Eurovision 2025

[John Drake]

It's that time of year again...

UK entry, What The Hell Just Happened by Remember Monday. I wasn't keen on first hearing it, it sounds like three different songs welded together, but apparently they can sing well live, which makes a pleasant change. I wish them well and hope they have a lot of fun taking part in the event.

And at the other end of the musical spectrum this belter from Sweden, unexpectedly beating past Eurovision winner and runaway favourite to get the gig again, Mans Zelmerlow, in their national final Melodifestivalen. Even when they pick something daft they do it better than most.

 

[Shadow]

I've been a fan of Remember Monday ever since I saw this

 

 

[unapologetic pedant]

50th anniversary of "Ding-a-Dong" by Teach-In. For me, the quintessential Eurovision winner.

"When you're feeling alright, everything is uptight

Try to sing a song that goes ding ding-a-dong

There will be no sorrow when you sing tomorrow

And you walk along with your ding-dang-dong

Ding-a-dong every hour, when you pick a flower

Even when your lover is gone gone gone

Ding-a-dong listen to it, maybe it's a big hit

Even when your lover is gone gone gone

Sing ding-ding-dong"

Edwyn Collins recorded a fine cover version.

[Derwent]

10 minutes ago, unapologetic pedant said:

50th anniversary of "Ding-a-Dong" by Teach-In. For me, the quintessential Eurovision winner.

"When you're feeling alright, everything is uptight

Try to sing a song that goes ding ding-a-dong

There will be no sorrow when you sing tomorrow

And you walk along with your ding-dang-dong

Ding-a-dong every hour, when you pick a flower

Even when your lover is gone gone gone

Ding-a-dong listen to it, maybe it's a big hit

Even when your lover is gone gone gone

Sing ding-ding-dong"

Edwyn Collins recorded a fine cover version.

 

[unapologetic pedant]

4 hours ago, Derwent said:

 

World of difference between "Ding-a-Dong" and "Ding Dong".

Leslie Phillips should have trademarked "Ding Dong".

Edited March 9 by unapologetic pedant
l'esprit de l'escalier

[gingerjon]

19 hours ago, John Drake said:

It's that time of year again...

UK entry, What The Hell Just Happened by Remember Monday. 

How hard are they prepared to work? Sam Ryder, our last high scorer who probably would have won in a normal year, was all over Europe in the time between announcement and performance. Is the BBC paying for / do these lot want to do the same?

[Padge]

I'll get this in early before the nonsense starts.

The Eurovision Song Contest is not a European Song Contest.

Eurovision is a TV company, it is a TV companies song contest.

Eurovision is the network name for The European Broadcasting Union an amalgamation of European public service broadcasters consisting of mainly European broadcasters but has members from all over the world.

[JohnM]

Including Australia, possibly .

[Gerrumonside ref]

Might be one for a show of European unity this year and why not as we will always need each other.

[Bostik Bailey]

It should have gone to the Lancashire Hotpots they would have taken Europe by storm

Edited March 10 by Bostik Bailey

[gingerjon]

1 hour ago, JohnM said:

Including Australia, possibly .

They have confirmed for this year.

[Maximus Decimus]

So it's Eurovision week! 

I've started the relatively new tradition for my family of listening to the tracks in the build up to the event. 

There doesn't seem to be many songs that instantly catch the ear tbh. The favourite (Sweden) seems to be a bit of a less fun version of Estonia's from a couple of years ago.

I do think there's an increase in the number of songs not in English recently. I suspect there maybe used to be the presumption that it was an advantage that has now gone.

The French seem to do basically the same song every year. A very slow song that starts with mixed singing/speaking that builds up to a big passionate chorus.

Ours is a bit of a mess. There's a nub of a decent song, but it never really comes together. I don't think it'll be nil points but we'll do well to make the lefthand side.

[Futtocks]

Always fun to spot the opportunists. There's usually one that comes out with a copy of what won last year, and they hardly ever get any decent votes. Justly so, of course.

[gingerjon]

55 minutes ago, Maximus Decimus said:

Ours is a bit of a mess. There's a nub of a decent song, but it never really comes together. I don't think it'll be nil points but we'll do well to make the lefthand side.

They seem lovely people but I'm sure how much work they've done in Europe to promote and the song seems half finished.

[Maximus Decimus]

18 minutes ago, Futtocks said:

Always fun to spot the opportunists. There's usually one that comes out with a copy of what won last year, and they hardly ever get any decent votes. Justly so, of course.

I haven't spotted one from last year, but as I said the favourite definitely reminds me of the one that was 'robbed' 2 years ago.

I like Denmark's one but it is a bit Loreen-esque and sounds like a Eurovision paint-by-numbers song.

[Maximus Decimus]

19 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

They seem lovely people but I'm sure how much work they've done in Europe to promote and the song seems half finished.

It says 'what the hell just happened?' way way too many times.

It's also a tad cringe subject, and dare I say a bit dated.

I'm hoping that their singing ability and the presentation will give it a different impression.

[gingerjon]

6 minutes ago, Maximus Decimus said:

and dare I say a bit dated

British Eurovision entrants largely have been since Gina G.

[Maximus Decimus]

9 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

British Eurovision entrants largely have been since Gina G.

Instinctively it seems like an obvious choice that we should let the public choose our contestants.

Then you see the record of when we actually have. Daz Sampson anyone...

[Futtocks]

46 minutes ago, Futtocks said:

Always fun to spot the opportunists. There's usually one that comes out with a copy of what won last year, and they hardly ever get any decent votes. Justly so, of course.

Then there's Datner and Kushnir, who'd just watched The Blues Brothers every week for the last seven years.

 

[gingerjon]

8 minutes ago, Maximus Decimus said:

Instinctively it seems like an obvious choice that we should let the public choose our contestants.

Then you see the record of when we actually have. Daz Sampson anyone...

I think it's one of those aspects when Britain really isn't Europe - when we have experts choosing, they're following a trend that may have gone, when it's the public, they're harking back to a kitsch, camp Eurovision that ... well, the Europeans were taking seriously even at the time, but has really long gone now.

The useful thing is that I think that effectively ended Sampson's career.

Edit:

Honourable exception is Sam Ryder who, as a person, knew the deal & flung himself into it and had a song to work with. Any other year, that wins.

Edited May 12 by gingerjon

[John Drake]

5 hours ago, Maximus Decimus said:

Instinctively it seems like an obvious choice that we should let the public choose our contestants.

Then you see the record of when we actually have. Daz Sampson anyone...

The UK Song for Europe shows were dreadful though. Low budget, can't really be bothered, contractual obligation stuff. No wonder it generally produced dreadful Eurovision entries. 

Compare that with Sweden's Melodifestivalen, which runs over several weeks of knockouts, performed in giant arenas and broadcast live on TV, often involving big name acts who don't always make the cut, or Italy's San Remo Festival, which is absolutely massive. It's no wonder they, and others like them, get better results in Eurovision than the UK. 

Sweden's entry this year might be viewed as a joke, compared to the sort of polished pop they often enter, but it is catchy as hell, the staging is great and the group who perform it have been all over Europe and all over social media for months, doing the hard yards. Even when they're taking the pee they do it better than us!

I'd love to see the Beeb organise something like Melodifestivalen or San Remo here. Not a one-off show in a small TV studio with a bunch of forgettable songs performed by joke acts, but something big and bold that would catch the public imagination. I thought it might happen after Sam Ryder singlehandedly by the force of his own personality restored a bit of pride finishing second in 2022 (proving if you make the effort, you reap the reward) and we got to host the ESC in Liverpool in 2023. That turned out to be a roaring success with huge demand for tickets. The public appetite for it was there, they could have capitalised on that, but instead they sent Olly Alexander to Malmo like a lamb to the slaughter. And this year we've got who, singing what? No one cares, and that's the problem. If the UK doesn't care about its Eurovision entry, the rest of Europe won't.

Anyway, regardless of what the UK does, I'll be watching it all this week and loving every minute! 

[Maximus Decimus]

9 hours ago, John Drake said:

The UK Song for Europe shows were dreadful though. Low budget, can't really be bothered, contractual obligation stuff. No wonder it generally produced dreadful Eurovision entries. 

Compare that with Sweden's Melodifestivalen, which runs over several weeks of knockouts, performed in giant arenas and broadcast live on TV, often involving big name acts who don't always make the cut, or Italy's San Remo Festival, which is absolutely massive. It's no wonder they, and others like them, get better results in Eurovision than the UK. 

Sweden's entry this year might be viewed as a joke, compared to the sort of polished pop they often enter, but it is catchy as hell, the staging is great and the group who perform it have been all over Europe and all over social media for months, doing the hard yards. Even when they're taking the pee they do it better than us!

I'd love to see the Beeb organise something like Melodifestivalen or San Remo here. Not a one-off show in a small TV studio with a bunch of forgettable songs performed by joke acts, but something big and bold that would catch the public imagination. I thought it might happen after Sam Ryder singlehandedly by the force of his own personality restored a bit of pride finishing second in 2022 (proving if you make the effort, you reap the reward) and we got to host the ESC in Liverpool in 2023. That turned out to be a roaring success with huge demand for tickets. The public appetite for it was there, they could have capitalised on that, but instead they sent Olly Alexander to Malmo like a lamb to the slaughter. And this year we've got who, singing what? No one cares, and that's the problem. If the UK doesn't care about its Eurovision entry, the rest of Europe won't.

Anyway, regardless of what the UK does, I'll be watching it all this week and loving every minute! 

All of this is of course true, and there is a lot more we could do if we tried.

After watching it for years and years, I'm of the opinion that you just can't tell what is going to hit and what isn't. There's definitely a big element of right place right time. Look at something like Windows 95 man, seemingly funny but didn't work.

The UK should do what it's good at. Rock/Indie and then do basically the same thing every year. Eventually, someone will like it. It seems to be working for France who rehash 'Je ne regrette rien' every year.

[gingerjon]

6 hours ago, Maximus Decimus said:

All of this is of course true, and there is a lot more we could do if we tried.

After watching it for years and years, I'm of the opinion that you just can't tell what is going to hit and what isn't. There's definitely a big element of right place right time. Look at something like Windows 95 man, seemingly funny but didn't work.

The UK should do what it's good at. Rock/Indie and then do basically the same thing every year. Eventually, someone will like it. It seems to be working for France who rehash 'Je ne regrette rien' every year.

“Seems to be working for France”

I’m old. My kids are doing A levels or further. I wasn’t born the last time France won Eurovision.

I have heard of their singer this year. No idea if she is a name beyond Francophone areas though.

[John Drake]

7 hours ago, Maximus Decimus said:

After watching it for years and years, I'm of the opinion that you just can't tell what is going to hit and what isn't. There's definitely a big element of right place right time.

I agree. If you look at the list of past winners, there's very little in common between them from one year to the next.

But they've all got that certain something that made them stand out at the time, whether it was a powerful lyric, a great vocal, a catchy hook, memorable staging or just something really quirky.

[JohnM]

Right you lot. Shut up. BE QUIET! ITS ON!!!!    Oh  'eck! Where's Katie Boyle?

.

.

OK you can talk now. Best of the nightfir me? Estonia. 

Edited May 13 by JohnM