It's Eurovision time!
- Thread starter DonP
- Start date
Gahr
Ambassador of Blues & Brews
Why anyone willingly chooses to watch the Eurovision Song Contest is beyond me. It is by far the most boring tv show in Europe. But millions of people seem to love it, so I guess I’m just being a sourpuss. I used to watch it when I was a kid, back in the late 1970s and early 1980s. But we only had one tv channel at the time, so we didn’t have much choice. When Norway won it for the first time in 1985, I thought the whole country had gone completely mad. Everyone was celebrating. What a complete and utter waste of time and money...
OP
DonP
Guest
England demands last place every time. You have to watch it ironically, I'm told. I don't watch it - I like music too much. The best thing about it used to be Terry Wogan's commentary, although Graham Norton is not too bad. And I do remember your Lapp yoiking his song.
gasket
Ambassador of the Guitarded
Eurovision receives so much support from Australia we've been granted entry into the contest. Started 4 years ago and we came second in 2016. So there you have it Australia is in Europe OFFICIALY !!! My wife watches every minute for days on end, I watch occasional acts if she calls me to view something special. I think the best part is our local commentary it's one big p*ss take and usually very funny.
Gahr
Ambassador of Blues & Brews
Hah! Norway has ended up last in the competition no less than 11 times, and have received zero points on four occasions.
behold a few of Norway’s more memorable contributions:
«Sámiid ædnan» (1980):
This was Norway's song in 1960. "Void Voi" by Nora Brockstedt. This version is actually not from the contest itself, but from the first ever TV broadcast in Norway (yes, in 1960), where Nora is backed up by the Deep River Boys singing in Norwegian. I remember seeing reruns of this clip several times when I was a kid. people used to cry from laughter when listening to the Americans singing in Norwegian. Times change, I guess...
"Mil etter mil" by Jahn Teigen. At one point this guy was actually considered as the new vocalist for Genesis, after Peter Gabriel quit (true story!). He is an absolute legend in Norway. I think this song scored a whopping 0 points in 1978
"La det swinge" (1985). Norway's first ever win. At the time there was not a single person in the whole country who actually believed Norway could ever win. I remember my parents, who didn't watch the show, didn't believe me when I told them Norway won.
Norway won in 1995 and 2009 as well. This is the 2009 song, "Fairytale" by Alexander Rybak. Pretty annoying stuff, really. At around the 1.20 mark two backup singers appear. The girl to the left, Jorunn Hauge, is my cousin. She's been a backup singer in the Eurovision song contest no less than six times in the national and five times in the international final.
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OP
DonP
Guest
I'd have voted for any of those. These days all we get is some geopolitical garbage.
Gahr
Ambassador of Blues & Brews
Honestly I don't mind the politics, it is all the utter crap music that offends me... In the old days, at least they played and sang live.
OP
DonP
Guest
The crap music does kind of originate in the politics, though. In their misguided attempts to have the widest appeal they do usually settle for the lowest common denominator. Personally I would like to ban the use of minor pentatonic. That would remove 90% f the garbage at a stroke.
