Eurovision 2016

[touchingcloth]

Yeah it's all just political voting isn't it, the Eurovision? Really annoys me all of the political voting. Like how Cameron gets Richard Osman to come to a COBRA meeting and says "the plan is, right, we give 12 points to Azerbaijan". Maddening, all this political voting.

[BOBBY FLOWERS]

Nah more that there's enough goodwill (or at least lack of ill will) within Ukraine towards Russia that they voted for them. 

[23 Daves]

Nah more that there's enough goodwill (or at least lack of ill will) within Ukraine towards Russia that they voted for them.

I've met a couple of Ukrainians who speak very, very highly of Russia and who used to have family members with links to the KGB. I think the whole situation in that part of the world is rather complex. Or, to be more blunt, fucked up.

[BlodwynPig]

Uk always moan about political voting but turn the other way when Malta give them max points.

[chand]

I don't know if it's just me getting old, but the songs seem to be getting more interchangeable each year. I don't know if having the semifinals accounts for this (I can never be arsed with those) and more distinctive songs aren't making it through to the final. Or maybe no-one wants to be seen as 'the novelty act' (perhaps this reflects badly on their nation). Or maybe everything's becoming more homogeneous because globalisation.

This year it seemed the majority of the songs had some halfway musically interesting introduction before slamming into power ballad mode. Ukraine and Latvia (I think - the one with a kind of Depeche Mode style synth backdrop but some pretty ropey singing) were two that deviated from this pattern. Then I guess there were a couple with guitars and stuff, but I don't remember any of those being particularly strong songs. Having listened to it again, I have no idea why the juries rated the Australian entry - I'm literally forgetting it as I'm listening to it - but I can see why the popular vote swung in Ukraine's favour (although the song being marginally more memorable than the rest was probably the least important contributing factor).

Yeah, it definitely felt less wacky than some years, a lot of the songs were pretty contemporary in style, things that could conceivably chart here instead of turbofolk or whatever. Thought Spain did weirdly badly though, that really sounded like it could have been a radio hit. Most of the songs were either ballads or uptempo contemporary pop, with the exception of the Netherlands flying the flag for inauthentic Country & Western shit.

Our effort always seemed a long shot. It was a rubbish song, but it might've charted for someone like One Direction. But boybands build up their fanbase for ages, you can't take a mediocre boyband single and give it to two forgettable gimps who didn't even make it to the lives on The Voice.

[Rolf Lundgren]

But lately, it really seems as if people are trying to write to a scientific formula. There are very few traces of individuality.

It's a shame everyone feels the need to sing in English. When the Italian entry begun singing in Italian there was a very audible positive reaction from the crowd. Even a couple of verses in the native language then the chorus in English would be good and bring back a sense of individuality.

[Uncle TechTip]

Presumably they wouldn't sell in other countries, so everyone sings in English to maximise their potential. Yes you guessed it, this event has become too commercialised.

[Rolf Lundgren]

Presumably they wouldn't sell in other countries, so everyone sings in English to maximise their potential. Yes you guessed it, this event has become too commercialised.

Yep true but then I think if one year a country won with a song in their language then others would follow suit. It's a tricky one because you want countries to display their own identity while they also (quite rightfully) want to have commercial success and I'm not sure there's a solution to that.