Eurovision 2014

Yeah, normally when you put in a strong entry, you over-run the weaker countries in the Eurovision song contest. I don't understand it.

 

So here is an update on last year's runners up (and eventually selling more singles and albums then the winner of 2014), The Common Linnets:

The Common Linnets where presented as a duo but in fact was almost entirely put together by the female lead singer Ilse DeLange. She already has a big career as a solo-artist (in fact, for her debut she was signed to Warner Nashville), a woman in total control of her career and what she wants to do. She bankrolled the whole album and invited several other artists to join in, writing material, playing on the album, singing with her. Interest in her and The Comon Linnets reached fever pitch right after ESC 2014 and she wanted to take full advantage of it and take it as far as they could. However, male lead vocalist Waylon, had already a solo-album recorded and paid for by himself and wasn't willing to let that sit for a bit longer and take advantage of the exposure of the ESC and basically walked away (am pretty sure he is now beating himself up about it) ..... plus there were some issues with him concerning certain substance abuse. So, she "circled the wagons" invited her co-writers to join her and they went on a whirlwind tour of promotional tv appearances all over Europe and arranged their first European tour. Over the last year they have been working on album number 2 and just two weeks ago they released the first 'single' from that upcoming new album, used here in the Netherlands also to promote the new FOX series Wayward Pines. Here it is in a live version with all current Linnets present:

 

The problem of today is, that you have to sell everything as a contest. If you have just the performances of all countries, not many people will watch.
People are obsessed with contests, everything has to be ranked and rated - just look at this forum.
People are always comparing.....who is the better player...which is the best album....best artist....
The demand for competition can't be denied. It's probably in our DNA...

 

Oh absolutely. Estonian entry is the only one which does anything to me musically. In fact it's pretty awesome.

 

Ireland doesn't even touch Europe!

 

Certainly seems like we are paddling our own canoe. Since 2008 anyway.

 

Eurovision Song Contest is not about Europe as a geographical/political/religious/linguistic/whatever unit. It's a show by European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to be transmitted to the member broadcasters of the EBU. Therefore, I've understood, for example an associate member, like the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, can send a representative to the show. See Wikipedia, there are the basics concerning the EBU.

 

Time to dust down "My Lovely Horse" I think.

 

Nope, they can't otherwise I am sure they would have done before. They were specifically invited for this 60th edition simply because it is still a very popular show in Australia. I read somewhere that if by chance Australia wins they can 'nominate' another country to organise it next year.

 

Congrats to Sweden. Can't say I liked the song at all but the whole Europe sure did. And great job by Polina Gagarina. Pretty impressive second place.

 

When this show started it was technically a sensation to link so many european countries together for a common tv show. But since the internet age that has lost it's fascination, so it might be a nice idea to finally turn this "european" event into a worldwide event.
Although I couldn't watch the show last night, I like the idea of seeing the artists of all those countries. Honestly I'm fed up by the way, the especially the german media behaves as if we are part of America. Each day we are "updated" about the latest gossip from american movie stars and even "it-girls" like "Lindsay Lohan" (who is she????) or this strange K-family.
Don't get me wrong, I don't mind american artists at all, I like a lot of them. But we hear absolutely nothing about french, dutch or also russian artists. That's why the ESC is important.

 

Oh, that's news to me. Thanks!

 

Indeed!

That sure is a big change. In my childhood in sixties even I was somehow informed also about French and Italian artists (not to mention those geographically closer...).

 

I think Australia had been a paid up member of the EBU for many years and are allowed to enter because of this. It no doubt is because of past and present links to Europe.

 

It's a pity Polina Gagarina didn't win. I think she deserved to win to be honest. If "politics" could be kept out of music, I think more people would have voted for her. Still, second place isn't anything to be ashamed of. Congrats for that. Unlike the UK that came near the bottom once again.

 

I think "politics" was the major ingredient when the caveman invented the "music"... However, it's not the first time, that some of us think that the wrong song won: in 1974 I, for instance, was happy that Abba won, but today I'm very sorry that Gigliola Cinquetti didn't won. Her "Si" still sounds great song but if I'm confronted with Abba (from radio) I usually turn the radio off or somesuch. Nothing wrong with Abba, they did lots of great pop, but I just have heard that kind of stuff all too much. There was a time when Abba was just everywhere. Whether Abba or Beatles, but if there's too much of it, I develope an aversion...