2017 participants in London / Merodeando por los alrededores la pre-party de Londres

Italy 2017   -  Ukraine 2004

France 2017  -  Spain 2017

Austria 2017 -  Sovenia 2005 & 2017 - Romania 2017

     

2016 songs in 5 words or less

(Las canciones de 2016 en 5 palabras inglesas o menos)

My Ranking of the 2016 songs:
(in April, after the official album release and before the rehearsals, compiled with the help of Mr. Gerbear’s Eurovision 2016 Sorting Tool)

12 points: FRANCE (Amir "J'ai cherché"): Mais oui! Oh la la!

10 points: SERBIA (Sanja Vučić ZAA "Goodbye (Shelter)"): I'm infatuated with melodramatic Sanja!

8 points: MACEDONIA (Kaliopi "Dona" (Дона)): Vintage gem by outstanding performer

7 points: UKRAINE (Jamala "1944"): Haunting, moving, meaningful and unique

6 points: ITALY (Francesca Michielin "No Degree of Separation"): Moving classic ballad

5 points: GEORGIA (Nika Kocharov & Young Georgian Lolitaz "Midnight Gold"): Accomplished rock number kicking ass

4 points: ESTONIA (Jüri Pootsmann "Play"): Classy retro coolness

3 points: LITHUANIA (Donny Montell "I've Been Waiting for This Night"): Powerful song with talented singer

2 points: SPAIN (Barei "Say Yay!"): Surprisingly contemporary and "urban". Fun.

1 point: FINLAND (Sandhja "Sing It Away"): Horse Meat Disco time!

And then:

 BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA (Dalal & Deen feat. Ana Rucner and Jala "Ljubav je"): A very passionate Balkan chorus

 ALBANIA (Eneda Tarifa "Fairytale"): Bjork-esque underrated loveliness

 GERMANY (Jamie-Lee "Ghost"): Catchy and boring simultaneously. Puzzling.

 MONTENEGRO (Highway "The Real Thing"): I don't always love it

 ICELAND (Greta Salóme "Hear Them Calling"): Desperate copycat of past winners

 AUSTRALIA (Dami Im "Sound of Silence"): Stylish, well produced ethereal product

 UNITED KINGDOM (Joe & Jake "You're Not Alone"): Harmless anthem with pretty boys

 ARMENIA (Iveta Mukuchyan "LoveWave"): WTF WTF WTF WTF WTF

 CZECH REPUBLIC (Gabriela Gunčíková "I Stand"): Pretty but not meaty

 DENMARK (Lighthouse X "Soldiers of Love"): Boys are prettier than song

 IRELAND (Nicky Byrne "Sunlight"): Meh

 ISRAEL (Hovi Star "Made of Stars"): Forgettable. Earlier version was superior.

 HUNGARY (Freddie "Pioneer"): Handsome man with derivative song

 NORWAY (Agnete "Icebreaker"): Vulgar but strangely addictive

 RUSSIA (Sergey Lazarev "You Are the Only One"): Eurovision by numbers with muscle

 SAN MARINO (Serhat "I Didn't Know"): Every year there's a joker

 GREECE (Argo "Utopian Land"): Politically correct pseudo-ethnic mess

 CROATIA (Nina Kraljić "Lighthouse"): Boring irritating pseudo-Celtic number

 BULGARIA (Poli Genova "If Love Was a Crime"): Uninspiring novelty foolery

 POLAND (Michał Szpak "Color of Your Life"): Old fashioned but strangely compelling

 BELARUS (Ivan "Help You Fly"): Will he finally get naked?

 SLOVENIA (ManuElla "Blue and Red"): Decent chorus but unremarkable

 SWEDEN (Frans "If I Were Sorry"): He should be sorry indeed

 LATVIA (Justs "Heartbeat"): I don't get this one

AZERBAIJAN (Samra "Miracle"): Pretty singer, so so song

 NETHERLANDS (Douwe Bob "Slow Down"): Representing the USA yet again

 ROMANIA (Ovidiu Anton "Moment of Silence"): Potential which hasn't been fulfilled

 MALTA (Ira Losco "Walk on Water"): An assault on good taste

 CYPRUS (Minus One "Alter Ego"): Rock schlager meets Britney. Horror.

 MOLDOVA (Lidia Isac "Falling Stars"): How does this go again?

 BELGIUM (Laura Tesoro "What's the Pressure"): Uplifting yet it annoys me

 SWITZERLAND (Rykka "The Last of Our Kind"): Excruciatingly irritating chorus; pain!

 AUSTRIA (Zoë "Loin d'ici"): Can only hear with earplugs

My ranking of the 2016 ESC songs as they are announced:

(My top eurovisivo de las canciones de 2016 según se van anunciando)


It will change soon!  -   ¡Cambiará pronto!

1. France
2. Serbia
3. Israel 
4. Macedonia
5. Georgia
6. Italy
7. Ukraine
8. Lithuania 
9. Bosnia-Herzegovina
10. Albania
11. Spain
12. Finland
13. Estonia 
14. Germany
15. UK
16. Hungary
17. Russia 
18. Ireland
19. Denmark 
20. Croatia
21. Montenegro 
22. Australia
23. Norway
24. Iceland
25. Latvia/Letonia
26. Armenia
27. Czech Republic
28. Azerbaijan 
29. Netherlands
30. Belgium
31. Slovenia
32. Greece
33. Sweden
34. Cyprus
35. Poland
36. Malta
37. San Marino
38. Belarus
39. Romania
40. Austria
41. Switzerland
42. Moldova

Pre-rehearsal ranking of all 40 songs of the ESC 2015

Mi Top 40 del 2015 (antes de los ensayos):

Alaridos de terror

My pre-rehearsal ordering of all 37 songs of the ESC 2014

My TOP 37 del Festival de la Canción de Eurovisión 2014

From most liked to least liked:

Pre-rehearsal thoughts on the entries in the Eurovision Song Contest 2013

Semi-final 1

        1.            Austria     Shine     Natália 

Trying to be contemporary and cool but failing; Natália's voice doesn't quite "shine"

        2.            Estonia       Et uus saaks alguse (Estonian)      Birgit

Boring worthy ballad number one

        3.            Slovenia               Straight into love              Hannah Mancini

Euphoria rip-off number one, incompetently delivered

        4.            Croatia  Mižerja (Croatian)            Klapa s mora

Love it! Old fashioned but very charming and accomplished - shame about the title

        5.            Denmark              Only teardrops  Emmelie de Forest

Catchy in a cliched Eurovision-by-numbers pseudo-folk kind of way with a dull singer

        6.            Russia    What if                 Dina Garipova / Динә Гарипова

Vomit break

        7.            Ukraine          Gravity                 Zlata Ognevich

Disney weirdness I shouldn't like but which  I do now thanks to Zlata

        8.            Netherlands        Birds      Anouk

Moody and ethereal; sublime or just inane? It depends on my mood

        9.            Montenegro       Igranka           Who See feat. Nina Žižić

Great that something as contemporary and edgy as this has a place in the ESC but too hardcore techno/rap for my liking

        10.         Lithuania             Something           Andrius Pojavis

Because of the shoes I'm wearing today, I'm loving this; lovely singer, charming song

        11.         Belarus              Solayoh                Alyona Lanskaya

It starts almost good; goes nowhere;  misguided and dated; Boney M should sue

        12.         Moldova              O mie             Aliona Moon

Boring worthy ballad number three (Russia was two)... but this one is saved by a haunting Balkan melody

        13.         Ireland               Only love survives             Ryan Dolan

Euphoria rip-off number two; this time with a twink and drums

        14.         Cyprus             An me thimase             Despina Olympiou

Boring worthy ballad number four; this one in Greek and excruciatingly dated

        15.         Belgium               Love kills              Roberto Bellarosa

Love kills over and over over and over over and over over and over over and over - it annoys me!

        16.         Serbia              Ljubav je svuda         Moje 3

Trashy song, poorly sung. But with a delightfully camp choreography

Semi-final 2

        1.            Latvia                  Here we go         PeR

Here we go. Where? Nowhere. Lame “homage” to George Michael with beat boxing. (Kudos to the brothers' energetic enthusiasm though...)

        2.            San Marino         Crisalide (Vola)             Valentina Monetta

A Frankenstein monster of a song, whose first half I almost like and whose second half I don't - and Valentina, although a very good singer, is starting to irritate me...

        3.            FYR Macedonia  Pred da se razdeni    Vlatko Lozanoski & Esma Redžepova

Another Frankenstein monster of a song; unremarkable; I much prefer Esma's part

        4.            Azerbaijan           Hold me               Farid Mammadov

Old fashioned, cliched, cheesy and poorly sung by a boy only redeemed by his good looks

        5.            Finland              Marry me            Krista Siegfrids

Politically correct Amanda-Palmer-wannabe song which is trashy but  delivered with enthusiastic conviction by wacky Krista

        6.            Malta          Tomorrow          Gianluca

This one leaves me rather indifferent; well, Gianluca is sweet

        7.            Bulgaria               Samo shampioni               Elitsa Todorova & Stoyan Yankoulov /

One of the few songs this year that put me in a good mood and makes me want to dance ( and to collect mushrooms)

        8.            Iceland           Ég á líf                 Eythor Ingi

Cold Nordic ballad competently sung by a Nordic Jesus Christ; very old fashioned

        9.            Greece     Alcohol is free          Koza Mostra feat. Agathonas Iakovidis

Even if I'm not too fond  of booze, I love this one; lots of fun; I enjoy the mix of traditional Greek/Balkan sounds and ska

        10.         Israel             Rak bishvilo         Moran Mazor

My favourite female ballad of 2013; wonderfully OTT, overdramatic and  passionately delivered by the likeable Moran

        11.         Armenia               Lonely planet             Gor Sujyan

The biggest disappointment of the year for me; I expected so much more from Armenia and Gor Sujyan/Dorians...; dull dull dull

        12.         Hungary               Kedvesem (Zoohacker remix)        ByeAlex

Interesting; cool and trendy; but too monotonous for my liking

        13.         Norway              I feed you my love            Margaret Berger

Cold as the snow where she was born; I don't get the excitement about this one

        14.         Albania                  Identitet              Adrian Lulgjuraj & Bledar Sejko

Interesting mix of rock and ethnic music; it's OK

        15.         Georgia                   Waterfall             Sopho Gelovani & Nodiko Tatishvili  

I hate this one as it mixes two of the most irritating, formulaic and overrated songs of recent years: Denmark 2010 and Spain 2012; the performers are good though...

        16.         Switzerland                 You and me         Takasa

It starts as though it is fun but then becomes too repetitive and lifeless

        17.         Romania                     It's my life           Cezar

I've seen Cezar singing in front of me wearing very tight trousers so I know he's not a castrato but he does falsetto very well; just a shame his electro-popera song is very weak and boring, with very cheap lyrics

Final

        F             France             L'enfer et moi    Amandine Bourgeois

Too-cool-for-school cabaret rock from France, with a pervy bent, that I feel I should love but I can’t, even if I do appreciate Amandine’s “raw” talent

        F             Germany              Glorious               Cascada

Euphoria rip-off number 3; the most shameless of them all. From a relatively well-known band, fronted by a woman with questionable dress sense. Boring.

        F             Italy               L'essenziale          Marco Mengoni

Just sublime. A charismatic performer with stunning good looks and a gorgeous expressive voice, singing a moving pop-rock ballad with beautiful meaningful lyrics. What’s there not to like?

        F             Spain                   Contigo hasta el final      ESDM

A contemporary but low-key pop-rock experiment from Spain, represented this year by a band of posh hippies who bring a fresh cool look and a Northern Celtic flavour… will the experiment work?

        F             United Kingdom               Believe in me      Bonnie Tyler

A pop-rock legend with a competent catchy song that will bring to the UK something they had long forgotten they could get: points. And a lot of them.

        16.         Sweden                     You        Robin Stjernberg

Sorry. How does this go? I can’t remember it…