Three Minutes to Eternity: My ESC 250 (240-231)
#240: Joci Pápai - Az én apám (Hungary 2019)
"Hallom őt, az ő szívét a húrokon Látom őt, múló idővel az arcomon Az ő hitét büszkeség vallanom Ezeregy dalból ezt az egyet dúdolom, dúdolom"
"I can hear him, his heart on the strings I can see him, bearing the passing time on my face I’m proud to confess his faith Of a thousand and one songs this is the one that I hum"
If there's anything I love at Eurovision, is when someone sings a song from their soul. And in both of Joci's entries, he does just that.
Az en apam is a bit more sedate than his first entry (which will come soon enough), but it's calming and serene with substance. The lyrics, talking about his relationship with his father, is a touching and poetic tribute, one that people should really speak to their loved ones that care about them.
It's just a shame this song was the one to break Hungary's impressive qualifying streak; I thought they were on a path to win soon (though not with this one...). And they left the contest too; hopefully they will steer the ship back to more open waters and come back.
Personal ranking: 5th/41 Actual ranking: DNQ (did not qualify)--12th in the first semi-final in Tel Aviv
#239: Anna Vissi -- Mono i Agapi (Cyprus 1982)
"Η ζωή μας περνά, κι ότι φεύγει πονά Πίσω δε γυρνά, κι όμως κάτι μας κρατά"
"Our life passes by, and whatever leaves, we’re in pain It doesn’t come back, but something holds us together"
In most cases, the first entry somebody has sent in the contest is their best, with a number of exceptions here and there. Anna is one of them; I never liked her first entry, but her other two are fantastic.
Mono i agapi is quite lyrically simplistic--it talks about how love remains between two people, as the world changes around them. But the melody has a very loungy sound--I've heard it being compared to a James Bond theme. While I don't hear why it would be the case (other than the alluring mystery of this piece), it does give a calming vibe, and stands out in the rather mediocre field in 1982.
Personal ranking: 3rd/18 Actual ranking: 5th/18 in Harrogate
#238: Yardena Arazi -- Ben Adam (Israel 1988)
בן אדם הוא רק בשר ודם,” אבק פורח במדבר, בן אדם, בדרך העולם, כצל עובר, כחרס הנשבר "
“A human being is only flesh and blood, Dust flying in the desert A human being, in the way of the world Like a passing shadow, like broken pottery"
Yardena's time at Eurovision 1988 is best known for the anecdote where she goes to a fortune teller who said that song #9 would win that contest. When the draw occurred, Israel was slotted into that place, but was shafted up to #8 when Cyprus withdrew from having an already-released song. #9 would go to Ne Partez Pas Sans moi, which would end up winning and make history thanks to its singer.
This ends up taking away from the song itself; Ben Adam is reminiscent of older folk songs, but it takes off with its own character and flair. I also love the lyrics, which recognizes humans as flawed, without berating them as such. (We need a little bit more of that in the internet world, haha)
The flurry towards the end of the song was well-executed too, and the instrumentation is just fantastic. It feels like one was in a festival!
Personal ranking: 2nd/21 Actual ranking: 7th/21 in Dublin
#237: Amandine Bourgeois -- L'enfer et moi (France 2013)
“Tu m’as fait pleurer à vif Mon cou porte encore ta griffe J’aimais échanger de peau”
“You made me cry a lot You can still see your mark on my neck I used to like exchanging skin”
I love the dark sensuality of this song—with its blues influences, it tells a story of a relationship gone awry, but does so with sophistication. It starts out with a slick guitar line, which later devolves into a full on outrage against the lover at question.
The harshness of this song probably clashed with its opening spot, which is why it’s so underrated. Or it was because of Amandine’s styling...
Either way, it has grown on me since I watched the 2013 contest, and it gets the right vibes going...except with the lyrical story...
Personal ranking: 5th/39 Actual ranking: 23rd/26 GF in Malmo
#236: Ambasadori -- Ne mogu skriti svoju bol (Yugoslavia 1976)
"Ne molim da se vratiš Al’ molim te da pamtiš Voljela tebe samo sam ja”
“I’m not begging you to come back But please remember I only loved you”
Ambasadori was one of Yugoslavia's biggest groups, and they have a long list of who's who in the Bosnia music scene. I'm not familiar with their other music, but Ne mogu skriti svoju bol definitely highlights their artistry, along with the dark-pop take Yugoslavia had in 1970s Eurovision.
This song was initally my fifth place of 1976, but it has steadily grown until it became my fourth (knocking out Portugal in the process) The instrumentation conveys a dark mood, despite the upbeat strings and the poppy sound. There’s a grooviness in it to contrast the sullen lyrics, mourning for a lost love. It definitely stands out in the crowd; along with Ismeta's lack of makeup.
It got rewarded with a second-to-last place, which is way too low for this. And Yugoslavia withdrew for five years, and came back with a new sound...
Personal ranking: 4th/18 Actual ranking: 17th/18 in Den Haag
#235: Zibbz -- Stones (Switzerland 2018)
"Sins of the father make us fall And I can’t do anything about it"
2018 had a number of staging errors which cost several countries qualification. In Stones' cases, this wasn't the case.
Corrine has incredible stage presence, with a sense of strength and attiude as she struts on the stage. She definitely adds substance to this powerful pop-rock song, fighting against bullying in all corners of society.
To further that, she lights a flare at the bridge, which definitely hits the tone of the song home. Plus, it was an awesome moment to behold.
Basically, Zibbz did everything right--great song, thoughtful message, simple but impactful staging, and it still didn't qualify...While it has outgrown me a bit, it's still a total jam.
Personal ranking: 9th/43 Actual ranking: DNQ -- 13th in the first semi-final in Lisbon
#234: Kalomira -- Secret Combination (Greece 2008)
“An open book An open book, well, I'm sorry, I am not Sometimes I'm acting like a lady Sometimes woman, sometimes baby.”
"You maybe an open book Spongebob, but I'm a bit more complicated than that"
One third of the female-bop grouping in the 2008 contest, Secret Combination takes Greek instrumentation and American production to produce quite the gem. I could imagine Britney Spears singing this, but I also thought of the Cheetah Girls when I was listening to it. With a bit of sweetness and a touch of sexiness, Kalomira plays the different roles well--and has a cute moment when the book actually opens, revealing her in a really nice silvery dress!
Personal ranking: 7th/43 Actual ranking: 3rd/25 GF in Belgrade
#233: Avi Toledano -- Hora (Israel 1982)
"וגם ההורה, ההיא עם הה”א קולה עוד עולה, קולה לא נדם"
"And also the Hora, the one with the Hey Its voice still rises, its voice has not been silenced"
Israel had a particular style with songs from the 1980s--they are usually really energetic, with fun choreography in which everyone joins along. It makes for good results and good energy, especially when it's done well!
Hora seems to embody it in many ways, from the celebratory lyrics to the fun dancing across the really tiny stage in Harrogate. It combines Israeli folk music with a sense of joie-de-vivre, celebrating the nation (which as you will see later, may not work today...)
Avi earns himself a strong second place, but he would write something even better the following year (again, will come later)!
Personal and actual ranking: 2nd/18 at Harrogate
#232: Raphael Gualazzi -- Madness of Love (Italy 2011)
"Ma vedrai un altro me in un sogno fragile Riderai come se non ti avessi amato mai Cercherai un altro me oltre all’ombra di un caffè"
"But you’ll see another me in a fragile dream You’ll laugh as if I had never loved you You’ll look for another me beyond the shadow of a coffee"
Between 1994 and 2010, Italy withdrew from Eurovision, with only one participation in 1997. Nobody knows why, with reasons ranging from the rise of a televote to Italian disinterest in the contest, but they were certainly missed. Thanks to the late Rafaella Carra and a bunch of other circumstances, Italy came back in 2011, and they did so in style.
"Madness of Love" is frequently overlooked amongst Italy's post-comeback entries, as some of us aren't into jazz. I don't listen to the genre often, but I like this song particularly. It's flirty and sweet, under a very sophisticated soundscape which reminds me of a 1920s speakeasy. And while people are put off by Raphael's vocals, the way he lets himself go at the end of the chorus is definitely a highlight.
Basically, it's one of those runners-up that should've won against the winner of its year. But it was nicely made up for ten years later.
Personal ranking: 2nd/43 Actual ranking: 2nd/25 GF in Dusseldorf
#231: Anneli Saaristo -- La dolce vita (Finland 1989)
“Minä sammutin elämän janoa vaan Minä osasin onnea anoa vaan Jälkeen kaiken nyt saatan sen sanoa vaan La dolce vita”
“I was just quenching life’s thirst I knew how to plead for happiness After everything all I can say is: The good life”
La Dolce Vita sounds more stereotypically ”Spanish” than “Finnish”, because of its flamenco influences versus the dark pop or metal we expect from the country. Apparently, a lot of Finns travel south for vacations, which makes a bit more sense here.
Either way, it springs a bit of life and joy into a dark heart. It embraces life in its tropical vibe and Anneli’s deep vocals, and conveys a comfortable mood. Apparently, it was also known for Anneli's slight choreography, but I only noticed her standing during the instrumental.
It would be Finland’s last top ten result for many years, but the 7th place it got in Lausanne was deserved (and they should've done better, actually!). A fitting send-off for their long-time conductor Ossi Runne (RIP).
Personal ranking: 3rd/22 Actual ranking: 7th/22 in Lausanne
