Hello! As you may have guessed from the name of this blog, my name is Liz and I am fascinated by song lyrics. I hope you enjoy my waxing lyrical about lyrics and about music generally. I also review albums and gigs and have interviewed several wonderful musicians. Enjoy!
1) Serbia - This was one that stuck in my head. It isn't amazing, but it's catchy in its own way. It has some cheesy lyrics - "High off the ground, I'm not coming down" - but is otherwise tolerable.
2) Austria - This was one of my stand-out songs from this semi. It is remarkable how through the lovely staging they managed to transform a fun folksy song with a mountain-y video into an epic Eurovision ballad. It reminds me of Frans's "If I Were Sorry" from last year: laid-back and adaptable.
3) F.Y.R Macedonia - This was another average song that managed to stick itself in my head. The singer looks a bit like Celine Dion but her voice and style are more like Madonna. A lot of techno-themed staging would get too much, but one song's worth is okay and makes for an interesting change.
4) Malta - This one actually does sound like Celine Dion! I feel like this could be a very standard ballad sung by another person, but this singer lifts it with her personality and with her obvious passion for being there and for the song.
5) Romania - I thought this was just okay at first, but I'm coming to really like it. It is a great hybrid of rap and yodelling, bringing the two together effortlessly. It is nice and cheerful and utterly Eurovision.
6) The Netherlands - This was the stand-out song for me. The harmonies were perfect; very Wilson-Phillips. The song is lovely. It is by far the Eurovision entry I've listened to most this year. I've been really impressed by The Netherlands' entries the last few years.
7) Hungary - This isn't one of my favourites, but isn't bad, and I was caught by surprise when he burst out rapping. I liked the simple but colourful presentation.
8) Denmark - I found the song very ordinary, but the performance quite enthusiastic and fun.
9) Ireland - His voice really surprised me. The song is quite nice and the staging is minimal but works. The balloon is unusual and it all seems to tie together neatly. However, it is missing some Eurovision pizazz.
10) San Marino - Valentina again! Is she really the only singer in San Marino? Jimmie is a good complement for her, though, and the song is pure Eurovision: upbeat and catchy, with a colourful background, disco theme and great outfits. This should have had a chance.
11) Croatia - This was even odder this time around than when I first heard it - I don't think I had realised one guy was singing everything. Switching between pop and opera literally every line is really remarkable. The song is quite pleasant but think it could be better staged, and he could have benefitted from making it more about the song and less about him.
12) Norway - I really didn't think much of this at first. My mother likes it, however, and it has grown on me slightly. Normally Norway turn out decent if not great songs, and this was a disappointment in comparison.
13) Switzerland - This reminds me a lot of the UK's song this year. It's passable. Some of the lyrics are cheesy to say the least. The yellow and purple theme is quirky and different but might get annoying after a while. This is another song my mother likes.
14) Belarus - I really enjoyed this at first. I still like it, but I think I'm losing my love for it. It is well-performed and I love hearing an own-language song. I just don't feel the song itself is as good as other folk songs we've heard on Eurovision recently.
15) Bulgaria - This was another surprising voice - it sounds older than a seventeen-year-old's. The song is an ear-worm and could easily be in the UK charts sung by Bieber or Mendes, though this guy's voice is perhaps superior to both. I could do without the strobing and weird jerky camera effects, but both song and performance are very good.
16) Lithuania - This is a funny one because I like the verses but the chorus feels rather run-of-the-mill Euro-ballad-y. The singer is very intense, but if you like her style then the song can be quite an interesting journey to take with her.
17) Estonia - Another male-female duet from Estonia, and this wasn't as good for me as 2015's "Goodbye to Yesterday". It really reminds me of another dance track. I can't think which. While it didn't live up to Estonia's track record, the song was pretty decent and well-performed. The guy's intense staring to the music was a bit much, however.
18) Israel - This was an average upbeat Eurovision song - he performed it okay, but the song itself wasn't very memorable.
My top ten (just in performance order): Austria, F.Y.R. Macedonia, Malta, Romania, The Netherlands, Ireland, San Marino, Croatia, Bulgaria, Estonia.
My top five (starting with the best): The Netherlands, Austria, Bulgaria, San Marino, Romania.
Look out for my views on the final, coming soon!
Feel free to check out my posts from last year's contest, too:
I was studying in Spain during Eurovision this year, which allowed for a different and novel viewing experience. As I was super-busy preparing for exams I didn't have time to blog on the contest at the time, though I did live-tweet it.
Now, back home in the UK, I have the luxury of watching the semi-finals in a more relaxed way and making notes of my thoughts on each song. I hope you enjoy them!
1) Sweden - I was never a fan of this song, but it is growing on me. They are a smooth outfit and seem very into what they're doing. It is an achievement to stay on the treadmills; I didn't notice them at first.
2) Georgia - A very standard Eurovision ballad, but a solid performance.
3) Australia - In Spain they were saying Isaiah looked like Rafa Nadal. I can see that, but he really reminds me of someone else too, and I can't think who. Musically, he is like Tom Odell. I like his voice and style and the song is okay, but the staging could be better and showcase him more effectively.
4) Albania - A shaky start; they could have got into the song faster rather than leaving the singer to manage alone. When it gets going it is pretty good. Staging-wise, I like the clocks, but the flashing lights are unnecessary.
5) Belgium - I'm rather sick of hearing this song. I would probably have liked it otherwise, but it has been overplayed in the Eurovision world, and I think I might have heard it on the radio in Spain, too. The staging is fine. Blanche's performance is good; she is clearly nervous but gets through it.
6) Montenegro - This was one of the more memorable performances when I first watched. I had been wondering if the braid was real until Scott Mills (commentating) declared that it is detachable.
The song is okay; the singer lifted it to much more than it would have been. The whole thing felt quite Robbie Williams: a very confident number.
7) Finland - People in Spain and online were very surprised when this failed to get to the final. I like it: the staging and performance are understated, in a good way. Funnily enough, just as I was listening to the song and she was singing "Blackbird, don't sing", I read someone on Facebook complaining about birds being noisy in their garden. Birds should sing when they want to! It's a good song.
8) Azerbaijan - At first I found this to be odd and shouty. Behind all the strangeness, however, it is a decent song and it is remarkable how she is able to keep singing, and singing very well, while doing all the actions, writing and climbing the ladder.
It was undoubtably one of the most iconic performances this year.
9) Portugal - I never disliked this song, but I felt it was overrated. It is beginning to grow on me, though, and I will always welcome new styles, own languages and stripped-back performances on Eurovision.
10) Greece - This was a song that struck me as a solid one the first time around. I like the water theme; it makes a change from endless fire- and lightning-themed stagings.
The singer is confident and looks like she is enjoying herself; my mother thinks she looks like Cobie Smulders.
11) Poland - The parade of sitcom stars continues with Penny from Big Bang representing Poland. This is one of the better ballads, though not amazing. Her voice is good and she is putting in a good performance. I like the constellation-y background.
12) Moldova - Is it just me or do the two non-sax guys look like Marcus Butler? The song is catchy and something a bit different. The set-up reminds me a lot of Bosnia and Herzegovina's legendary entry from 2008 by Laka.
13) Iceland - The singer's style, hair and the opening of the song made me think this would be an energetic, dance-y number. It turned out to be one of the best ballads of this year. She really owns the stage and is not overpowered by the song like many other ballad-singers; instead she controls it well.
14) Czech Republic - This stood out for me on my first viewing, and I was sad that it didn't get through. Her voice is not what I had expected to come out of her, and it is lovely.
She reminds me a lot of the Venezuelan singer Georgina, who I mentioned in my "Songs from Salamanca" article.
Overall, this was refreshingly different, and I liked it a lot.
15) Cyprus - This is actually a very good song musically and the staging is inventive, though all the white light can be a bit hard on the eyes. I just can't completely connect to it personally, and as I tweeted at the time, I can't see why being someone's gravity would be a good thing.
16) Armenia - This had some great arm-ology, as Craig Revel Horwood would say. Overall, it was okay; not a stand-out number for me.
17) Slovenia - This is a real grower and has an epic, musical-theatre feel while also maintaining the time-tested Euro-ballad structure and spirit. The staging was nice and simple and I like his sparkly suit! He handles the high parts well - it was an all-round solid song and performance.
18) Latvia - This isn't my style of music but they were certainly enthusiastic. I can't really bear all the trippy wannabe-trance stuff in the background - it is somewhat headache-inducing. My mother thinks this singer looks like Katy Perry.
My top ten (just in performance order): Australia, Belgium, Finland, Azerbaijan, Portugal, Greece, Iceland, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Slovenia.
My top five (starting with the best): Czech Republic, Iceland, Portugal, Slovenia, Greece.
Overall, it was a decent semi-final and I did have trouble picking out my top ten. Keep an eye out for my write-up of the second one. I'll also be doing a post on the songs from the Big Five and Ukraine, so watch this space!
I also blogged Eurovision last year, so check out my posts from then as well:
Last night was the second semi-final of this year's Eurovision Song Contest. I wasn't able to watch it live, but I will watch it now and share my thoughts with you on each act as they perform.
Of the countries that I know are competing in this semi-final, the one I am most looking forward to seeing is "Euphoria," by Loreen, the much raved about Swedish entry in this year's Eurovision. I have seen the music video and her performance is very impressive, and I'm keen to see how it translates to the Eurovision stage; whether she still has the same charisma and the song can still fill the arena.
I am looking forward to all of the songs, particularly those I haven't heard before. I love Eurovision! It means that provided that each country does what it's supposed to do and picks the best song it can; we should have the joy of listening to forty-two - or however many countries enter - brilliant songs each year.
Let us begin!
I am impressed with the hosts making the effort to do the welcome message in French and German; I'm not so sure about the banter afterwards. But I am very glad to see one of last year's winners, Eldar, back to host! He is too gorgeous not to, really!
1) Serbia - I got excited hearing that this guy is somewhat of a Eurovision veteran, in the hope that with the help of his experience he may have perfected the winning formula for a Eurovision song. And the song is quite beautiful - not a winner, I don't think; not unforgettable. But it is a nice song.
2) F. Y. R. Macedonia - I like this. It took a while for the beat to kick in, and whilst I have nothing against slow songs, in fact there are many that I love, I feel this particular song sounds a lot better upbeat than downbeat. Overall I like this song, but for me it's not a winner.
3) The Netherlands - I quite like this. She has a nice voice; quite unusual.
4) Malta - Again, I wasn't expecting much, because they looked like one of these arrogant boybands. But I was pleasantly surprised - they're really good! I really like this song. Very Eurovision!
5) Belarus - Typical shouty pop-rock song. Not really my thing, but I accept that they're good at what they do. It's not the worst song I've heard so far, not by a long shot. And the guitarists' falling-backwards thing is a bit odd... But overall these guys are okay.
6) Portugal - I LOVE the Portuguese language. And I quite like this song. It's not one of the stand-out songs so far, but it's pretty.
7) Ukraine - My first thought was, how much does this sound like the French song this year (Echo by Anggun)? It seriously does. But I love both songs. In this song from Ukraine, I love Gaitana's energy and passion during her performance; you can tell she's really enjoying it and the song is very bouncy and dance to-able.
8) Bulgaria - This is very generic and Eurovision-y, but I do like it. She looks confident and has very good stage presence - she can hold the whole stage completely alone, and that is no mean feat.
9) Slovenia - I love her dress! The song is unusual; it sounds quite dark and chilling in places. On the whole I quite like it, but I don't think it's quite good enough to win.
10) Croatia - I like this! I like the tune, and the beat, and the bell/chime sounds in the chorus, which I think just add so much to the song; it's incredible how one such little touch has the power to transform a song.
11) Sweden - Well, here she is, and she's just as captivating as ever! Truly charismatic. When I first saw her performance of this song I thought she was emulating Björk a bit too much, but now I think she has found her own style and persona. She certainly is very different to other artists I have seen. But is there really need for all the strobing? I could barely watch during the chorus, it was so heavy. This song can stand on its own without the nonsense.
12) Georgia - I hate things that are this degrading to women. And the song's not great either. Which is a shame because I've tended to dislike past Georgian Eurovision entries for various reasons, and I had been hoping this song might change that. It hasn't.
13) Turkey - I loved the men turning into a ship! Otherwise, an average song in my opinion.
14) Estonia - Quite pretty; not amazing.
15) Slovakia - Here we go, there's always one of these, isn't there... big, shouty, stroby rock song. This one is actually pretty good. Again, the strobing is ridiculous; how are you even meant to look at the screen?
16) Norway - What a swarmy-looking fellow... But you never know, appearances can be deceiving. Anyway, I didn't think a lot of the song.
17) Bosnia and Herzegovina - Well, this is pretty. A nice, peaceful change from the previous two shouty songs! I really like this one.
18) Lithuania - Quite a good song, but not fantastic.
Overall I have really enjoyed this semi-final, and the Waterloo in the interval! It was great seeing the past five Eurovision winners brought together, and I commend whoever had that idea, and everyone who made it possible. And I would LOVE to see Alexander Rybak and Lena fall in love... they look great together and they would be the perfect Eurovision couple!
I wasn't too surprised at who got through to the final, except I don't really get why the ship people of Turkey seem to have been some huge favourite. But I must say, seeing the Norwegian guy's emotion at getting through, he seems a bit less swarmy now. So I will give him a chance.
Tomorrow night's final looks set to be amazing. Bring it on!
Hello! Tonight I have spent an enjoyable two hours watching the first Eurovision semi-final, with the commentary in my country being delivered very pleasantly by a pair of radio DJs whom I like; Scott Mills and Sara Cox.
I kept a live record of my thoughts on the songs as I heard them. So.. here are my humble opinions. I have tried to be completely honest, so I hope I don't offend anyone. Read and enjoy.
1) Montenegro - Hmm… it's unusual, and actually quite refreshing as a result. A strange one to open with though… not your typical Eurovision song. But who says it has to be typical? This is okay but… not a winner.
2) Iceland - Technically quite impressive, but not really my thing. But I acknowledge that they're good at what they do.
3) Greece - a bit generic, but not bad at all. Eurovision wouldn't be Eurovision without the big pop anthems, and this had been the first of them this evening.
4) Latvia - I… I like this. In fact, I really like this. It's growing on me. They're quite sweet.
5) Albania - It's tempting to think, this is slow and dull and I don't understand it, but… if you listen to the tune, it's actually quite pretty. I wish I spoke her language so I could understand the lyrics, because the song as a whole seems quite nice.
6) Romania - What a lovely, happy song! Probably my favourite so far.
7) Switzerland - Scott Mills got it right when he said these guys were like the Killers. Sounds very like Mr. Bright Side, especially at the beginning. Nice song, and adds to the variety of the competition with a bit of rock!
8) Belgium - She has a lovely voice and she's only seventeen - I wish I could have entered Eurovision when I was seventeen! Hopefully one day I may get my chance. Anyway, this song is quite pretty; not groundbreaking, but pretty and one of the better songs so far this evening.
9) Finland - At first I was disappointed to hear that this song wouldn't be in Finnish as I love the Finnish language. However, Swedish is also a nice language to listen to, and I quite like this song.
10) Israel - Quite jolly, bit odd but overall not that memorable.
11) San Marino - I love this. Such shrewd observations on what is an inescapable aspect of our society. And I love how she has a laptop, and a sailor and a doctor dancing in the background. Random, but amazing. We need more Eurovision songs like this.
12) Cyprus - The commentators in my country love this, but I personally am not that keen on it. A bit dull and very generic.
13) Denmark - Started off a bit dull, but improved.
14) Russia - It was okay… I didn't think it lived up to all the hype, to be honest. But that's just my humble opinion. I can see why some people love it; it's unique and they're doing it for a good cause.
15) Hungary - A bit dull, but not the worst.
16) Austria - Sexist nonsense. Surely there are millions of better bands and singers in Austria… Why do we have to listen to this lot? They're rubbish! I won't be happy if this gets through to the final.
17) Moldova - Not bad. Not a winner, I don't think. But listen to-able.
18) Ireland - They're out of tune, but who cares - this is such a bouncy, happy song. I've never been a massive Jedward fan, but I love this song. And I love how when many acts use fire and pyrotechnics to impress, Jedward use water - it's different, and it works. I love this!
So, there are my humble views on all eighteen acts in tonight's semi-final.
Overall I think it was a great show, and I'm really looking forward to the second semi-final on Thursday - which I'll be able to vote in! (Viewers in the UK couldn't vote in tonight's semi-final) But whether or not I vote depends on whether or not there are any really stand-out songs that I think truly deserve a place in the final. We shall see.
