Eurovision: Runners and Riders – Mrs Routledge
Mrs Routledge might currently be away from school, but that won’t prevent her from performing her most important RHS duty… As usual, here’s her lowdown on Europe’s premiere cheese-fest.
Now that the semi-finals are over, here are the top 10 “ones to watch” in Saturday’s Eurovision, some favourites of the bookies with some of my personal favourites…
The great thing about Eurovision? It is the only time of year you can find an internationally acclaimed DJ, a singer travelling with 7 wigs, an ancient Norwegian style of singing, Elsa on a swinging stick and an old bloke singing “Say Na Na Na” for 3 minutes!
Here are some of the top-tipped acts of this year…
Australia – Zero Gravity
What could be better than a singer dressed as Elsa/Glinda of Oz, swaying on a giant wobbly stick singing an opera/pop/EDM mélange of a song that sounds like it should be in the sequel to Wicked? Well, quite a lot of things personally, but it’s definitely a spectacle! Certainly a potential winner.
Czech Republic – Friend of a Friend
By indie-pop group Lake Malawi, Friend of a Friend is about the idea that you can know anyone in the world by having 3 or 4 friends because, obviously, the idea of six degrees of separation is a perfect basis for a song…slightly bizarre staging, a few questionable lyrics and a bit of cringe in the, it’s still a bit catchy and probably popular with young people…
Denmark – Love is Forever
Love this song! Beautiful, classic Eurovision, cutesy and great staging! I also love the fact that she is singing in English and French with an adorable message of love and a happy tune, awww…the staging is interesting (5 friends on a giant chair) making it look like the Borrowers are singing the tune, but again it’s cute.
France – Roi
Beautiful voice in the video and I love the message of the song; be yourself. Another mix of French and English (which is, to me, wonderful!). He’ll need to fill the stadium on the night though and I don’t know if his voice is big enough…Fun Fact – With an extensive wig collection, Bilal Hassani is only travelling with 7 for this trip.
Iceland – Hatrid Mun Sigra
Now…I’m not sure that Eurovision is the platform for this sort of leather costume but hey, Lordi won dressed as monsters? I’m not convinced either that heavy metal mixed with techno works that well, but maybe that’s just me! Having said that, given how awful last year’s entry was (“Our Choice”); a song that was about 50 years too old for the poor boy in red velvet doomed to sing it -and I use the word sing rather liberally there – the Icelandic committee clearly went back to the drawing board
and thought “hmm, that was terrible, what is the complete opposite of what we sent in 2018?” The song, “Hatred Will Prevail” is a bit of a change from the usual pleas for Peace and Love!
Likely to be a popular entry because of the novelty value!
Italy – Soldi
Whilst the tempo is much different from last year’s “Non me avete fatto niente” (You haven’t done anything to me) which placed 5th, and was written in the aftermath of various terror attacks, including the Manchester MEN, this too holds a serious message. Mahmood has written Soldi (Money) about his relationship with his father, who left when he was a young boy, and how money contributed to the breakdown of their relationship. Quite a dark and moody but poignant song – it could do very well.
Norway – Spirit in the Sky
A typically Eurovision song and I love it! Incorporating a traditional Norwegian musical style to a poppy beat and “inspired by the struggles for equal rights regardless of ethnicity, gender identity and sexuality, given their long struggle in pursuit of equal rights”, it is cracking. Only criticism is it sounds suspiciously like “Monsters” (last year’s Finnish entry) but I would say this is the one I want to win!
San Marino – Say Na Na Na
Now. This has garnered a lot of hate on social media because it made it through the semi-finals where people felt that Hungary/Finland/Portugal (?!?) deserved a place. However, I was delighted! This is a very Eurovision song and I would be thrilled if it won (unlikely…). The guy singing it is a singer called Serhat and he wrote this song in 5 minutes apparently – definitely believable – but here’s the thing…San Marino have qualified for the final only ONCE other than this year. It was 2016 and, again, it was Serhat. One singer has entered FOUR TIMES and she never made it through despite some good performances. Terrible lyrics, dad dancing and vocals that are a bit dodgy at best, it is nonetheless catchy and cheesier than a fondue! I LOVE IT!
Spain – La Venda
Following last year’s beautiful ballad “Tu Cancion”, Spain have changed tactics and gone with an upbeat, Latin rumba (“The Blindfold”) urging listeners to embrace life to the max! I defy anyone to listen to this and not find themselves wanting to sing and dance along!
Sweden – Too Late For Love
The Scandinavians are really on it this year for me! A catchy song and an amazing vocal from this band – if they can pull it off on the night (and and it was electric in the semis!), it will be fantastic! Another one of my faves and the lead singer wrote the song that was sung at the Swedish Royal Wedding!
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