The first Eurovision semi-final is just over five weeks away. I've heard all the songs many times now, and it's time to look at my top ten favorites and make a prediction or two. Note that the below songs are merely my favorites, and not the songs I'd necessarily predict to finish in the top ten.
1. Vrag naj vzame — Rebeka Dremelj (Slovenia)
My early favorite was the Slovenian entry "Vrag naj vzame" by Rebeka Dremelj, and it remains in my personal top slot. There's nothing earth shattering about it; the song just has the perfect build-up to the chorus and the nicest bridge. According to esctoday.com, Dremelj is working with Sasa Mirkovic, who managed last year's Eurovision winner Marija Serifovic. I'm hoping that Mirkovic's golden touch will rub off on Dremelj. (Apologies for the absent diacriticals above.)
2. Divine — Sébastien Tellier (France)
Probably the best song in the competition, and my second favorite, is Sébastien Tellier's "Divine," for France. How France 3 got an electropop hipster to represent the country is anyone's guess, but I'm so glad they did. This is a fantastic song, and a perfect expression of a genre that French artists do extremely well. Could France win? It would shock my pants off, but it would be a happy vindication of the idea that when country delegations go with a local pop music tradition, as Finland did in 2006 with Lordi, they shine.
3. Qele qele — Sirusho (Armenia)
"Qele qele" is standard Eurovision fodder with just the right vaguely Oriental arrangements. Yes, that's a plaintive flute. "Qele qele," which is sung mostly in English, is a sweet pop song. The formula works and the vocal is good and I can already imagine hearing it on the radio.
4. DJ, Take Me Away — Deep Zone & Balthazar (Bulgaria)
I don't know if it's the sheer blend of genres here that does it for me, but I like this one a lot. The beginning sounds like a rip-off of something DJ Jean might have done nearly a decade ago. It's followed by some plodding reggae-ish beats and then proceeds to merge the two styles. There are no vocals until about a minute in, which is a risk.
5. Hold On, Be Strong — Maria Haukaas Storeng (Norway)
The Norwegian preselection delivers a song that sounds as if it was ripped off Ace of Base's second album. So, in other words, it's perfect for Eurovision, a contest that turns on dated pop conventions.
6. Candlelight — Csézy (Hungary)
I've only heard the Hungarian version of this entry. It's a nice disco-y, romantic bit of schlager formula. I'm very happy with it and have already slapped it on my spring playlist for friends. Note: link is to a different version of the song.
7. Hasta la Vista — Ruslan Alehno (Belarus)
The version that will be performed in Belgrade is a pop-rock song, well produced and dramatic. I tend to either love or hate Eurovision entries from Belarus. This one works.
8. Disappear — No Angels (Germany)
No Angels, who won the German Popstars back in 2000, have possibly the most glossily-produced entry in the entire competition. This song makes me think of vintage Wilson Phillips a little bit.
9. Casanova — Gisela (Andorra)
This is just a fine Eurovision standard. It pulls all the right strings. Who can resist the lyric "Boom boom boom my heart still goes crazy / when I think of you"? The single Catalan line is my favorite part.
10. Hero — Charlotte Perrelli (Sweden)
Oh, what could have been! The Swedish public again made the terrible decision not to send BWO to Eurovision. BWO, in my mind, have just the right balance between sterling pop sensibility and quirky inexplicability to reign supreme at Eurovision. Instead, we get this otherwise perfect gay anthem sort of entry by Charlotte Perrelli, who won Eurovision in 1999 as Charlotte Nilsson.
Some other songs I like: "Have Some Fun" by Teresa Kerndlová (Czech Republic); "Complice" by Miodio (San Marino); "This is My Life" by Eurobandi∂ (Iceland); "Secret Combination" by Kalomoira (Greece); and "Ke'ilo Kan" by Boaz Mauda (Israel).
So who will win? I think it might just be Russia's year. They're returning with Dima Bilan, who took second place for Russia in 2006. This year, Bilan returns with "Believing," a Timbaland-produced tune. It's an ok song—very anonymous to my ear—and it will surely receive top scores from a record number of post-Soviet states, plus it will receive an inevitable gratitude vote from Serbia and possibly some other countries in the Balkans. Paddy Power has Russia as the current favorite, though, which is not a good omen. Which other entries stand a good chance? Serbia could very easily benefit from an outpouring of support and take the top prize. I'm also going to be watching Armenia and the joke entries from Ireland and Spain.
In getting ready for Belgrade, I'm reading B92 and Blic online.
