Eurovision 2010s: 165 - 161
165. Izabo - “Time” Israel 2012
Izabo captured my heart instantly upon selection with their delectable, delightful, dreamy, psychedelic disco-rock. Of course, I also realized they would die in the televote even harder than Valentina would and didn’t grow too attached. As far as Eurovision fodder entries go, “Time” is one of the better ones as well. Gorgeous Dali-inspired backdrops, great acting from everyone (especially the backings) and actually a GOOD use of falsetto’s. What else could one want? ________________________________________________________________
164. Peter Nalitch & Friends - “Lost and forgotten” Russia 2010
I MISS WEIRD INDIE DARLING RUSSIA SO MUCH *sob*. Fuck you, Dina Garipova. 😒
You may expect me to have fallen in love with such a preciously weird indie entry at first glance, but NOPE, in 2010 I was pretty much still in my Basic Casual / Horehronie-stanning form and I HATED Peter Nalitch!!! However, I eventually warmed to him and his hipster friends as time went on and now I solidly like "Lost and forgotten”. 🤗
Russia is mostly remembered for all the wrong reasons now, but their ESC history is filled with wonderful indie anomalies such as this one. “Lost and forgotten” is a hilariously melodramatic break up song:
what r u doing man? I AM LOOOOOOOOKING HER *PHOTO*!!!! *WHAT* SHOULD I ~DO~ WITH THAAAAAAT???
throw them to the fire AAAAAH YES I SHALL *HAVE* TO BURN HER NOW~ 😭😭😭😭 CUZ I *HAVE* TO FORGET HER NOW~ 😭😭 Holy fuck that exchange ALONE, but the entire song is drenched in the same wolf-whistling pathos. "Lost and forgotten” was way head of the curve, like its many Eesi Laul and FdC cousins. ________________________________________________________________
163. Tanja - “Amazing” Estonia 2014
Oh my god I remember that Tanja hatred was a ~mood~ many people had for some reason: “EWWW LOREEN CLONE CAN’T SING TALENTLESS!!! GO HOME WENCH! #SHCBB4Life” Could Peter Nalitch throw those people in the fire now, so I can forget them now? My opinion of Tanja, from the first moment I heard “Amazing” had always been, “wow she sings this live while also doing ALL of that choreography?? That”s impressive.” and it still is :-) You try singing in tune when you’re literally being flung around like a rag doll.
Unfortunately, Tanja would become the proto-version of the Conan journey where, host broadcaster DR completely ignored the intimacy of the NF choreography in favour of showing off the stage via wideshots. 🙄 This of course made Tanja look VERY underwhelming even though it shouldn’t have (her act hadn’t changed between her winning EL and the Eurovision SF). 2014 is one of the best years in Eurovision, but DR really did Tanja dirty and I’ll never forgive them for it. 😭
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162. Kristian Kostov - “Beautiful mess” Bulgaria 2017
[2017 Review here]
BOOM! The last fully intact country in the ranking FINALLY loses its first member and it’s not the song you’ve been expecting! 😲 To be fair, Bulgaria’s entries are far from perfect, but I find their flaws and idiosyncracies charming at worst, and f’cking hilarious at best.
“Beautiful mess” is the exception for me, and that’s mostly bad news. Its main thing is that it is.. A Competent Song and well, I don’t care about that? For the most part, the appeal of “Beautiful mess” hinges on an overwhelmingly genuine by Kristian Kostov, who is fantastic. Average songs really NEED to have an engaging live performer to create some drama, authenticity or emotional investment. Kostov passes all three with flying colours, however...
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161. Dami Im - “Sound of silence” Australia 2016
... Dami did it even better! It is almost unsettling how the same song finished in second place two contests in a row. Yes, “Sound of silence” and “Beautiful mess” are basically the same entry. ~Classy Professional Ballad Without Personality~, a perfect platform for the perfomer to make themselves shine, which both Kostov and Dami fortunately did *just enough* to not win. 🤗 However, I prefer Dami to Kostov, although slightly. Firstly, if two similar entries are of the same level of quality, the original is always the better one, and secondly DAMI FUCKING IM <3 <3 <3 <3 “Gladiator” *WAS* my summer of 2015 and there is still a little bit of residual stanboyness remaining in my heart, enough to give her the advantage in what is basically a deadlocked tie. Now, before I end the update, let me be very clear: I do NOT like either of these songs. Beautiful mess is whatever and Sound of Silence features some terrible writing (the facetime line O_O the chorus O_O). They’re both soulless and formulaic, empty musical husks. However, Kostov and Dami OUTSOLD and that’s why they’re high on my list. I love them, even though I couldn’t care less about their songs. I’m still happy they lost though, because the last thing we need in Eurovision is have DNA or Symphonix be rewarded for their blatant demo peddling. 🤗
(um and also, Kate won Australia, :pretends to be shocked: How did it take them that long to send something mindblowingly good.)
