#esc turkey

[slay-for-eurovision]

I miss turkey so bad 😞🇹🇷

[eurovisionart]

🇹🇷 MFÖ - Didai didai dai

[lana0605]

My top 5 Eurovision winners of the 2000s

2009 Norway "Fairytale" Alexander Rybak

2. 2006 Finland "Hard Rock Hallelujah" Lordi

3. 2004 Ukraine "Wild Dances" Ruslana

4. 2003 Turkey "Everyway That I Can" Sertab Erener

5. 2007 Serbia "Molitva" Marija Šerifović

[zontikje]

🇹🇷 Neco - Hani?

[betweenthetimeandsound]

Three Minutes to Eternity: My ESC 250 (#26)

#26: MaNga -- We Could Be the Same (Turkey 2010)

“I can see it in your eyes It doesn't come as a surprise I've seen you dancing like a star No matter how different we are”

*insert angry Turkish comment here*

Eleven years after its contest, you could see how angry Turkish fans are about this song losing to Satellite. Apparently, it's because it was their last successful participation before withdrawal, which led to the belief they would've stayed had they won. While I’m put off by the vitriol, I could see why they would be irritated, especially with this song!

It combines nu-metal (with the rapping and record-scratching), Turkish influences (in the intro with the strings and some of the tambourine), and a rousing instrumental with a strong production. Everything about it was very anthemic, from the powerful intro to the chorus (though there are several different versions of the song. The Istanbul take has a longer intro at the cost of the final chorus, whereas the Brussels version, performed in Eurovision, doesn't have the Turkish riff in the intro. I prefer the latter)

The lyrics encourage a potential romance, which is a bit cliched, but there will be undertones about racial unity amongst others (especially with Turkey withdrawing from the contest later on). Along with another major Turkish rock song two years earlier, there's also the metaphor of the EU hanging along, which is more apparent now that relations are even more strained and Turkey's become more authoritarian over the last decade. So despite the negativity on whether or not they should've won, there's a sliver of hope through these lyrics and the energy behind it.

That energy was well-conveyed on stage, where MaNga benefited from the lack of LEDs and instead told a story. Admist a dark, almost futuristic landscape, we see the band perform while a Power-ranger like figure hangs around in the background. In the instrumental bridge, where it starts taking itself apart and the camera pans to Ferman looking triumphantly at the metamorphosis, it was just nailed to the wall. Absolute perfection, and the girl revealed under it showcased the song for what it is all about.

As much as I am irritated by the fandom surrounding this one, I think We Could Be the Same is indeed a classic. Pulsating and with a bunch of interesting musical elements put together, it stands out from the rest of the crowd, while maintaining that showmanship from the 100% televote era. Nevertheless, it holds out with the hope that we could be the same (forever and not just for one night), "no matter what they say!"

Personal ranking: 2nd/39 Actual ranking: 2nd/25 GF in Oslo

[blacckestrose]

You telling me yall have been living this life and not tell me this gem has been on Spotify all along. Not cool.

[trinklied]

then again, this sort of implies they were trying to hide it

[escfidgetspinnerconfessions]