Euro-what? The Most Famous Song Contest You've Never Heard Of
If you think next month's soccer
World Cup is an obscure event mostly of interest to foreigners, that's nothing compared to the annual aneurysm that is today's '
Eurovision Song Contest.'
But those who are suffering from '
American Idol' withdrawal after Wednesday's finale might want to check it out.
'Eurovision' is like a kitschy 'European Idol' sung mostly, but not entirely, in English, and is one of those weird cultural happenings that is followed almost everywhere in the world except the USA.
First broadcast in 1950, 'Eurovision' was founded on the belief that music was one of two things that could unite a multi-lingual continent trying to find content for a new technology called television (the other being sports). Notable names who have won the contest include Swedish superstars
Abba and the popular British groups
Katrina and the Waves and
Bucks Fizz. Britain's
Cliff Richard came second in 1968, a surprise loss that 40 years later was
attributed to direct intervention by Spain's then-dictator, General Franco.
Since there is no requirement that contestants come from the country they represent, there are sometimes Americans stirred into the mix, and in 1988,
Celine Dion won on behalf of Switzerland. (At that time, the Canadian superstar was already famous in the French-speaking world.)
So what can you expect from this year's competition? Well, let's be honest: You need a high irony threshold to enjoy it. The cheese-factor is what makes it fun, from terrible takes on American musical forms like rap and swing, to the inevitable national costumes and dancing accordion players. If you're not the type to find joy in highly-produced bad musical TV, this might not be for you. (Think '
Glee' meets 'Borat.')
While there is a very slim chance 'Eurovision' might be carried on an ethnic-interest cable network in your area, it is generally only available in the US through its
free online broadcast, which will be live today at 3PM EST.
The competition is always hosted by the country that won the previous year, and this year's Oslo production comes courtesy of
Alexander Rybak, an impish singing violinist who took the title for Norway.
Bookmakers think that in 2010, Azerbaijan has the best chance of winning, with a pop-friendly tune called
Drip-Drop. Second and third contenders, according to the betting odds, are a toe-tapper from
Germany and a Julio Iglesias-esque ballad from
Israel, which -- I know! -- is not even in Europe. (What can I say? You don't mess with the Zohan.)
My personal favorite is a catchy ditty from Lithuania called '
Eastern European Funk.' Its opening lyrics directly mock the eye-rolling quality of most 'Eurovision' entries: "You've seen it all before, we ain't got no taste, we're all a bore." But it quickly diverts into social commentary: "We've had it pretty tough, but that's OK, we like it rough ... we survived the Reds and two World Wars."
Which is pretty strong stuff for 'Eurovision'! (Did I mention it's an acquired taste?)
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It would help if the writer knew what he was writing about. Eastern European Funk is not even in the final. It was eliminated last Tuesday. It would have helped if he had mentioned the songs VOLARE, ERES TU, LOVE IS BLUE or the names Olivia Newton-John, Secret Garden, Nicki French, Dita Van Teese and many many more. 130 million will be watching this evening. And how many watched American Idol?
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You really need to calm down. All he said was that it was a "Eurovision Entry".
The Eurovision song contest is boring and soporific! Despite this, it enjoys a vast following as so called singers from different nations vie for the first place. I remember several of them from when I lived there; the most memorable was when ABBA won and continued on a shattering career. So good that their music is still used on Broadway, (Mama Mia).
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Wow, and you've just discovered hot water. Really, we didn't know ABBA won Eurovision with Waterloo and continued on to shattering career.
It's a shame that the writer displays - on behalf of Americans generally - such hutzpah and stunning ignorance of the rest of the world.
The US is not the world, nor yet the only country in the world, and in sporting and cultural terms, simply a sideshow.
The World Cup and the Eurovision Song Contest (which is, indeed, rather homely) enjoy audiences which turn American media moguls green with envy.
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Speak for yourself....obviously you don't know about it but I'm from England. I'm well familiar with the Eurovision Song Contest...You...need to get out more.
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I think a writer from a country wich has only been around for a good 150 years shouldn't judge other countries cultures based on prejudices, especially when his own culture is based on that of one of those countries. And let's be honest about eurovision, some of the songs are magnificent (me and my guitar for example) but others you'd rather forget quickly.
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My family writes good songs
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I love the Eurovision Song Contest though I am 15 years old and live half a world away in Hawaii I even made covers that i performed at a contest
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Eurovision really isn't half as bad as people make it out to be, and in many ways I think it has brought Europe together (at least for one night every year). It's no cheesier than your average Simon Cowell Saturday night entertainment show......
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