The United Kingdom has realized they are selecting the correct entries for Eurovision and have asked fans now to come with suggestions. One of the ideas is to again to look at an OLDIE like Engelbert Humperdick and Bonnie Tyler to make a come back to their careers.
Now you as fan have to tell them if there are OLDIES they could look at and who they never even should consider. List between 3 and 5 such artists.
I will have a look at one male singer, one female singer and one group.
TONY CHRISTIE had a great run of success in the 70’s and he has a good voice and if he gets a chance with a song similar to I DID WHAT I DID FOR MARIA, I think he could be considered.
SUZI QUATRO had some great hits in the 70’s composed by NICKY CHINN and MIKE CHAPMAN like SHE’S IN LOVE WITH YOU so that is someone I would look at given the correct song, she is a MAYBE.
BAY CITY ROLLERS – they caused phandemonoum around the world in their distinctive outfits but could they do it in Eurovision? I do not think so, so they are a definite NO NO.
FIRST GAME FOR POINTS
Pretend you have been employed by Montenegrin television to give them advice on the kind of song they should give to HIGHWAY to sing in STOCKHOLM.
My answer is that since the group consists of 3 singers, let each one do his part of the song in a different language, so guy 1 does his part in Montenegrian, guy 2 does his part in English and guy 3 does his part in Swedish since they will be on stage in Stockholm.
Avoid copying IL VOLO but give them a song that is easy on the ear for the majority of people that will be casting a vote.
So you see it will not take a lot of time and you can be as creative as you wish.
A Romance in 8 Song Titles
by Kevin Fansler, USA
I met him in 2007 and we started dating. It wasn’t clear at first whether we were a match, but we were both communicators, working professionally as a writer and an editor, so it seemed that we had a good framework for solving problems and communicating our desires to each other. I don’t know when exactly I fell in love, but I remember the first time I said the words. It was Valentine’s Day 2008. “I love you, R___.” The winning song that year? Believe.
Obviously, young love is a clear pool that you swim in, or a whirlwind that carries you away. That next year, 2009, is a blur of shared intimacies, meeting each other’s friends, spending a month together in Israel and Jordan, finding a larger community that we each belonged to, but mostly… mostly… and perhaps unexpectedly… deeper love. The winning song: Fairytale.
By 2010, we were seeing each other five nights a week and were in each other’s lives every day. Our annual Eurovision party was going well, though our German friend always complained about how bad the German entries were. We introduced other Americans to this phenomenon of Eurovision. Some laughed at the over-the-top quality of some entrants—perhaps this was the year of the butterfly costumes or gymnasts with glow sticks—and some learned the songs in a heartbeat and sang along by the second chorus. The invite list for the party grew a little more each year. The winning song: Satellite.
Then my father became ill. It was 2011 and I was flying back and forth to my parents’ home deep in the heartland of America. I knew it was my last chance for The Boyfriend to meet The Parents, so off we flew. The winning song: Running Scared.
The call came late on a Sunday early in 2012. Friends were over to watch Mad Men. My father was in the E.R. and wouldn’t last many more hours. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t focus enough to book a flight. But The Boyfriend and our friends rallied and arranged it all for me, including packing my bag and getting me on the flight the next morning. I made it in time to have a last moment with my father. And for the first time in 30 years, all of my siblings were in the same city at the same time. The next day was my mother’s 80th birthday, so we had a combined birthday party and wake. Strange emotions coursing through the day, both highs and lows. The winning song: Euphoria.
Another year and this time my mother is ill and passes away. My sister is diagnosed with stage IV cancer and passes away. It’s still too painful to write about in detail. I could not make it through all of this without the love of my life being there and holding me when I needed it. He is my rock. The winning song: Only Teardrops.
In 2014, the memorial services behind us, we have some breathing room. Gay marriage nationwide becomes the law of the land about this time and I propose. Wedding planning is stressful, but we use the tried-and-true method of delegating some of that work to our best men (or in my case, my BFF, a woman who prefers to be called best person). The weather holds for our outdoor wedding and it’s a perfect day. Our combined Jewish/Christian/atheist household is now officially sanctioned and blessed by our government and we pledge our lives to one another. The winning song: Rise Like a Phoenix.
Finally, in 2015, for my 50th birthday year I have plans to spend as much time as possible in Sweden, the country where I graduated from high school. The Husband, as he is now called, has been learning Swedish, and he is a whiz at languages. His grasp of grammar already outpaces mine and it’s kind of amazing. I land a dream job, yet somehow, it can still accommodate my wish to telecommute from Sweden. The stars align when Sweden wins Eurovision and becomes the host nation! It’s all coming together. I have a personal hero. The winning song: Heroes.
I can’t say what the future holds, but I do know one way to measure the years is to look back at the friends we made, the parties we held, the events we attended, and the milestones in our lives. Seeing our Eurovision friends at our house for our annual party is a highlight of our year. And the synchronicity of Sweden hosting in a year when we had already planned on being in Sweden just seems like such a great way to start looking ahead to what might be in our future.
THANK YOU FOR THE MUSIC – SONG TWENTY-FOUR
Finally we reached the end of the ABBA songs.
Thank you for the music, the songs I’m singing
Thanks for all the joy they’re bringing
Well, we had to end the whole ABBA saga off with this song, it is such a classic. Thank you ABBA for all the music and the songs we are constantly singing.
The question is name 3 Eurovision songs you constantly feel like singing
For me it is Cliff Richard and Congratulations every time I see someone is having a birthday. Then Mouth and Macneal with I see a star, and often it is the Afrikaans lyrics of it. Lastly Nicole’s Ein bisschien frieden, after all I have many versions of it (53 in total) and in 21 different languages.
HASTA MANANA – SONG TWENTY-THREE
We are almost finished, here is the second last song
Hasta manana, ’til we meet again
Don’t know where, don’t know when
Of course we know where most of us will meet, STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN
And we know when, MAY 2016
But maybe you want to look into your crystal ball and think about MAY 2017 – where you you think we will meet for Eurovision?
KNOWING ME, KNOWING YOU – SONG TWENTY-TWO
Mem;ries, good days, bad days, they’ll be with me always
And EUROVISION is known for memories – good ones and bad ones. So share with our members some of those from your Eurovision days. I can write a book on it because I have been extremely lucky to have been able to attend it every year since 1993, some were such highlights, TALLINN, RIGA, BELGRADE, others quite awful – especially BIRMINGHAM and GUILDO HORN.
Introducing Alexandru Badea
by Alexandru Badea, Romania
I remember watching Eurovision with my parents and grandparents since I was little. My earliest memory of the contest was from 2005, when Luminița Anghel represented Romania. Back then I was only 5 years old and used to watch only the performances and then I went to bed because I was tired. The next day my grandparents used to tell me what happened, who won and what place Romania had. I was fascinated by the whole concept and used to love Junior Eurovision as well (I was very proud when it was organised in Romania in 2006).
The first full contest I’ve watched was in 2010. Lena was my favourite and I kept my fingers crossed every day up to the final. After she won, I was so happy and then my Eurovision mania started. Lena got my attention and made me a huge Eurovision fan. I love the contest and keep thinking about it every day, and I hope that someday, Romania would also win the contest. Until then I will enjoy the Euphoria from the Wild Dances because Eurovision is always going to be My Number One.
I HAVE A DREAM – SONG TWENTY ONE
I have a dream, a song to sing
Now your dream is given – to participate in EUROVISION as an artist and now I want to hear for which country and the song from their entries you would like to sing.
I would take GERMANY and their 1982 winner EIN BISSCHIEN FRIEDEN and do it even in a few more languages like SWAHILI and CHINESE etc.
MONEY MONEY MONEY – SONG TWENTY
All the things I could do, if I had a little money
Another song by ABBA with repeat words. So this time we look at WHAT YOU WOULD DO IF YOU HAVE A LITTLE MONEY – and we narrow the field down to say what you have to spend in on Eurovision.
I would use that money to pay the participating fee of Croatia so they could join Eurovision.
I DO I DO I DO I DO I DO – SONG NINETEEN
Love me or leave me, make your choice, but believe me, I love you, I do, I do, I do, I do, I do.
I love songs with titles that have words that repeat like this Abba song. In fact they have several songs with repeat titles.
Last week I compiled a one hour radio show just with songs with repeat words in the title and the show started off with Joe Dolan’s It’ you, its you, its you and closed off with this Abba song.
Now I want to hear which EUROVISION song you love with a repeat title. Mine favourite is probably VIDEO VIDEO by Brixx from Denmark (1982) and this song ended second after Ein bischien frieden for me that year.
