Eurovision 2014. 5 Oddities
So, the 59th Eurovision Song Contest is on tonight. Are you ready for that? Every year,
Eurovision seems to be the event the media uses to keep us engaged, almost like a distraction from the daily politics and scandals.
I guess there are two ways to take this. One, we can complain about the (huge) amount of money that EU countries use to organise or to participate on this event or the rubbish quality of the entries. Otherwise, we can just laugh about all of the oddities there are. Come on, we don’t really take it that seriously, do we?
Besides, it’s raining in London today. We need something to enjoy. What is your favourite entry this year/ ever? Check below to see some oddities and enjoy prior to tonight’s show.
Oddity number one: music contest or fashion showcase?
Well I’ve seen weird and wonderful outfits worn by the performers and the hosts over the years,like this horrible pink gown the presenter wore last year.
Oddity number two: music contest or joke contest?
Some countries do not really seem to give a damn. Fair enough. It reinforces my belief that this contest is just for fun. This entry was only supposed to be a joke in the Spanish semifinals.
No share or id values provided for youtube shortcode.Compare that with this other Spanish entry. You can tell the difference.
No share or id values provided for youtube shortcode.Oddity number three: some countries do take it seriously.
I’m thinking about Scandis and Russians mostly, although some songs from some other countries were so good in previous years that it’s almost annoying that they didn’t get many points at all. Watch this year’s favourite – such a fantastic poppy song.
No share or id values provided for youtube shortcode.Oddity number four: language.
There are two smaller oddities under this heading. One, every country should probably use their own language. OK, I get that they may want to reach a wider audience to have more possibilities to get points.
Two, why is it that they use their language mixed with English sometimes? It could be a cultural or a political stance. In 2011, the Stella Mwangi sang in English and Swahili.
No share or id values provided for youtube shortcode.In 2009, the Czech Republic entry, Aven Romale, sang partially in Romani.
No share or id values provided for youtube shortcode.Oddity number five: song contest or part of the political arena?
Who said it was a fair contest? I still remember the Russian guy who won a few years ago. Many believed he won, because he was already a huge pop star in Russia and in the neighbouring countries. So, he got a huge amount of points that I believe other entries deserved a lot more. His voice and the song were commercial rubbish, but his performance with all the props was actually quite good.
I often wonder if some country reps, who give points to participants based on the votes from the public, simply wait to see how others vote. I mean, they may not want to give 12 points to countries no one else has voted for some reason.
On another note, I do hope that the Russian participant is gay. But, somehow I don’t think Putin would allow it, sadly…
Enjoy Eurovision tonight if you watch it!
A Londoner from Afar
Image credit
Urban.ro
Euro vision is all of these things and most definitely political. I felt bad that the Russian girls were getting booed but at the same time understand people wanted to express their disapproval with what is going on at the moment. The whole show is cheesy but it is a fun distraction when it comes on.
I think we love to have something to hate. It can be fun reading the comments about Eurovision, especially given this year’s winner.
Such a good post Montse! It really is such a strange competition with a consistently and shockingly bad quality of entrants that you have to take it as fun. I remember loving it as a child.
Thank you! I used to love it as a child, and then lost most interest too. Still OK. Some entries were better this year. Sorry for France – they were so much fun!