Eurovision Song Contest 2023

Ragwort and Stones

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120604825#Comment_120604825

It did for big wins like Fairytale, Alexander Rybak, Norway in 2009. Rock and Roll Kids, 1994 received a huge amount of 12s too. Nicole, A Little Peace, Germany 1982. There are more examples of songs that dominated voting.

saabsaab

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120605034#Comment_120605034

You mention Fairytale but the second place that year Iceland's 'Is it true?'was far better.

squonk

Yeah I think Fairytale is one of the crappier winners in recent times. Even Nettas winner has really grown on me but Fairytale still does little enough for me.

Ragwort and Stones

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120605042#Comment_120605042

I suppose at the end of the day music is very subjective. You'll find comment under Loreen's video on YouTube by different people that Finland was better, Israel, Cyprus, Noway, Belgium, Germany, France off the top of my head.

I know Fairytale raked in the 12s.

Personally I thought Loreen peaked in the semi and Finland were better in the final. But she won the jury and second in the public vote and she's far from an unworthy winner. Probably people are just starting to tire of Sweden, as happened to us post 1997, Marc Roberts coming second.

But music is a minefield, especially Eurovision. Where what one person loves can be detested by another.

Ragwort and Stones

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120605171#Comment_120605171

I suppose it was a little different with the violin etc. I didn't like Netta at all. Would have put it on a par with Dustin 😅

And maybe it's because I hate the hypocrisy of Israel. Everyone is standing with Ukraine v Russia, and rightly so. But Israel breaks many International laws and a blind eye is turned. They have their special place in Eurovision no other country in that region has.

Welsh Megaman

For me, Poland has started to become an earworm now that I can focus on the song and less on the, ahem, visuals.

appledrop

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120605171#Comment_120605171

Omg I love Fairytale, I still listen to it regularly.

Class song with the violin 🎻.

squonk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120605224#Comment_120605224

I agree. Ordinarily I am not supportive of Israel and they’re not a country I have much time for because of their actions internationally. I don’t know what it is though. I leave all that at the door when Eurovision is concerned. I think that’s one good thing about Eurovision. It’s not political per se. It gives countries who usually are bad actors to show a better side.

Ragwort and Stones

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120605529#Comment_120605529

I get ya. I loved Dana International back in 1998. Even though it seems very weak vocally and staging wise today.

hotmail.com

Marty Whelan confirmed today that he has no intention of retiring.

squonk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120605865#Comment_120605865

He really should. I watched that Eurovision Legends thing they showed before the show last Saturday with the bould Marty as master of ceremonies. It really looked like an OAP wandered onto the stage and was let present. We need someone youthful doing the job.

I just read that he’s only 66. Could have fooled me. He comes across as being much older. He was a bit doddery I thought on that Eurovision show.

JKerova1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120605499#Comment_120605499

I actually really like that song too. I love the acrobatic dancer guys. My favourite Norwegian entry is Secret Garden from 1995...although we can claim it as a bit Irish too.

delboy85

Just catching up on this thread.

I thought it was a great show and the BBC did well and from all accounts Liverpool was a great host city.

Bit gutted that Finland lost out. The juries do seem to usually love Sweden most years (whether they deserve it or not). I liked the Loreen song but I was rooting for Finland. But I was a bit surprised that the juries went for Sweden SO strongly. But the conspiracy theories are tiresome.

For those claiming that the juries have too much power, ESC United pointed out an interesting stat. Since the voting was changed to 50/50 in 2016 the song that has finished either 1st or 2nd in the televote has gone on to be the overall winner every year. The same can't be said for jury winners.

I'm in favour of the juries remaining but there needs to be more jury members in each country. 5 seems way too low to me. Surely 8-10 jury members would make more sense.

There was a reason the juries were brought back in 2009. The noughties were a real low point in my opinion with televoting only. It really highlighted the diaspora voting and novelty songs doing better. I think the over all standard of songs has improved greatly since then.

squonk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120605266#Comment_120605266

Same. 4 days on and now the hype has died down the song stuck in my head is Poland. Once I hit past the aesthetics lol it is an earworm and she performed it really well I thought.

Welsh Megaman

Been delving into the back catalogues of Voyager, Lord Of The Lost and Käärijä (and naturally, downloaded Dadi Freyr’s cover of ‘Whole Again’). :)

Me likey this Roxette cover very much…

https://youtu.be/X8eLNCRuLOs

Welsh Megaman

Spain have already begun the search for next year’s song!

Take note, RTE: This is how you do it (though sadly, we already know that you won’t)!

https://wiwibloggs.com/2023/05/16/spain-confirms-eurovision-2024-and-return-benidorm-fest/277476/

squonk

Makes sense. Deciding to hunt fur entries next November to have 6 whittled down for December or Jan won’t get us anywhere as usual. Definitely start now and even give people til July to get a final entry. Plenty of time then to sort things. I’ve an awful feeling nothing happens in Rte once the song is picked til early April when they decide to rehearse and stage it. I’d love to be wrong.

squonk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120606745#Comment_120606745

Absolutely cracking version. I would even bet Per Gessle from Roxette would give that the thumbs up. Great refresh and reminds me why I loved The Look first time round. If they’d asked Per to write them a banger like that they might face done better. Undeserving result really for them. Would be fun to get Per to Co-write an entry for us. He’s still doing good stuff IMHO. then there’s name recognition abroad as well.

Capt'n Midnight

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120606067#Comment_120606067

24 words , 35 seconds of singing vs. 2 minutes of violin solo. They changed the rules after that one.

10000maniacs

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120604825#Comment_120604825

Sweden won before they even picked the singer and the song.

It was pre destined for Stockholm in 2024. Abba's 50th.

That's how it seemed anyway.

They can't explain the discrepancy between the jury and public votes away as just nothing.

saabsaab

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120609299#Comment_120609299

Ah Ha!

gmisk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120607419#Comment_120607419

Didn't RTE admit they only start searching in September?! Pretty telling

squonk

It was kind of sickening watching that Rte legends of Eurovision show with Marty talking about how we had over the most Eurovisions but Sweden were closing in “but hopefully they won’t do it this year”. Nobody from RTE shoujd be expressing opinions like that when they’re blatantly pi$$ing away any hope we have of being competitive year after year after year now.

10000maniacs

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120609310#Comment_120609310

I suppose we can't complain. Some of the 90's Irish wins had me equally baffled too.

Maybe the wine and dine treatment the contingents and commentators got in Ireland made them want to come back year after year. And they did.

So douze-pointe all the way for five years straight.

weadick

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120609027#Comment_120609027

Probably my favourite Eurovision song though. It was all about Fionualla Sherry.

yerwanthere123

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120609299#Comment_120609299

I think the conspiracy theories are going a bit far tbh. Sweden are gods of Eurovision and know exactly what the juries will vote for, it was very clear from the moment Loreen was picked she was going to get a huge jury vote. This, coupled with the fact 2023 was a relatively weak year with no other obvious jury bait, meant that the jury score wasn't surprising at all. Also, Tattoo is actually a pretty decent song, as shown by getting ranked 2nd in the televote!

I'm still a bit miffed by Sweden's win but I highly doubt anything untoward happened here.

squonk

Yeah to be fair if there was widespread fixing we should at least be getting to the final year on year with Noel Curran in there as the head honcho as the head of the EBU and Mr Eimer Quinn to boot.

glitterIsland

The Croatia lads looked ridiculous but the song is finally growing on me and it's stuck in my head -

Mama Kupa....

It's stuck in my head.

I love it.

DEFTLEFTHAND

Agree entirely. We (Ireland) have won all our 7 titles on a jury verdict and have never come within an ass's roar of winning a Eurovision on the popular vote.

Welsh Megaman

My god, the Croatia song really is an earworm!!

Having not thought about it at all since Saturday, it suddenly popped into my head just now!!