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Eurovision

Music Rambles: My Favourite #Eurovision2017 Songs

We’re in May, which means it’s Eurovision time!

It’s a good excuse for a new post, even though it’s becoming harder to write about it. Nowadays I follow the Eurovision Song Contest more for the fun factor than for the songs. Of course, if the songs are good and of quality, it’s better!

Something that made my interest dip was last year’s outcome. I’m sorry, but I did not like Ukraine’s winning song. I dislike the political allusions surrounding it and how it was allowed to perform. The Ukraine-Russia rift culminated with the latter’s absence from the show. I also disagree about letting a country in such a sensitive situation splurge its money on the show.

Anyway, what counts is the entertainment. I watched both semi-finals this week, judged the songs and their stage performance, and discovered which ones I like. I’m going to list the songs I like without any order, and I’m also including some special extras.

13th May 2017 by Tiziana

Media, Music Rambles

Music Rambles: My Favourite Eurovision 2016 Songs

After this week’s nostalgic trip, it’s time to return back to the present. Today I am finally listing my favourite entries from this year’s Eurovision Song Contest.

This selection of songs is based both on my personal music tastes and on their suitability and possible success as a Eurovision song. However they are not listed in any particular order of preference, that’s why I have not numbered them.

It is also not a prediction, although, according to the bookmakers, the winner lies somewhere within the first two songs on this list. Which annoys me, to be honest, because in the last years the bookies have always guessed the winner (and also the podium, sometimes even the whole Top 5) and I think that ruins the fun.

At the end of the day, I just hope that the result won’t make the fans/viewers quarrel, complain, etc. Unfortunately, they tend to take Eurovision too seriously, something which I still refuse to do. It’s too sad that a certain degree of politicisation cannot be avoided on such an occasion which is supposed to unite a big number of countries together. It only takes a few seconds to ruin the fun of such a show.

Whatever the result is though, I hope you all enjoy tonight’s show! That’s what I am going to do for one night while forgetting everything once again in the following days.

Read the previous posts:

14th May 2016 by Tiziana

Media, Music Rambles

Music Rambles: My Top 10 Eurovision Winners

In my last Eurovision posts, I have concentrated mostly on the last years because those are the years I can remember the most.

Today though, I want to look further back and take a look at my favourite winning songs from the very first contest to this day. It wasn’t easy to choose just ten because some songs, particularly from the 70s, are really catchy. I could have added ABBA and Lordi to the list, but I didn’t so as not to repeat. So, in a way, you can say that this is a 1956 – 2005 list, that complements Wednesday’s post!

Be sure to check the whole post because the special mentions are a bit of a surprise when compared to the other songs on the list.

Read the previous posts:

13th May 2016 by Tiziana

Media, Music Rambles

Music Rambles: My Top 10 Eurovision Guilty Pleasure Songs

Yesterday I listed my favourite Eurovision songs from the past 10 years and my choice was mostly based on my favourite genres (i.e. lots of rock and ethnic sounds). However, there are many other songs from this contest which, although part of a genre that I am not a fan of, make me sing them and dance to them, without really wanting to! These are what I call guilty pleasure songs.

These earworms are listed here as guilty pleasures for different reasons. Some are what you can call gimmick songs, which prevailed in the contest up till a few years ago: songs that are submitted almost as a joke and that no one takes seriously, even though they are still enjoyed by many. Then there are those pop songs that are so clichéd and banal yet so damn catchy (especially because they repeat the same words or syllables over and over).

Finally, somewhere between these two categories, are songs that are actually considered good, and they even place well. However, again, they can be of such an ordinary subject or genre that it can naturally make you feel guilty for liking it.

So check them out and see if they also make you feel guilty for humming them or swaying to them.

Read the previous posts:

12th May 2016 by Tiziana

Media, Music Rambles

Music Rambles: My Top 10 Eurovision Songs (2006 – 2015)

I hope you have enjoyed last night’s semi-final (I’m preparing these posts beforehand, will comment on this year’s events later on) and I hope you’re enjoying my posts as well.

Today I am expanding to the rest of Europe and listing my overall favourites. Overall to a certain extent because I have limited my choices to the last decade. It would take me ages to sift through so many years (10 years of Eurovision are already a lot!) and it was probably from 2006 when I really started to get into the contest. You will understand better at the end of this top 10.

One warning: these are mostly based on my personal tastes and favourite genres, so many of them will be songs that did not place well or did not even pass to the final. See if you can remember them all!

Read the previous posts: