I love acoustic music, and quite frankly who doesn't. Heck, back when MTV actually showed music, "Unplugged" was one of my favorite shows. So when a few of the contestants put out acoustic versions, I jumped all over that.
First of is Sabina Babayeva (Azerbaijan) who gives "When the Music Dies" a little flamenco flair. It doesn't have the same power notes as the official version, but her voice is just gorgeous.
Iris (Belgium) also shines in "Would You." I really think it suits her voice a lot better, and the entire song seems a bit sweeter and less generic pop.
Roman Lob (Germany) gives yet another swoon-worthy performance of "Standing Still." I swear, if this song played on American radio, people would think it was the new single by The Fray.
And as a bonus, here's the acoustic version of last year's winner, Ell & Nikki's "Running Scared" (Azerbaijan). There's harmony in that song I never knew existed before!
Well, cats and kittens, another edition of the Eurovision Song Contest is behind us, and what a long strange trip it's been. From boy bands from the UK to Irish twins to Greek rappers, this year's contest has truly memorable. Here's your intrepid hero's recap, thoughts, comments, and lessons we've learned. And as always, there's plenty of videos.
No story about Eurovision 2011 can start without talking about the surprise winner. In the weeks leading up to the competition, betting odds favored France, with the UK and Estonia playing spoiler. Then, suddenly, along came the Crayola Twins from Ireland, Jedward, rocketing up to second place just behind the UK. As of the morning of the Grand Finale, at least according to the bookies, the competition was between Blue and Jedward. Then what happened? Jedward came in at 8th, Blue dropped to 11th, France came in at 15th, and Estonia tumbled down to 24th. And our winner...Azerbaijan!! (??) Here's your winner: Ell & Nikki performing "Running Scared":
So what happened? First and foremost, I'll go on record to say that the first time I heard this song, I thought it was nice, but nothing super special. But as I've listened to it more and more, it's grown on me, a lot. It's catchy, it's pretty, and they staged it well. But a closer look at the points reveals something.
[A note on Eurovision voting for those not in the know: Each country votes on their favorite act, although a country cannot vote for itself. The votes are combined with a score from a panel of jurists from each country, and the highest scorer receives 12 points ("douze pointe" in French). The next highest scorer gets 10, 8, etc....]
Azerbaijan only got 12 pwah pointe from three countries. Four other acts, including Jedward, got three douze pwahs, Italy took home four, and Bosnia took home five. This certainly wasn't the runaway of "Fairytale" from 2009, but even Lena last year captured nine douze pwahs. Russia in 2008 captured seven, and Serbia in 2007 also took nine. So what gives? Azerbaijan captured four 10s and and ten 8s. Comparatively, second place Italy took home five 10s and only one 8. Bosnia only took two 10s and one 8, while third place Sweden complemented its two douze pwahs with seven 10s. Jedward on the other hand, only took two 10s, and in fact, only scored points from 17 countries. Azerbaijan scored points from 30 countries. So it may not necessarily be that Azerbaijan, as nice as the song was, was everyone's clear favorite. It's just that enough people liked it enough to win. And while Jedward has the same number of high scores as Azerbaijan, it seemed more of a love it or hate it thing. And that was probably their downfall.
So what else did we learn from Eurovision 2011?
1. Celine Dion has returned to the Eurovision stage again. Oh wait, no, it's just Kati Wolf from Hungary. Our mistake.
Seriously, it's kind of creepy. The way she holds the mic, the hair, the voice, the lip quiver. Kati Wolf to Vegas?
We also believe she was robbed. She deserved higher than 22nd. She at least deserved higher than Finland.
2. Azerbaijan turned it out. Blue didn't. Say what you will about Ell & Nikki. They hit their performance. Blue on the other hand...it was...actually kind of sad, really.
Maybe had the vocals been there, perhaps it could have done better. Instead it just sounded like a mediocre song by a boy band that's gotten a little too old for that title. Oh wait...
3. Iceland perhaps had the best story that nobody knows If you watched Iceland's performance, you'd probably be thinking, "What is this on my screen?" But the story behind the performance is perhaps one of the most sadly under-reported story of the competition. In January, Sigurjon "Sjonni" Brink passed away mere days before he was to perform this song in the Iceland national selection finals. So his friends did what any group would do. They scrambled together and decided to perform the song in Sjonni's honor. They won in Iceland and placed 20th overall in Germany.
4. Lena's a badass. Seriously. Lena won handily last year with "Satellite," in the second largest margin of victory ever. She was 18 at the time.
She returned this year to compete again. And pulled out one hell of a performance, placing 10th overall. We look forward to seeing if she'll try to win again in the future, but even if she doesn't, "Taken By a Stranger" will remain one of the best songs from 2011.
5. Dana International got a raw deal Finally, speaking of former winners and being robbed, Dana International at least deserved to make it out of the semi-final. It's a shame really, that Jedward and Eric Saade made it through the second semi-final, leaving her behind. Especially Jedward.
Seriously. Here's the live version if there's any doubt left in your mind.
And really, that brings us to the end. There's more videos to talk about, to be sure, but at some point we have to draw a line. At least for now. Who knows? Perhaps there will be more commentary to come. Feel free to drop a comment with your own favorite songs, thoughts, or comments.
But for now, I'll sign off from Eurovision 2011 in the only appropriate way. With Moldova.
Well, today's the day, cats and ktitens. The first semifinal of Eurovision 2011 will begin in a few hours and we can't be more excited. And so without further ado, we present two of most compelling story lines from this year's competition and then what you really came for.
1. The Return of Dana International
While many contestants have attempted to win Eurovision more than once, only Johnny Logan from Ireland has actually succeeded. Two former winners will attempt the feat this year. First is Germany's Lena, who, if she won, would be the first back to back winner.
However, the more compelling storyline may be Israel's Dana International, who won a very tight three way race in 1998 with her song "Diva."
Dana is arguably one of the most famous transsexual celebrities in the world. When she was selected to represent Israel in 1998, many Orthodox Jews and other conservative groups attempted to void her participation. Upon winning, Dana commented "My victory proves God is on my side. I want to send my critics a message of forgiveness and say to them: try to accept me and the kind of life I lead. I am what I am and this does not mean I don't believe in God, and I am part of the Jewish Nation."
2. The End of the Big Four Curse
One of the critiques of Eurovision has traditionally been the problem of bloc voting; that is, countries that are politically aligned or share similar cultures will vote for each other, regardless of talent. Since each country's vote is weighed the same, the largest countries (also known as "The Big Four/Five"), namely France, the UK, Germany, Spain, and Italy (recently added), were unable to garner enough votes to secure victories.
Recently, Eurovision has introduced a jury system designed to arguably limit the effects of bloc voting. And perhaps it seems to be working. Germany's Lena won last year, the first Big Four/Five winner since 1997. And current betting odds (yes, you can bet on the Eurovision outcome) shows the most likely winner to be France, followed closely by the UK.
And that's enough for the stories. You've really come here for the music, so let's take a look at some of this year's entries.
"Carobon" - Nina (Serbia)
We're a fan of the 60s vibe. While it may not be Lordi, it's certainly fun.
"Popular" - Eric Saade (Sweden)
We didn't realize that Justin Bieber was competing. Then again, if this means The Bieb will be staying in Europe and not returning to our side of the pond for a while, we approve.
"Rockefeller Street" - Getter Jaani (Estonia)
The song most likely to crash the UK/France fight for first. It's catchy and it could have just enough girls, glitter, and pyrotechnics to send Blue packing.
"Lipstick" - Jedward (Ireland)
Every time I get a little faith in humanity, things like this happen. And that's all I'm going to say about it.
"Sognu" - Amaury Vassilli (France)
The favorite to win. Whether or not you're an opera fan, you've gotta be amazed...the kid's only 21.
And finally...
"In Love For a While" - Anna Rossinelli (Switzerland)
One of our hero's personal favorites. It's one of those songs that just makes you feel happy.
You can check out all of the participant profiles and videos here. Enjoy!
