Eurovision song contest

[beccabear67]

I was pulling for Portugal but Italy winning bodes well for rock and roll. Iceland placed quite well too and I thought they were unique. There are lots of fun winners and also-rans from the '60s-'70s... Clodagh Rodgers, Mary Hopkin, Lulu... but the top of my personal nostalgic Mount Eurovision would be 1974 and 1975; Waterloo by Abba and Ding-a Dong by Teach-In, Sweden and Holland.

Oops, forgot to express condolences for the the 0 votes showing... pipped at the post by Germany for that ignominious bottom placement.

[Semi42]

I think Norton stepped in to Terry’s shoes with full knowledge of the situation and even then I think it was, politically voting wise! a worse contest than it is now.
I do agree that the UK should pull their funding and go the semi finals route.
Embers certainly wasn’t the best song but it really wasn’t the worst but in terms of live performance, it was down there .
I’m a big rock fan and at work yesterday , I gave up Planet Rock’s to radio 2 just get me hyped up for the contest .
Congrats to Italy’s but their winner is in my opinion fairly dull. It may grow on me but the Swiss and French songs were , for me, superior.

next year we need a novelty song
the lyrics should be about everything good that the Uk has given the world ( TV, World Wide Web, phone, railways etc ) and call it “ please just give us , just one point”

[George 1978]

James Newman's Embers have been finally burnt out - more like old woman than new man. Congratulations to Italy who won for the first time since 1990 which was then a very Italian year back then with them holding the World Cup.

Does anyone think that the United Kingdom should continue to enter the Eurovision Song Contest next year and in future years? Or do you think we should take a back seat and have a "neutral" perspective instead? I have a feeling that Graham Norton might quit the commentary job - look at Wogan in 2008 and the reason why he quit. And I bet people are putting two and two together and blaming Brexit ad infinitum.

[Cartimand]

Well the songs have finished and the politics are about to start!

i reckon the top 3 were Portugal, France and Italy, but who knows?

Been great fun though!

[George 1978]

I sometimes think of the Eurovision song contest as being a little bit like the FA cup. Back in the day the latter was percieved as being quite an event, unlike the comparatively nondescript occasion it is now. you'd switch the box on in the morning and there'd be live coverage before kick off, brief interviews with fans on their way to Wembley, the players getting ready etc, a real sense of building up the atmosphere before the game. To some extent Eurovision was similar, there was more of a feeling of anticipation if memory serves me well. TV was largely a more collective experience anyway, with only two or three channels at your disposal and no internet hardly surprising!

The ESC does have comparisons with the FA Cup Final, and the World Snooker Final - both are usually shown in May, and in some years, both the Eurovision and the FA Cup have been on the same day.

Got that Now That's What I Call Eurovision CD in the post in the week which is advertised on the NOW music channels - the CDs are mostly winning songs and UK entries obviously. Still great, though - I can't think of anyone else who has put songs from across the years on one compilation, although I do get the annual official Eurovision CD every year - used to get mine from my local HMV before the Lockdown.

[Cartimand]

My earliest memory of Eurovision was, as a very small boy, being allowed to stay up to watch it on my parents' (rented) black and white TV.
I remember Vicky Leandros singing L'Amour est Bleu and thinking it was the most beautiful song I'd ever heard.
Was terribly disappointed that she didn't win!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nD4ib9-laGY

My musical tastes developed in the 70s and 80s into heavy metal and prog rock, but I've always maintained a certain fondness for Eurovision and will certainly be watching tonight.

[W1 Rover]

I sometimes think of the Eurovision song contest as being a little bit like the FA cup. Back in the day the latter was percieved as being quite an event, unlike the comparatively nondescript occasion it is now. you'd switch the box on in the morning and there'd be live coverage before kick off, brief interviews with fans on their way to Wembley, the players getting ready etc, a real sense of building up the atmosphere before the game. To some extent Eurovision was similar, there was more of a feeling of anticipation if memory serves me well. TV was largely a more collective experience anyway, with only two or three channels at your disposal and no internet hardly surprising!

[beccabear67]

I watched the Rotterdam 20201 show the other night; too much choreography and stage effects for me. So many imitative photogenic ladies in sparkly costumes without any great voices... we have more than enough of these today, so I thought of the finalists the guy from Portugal should be the ultimate winner and the Iceland group runner-up. Eastern Europe seems awash in copycat pop and I think Kylie Minogue perfected that whole thing ages ago.

[Semi42]

Don’t fancy our chances again this year, I’m going with the favourite Malta to win

[George 1978]

Last time I watched it ABBA won.
Right proper songs in those days guv!

Showing your age - the irony is that the UK didn't give Sweden a single point back then.

The UK won in 1976 with Brotherhood of Man, but Buck's Fizz won in 1981.

I sometimes like to think that I am watching one of the many European satellite channels on Sky when I watch it - more exciting...

[W1 Rover]

Last time I watched it ABBA won.
Right pwoper songs in those days guv!

[George 1978]

Good luck to James Newman - again!

Looking forward to Germany and Moldova this year (Big Five country and second Semi Final victor) - interesting how many points they will get on Saturday night.

[George 1978]

Re: Eurovision song contest

Amazing that we associated Rice with being poor...

[zabadak]

Re: Eurovision song contest

Amazing that the UK had 16 points last Saturday, and now we just have 11.

At this rate, we'll have nul again by next week!

[George 1978]

Re: Eurovision song contest

Amazing that the UK had 16 points last Saturday, and now we just have 11.