My vision on Eurovision 2008

Yes, I admit - I'm a bit of a fan of the Eurovision song contest. I'm not that much into the competition itself (mostly because of the voting system and the whole circus that surrounds it), but I'm more into the music itself. Ever since I was little, I tend to listen to a lot of different music and to me that is the biggest forté of the Eurovision Song contest. It's a big opportunity to get to know a lot of different artists, songs and music you'd never hear on the radio.

Each year I try to predict a winner, or at least a list of possible winners, so this year was no different. Well, actually it was different, because this year I've been taking notes to put up on this website. So here we go!

Song 1 : Nico & Vlad - Pe-o Margine De Lume

The first song of the competition was a bit of a disappointment for me. It didn't do anything for me, and I seriously doubt whether I would remember any part of the song the next day.

Chance of winning: none.

Song 2 : Andy Abraham - Even If

Again, not a song I would remember: it's very bland and if there was no competition going on with songs to come, I'd turn it off.

Chance of winning: nope.

Song 3 : Olta Boka - Zemrën E Lamë Peng

According to our local host, there are five songs like this in the contest and there are at least four songs that are better. I tend to ignore the warning, and find the first song of the evening that I like. Olta Boka looks nice - and she has a matching voice. The song itself is slow and has a melancholic touch to it, but I miss a song that really breaks loose. Still, it's a song to remember.

Chance of winning: too slow to be a winner (even though that says nothing), but I'm not convinced.

Song 4 : No Angels - Disappear

The song is called "Disappear", and frankly I wish they would act upon it. I'm watching copy number x of The Spice Girls performing a song that is easily forgotten. No doubt a studio would be able to produce a decent single out of this one, but on stage the ladies just sing off key - and how!

Chance of winning: let's hope not.

Song 5 : Sirusho - Qele, Qele

First of all, Sirusho is VERY good looking! But this is a song contest, so let's ignore that... if possible ;)

The first impression I get as soon as I heard her voice, was visions of Ofra Haza or Shahin Badar - I really do like her voice, and the way she sings.

At first I wasn't really blown away by the song, but as it progressed I must admit that this is the first good song I've heard so far. It's also very catchy, which makes this an interesting competitor.

Chance of winning: definitely!

Sirusho, the Armenian entry for this years competition.

Song 6 : Laka - Pokusaj

There's repetitive music and repetitive music. One kind can be pure genius, the other kind can be extremely annoying.

Unfortunately for Laka (and Bosnia-Herzegovina), this song falls into the latter category. It's irritating and the act is just terrible. Perhaps there are fans out there, but I'm certainly not one of them nor will I become one.

I detect a badly disguised hint of Coldplay in the middle which fails to impress, and to top it all off this song puts visions of a version of "Numb" (by U2) on speed in my mind. Not good.

Chance of winning: below zero.

Song 7 : Boaz - The Fire In Your Eyes

Personally it doesn't do much for me, but it's a good song and I can imagine a lot of people liking this, mostly because of the singer's voice.

Chance of winning: a small one.

Song 8 : Teräsbetoni - Missä Miehet Ratsastaa

Our local presenters announced Teräsbetoni as being Lordi without the masks, and described the genre as "hairmetal".

The beginning of the song immediately made me think of a classic Dutch song - Oerend Hard by Normaal, a classic rock song that really can't be beat, but the rest of the song steers away from it to say the least.

Personally I don't know what to make of Teräsbetoni: the music is too rough and loud to be pop music, but to refined and soft to be metal. To me, this falls between the two categories, and I must say that I prefer the louder stuff in that case - if this is an attempt to better Lordi, it fails.

This doesn't mean that Finland's entry is bad per sé: strangely enough I like the lyrics, even though I don't understand a word of them. Somehow they just "fit" the music, which in itself is very good. At least it's better than one of our own Belgian wanna-be Eurosong entries, The Paranoiacs, who never made it past the preselections.

Chance of winning: a small chance, if enough fans of The Darkness are watching :)

Teräsbetoni: hair metal gone bad

Song 9: Kraljevi Ulice & 75 Cents - Romanca

First of all, 75 Cents? Are you kidding me?

But when the song starts, it soon becomes clear that the singer has a very, very good voice, which carries the entire song. A good song by the way, but I think it's a bit slow to be able to win the contest. Images of André Hazes seem to come up while I'm watching this act, which could do without the narrator in white who acts a bit too enthousiastic in my opinion. But then again, who am I?

Chance of winning: slow songs have done it in the past, so why not?

Song 10: Isis Gee - For Live

Another slow song, but she has a beautiful voice, even though her English isn't 100% - which is neglectable, mine isn't either :)

Not bad, but I'm still waiting for a song that really stands out. So far, I'm still rooting for Sirusho.

Bart Peeters, our local presentor, is wondering why Isis Gee is in the contest and our Belgian entry (Ishtar) is not. I disagree with his opinion - this is way better than Ishtar.

Chance of winning: maybe.

Song 11: Euroband - This Is My Life

The first poppy dance song of the evening, and it's a good one. As a dance song, it has everything to become a big hit, and undoubtably this will receive a lot of (local) airplay, which it clearly deserves. Whether you like dance or not, this song has everything in it to become a hit. To me, this was the first song of the evening that had me moving (ever so slightly).

Chance of winning: it'll become a big hit probably, and maybe it'll be able to win the contest.

Song 12: Mor Ve Ötesi - Deli

Why do I immediately think "A Brand" when I hear the first notes of this song? Never mind, probably coincidence.

On to the song itself: it's a decent rock song, even though I don't understand a word of it. Having said that, it's not a song that sticks, which means that by the end of the contest I'll probably have forgotten all about it, and I'm afraid a lot of people with me.

Chance of winning: not really.

Song 13: Vânia Fernandes - Senhora Do Mar (Negras Aguas)

According to some music journalists, this singer can be best compared to a fado singer. A reference to the Army Of Lovers (who had a big hit with 'Crucified' a lot of years ago) has also been made.

It's not bad, and this is the second time this evening that I'm reminded of another song which name I cannot seem to recall. Anyway, it's a good song, but I doubt whether this type of genre has it's place within this contest.

Chance of winning: slim.

Song 14: Pirates Of The Sea - Wolves Of The Sea

Here in Belgium we have a rather famous kids show, called 'Piet Piraat', about a pirate, his crew and their adventures. Since the theme of this dance song is the same, a reference was immediately made on our national TV.

Frankly, I'd rather go see the kids show. From time to time I bump into people who have a complete and utter distaste for dance music, and songs like these are the reason for that. Apparently there is a market for this stuff, because it sells (anyone remember that Crazy Frog hype?) to a lot of people. Pity.

Chance of winning: I sincerely hope not. I was going to add 'no offense', but then again... nah.

Song 15: Charlotte Perrelli - Hero

At first I thought I recognized the Swedish Charlotte, but it wasn't until they referred to her as Charlotte Nilsson that I realized who she was. Charlotte Nilsson already won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1999 with the song "Take Me To Your Heaven", a song I liked then and still do now. It's regularly played on various local commercial radio stations, and this song should be added to the playlist as well.

It's a good song, with a very catchy refrain - even though it doesn't leave an everlasting impression in the mind, it's a song that can easily get stuck in the back of your mind for a few days.

Chance of winning: Charlotte may be on her way to a second victory here!

Song 16: Simon Mathew - All Night Long

This is the type of song I really don't like, it's one of those songs you can hear once, maybe twice, but never more than that. It's the type of song that becomes a hit one your local radio, and starts to bore you. It manages to bore you more and more with every time they play it, until it becomes annoying up to the point you actually turn your radio off just as not to hear this song again.

It's catchy - but it's too easy to be catchy

Chance of winning: nope.

Song 17: Diana Gurtskaya - Peace Will Come

Right before the song starts, Bart Peeters warns the listeners/viewers for a "killer refrain". Nice. Judging from the beginning, I'm not a big fan of this song - and neither am I a fan of this refrain.

Her voice reminds me of a non-smoker version of Bonnie Tyler's "Total Eclipse Of The Heart", but these songs are miles, if not worlds apart. It's typically one of these songs that wants to be more than it can be, which mostly ends in failure.

Even though the refrain may be catchy, I find myself getting tired of it even before the end of the song is in sight.

Chance of winning: nope.

Song 18: Ani Lorak - Shady Lady

The international press has already mentioned that Ani is one of the top favourites for this contest.

Ukraine already won in the past by sending Ruslana, of whom I'm a big fan to say the least.

To me this is a direct competitor for Iceland, it's a strong dance song, but better - but I'm not sure whether that's because of the song, or because of Ani (damn!).

During the song I'm reminded of Tina Karol, who participated in 2006 (with the song Show Me Your Love) - another Ukranian beauty who left a big impression. Must be something in the water over there :)

There's one slight thing that annoys me in this song, however: there's a little bleep in there somewhere which to me (as a software developer) sounds like the beep of a server at boot-time. Never mind.

Anyway, Ani is a strong competitor in this contest, but I prefer Ruslana, carefully forgetting the fact that she's not in this year's competition.

Chance of winning: definitely!!

Ani Lorak - wonderful performance, wonderful song!

Song 19: Sébastien Tellier - Divine

This song has already been played once-too-many on Studio Brussel, our local radio station, and therein lies the downside.

The first time I heard it, I though it was a great song, but after hearing it over and over (and over) again, I grew tired of it.

The performance was shockingly bad - which does not help at all.

Chance of winning: with this kind of performance? Never.

Song 20 : Elnur & Samir - Day After Day

Respect to the singer who plays the role of the angel in this song - what a voice! Speaking of voices, perhaps the voice of the devil was better suited for Teräsbetoni.

It's actually a pretty strong song, even though I doubt they'll go on to win the contest.

Chance of winning: maybe a small chance.

Song 21: Kalomira - Secret Combination

On to Kalomira, another beautiful appearance. Having said that, I'm seeing a Britney Spears-type clone, watching a Britney Spears-type performance and listening to a Britney Spears-type song. Did I mention Britney Spears?

And therein lies the downfall: it's a nice song, but too easy, too repetitive, and a refrain that is just to simple.

Songs like these shouldn't pose a mental challenge of course, but on the other hand they shouldn't be too simple either. And I'm afraid this song falls into the latter category.

Chance of winning: despite all that, she does have a chance of winning.

Song 22: Rodolfo Chikilicuatre - Baila El Chiki Chiki

Some people have already compared this song and it's style to Manu Chao (Me Gustas Tu), which I find downright insulting to Manu Chao. Me Gustas Tu is a simple song of pure genius compared to this, it's a song that you can really listen to and enjoy. This however, isn't.

Yes, those dancers are nice, but that's about all there is to it. The song never catches my attention, nor does it stick in my mind. Well, that's not entirely true - that 'Perea Perea' stuff does stick, even though that's just the part that I'd rather forget as soon as possible.

Chance of winning: none.

Song 23: Jelena Tomasevic feat Bora Dugic - Oro

The beginning of this song immediately reminds me of Nothing Else Matters, by Metallica, but a few notes later it is more than clear that there is no comparison whatsoever.

It's a slow song, yet strong and powerful. Powerful enough even, but perhaps a bit too sad to go on and win this competition.

Chance of winning: indeed!

Song 24: Dima Bilan - Believe

Dima Bilan already entered the Eurovision Song Contest a few years ago, only to end up second after Lordi (who, in my humble opinionn, actually deserved to win the Eurovision Song Contest). In other words, watch out for this candidate, because he has already proven his chance of winning.

I'm not blown away by this song though, mainly because it is not something I'd choose to listen to, but then again I wouldn't turn off the radio if this song were plaing. Does that mean that he has a chance of a big hit? I don't know... Perhaps...

Chance of winning: purely based on the fact that he already came second a few years ago: yes.

Song 25: Maria - Hold On Be Strong

Not bad, not bad, but as with Dima Bilan I'm not blown away.

Chance of winning: small chance, probably within the top half.

My prognosis:

After hearing all the entries, here are my favourites (in order of course):

1. Armenia
2. Ukraine
   Iceland
   Sweden
3. Israel
   Croatia
   Poland
   Azerbaijan
4. Finland
   Portugal
   Greece
   Serbia
   Russia
   Norway

The end results:

... but unfortunately, I'm not the (only) one to decide on the end results, so here are the end results as decided by the people of Europe:

1. Russia : Dima Bilan - Believe (272 points)
2. Ukraine : Ani Lorak - Shady Lady (230 points)
3. Greece : Kalomira - Secret Combination (218 points)
4. Armenia : Sirusho - Qele, Qele (199 points)
5. Norway : Maria - Hold On Be Strong (182 points)
6. Serbia : Jelena Tomasevic feat Bora Dugic - Oro (160 points)
7. Turkey : Mor Ve Ötesi - Deli (138 points)
8. Azerbaijan : Elnur & Samir - Day After Day (132 points)
9. Israel : Boaz - The Fire In Your Eyes (124 points)
10. Bosnia-Herzegovina : Laka - Pokusaj (110 points)
11. Georgia : Diana Gurtskaya - Peace Will Come (83 points)
    Latvia : Pirates Of The Sea - Wolves Of The Sea (83 points)
12. Portugal : Vânia Fernandes - Senhora Do Mar (Negras Aguas) (69 points)
13. Iceland : Euroband - This Is My Life (64 points)
14. Denmark : Simon Mathew - All Night Long (60 points)
15. Spain : Rodolfo Chikilicuatre - Baila El Chiki Chiki (55 points)
    Albania : Olta Boka - Zemrën E Lamë Peng (55 points)
16. Sweden : Charlotte Perrelli - Hero (47 points)
    France : Sébastien Tellier - Divine (47 points)
17. Romania : Nico & Vlad - Pe-o Margine De Lume (45 points)
18. Croatia : Kraljevi Ulice & 75 Cents - Romanca (44 points)
19. Finland : Teräsbetoni - Missä Miehet Ratsastaa (35 points)
20. Germany : No Angels - Disappear (14 points)
    Poland : Isis Gee - For Live (14 points)
    United Kingdom : Andy Abraham - Even If (14 points)

That's all for this year folks!

Well, that's it for 2008 - all in all it was a nice festival, and I must say that I've discovered a few songs that'll probably end up somewhere in my collection. I hope you enjoyed it as well, and I do hope you enjoyed my elaborate comments on the various entries. See you next year for another contest, this time in Russia!!