Three Minutes to Eternity: My ESC 250 (#72-71)
)Author's note: This was delayed by a few days because I couldn't get the gifs to download from the website. Sorry about that!)
#72: Zdravko Colic -- Gori vatra (Yugoslavia 1973)
“Gori vatra sad u nama,
Gori ljubav, puna plama,
Da l' to sanjam, il' je stvarno tako lijepo,”
“The fire is burning inside of us,
Love is burning, full of flames
Am I dreaming, or is it really this beautiful?”
Any title which translates to “fire is burning” must live up to its name. It's not a candlelight dinner that Zdravko is describing; it's more of a bonfire which threatens to engulf the lovers if they are not aware of what's going on with each other. And Gori Vatra does that many times over.
From the opening guitar solo, which heralds in a set of trumpets and the percussive background, you get a sense of the tension the two put themselves upon when they engage in passion. The lyrics also convey the madness of falling in love, as Zdravko takes note of how much this fire burns, though I do get the feeling he's lost in how overwhelming it is.
Despite the resemblances to Cliff Richard (#143), Zdravko performs with only his voice; he conveys his emotions with a deep and clear voice, one which is enough to get lost into if one is not careful. Also, for some reason, I keep looking at his suit, because it's so red and bright, haha.
Unfortunately, unlike Cliff Richard, Zdravko didn't get the result he deserved, and I'm not sure why. I know Yugoslavia did a lot more genre experimentation prior to the 1980s, and Gori Vatra is a great example of that.
Personal ranking: 2nd/17
Actual ranking: =15th/17 (with France) in Luxembourg
#71: Alexander Rybak -- Fairytale (Norway 2009)
“Years ago, when I was younger
I kinda liked a girl I knew...”
We almost made it through 180 entries into this 250, and during that time we gone through all of Iceland's entries, have only one left from Finland, and have only two left from both Denmark and Sweden. Meanwhile, Norway has its first entry here, and what a way they start their run here!
So which this Fairytale begins, in which Rybak tells the story of a girl he liked, but ends up in a tumultuous relationship with her. It's very playful in terms of the lyrical storytelling--very simple like an actual fairytale, but still with so much drama. Rybak also showcases it with the way he sings and how he expresses himself to the camera, and you could see how much he puts into the performance.
There’s a sense of joy in this, through the folkloric instrumental and the wicked fiddling, but there's still a bunch of tumult. We have the backing dancers performing "push-ups" and flips all around the stage, and the backing vocalists adding to Rybak's sadness. With the huge stage in Moscow, they manage to use the space effectively, especially with the LEDs creating a whimsical landscape.
While it’s not my personal favorite of 2009, it still stands out as an absolute jam. It's an earworm played so often across Europe that the violin intro is enough to make some people go mad. That said, it's an absolute classic in the Eurovision fandom and has aged quite well; also do check out this performance at the Nobel Peace Prize for a different take on the song!
Personal ranking: 5th/42
Actual ranking: 1st/25 GF in Moscow
