RtD14: Looking Back at Estonia
Welcome back to the Road to Denmark 2014! As you may have noticed, we skipped our host country to head to Estonia. I will review Dk last as that makes the most sense to me. Disagree? Leave a comment below!
I was honestly surprised when I made this table. I had no idea just how much I liked the Estonian entries. Each one has its own unique flair. I think Estonia, much more than most others, has done a great job of sending a diverse array of entries to the Contest. They are also one of the few countries that have found more success in their native language than in English.
2007 – Partners in Crime – A fun power ballad performed by the sister of 1/2 of Estonia’s winning duo. Originally, I liked this song a lot, but over time, its appeal has lessened. Overall, its a bit one note, she’s at max level throughout most of the song. Additionally, it’s a rather simple entry without much charm.
2008 – Leto Svet – What happens when you take three old guys, two of which are politicians, and tell them to make funny song that mixes in some pandering to the host crowd: Estonia 2008. While the song is fun, it’s incredibly silly and nonsensical. There’s no meaning or depth to it. You know it’s a bad sign when you can mute the performance and not lose anything from it.
2009 – Rândajad – Perhaps the most popular Estonian entry to date, Rândajad is another song with suspect lyrics from Estonia. What redeems it, though, is how the mysteriousness of the song is captured in both its arrangement and its performance. One can actually picture oneself on the Saharan dunes, watching these nomads travel by night. The orchestration was perfect. The singing was perfect. The visual arrangement was perfect. This is how you help a song rise above its station.
2010 – Siren – And Estonia comes crashing back to Earth. I like this song about as much as I like Rândajad; however, I believe I am in the minority holding that sentiment. I think the performance fits the song and the song fits the duo of Malcolm Lincoln. I think a combination of running order, retro sound, and suspect lyrics did this entry in.
2011 – Rockefeller Street – A heavy favorite coming into the Grand Final, this song was supposed to challenge Denmark, France, and the UK for the win. We all know how that turned out. I do not think I am alone in saying the results of the 2011 Contest were one of the most surprising in Contest history when they are compared against the betting odds and public opinion preceding ESC week. Objectively, though, a bland pop song with lyrics that don’t make a whole lot of sense (“1…2…7…3”?) that had a childish performance – there should not be a whole lot of surprise that this song did not do well, except to ask why it beat out some of the competition left behind in the Second Semi-Final.
2012 – Kuula – I know I am in the minority when I say that this song is highly overrated. It’s boring, doesn’t really go anywhere, and is overdramatic. A positive, though, is that Lepland flawlessly performs it. I think it is on the back of this performance, in a year where a lot of vocal abilities were subpar, that this song succeeded.
2013 – Et Uus Saaks Alguse – An incredibly aptly titled song as Birgit was pregnant when she performed this entry. She gave Estonia another flawless vocal performance. Interestingly, though, she was not as successful as Ott Lepland, even though both songs were of equal quality. Perhaps this was due to the stronger field of entries in Malmô compared to Baku.
Let’s Take a Closer Look at: 
Estonia 2010. The Contest in Oslo saw a revitalization of retro sounding entries, from Estonia to Albania, to Serbia to the Netherlands, among others. This trend has continued as a few countries always seem to submit, 70s, 80s, and 90s era songs to the Contests in 2011, 2012, and 2013. Unfortunately, while these songs add some much needed diversity, they do not tend to be very successful. I say unfortunately because I tend to like these songs a lot! What’s the consensus on these kinds of entries? Do other fans like them, too, or do I stand alone? Leave a comment below!
Check back tomorrow for Finland. See previous stops along the Road to Denmark here.
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RtD14: Looking Back at Cyprus
I got my tickets for the both Semi-Finals, though couldn’t get a Grand Final ticket. Hope you were able to get yours! Hmm…the Road to Denmark just got a little more real. Onward to Cyprus!
Oh Cyprus – like Croatia, the tiny island has also decided to withdraw from next year’s Contest due to financial reasons. Again, a moment of silence…
Like Bulgaria, the Cypriot entries are all over the place – including one in French! However, their performances are much better and tend to be on the more tasteful side of things. Let’s dive a little deeper, shall we?
2007 – Comme Çi, Comme Ça – The ever-so-rare non-native language/non-English entry. This French-language number from Contest veteran Evridiki surprised many with this rock song. It was quite popular among the fans and seemed to make an impression on the audience, it even won an award from ESC Today for best song not to qualify for the Final. I think I agree with that choice.
2008 – Femme Fatale – A sexy song that’s a bit repetitive. The performance was a little over-the-top, but not bad. I think it finished about where it deserved. The song is entertaining, but nothing special.
2009 – Firefly – A sweet song written by a brother for his little sister. Unfortunately, what sweetness the song had was lost with Metaxa’s very shaky performance. Though, I think in a few years, she’ll be strong enough to try again and do a lot better her second time around. At 16, the Moscow stage was just a little too big for her.
2010 – Life Looks Better in Spring – Cyprus looked outside itself to Wales and offered the opportunity to lead a band of Cypriot songwriters to an up-and-coming singer they found on the small venue circuit in Britain. The song is great and had a chance to capitalize on the younger, singer-songwriter vibe. Unfortunately for Cyprus, Belgium beat them to the punch and outperformed Jon Lilygreen to outplace them.
2011 – San Angelos S’Agapisa – I don’t quite understand the point of this song – “I loved you like an angel.” The song is a poorly mashed together combination of folk ballad and rock. Granted, the marriage isn’t as poorly done as Slovenia 2010, but it could definitely be better.
2012 – La La Love – Cyprus surged to their best finish in years with this lively pop song. It’s so much fun and was amicably performed. Given its spot between the epic Icelandic entry and the hot mess that was France, one would think that it would have finished higher than 16th. It has left a legacy of commercial success and was the first time Cyprus outperformed big brother Greece in quite some time.
2013 – An Me Thimase – This is a truly beautiful entry, and it was performed so well. It’s powerful, it’s moving, it is a truly wonderful work of art. Sadly, it did not do as well as I think it should have. Even the English and Spanish versions are well done, which is a rarity for translated entries. Olympiou showed herself to be a force and I hope she returns.
Let’s Take a Closer Look At: 
Cyprus 2013. It seems that, no matter what Cyprus tries, pop, ballads, rock, indie, it cannot succeed. For as popular as La La Love was, it still only finished mid-table. Some blame the Greek language, as Cyprus has yet to qualify for the Final with a song in Greek, but, truly, songs have transcended their languages before. Essentially, 2008 was unremarkable, 2011 was a mess, and 2013 was considerably less enthralling than its competition. Cyprus needs to continue sending artful entries, like 2013, and begin to play with the song’s energy until they have a winning competition.
What do you think? Is Cyprus doomed to always by an “also ran”?
Past stops on the Road of Denmark. Tomorrow, we’ll visit the short lived participation of the Czech Republic!
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RtD14: Looking Back at Croatia
Happy Thanksgiving! A moment of silence for Croatia’s withdrawal from ESC2014.
…
And we’re back! Croatia, a country that I consistently like (though, not love), is withdrawing from next year’s Contest (along with several other countries, sadness!) but they have left a legacy of some nice, heartfelt songs.
2007 – Vjerujem u Ljubav – A unique song that doesn’t neatly fit the ESC mold. It sounds a bit sloppy to me, like it didn’t quite come together correctly. It’s an alright song, I suppose.
2008 – Romanca – One of Croatia’s more popular entries. Apparently, this was a group of street performers before they competed at ESC. I loved the feel of this song – it’s so cool. And they were so stylish! It’s a shame this song didn’t do better.
2009 – Lijepa Tena – This song was a beneficiary of the jury wild card spot for the second semi-final in 2009. It’s a bit melodramatic, but generally is a nice listen. The singing is passionate, though a bit screechy at times, the music could be better, but it fits the overall tone of the song.
2010 – Lako je Sve – A big favorite going into the Contest, the return of a much more mature Feminnem to the Contest, this time for the homeland. This song is amazing, the story of a woman crawling back to her husband after cheating, the composition is moving, and the performance was gripping. It suffered from being in a very strong semi-final.
2011 –Celebrate – A fun, lively song that’s a bit on the daft side. There’s not much to this fluff song – just fun.
2012 – Nebo – A stirring song. A bit of discord among the fans, as they generally like the original composition and performance better than the Contest version, but I like both versions. The song is purposefully underwhelming, aiming to move the soul as opposed to appeal to the shallow vanities as many entries try to do.
2013 – Mižerija – Croatia, once again aiming for a high brow entry, presented a piece of high culture with this entry, as klapa style is considered a part of the world heritage. While ESC is most definitely the stage where a nation should be displaying its unique cultures, when this is done, one must remember that great success should, unfortunately, not be expected. A truly beautiful work of art stymied by its entrance into a pop music competition.
Let’s Take a Closer Look At: 
Croatia 2010. This song is a part of a bigger point that I’ve made before in my live notes. One semi-final always seems much stronger than the other. Some how, some way, more of the favorites and other strong contenders end up together while the other semi-final remains weak. In 2010, favorites, Croatia, Denmark, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Armenia, Israel, and Turkey, not to mention Georgia, Sweden, Ukraine, and Ireland, were all in the second semi-final, along with the Netherlands (which had developed quite the cult following). It’s no wonder that a song as strong as Lako je Sve failed to move through to the Final. How do we balance this? How do we ensure that both semi-finals are equally balanced in quality? Especially, since it’s usually the second-semi-final that is stronger. It will be interesting to see how the two semi-final format continues to stabilize as we move forward it continues to establish itself.
Check back tomorrow for Cyprus! Other stops along the Road to Denmark 2014!
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RtD14: Looking Back at Bulgaria
Hey! Welcome back to the blog! I’m doing alright. Hopefully, there will be no more pauses. We continue on our journey along the Road to Denmark 2014 with a stop in Bulgaria!
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Much like the efforts of Bulgaria, my preferences for their entries are all over the place. Oftentimes, it takes me a few months before I come around to liking them. But, I like Bulgaria; it’s got spunk! They keep trying and trying; hopefully it’ll find its swing in Denmark.
2007 – Voda (Water) – This was the very first song I ever heard at the Eurovision Song Contest; it opened up the semi-final in 2007 (the last year of a single semi-final). I remember thinking, “What is this strange European thing?” Little did I know it was the first of 26 musical strings that would tug on my heart with immense gravity. I thought that this song was a train wreck the first time I heard it. It has since grown on me immensely.
2008 – DJ, Take Me Away – Perhaps the best Bulgarian entry in recent memory. It’s distinct, memorable, and unlike anything else that year. It’s a great song! I think that it is a perfect balance between uptempo dance and pop.
2009 – Illusion – I am assuming that Krassimir was sick because the performance of this song was awful. The staging was way over the top. The singing was way off. The lady screeching was unwanted. Awful. Which is a shame because it’s a great song!
2010 – Angel Si Ti – I loved this song from the first listen. Unfortunately, Europe did not. Again, another over the top performance; the half-naked, glittery angels were way too much. The song is fun, the music is upbeat, and the lyrics are quite positive. It’s a fantastic entry – a bass singing an uptempo disco number, what’s not to like?
2011 – Na Inat – Bulgaria took a rare break from the dance floor to try a pop-rock number. Poli Genova gave it everything she had, but was lost in a night full of strong entries and performances. An average song performed admirably.
2012 – Love Unlimited – Probably the most beloved Bulgarian entry among the fans. It broke the record for number of languages within a single song to be performed on the ESC stage (11); it was disco at full power! However, the one time that an over-the-top staging was called for, Bulgaria gave one lonely woman on a colorful stage. It just doesn’t make sense.
2013 – Samo Shampioni (Only Champions) – Hoping to repeat the past, Bulgaria sent the country’s top percussion duo in Editsa and Stoyan. Unfortunately, this was the case. Once again, the performance was over the top and scared off the voters. Why, on earth, would we need to see a random guy jumping around in a giant tribal mask?
Let’s Take a Closer Look At: 
Bulgaria 2009
So, this actually is what caused my delay. I spent so much time agonizing which one of these songs to focus on. I finally decided upon 2009 due to the rabid success of this year’s Romanian entry. In 2009, a countertenor making his first foray into pop music won the Bulgarian national selection with an uptempo, slightly bizarre song. This entry was maligned as another piece of rubbish from Bulgaria. It was unpopular and looked over; deemed too weird to be successful. The negative thoughts combined with a poor performance made that prophesy come true. However, in 2013, Romania sent a countertenor making his first foray into pop music won the Romanian national selection with an uptempo, slightly bizarre song. But this time, things were different. People heralded the song as revolutionary and amazing. While a lot of the ESC press thought the song to be too out there, the populace jumped on board. When the song failed to reach the top ten of the final – the press and public yelled, “Foul!!” What I don’t understand is, what made this song so much better than the Bulgarian entry from 2009? They’re essentially the same song – and as bad as Krassimir’s performance was, it doesn’t warrant the wide disparity between the two receptions. Perhaps you fair readers can shine some light on this.
Tomorrow – we look at Croatia!
Past stops along the Road to Denmark, click here!
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