It’s the 60th year of the Eurovision Song Contest, and we’re #BuildingBridges to Vienna. While I’m a relatively new fan — the first Eurovision I watched in full is the Baku edition; forgive me, I’m not from Europe — I’m all for joining in the festivities.
Australia is joining for the first time, which might mean more points for the UK (they have to, right?). And the East seem to be upping their game this year, producing strong entries.
Here is the first part of four of my countdown, i.e. from my least favorite to most favorite to win, for my Eurovision picks this year:
40. San Marino
Anita Simoncini & Michele Perniola — Chain of Lights
Are we supposed to vote for this song? You get the answer within the first five seconds of this song: No! As Graham Norton (sarcastically) quipped during the 60th anniversary concert, Ralph Siegel’s songs are “classic.”
39. Moldova
Eduard Romanyuta — I Want Your Love
This is probably the most controversial song this year. However, no amount of controversy can save this song from its late-90s/early-2000s sound. The comparison to Mariah Carey’s It’s Like That doesn’t help either. So we have accusations of vote-buying and plagiarism. Not a good mix for Moldova this year.
38. Switzerland
Mélanie René — Time To Shine
Oh my! Another Eurovision song with the word “shine” in the title. The chorus is okay, but the verses are almost monotonous. I say, bring back (hot) silly whistling Seb for next year.
37. Finland
Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät — Aina Mun Pitää
I’m glad this is just over a minute long, as I am not a fan of this particular genre. I was and am still sad when my other faves in UMK didn’t win, but more power to this band I guess.
36. Cyprus
John Karayiannis — One Thing I Should Have Done
I wasn’t a fan of any of the songs in their local selection, so I’m not surprised that I didn’t like this song as compared to the other Eurovision contestants. I miss the Cypriot jams, such as that great on record but horrible when sang live, La La Love. Now that song was my jam.
35. Serbia
Bojana Stamenov — Beauty Never Lies
I didn’t love this in any of the languages it was released in. It’s an okay song. The best part is the disco breakdown by the end.
34. Greece
Maria Elena Kyriakou — One Last Breath
This sounds like a Bond theme especially past the half-time mark. I hear the influence of Conchita’s win last year.
33. Montenegro
Knez — Adio
While I immensely enjoyed Montenegro’s gorgeous folk ballad Moj Svjet last year, this year I’m not feeling the love as much.
32. Malta
Amber — Warrior
Sorry Maltese fans, this is the inferior “Warrior” song. The dubstep production on this sounds like it would belong in the contest 2-3 years ago. Her sweet voice doesn’t fit with the bombast of the backing music.
31. United Kingdom
Electro Velvet — Still In Love With You
It’s not as bad as when I first listened to it. Electro-swing as a genre isn’t horrible, in fact, I enjoy it. It’s the execution of that genre on this song that’s grating. Add to that the corny scatting bridge, then we have a problem. At the very least, it’s… different?
That was the first part of my Eurovision picks this year. Most fans seem to be in consensus: Finland, Cyprus, and UK are usually one of the least favorites. Watch out for the rest of my picks, and find out if we have the same Eurovision favorites.
Sound off in the comments or tweet me if you agree (or disagree) with my choices.