Eurovision Song Contest — 2nd semi-final; who will win on Saturday?

The semi-finals are done — let’s cover the 2nd and look toward the final.

first, the casualties:

Lithuania with their East Europe Funk and The Netherlands bringing Sha la lie were both pathetic attempts at being cute — good riddance.  Switzerland with their golden showers (sorry…) would have had a real chance 30 years ago, and Sweden‘s This is my life was a lovely young girl singing a forced song (who writes “this is my life, my friend”  for a teenager?)

The three who did not pass who deserved better:  Croatia with Feminnem doing Lako je sve had a strong entry, better than many ballads that did pass, but I guess the image of these 3 ladies struggling to express themselves was less than appetizing; Bulgaria‘s Angel si ti is stronger than some accepted dance tunes, but as feared, something here did not click.  Slovenia with their mix of traditional and rock bands trying to mash up was universally regarding as sure failure beforehand — but there is something artisticall valid in this, plus I found myself humming their tune this morning; so there.

Making it to the final and should be happy for doing just that:

Ireland‘ It’s for you is not for me, and Ukraine‘s Sweet people is a case of a great singer with a pretentious song. Romania‘s Playing with fire is really a throwaway song, while Armenia‘s Apricot stone is highly regarded by some but is lacking real spark for me. Georgia‘s Shine is a good song but the singer labors so hard in makes me sweat; the entry from Turkey is a semi-successful rock song with awkward “robot” action in the background, while from Cyprus we have Life looks better in spring, a lovely song that is not likely to make a mark.

3 other songs from this night are real contenders — see below.

As far as the 5 songs that are going straight to the final: the UK, as it often does, sends us an embarrassing kitsch, and the creative team who did do well years ago apparently exhausted their talent back then. Spain is sending a mild entry, and Norway may be in the running with a beautiful if obvious song. I do like the French song — more of a sport anthem, an early Ricky Martin style, but predictions say the audience is not eager for such entries.

There are 4 songs that seem to be competing for the top honor:
- Denmark‘s In a moment like this first came off as a rejected ABBA song, dated and unsurprising; it grew a bit on me, but I still think it is the lazy choice for those who like their music pre-chewed.
- Germany with Sattelite is a strong teenage-girl song, attractive and seductive. I hope it does not win — I grew tired of it after several hearings while the 2 songs to be named now are still doing it for me.
- Israel with Millim is super emotional– it starts slow, but by song end I find it hard not to shiver; Harel Skaat is a superb singer, fragile yet strong, wonderfully attractive.
- Azerbaijan with Drip drop has been the early favorite from the start. Safura ia a confident performer and the song is a pastiche of hooks that could have made 5 separate hits. An interesting note is that in the first recap for the voters, the excerpt from this song was an awkward transitional moment within it,  corrected in the second recap where it focused on the “could I love you, forever” hook. Sabotage? who knows?

So will safura win despite over-exposure and a difficult first-song-of-the night placement? Will Germany play the ingenue, perhaps cashing in on young voters? Will Europe vote for the obvious songs from Danmark or Norway? Will Israel’s song-before-last placement gain from an emotional performance? Are Armenia and Turkey contenders at all as some predict?

We’ll be watching on Saturday.

Eurovision Song Contest — my take on the 1st semi-final

So the 10 songs to move on have been chosen — has Europe got it right? Mostly.

I divided the songs into rough genres:

Ethnic
This was the largest group here, befitting a country-based contest. It contained my 2 favorite songs of the night, both updating ethnic styles to pure now energy. Greece with Opa and Serbia with Ovo Je balkan were fun, fun, fun — one with extra testosterone, the other more ambiguous yet infectious. I hope these will make it to the top 10.
Also — Russia with Lost and forgotten, a beautiful nostalgic song, though the presentation a way too cheesy with that little picture and staged verbal exchange between the guys. Slovakia with Horehronie deserved to move on, but perhaps all these “magic creatures” presention took way from this lovely song. Also not making it were Finland with their 2 cute accordionists but way-too-old-fashioned song and Poland with Legenda that brought new meaning to over-singing and over-dancing, Poland tried so hard to convey “a story” with all these apple-biting and shirt-tearing that it set an example as to what not to do.

Dance
All 3 entries in this genre have moved on — Dance is usually a safe bet when there are many mediocre entries. Moldova with Run Away was the best of the bunch, if only for the instrumental hooks and funky outfits. They were the first song of the night, and the director was still getting warm, practically missing most of their antics — better luck in the final, guys. Iceland with Je ne sais quoi featured a chunky diva in a hummable if nothing-new song, while Albania has a straight-forward nothing-special It’ All About You. Expect these songs to cancel each other out.

Slow Songs and Ballads
Portugal made it through with a lovely tune that stood out having no real competition — something that will change in the final. Belarus with Butterflies were no faves of mine — a forced song with unnecessary butterfly wings to bring out the “message” — well,  good for them. Malta with My Dream was of little interest, again having wings popping behind the singer — a sure sign that they ran out of ideas.

Rock
Here Europe got it wrong. They accepted Bosnia & Herzegovina with the cutely sung but a lackluster tune, rejecting the superior entry from Macedonia, a Bon Jovi sounding tune with much variety and a better hook, Alas, the singer was not that handsome and the almost-naked dancers behind him were more pathetic girls-for-hire than a portrayal of his virility.

POP
Belgium with Me and my guitar was a safe choice, rewarding “artistry” but it is hardly a real threat in the final. Latvia with What for? (Only Mr. God knows why) is really one of those fine tunes that cutely raises existential questions and should not be mistaken for entertainment; and this was not.

Alternative - -
What a misfire! You CAN sell alternative if you have a coherent vision. Estonia with Malcolm Lincoln singing Siren did not do it — except for the quirky fainting of on performer at the end, they were mostly lacking an “alternative” or any other coherent vibe. It was a bit smug (“we are better because our song is not meant to be catchy”) but mostly just boring.

So — what would I have done? I would have chosen the rejected Macedonia and Slovakia over Bosnia & Herzegovina and Belarus, but that’s just me.

What’s next? The second semi-final presents some real contenders, such as Azerbaijan with Drip drop, Israel with Milim and Denmark with the catchy but tired In a moment like this . Also strong are Croatia with Feminnem singing Lako je sve and Georgia with the song Shine. Some that are strong but I am not a fan of are Sweden and Armenia. I do like the Bulgarian entry, but I suspect it will get no respect. Too bad.