]

I'm somewhat glad we take the Brit Awards more seriously than Eurovison.

But the Brits offers a different mental space than eurovision - we watch the brits to support music we care about, we watch eurovision to have a laugh.

 

[iBender]

Listening to Graham Norton was funny (If not sometimes retarded.)
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88x9Rpu40Mo[/yt]
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhMpjjPBWTg[/yt]
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzjEJe5sz1M&feature=related[/yt]
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xO3G2B7zprE&feature=related[/yt]

 

[Australis]

We don't get the Norton, we have our own these days. Miss the Wogan. But everybody does.

My choice for a Brit entry would be a Bill Bailey/Biran May collaboration on a 3 minute epic laced with humour (BB is an excellent muso) an make it rock. You Brits, make it happen!

I think Slovenia was a better song than Azerbaijan, better singer too, but I'm not bitter or irritated or somesuch, just surprised and curious.

Next year, Baku!

What times, and what customs! (Cicero).

 

[iBender]

Maybe, if a group unknowns or an all out international superstar line up paid tribuit to Eurovision by performing an overture of all that Great British music that seems to have sold soo well.

Or better yet, if we just had Holly Valance, heck, I'd fly to Azerbaijan if it was to see that.

 

[{ Emilia }]

Azerbaijan WIN!!!!

Best win ever!!!

And Eric in 2nd is brilliant as well.

ETA: Or 3rd. Bloody Italy, with their shit song that everyone seems to have voted for to keep them from leaving again.

Funny, cause I thought the Swedish entry was utter shite. Uninspired, unsubtle, poser pop with shallow, stupid lyrics and synthetic 1990's dance background music. Oh, and did I mention the annoying flashy show of stupid dancing, light flashes and general uber dumbness of a ridiculous pop show where the music itself matters f**k all.

Yes, I hated it. But hey, from the country that tortured the world by producing Abba... so no surprise.

While I think Italy's entry was one of the few entries that actually had some quality music, real instruments, style and swing. It seemed inspired in comparison to Sweden's standard pop crap.

I watched the ESC with a bunch of Germans and we were cheering and laughing when Italy went past Sweden after the last vote.

 

[Jono]

No offense, everyone, but I'm struggling to see how anyone could not see Running Scared as winning material. As soon as I heard it for the first time I said to myself "That should win," and now it actually has.

Because it's forgettable...hey, I already don't remember it.
It's made to please people who doesn't really care about music, who are happy with something easy to the hears. But when you think about it, there is no material in it, nothing to remember.

That's the general consensus where I am as well by those who saw the show. There were two people who didn't stay up for the voting and both needed it spelt out to them what the winner's song was.

SBS, the TV channel that shows Eurovision here, put up a poll for Aussies to vote on for our choice. You could vote as often as you wanted, plus you could give songs down votes as well.

Here is how we voted:

1. Ireland
2. Greece
3. Serbia
4. Bosnia
5. Moldova
6. Hungary
7. Sweden
8. Denmark
9. UK
10. Ukraine
11. Finland
12. Romania
13. Iceland
14. Russia
15. Italy
16. Germany
17. Estonia
18. Slovenia
19. France
20. Austria
21. Georgia
22. Spain
23. Switzerland
24. Lithuania
25. Azerbaijan

I don't know about the voting. I think they were having a laugh with putting Jedwood first. Moldova coming so high was probably because it was crazy. Azerbaijan, I suspect got a hammering of down votes when people found out it won as a protest rather than it being what people thought was the worst of the finalists. I didn't check the site until after the final had finished over in Germany, but I'd think it would really be a bit higher than that...maybe around the 18 mark.

 

[iBender]

Yeah, I voted for Iceland, twice, tried a third time, it wouldn't let me.
I even tried a fourth time, no luck.

 

[Angel4576]

We didn't vote, but if we had have done, then we'd have voted for Moldova - t'was absolutely insane!

 

[Eyes]

Azerbaijan WIN!!!!

Best win ever!!!

And Eric in 2nd is brilliant as well.

ETA: Or 3rd. Bloody Italy, with their shit song that everyone seems to have voted for to keep them from leaving again.

Funny, cause I thought the Swedish entry was utter shite. Uninspired, unsubtle, poser pop with shallow, stupid lyrics and synthetic 1990's dance background music. Oh, and did I mention the annoying flashy show of stupid dancing, light flashes and general uber dumbness of a ridiculous pop show where the music itself matters f**k all.

Yes, I hated it. But hey, from the country that tortured the world by producing Abba... so no surprise.

While I think Italy's entry was one of the few entries that actually had some quality music, real instruments, style and swing. It seemed inspired in comparison to Sweden's standard pop crap.

I watched the ESC with a bunch of Germans and we were cheering and laughing when Italy went past Sweden after the last vote.

It's called Scandi-pop. A subgenre that's sadly been struggling in recent years internationally, imo, Scandinavian countries produce the best pop music (and they're not bad on dance either), so I'm always supporting most of what the Scandinavian countries put into Eurovision. Personally, I'd emigrate to Sweden just for the music scene. (They've had Popular at #1 for 4 weeks in the lead up to the contest)

Whether you liked it or not, you have to admit the performance stood out, and not in a hilarious way, like with Moldova. Eric's team did very well to get him 3rd, considering he was after Jedward, and after him yet another pop entry. Had he done anything other than an over the top performance, he would have been forgotten like Estonia was.

From where I'm standing, I saw Italy as a boring orchestral song, with a horrible screechy noise in the middle, and it only came second with a combination of the juries scoring it highly and a flurry of 'OMG! Italy's back' votes.
I'm not getting the atmosphere thing. It sent me to sleep and the music sounded like it belonged in the 50s.

 

[Australis]

Hey, what was all the booing about? Our commentators, uh, commented on that.

 

[MacLeod]

Thinking back, I can barely remember any song that has actually won the contest. If asked I could perhaps name two off the top of my head.

ABBA "Waterloo" (which was b4 I was even born)
Bucks Fizz "Making Your Mind Up" but then again that could be because of the skirts coming off.

Aside from those no song really sticks in my mind.

 

[JRS]

Hey, what was all the booing about? Our commentators, uh, commented on that.

It was mostly for the famous "neighbour votes",
It happened a lot again, like almost every year
The voting that is, not the booing..I found that bit rude and silly.

I liked this years Eurovision much more than last years
Germany hosted good ESC, with great stage-desing.
The program was fine, though I found the rap-artists lyrics difficult to hear..and maybe it went on a tad bit long.
Otherwise a great finale..and the voting results where most interesting in years
Left a much better taste to my mouth than last years final, though was not horrible either, just weaker to previous years.

I think we saw many talented singers, heard great vocals
and listened good songs this year
(I am happy that I discovered few new talented artists to listen..and career to follow in the future, like Maja from Slovenia, Nina from Serbia and Poli from Bulgaria)

Azerbaijan won, congratulations!!!
I was fine with them winning and honestly liked this much more than last years winner..
( I did not much like Lena this year either, sorry).

Italy being second was the biggest shock of the evening
I did NOT see that coming at all
Personally, I though it was one of the worst songs in the contest..and I rated it 1/5
"You just dont understand Jazz..": said a person to me in a esc-chatroom, when I let my opinion known.
Well, maybe I do not..but IMHO there was much more better songs out there..and singers
Italy must have had tons of jury votes and lost of "Welcome back, Italy" ones.

My favorites did quite well.
Ukraine was nicely 4th and Slovenia I think 13th, shame that they lost to Moldova the 12th place with only one point
Hungary flopped badly, sadly.
I am bit baffled of why Because this was one of the best songs and well performed.
(Australia seemed to like Hungary more then Europe, any thoughts of why is that?)


Baku 2012 is next then..will be interesting