Yup, it’s the big one tonight, the final of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest in Moscow, the moment we the UK discovers whether it can revive its flagging contest fortunes with a little help from Andrew Lloyd Webber or if we are doomed to moulder at the bottom of the scoreboard once again. I have to admit I’m quite excited about the UK’s prospects for the first time in years, but for every person who says that there’s another cynic hiding round the corner waiting to tell you that the UK may as well give up because they will never again achieve another decent Eurovision result, not while the East European countries continue to dominate.
Our Eurovision section.
Not so. The fact those same East European nations have been falling over themselves with excitement at the prospect of Lloyd Webber on stage counts for a great deal, and the change in voting format which sees it now 50 per cent public votes, 50 per cent music industry comprised juries, could also help too. The amount of ‘old school’ Western European countries – the ones who have had problems doing well in recent years – graduating from Tuesday’s semi-final suggests change is already in the air.
But let’s not pretend Jade doesn’t have some very stiff competition, from the likes of Norway, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece and Azerbaijan to say nothing of rival big dival ballads from Iceland, Malta and France. So…..having previewed what to expect from the semi-finals, here’s what you can expect from the five songs that are already qualified for the main event….
FRANCE – Et S’Il Fallait Le Faire by Patricia Kaas
France are of course Eurovision veterans but haven’t scored a victory since 1977 – and their recent results have been almost as disastrous as the UK (possibly due to their tendency to enter identikit sounding Gallic ballads every single year – last year when they fielded quirky musician Sebastian Tellier they unsurprisingly fared a little better. It could be a different story this year however, since Patricia Kaas is a renowned French singer who has sold 60 million records and is a star across Europe – and boy can the girl belt out a tune. This ballad is about as French as they come and is classy in the extreme. Could be one to watch.
RUSSIA – Mamo by Anastasia Prikhodko
And so to the host nation, who scored their much-longed-for first victory in 2008 with Dima Bilan’s Believe. There’s been a bit of controversy surrounding this entry since Anastasia (pictured) is actually Ukrainian rather than Russian, and that’s the language she’ll be singing in on the night. Not that it makes much difference since this is a rather peculiar song which may not have much appeal outside of the region. Hands up who doesn’t want the job of hosting next year…..
GERMANY – Miss Kiss Kiss Bang by Alex Swings! Oscar Sings!
Despite being one of the longer-serving participants in the Eurovision fray, Germany have actually only ever won the contest once – in 1982 with Nicole’s A Little Peace. The duo hoping to rectify that situation are German producer Alex Christensen and American singer Oscar Loya, who have produced a swing-tastic number for the contest. It’s certainly good fun and you can expect a glittery, showy performance (enlivened by the presence of one Dita Von Teese) but a winner? Nahhhhhhh…………………
UK – It’s My Time by Jade Ewen
There isn’t really much more to say about Jade that I haven’t already said but have included her here since she is the next of the automatic qualifiers to perform. All I will say is that she is likely to be faultless on the night (having sung live at every single one of the many countries she has already promoted the song in around Europe) and even if the UK gets another poor result we can at least leave this year with our heads held high. But fingers crossed we do better than that.
SPAIN – La Noche Es Para Mi by Soraya
Another veteran participant that has had mixed fortunes in Eurovision of late (although I did have a soft spot for last year’s comedy entry Baila el Chiki Chiki), Spain are bringing up the rear in tonight’s proceedings with their best effort in years (but then given some of the ones they’ve sent in lately that’s not exactly hard to achieve). Blonde Soraya pouts and wiggles her way through a Mediterranean sounding disco number partly in Spanish and partly in English (the only words I can actually recognise are “come on and take me, come on and shake me” in the chorus) and it should provide a rousing end to the contest. As for its chances…..well a lot will depend on the strength of the performance but there’s no reason why they shouldn’t get a decent result.
