Although the Eurovision Song Contest is done and dusted for another year, we’re now blessed with the obligatory double-disc archive of each entry. There appears to be two key criterion that need to be met if one wishes to succeed in the contest: first and foremost, a song must profess (rather than possess) pop genius. Secondly, there must be an appropriate cheesiness at play.
Many acts nailed the balance perfectly this year. It’s no surprise Azerbaijan’s melodramatic entry Running Scared won the contest, nor that Pet Shop Boys-inspired Lipstick from Ireland’s Jedward emerged a hot favourite of viewers here in Australia. Pleasingly, however, the quality of the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest extended beyond the obvious tips.
Belgium’s Witloof Bay present refreshingly quirky a capella in With Love: its cool, self-assured harmonic styling proving a real treat. Though Lena fails in matching the pop-perfection of 2010’s winning entry Satellite, Taken By A Stranger stakes its claim as one of the best songs on the compilation. The German songstress has truly defied her flash-in-the-pan status.
Meanwhile, it’s interesting to inspect the foibles of those songs further down the pecking order. Finland’s Paradise Oskar offers a beautifully crafted acoustic affair in Da Da Dam, but the song appears compromised by an awkward environmental message seemingly crow-barred into an otherwise heartwarming affair. Denmark’s entry New Tomorrow fares slightly better but suffers from the same preachy overtones. Iceland’s Sjonni’s Friends strike gold with their cheery, jaunty track Coming Home, though it seems obvious that it’s not quite what the competition demands.
Typically, there are some truly regrettable endeavours. I Love Belarus stakes its claim as the most outrageously naff entry. Belarus should be less concerned with self-promotion and focus next time on bearable lyrical content. Latvia’s Angel In Disguise is almost as bad, devoid of inspiration or urgency. Sweden’s Popular sounds overly obnoxious, boasting much style with little substance.
Naturally, everyone will have their own personal favourites from the contest, but that’s part of what makes everything so much fun. It’s genuinely enjoyable to traipse through the highs and lows of the competition, the compilation proving the definitive scrapbook of 2011’s proceedings. True to form, Eurovision has once again enabled a showcase of pop music with a dash of diversity to boot, capturing the spirit of the contest perfectly.
Best Track: Lipstick JEDWARD
If You Like These, You’ll Like This: Any Eurovision Song Contest
In A Word: Effervescent
