Results tagged “Switzerland” from Boom Bang a Blog

Swiss representative Michael von der Heide revealed his entry on live TV last night. The Swiss Music Awards gave him the opportunity to perform Il Pleut de l'or to an expectant crowd for the first time - and give a clarion call to all those with telephones to put Switzerland into the Eurovision final for the first time since 2006.

As you may have noticed in the comments section of Boom Bang a Blog (thanks to Closet Eurovision Geekette) Il Pleut de l'or does indeed translate as 'The Golden Shower'.

It's best I don't dig any deeper there, but I can't help but think a title/lyric tweak might be on the cards when word gets around about the potentially embarrassing translations any English-speaking commentators will be making on the night.

Saying that, I've listed to Il Pleut de l'or a few times now and it just sounds like a very weak Bond theme. What do you make of it, BBaBers?

Happy New Year Boom Bang a Bloggers! What with the festive season and everything to be getting along with, it has become apparent that some bits of breaking news in the World of Eurovision have been neglected. For that I can only apologise. And now rectify.

When Linda Martin won in 1992, it must have been inconceivable that the Contest would be held anywhere other than Dublin in 1993. But an entrepreneurial equestrian centre owner had other ideas. He wrote to RTE, the Irish broadcaster, on the very night Ms Martin took the trophy, suggesting that the Green Glens Arena in the tiny County Cork town of Millstreet would be the ideal setting for the 38th Eurovision Song Contest. The people at the telly admired his brass and so it came to pass that the Contest was heading for its least populous host town ever. Millstreet in 1993 had a population of around 1,500.

And so, this lush speck on the map became the setting for one of the most highly publicised Eurovisions of the decade. Three former Yugoslavian states made their debut. Luxembourg said goodbye for good and Italy sort-of-did too. Switzerland had its last top five showing to date and the stage looked a bit like a paper plane.

But all that was overshadowed by one of the most nailbiting finishes ever, when the UK possibly counted the cost of snubbing the Maltese entry in Malmo.

When hosts Harold Treutiger and Lydia Capolicchio (that doesn't sound very Swedish) introduced the watching world to Eurovision 1992, the former described it as "the greatest gameshow in the world."

Boom Bang a Blog would like to think there's a bit more to the Contest than it being a glorified version of Bullseye - but there is a sense that, from this point on, Eurovision enjoyed a renaissance of popularity where its public appeal had slumped from the late '70s and much of the '80s.

Swedish rules then dictated that, in the event of a Eurovision victory, the city which hosted the national final that produced the champ would then stage the Contest proper. As Sweden's third city of Malmo played host to the 1991 Melodifestivalen, where Carola won the ticket to Rome, the destination of the 37th Eurovision Song Contest was therefore assured the moment Frank Naef announced that Fangad Av En Stormvind had more 10s than the French song with the very long title twelve months earlier.

How much you enjoy the 1991 Eurovision Song Contest depends on how much you enjoy watching an already lackadaisical production completely collapse around itself. The main hurdle concerning an Italian-hosted Eurovision is that the Song Contest itself was inspired by the San Remo Festival, the composition competition which remains big news in Italy each year and is held in much higher esteem across the wider music world than its pan-European little brother. With that in mind, why go to all the trouble of giving a hamburger the hard sell when you've got allcomers flocking to sample your sirloin steak?

If Bruce Forsyth was peeved at the Yugoslav jury denying his daughter and the UK a Eurovision victory in 1988, let's hope he wasn't watching when Switzerland hosted the return leg the following year. In 1989, Yugoslavia actually won the Eurovision Song Contest - and a narrow victory over the United Kingdom at that. What's more, the winning song was not the sort of stuff you'd imagine Tanita Tikaram covering for the B-side of Twist In My Sobriety.

However, considering Yugoslavia wouldn't exist in the same form for very much longer, it would be very mean of Britain to deny the Slavs their delight at winning the trophy and hosting the show for the very first time as the '90s dawned. And the imminent new decade would see massive changes in Europe, changes that would also be reflected on the Eurovision scoreboard.

But we can get to the '90s and the slightly serious stuff next time. Let's cling to the eighties while we still can...

A few years back, Bruce Forsyth appeared on Room 101, the BBC show where celebs can put the case forward for consigning their least favourite things to history. The very last thing he wanted to put into the dank holding bay of infamy was Yugoslavia. When presenter Paul Merton probed Brucie further for this unusual choice, the veteran entertainer was happy to elucidate; in 1988, his daughter, Julie, had composed the British entry to the Eurovision Song Contest. When Yugoslavia, the final jury of the night, was called for its votes, the United Kingdom had a fairly strong six-point lead and a score of seven or more would guarantee victory.

As you've probably worked out, the final decision of the Yugoslav jury didn't curry much favour with our Brucie - or those watching on these fair isles. But what Bruce doesn't understand is that his reasons for punishing Yugoslavia must be far wider reaching than mere paternal loyalty. That panel in Llubjana were responsible for inflicting a great evil upon this world, a blight that has caused pain to many good people and one that needs to be stopped before it is responsible for any more international upset. Boom Bang a Blog is speaking, of course, about the ongoing career and success of Celine Dion.

Although Norway's victory in 1985 caused ripples of excitement over the spiritual home of no-points and the hosting of the 1986 Contest was a source of huge national pride, broadcaster NRK made the unusual move of not staging the event in one of the larger arenas available in the capital Oslo, but the tiny 1,500-seater Grieg Hall in the northerly second city of Bergen, birthplace of composer Edvard Grieg, whom the venue was named after. This did mean that the audience was even smaller than that in attendance in Harrogate four years earlier but, despite that difference, there was still a sense of scale and atmosphere to the event which put the BBC's shoddy 1982 production to shame.

Long-term fans of the Contest tend not to be enamoured with Eurovision '86, with its ice palace-style staging (reflecting the fact it was the most northerly Eurovision there's ever been) leading to comparisons with a panto. A very glitzy, hi-tech panto, but a panto nevertheless. Opinion-wise, that's all well and good, but if Norway really were going for that sort of thigh-slapping show, they'd have invited someone a bit more fun and frothy to present the thing...

As you may have already read, Israel had won both the 1978 and 1979 Contests, but when the Netherlands stepped in to host as a favour to the cash-strapped Israeli Broadcasting Authority, they inadvertently scheduled Eurovision for a date when the trophy holders remembered their fallen and couldn't possibly take part.

With the country who had had a stranglehold on the results at the end of the '70s now absent, there was a clear run for everyone else involved. Although, 'I' would continue to be a lucky initial for Eurovision's winner for the third year running.

With stepping in at relatively short notice, the Dutch production was nowehere near as grand as it had been in 1976. With The Hague's Congresgebouw (pictured, above) being used once more, part of the opening travelogue film from four years previous - featuring beckoning hands welcoming allcomers to Den Haag - was recycled to save a few gelder. While only those with long-term photographic memories would have made the connection in 1980, it's a bit easier to spot in the era of videos, DVD and a certain file-sharing website.

Winner 1979: Milk & Honey featuring Gali Atari perform Hallelujah for Israel

Let's get the negative stuff out the way first. Boom Bang a Blog has never really enjoyed the 1979 Contest. It has a very dreary atmosphere, too much of the action is in long shot and, at times, feels like the inspiration for The Fast Show's Channel 9 series of sketches. However, when it comes to the mysterious twilight world of Eurovision fandom, I'm very much in the minority with that opinion. The general concensus is one of a marvellous, groundbreaking production packed with memorable songs. That said, the idea of only dressing the stage with a really big gyroscope was an inspired one. It's just a shame it doesn't get to do very much gyroscoping as the show progresses.

One thing 1979 does have in its favour, though, is a very close, exciting voting sequence and a winner which many people remember today. It also has - arguably - the worst song the UK ever sent to the Eurovision Song Contest, but we'll get to that in a bit.

In 1976, the BBC decided to stop asking an established act to put themselves forward for Eurovision and A Song For Europe became an open competition for the first time since 1963. This meant that songwriters could now marry up their potential entry with the act of their choice, which composers found a far more favourable arrangement.

Michael Aspel hosted the Miss World-style heat, which even got the front cover slot on the Radio Times, where 12 acts lined up for the right to represent the UK. That line-up included Tony 'Amarillo' Christie, who finished third with this and '60s favourite Frank Ifield who sadly finished last with this. After a close-fought fight with the group CoCo (and you'll hear more about them in a future Bluffer's Guide) and some genuinely good-quality contemporary stuff among the competing dozen (Boom Bang a Blog's personal favourite is this), the winner-by-a-squeak of A Song For Europe 1976 was Brotherhood of Man with Save Your Kisses For Me.

The quartet's biggest battle was already behind them. When they got to Eurovision in The Hague they won with very little trouble at all.

Winners 1976: Brotherhood of Man perform Save Your Kisses For Me for the United Kingdom

The song topped the charts and went on the be the biggest selling single of the year in the UK, shifting more copies than ABBA's Dancing Queen, Elton John and Kiki Dee's Don't Go Breaking My Heart and the much-hyped/much-banned Sex Pistols early work.

And there was also that dance.

The 10 songs which competed in the 1974 Swedish Eurovision heats. Can you spot a winner?

There has never, ever, been a more controversial result to a Eurovision Song Contest than that which took place in 1963 - but it tends to be overlooked in the documentaries which get trotted out about the event. In fact, 'controversy' is a word which hangs around the staging of this particular Eurovision more than any other.

But let's consider the positives. The BBC did pull off a technically impressive production in its Shepherd's Bush HQ, then just three years old. Every act had a different stage set-up to perform their song from, be it a simple archway, a backdrop of clustered metal hoops, pools of light on a darkened set - or even superimposed visual effects.

And that's where the first finger of suspicion points. Each act looks completely different - but there was only a short space of time between each song to redress the stage. It has long been mooted - but never confirmed - that the BBC pre-recorded the performances before the broadcast. There is also a suspicious lack of microphones on show and an almost complete lack of audience response. Even Katie Boyle was based in a separate studio with the Contest's first ever electronic scoreboard - and a smaller share of the spectators.

However, that controversy is absolutely nothing compared to what happened with the final vote of the night.

Winners 1963: Grethe and Jorgen Ingmann perform Dansevise for Denmark - complete with BBC swirly spiral effects

There's a fair few months to get through before the 40-odd participating nations start the important job of choosing their song for Norway. So, what's Boom Bang a Blog going to do in that great big Contest-less gap?

I'll tell you. We're going to give you the inside track on every single Eurovision there's ever been. Imagine regaling your fascinated chums over dinner, a drink, or even a date with the various factoids and statistics that will be coming your way over the coming months. Then imagine how you're going to rebuild your social life after everyone stops inviting you out for dinner, drinks or dates.

But never mind all that. Shall we start at the very beginning? Step aboard Boom Bang a Blog's Eurovisiony TARDIS as we whisk you back to the very first Contest. It's Lugano in Switzerland. It's May 24, 1956.

ANDORRA:
Susanne Georgi: La Teva Decisio

Could this be the one that does it? Could it? Coulditty-duddity-woulditty could it?

As Boom Bang a Blog explained last year, the Andorrans have now entered five Eurovision Song Contest semi finals and not yet made it to the Saturday night (athough they really deserved to in 2007. Really deserved it. Reallity-deallity-weallity deserved it)

I'll stop that now.

However, upon first listening to this rather loveable slice of Altered Images-y type electro pop, this may be the year that Andorra doesn't have to see its trip to the Contest host city come to a premature end. It's catchier than an on-form fisherman, one's toes inadvertently tap when it cheekily tip-toes out of your speakers and - more importantly - it's the type of song where non-fans will cock an ear to one side (just like a little bird) and inquire: "Who's this then? I quite like this."

Boom Bang a Blog's three things:

(a) If this comes 11th, thus missing out on a spot at the final, then the world is just horrible.
(b) Horrible-dorrible-worrible horrible.
(c) I really will stop that now.

Earlier this week, Switzerland officially announced its entry for Moscow and it's Lovebugs with the tune The Highest Heights.

Ever since the tune was released, people say it sounds like (deep breath) U2/Lightning Seeds/New Order/Pet Shop Boys/Depeche Mode/OMD, or indeed, any early '90s pop-rock anthem.

Boom Bang a Blog needs to put the record straight - who exactly do Lovebugs sound like?

And why does a band like this, have a name like that?

Happy Hallowe'en! Boom Bang a Blog was thinking about the scariest Eurovision entry there has ever been to give you the appropriate chills this October 31.

We've already done Jemini (we don't like to repeat ourselves), it would be far too cruel to unleash the horrors of Celine Dion's skirt from 1988 on you, so instead we plumped for this.

This is Vampires Are Alive, the Swiss entry in 2007. Hotly tipped to take the title last year, it ended up very close to the bottom of the scoreboard at the semi final stage so didn't even get a shot at the trophy on the Saturday night. Mind you, the Serbian lady who won, Marija Serifovic, looks like the sort of woman who'd be absolutely terrifying if you crossed her.

Anyway, here's DJ BoBo with Vampires Are Alive. You may need to send any children in the room behind the nearest sofa. His performance really is that bad.

Don't have nightmares.

Albania: Olta Boka - Zemren e Lame Peng

Twas the week before Christmas, and all through the Continent, nobody was thinking about Eurovision at all - except the Albanians.

Maybe they think their chosen entrant will be so bad they need six months of rehearsal to nail a good performance, maybe their calendars have May in the wrong place, but for whatever reason, the impatient folk of Albania selected their entrant for 2008 in December last year.

And in keeping with that lovely, warm, Christmassy feel, Zemren e Lame Peng really is fun, fun, fun.

Except, umm, it's not.