Saturday 11 May 2024

Eurovision Song Contest 2024 Analysis

Please note that writing this post began during the afternoon of Saturday 11 May 2024, after the Netherlands had officially been disqualified.

Here are all the 25 finalists, in the order they will perform tonight:
Sweden, Ukraine, Germany, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Israel, Lithuania, Spain, Estonia, Ireland, Latvia, Greece, United Kingdom, Norway, Italy, Serbia, Finland, Portugal, Armenia, Cyprus, Switzerland, Slovenia, Croatia, Georgia, France, Austria.

Now for the 11‬ countries which failed to reach the final, but which will still vote tonight:‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬
Albania, Australia, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Iceland, Malta, Moldova, Poland, San Marino.

N.B. The Netherlands was among the top ten countries, which qualified from the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 Second Semi-Final, on Thursday 9 May 2024, and whose entry was planned to perform between the entries of Luxembourg and Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 Grand Final. During the morning of Saturday 11 May 2024, an official announcement was made that the Netherlands had been disqualified. For this reason, Netherlands is shown struck through in the list above. It was subsequently revealed, by the EBU, that the Netherlands will still give its jury points and televote points tonight.

N.B. Any use of “Tuesday” throughout this post means Tuesday 7 May 2024. Any use of “Thursday” means Thursday 9 May 2024. Any use of “tonight” or “this evening” means Saturday 11 May 2024.

Now let's look at some country groups:

Baltic States (Ex-USSR)
In: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania.

For the first time since 2015, all three Baltic countries have made it to the final. I’m glad Lithuania qualified on Tuesday evening, because Silvester Belt’s “Luktelk” is a very lively, catchy song, which ended up among the entries I most wanted to qualify that evening, and one I felt was among the entries most likely to qualify that evening. Estonia and Latvia both qualified on Thursday evening. I’m glad Latvia qualified, because Dons is a talented singer to be able to perform the way he did, and I think “Hollow” is a good ballad, but that said, I’m amazed and surprized that Latvia reached the final, because I thought “Hollow” had almost no chance of qualifying, especially in a televote-only semi-final. I was less keen on Estonia’s entry, which is why it ended up on my “Prefer not to qualify” list Thursday evening, and I thought it would be a questionable qualifier, but anyway, it qualified. The upshot of this is, these three countries will be able to give each other their top two jury points and their top two televote points.

Nordic area
In: Finland, Norway, Sweden. Out: Denmark, Iceland.

This has been another unusual year for Nordic area. Finland and Iceland both performed on Tuesday evening, but Finland qualified, whereas Iceland failed to qualify, on Tuesday evening. Denmark and Norway both performed on Thursday evening, but Norway qualified, whereas Denmark failed to qualify, on Thursday evening. Of course, Sweden, as host country, was guaranteed a place in this year’s Grand Final, but nonetheless performed its entry live, in full, on Tuesday evening. The upshot of all this is that Finland, Norway and Sweden will all be able to give their top two jury points and their top two televote points to each other, whereas Denmark and Iceland will be able to give their top three jury points and their top three televote points to Finland, Norway and Sweden tonight.

Benelux
In: Luxembourg. Out: Belgium, Netherlands.

N.B. The Netherlands was among the ten countries which qualified for the Grand Final on Thursday evening, but has since been disqualified.

It was wonderful, if not unthinkable, to see Luxembourg back for the first time since 1993. I’m glad Luxembourg made it to the final. As far as I’m concerned, it would have been a shame of them to fail to qualify after their long absence, especially as their entry was so lively, catchy and well-performed and staged on Tuesday evening. They genuinely deserved a place in the final. I’m disappointed that Belgium failed to qualify on Thursday evening; I thought Mustii’s “Before the Party's Over” was a good power ballad, but at the time of Thursday’s performance, I thought it only had a borderline chance of qualifying in a televote-only semi-final. As for the Netherlands, they qualified on Thursday evening, but it has since become necessary for their entry to be disqualified, thereby effectively wasting a Grand Final slot that could have been taken by one of the six non-qualifiers on Thursday evening. I personally didn’t like “Europapa” as it’s not my taste in music at all (it seems to contain a lot of talking), and I thought it was on the silly side; hence why it ended up on my “Prefer not to qualify” list that night, and I certainly won’t miss it tonight. Despite their late disqualification, the Netherlands will still be awarding jury and public vote points tonight, but will obviously no longer be able to receive any points. As a result, Belgium and the Netherlands will both be able to give their 12 jury points and their 12 televote points to Luxembourg tonight. However, Luxembourg won’t be able to give any points to either Belgium or the Netherlands. It’ll be interesting to see who Luxembourg gives their jury and televoting points to; France and Switzerland could be likely possibilities.

Former Yugoslavia
In: Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia. Didn’t enter: Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia.

Only three of the former Yugoslav countries (Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia) entered this year, but this has been a lucky year for them in that all three of them qualified to the Grand Final. Interestingly, all three of their artists performed in, and qualified from, the First Semi-Final on Tuesday evening. It’s hardly surprising Croatia qualified that evening, because Baby Lasagna’s “Rim Tim Tagi Dim” was tipped to win both the First Semi-Final and the Grand Final, even before the First Semi-Final began. I’m glad Serbia’s entry made it through, because I think “RAMONDA” is a beautiful ballad, but I’m surprised it managed to qualify in a televote-only semi-final, as I thought that song would appeal more to professional juries than the public. That means they’ll all be able to give each other their top two jury points and their top two televoting points.

Central Europe
In: Austria, Germany, Slovenia, Switzerland. Out: Czechia, Poland. Didn’t enter: Hungary, Slovakia.

This is a tricky group, it’s more difficult to spot trends here, and voting among these countries tends to be unpredictable. Anyway, this has been a good year so far for this group, because four of the six members of this group, that are taking part this year, are in the Grand Final. Of the four that are in the final, three countries (Austria, Slovenia, Switzerland) reached the Grand Final via one of the semi-finals this week. Of course, Germany is automatically guaranteed a place in the final every year as a Big Five member. Czechia and Poland both failed to qualify this year. The upshot of all this, Austria, Germany, Slovenia and Switzerland will all be able to exchange jury points and televote points among each other tonight, whereas Czechia and Poland will both be able to give jury points and televote points to Austria, Germany, Slovenia and Switzerland. It’ll be interesting to see what happens in this group.

Greece and Cyprus
In: Cyprus, Greece.

Greece and Cyprus were in separate semi-finals this year, so they weren’t able to vote for each other during the semi-finals. Anyway, Cyprus performed, and qualified, on Tuesday evening, whereas Greece performed, and qualified, on Thursday evening. I’m glad the Cypriot entry “Liar”, sung by Silia Kapsis, qualified; it’s a lively, catchy song, and among the entries I most wanted to qualify Tuesday evening. On the other hand, Greece ended up on my “Prefer not to qualify” Thursday evening. Anyway, Greece and Cyprus will both be able to give each other 12 jury points and 12 televote points tonight.

Iberian Peninsula
In: Portugal, Spain. Didn’t enter: Andorra.

I’m glad Portugal qualified, because iolanda’s “Grito” is an unusual song, full of Portugal’s musical style, and best of all, it’s being sung in Portuguese. Their entry was among the songs I most wanted to qualify Tuesday evening, and I was amazed and surprised it qualified, because I thought it would struggle to qualify in a televote-only semi-final. Of course, Spain is guaranteed a place in the Grand Final every year, as a Big Five member. Anyway, I quite like Spain’s entry this year; it’s a lively, catchy song from start to finish, and I thought it was well performed and well staged on Thursday evening. The upshot of this is that Spain and Portugal will be able to give their 12 jury points and their 12 televote points to each other.

Founding Seven
By this I mean the seven countries which appeared in the very first Eurovision Song Contest in Lugano in 1956:

In: France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Switzerland. Out: Belgium, Netherlands.

N.B. The Netherlands was among the ten countries which qualified for the Grand Final on Thursday evening, but has since been disqualified.

It’s been another good year for the seven countries which participated in the first ever Eurovision Song Contest in 1956. Luxembourg is back for the first time since 1993, and managed to qualify on Tuesday evening. The only two countries missing this year’s Grand Final, from this group, are Belgium, which failed to qualify on Thursday evening, and the Netherlands, which despite qualifying on Thursday evening, has since been disqualified this morning. Of course, France, Germany and Italy are automatic finalists every year as Big Five members.

And Finally
Tonight's Grand Final certainly looks set to be a spectacular one, and I'm really looking forward to it. Most of the countries I wanted to qualify are in. Six of my eight “Definitely want to qualify” countries’ songs (Cyprus, Serbia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Portugal, Luxembourg) made it to the final on Tuesday evening, and six of my ten “Definitely want to qualify” countries’ songs (Switzerland, Austria, Latvia, Georgia, Israel, Norway) qualified on Thursday evening. I would have preferred Azerbaijan and Australia to have qualified instead of Ireland and Slovenia on Tuesday evening, and any three out of Malta, Albania, Denmark and Belgium to have qualified in place of Netherlands, Greece, Estonia on Thursday evening. At the end of the day, different people have different musical tastes to me and I cannot expect to have all my desired countries qualify. It was obvious that the Netherlands was almost certain to qualify on Thursday evening (and likely to win on Thursday evening), and even I would have been shocked it hadn’t qualified. It’s just unfortunate that it became necessary to disqualify the Netherlands this morning, by which time it was too late to bring back the highest placed non-qualifier from Thursday evening as a last-minute substitute, for various reasons. Good luck to the artists of the remaining 25 countries taking part tonight, may the best song win.

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Friday 10 May 2024

Eurovision Song Contest 2024 Second Semi-Final

Host country: Sweden (SVT)
Venue: Malmö Arena, Malmö, Sweden
Hosts: Petra Mede, Malin Åkerman
Date: Thursday 9 May 2024

N.B. Any use of “tonight” or “this evening” throughout this post means Thursday 9 May 2024. All times in this post are in BST.

The Opening
After the usual Eurovision ident, accompanied by Charpentier's Te Deum prelude, the Second Semi-Final began with clips of the ten countries’ entries which qualified on Tuesday evening. This led into a pre-recorded video in which this year’s hosts Petra Mede and Malin Åkerman performed the 2023 winning song "Tattoo", on sunbeds. Some of the lyrics were changed for this video. At 20:03 the hosts Malin Åkerman and Petra Mede appeared on stage to give their opening speeches. The UK commentator warned UK viewers that they could not vote tonight.

The Songs
Six minutes after the start of the show (20:06 BST) it was time for the first song. Each song was introduced by a postcard film related to the appropriate country.

Song 1: Malta - Sarah Bonnici “Loop”
It’s difficult judging the first song in the line-up. The opening section, starting, “Don’t you know”, was sung in a powerful manner, and a beat could be heard. The beat continued through what sounded like the first verse proper, starting “Got me so hot, burning up like a fever”. The chorus was sung very rapidly, and had a powerful beat. I particularly liked the way Sarah sang “loo-oh-oh-oop”. There was an instrumental break after the second instance of the chorus; I liked the sound effects in this part of the song. The section starting “It was obvious, we’re addicted, addicted” was sung in a noticeably different manner to the rest of the song; presumably that must have been the middle eight. The song drew to a close with a final instance of the chorus. Staging included a red circle on the background screen during the first verse, and green lines on the background screen during first two instances of the chorus. Unsurprisingly, for a song of this style there four dancers on stage, and their dance routine enhanced the performance, but I question their need to lift Sarah during the instrumental break. Just before the end, there were some bursts of fireworks. Altogether, a very lively, powerful song, with a good beat in most parts, and a very catchy chorus, and well staged. The perfect way to start tonight’s show. I’d like this in the final on Saturday, but I think this will be a borderline qualifier.

Song 2: Albania - BESA “TITAN”
Now for something totally different, a power ballad. The opening verse was sung fairly slowly, but powerfully. Just like in the preview video, a ticking clock sound could be heard in the background. I liked the way Besa sang the chorus lines in a rising and falling pitch; in fact, I particularly liked the way she made the monosyllabic word “rise” sound polysyllabic. Various sounds could be heard in the chorus. The second verse was sung more rapidly than the first. This was followed by the second instance of the chorus. After an instrumental break, there were another instance of the chorus, and finally what sounded like a partial chorus to close the song (this closing section was, by far, the liveliest part of the song). In terms of the staging, Besa started by singing under a spotlight, on a predominantly dark stage, and what looked like glowing coals could be seen at the bottom of the background screen. Blue light beams, crossing each other, appeared on the first instance of the chorus. Those beams disappeared for the second verse, but they were back for the second instance of the chorus. Altogether this is what I’d call a good power ballad, the sound effects fit this song well, and it was well staged tonight. I’d like to see this in the final, but I think this is a doubtful qualifier.

Song 3: Greece - Marina Satti “ZARI”
Greece performed in its native language, Greek, this year. It’s nice to hear them singing in Greek for once. Marina has a beautiful voice, and plenty of Greek style sounds could be heard throughout the song. However, I didn’t like the beat that could be heard from about a third of the way through the song, and I question the need for the (ΤΑ ΤΑ ΤΑ ΤΑ ΤΑ ΤΑ) lines at various points. As for the staging, was it really necessary to show Marina occupying a narrow section at the centre of the screen, to resemble a smartphone view, during the opening verse? Thankfully viewers saw a full widescreen picture at the start of the first instance of the chorus. I question the need for the series of rapidly flashing, and colour changing, background and floor images that followed; they seemed rather random to me. Thankfully the background changed to a blue sky, with white, puffy clouds, plus a sky blue stage floor, for aa gentler part of the song. Rapidly flashing images and colour changing returned for much of the rest of the song, though there was one brief overhead view of Marina on the stage floor, which showed an aerial view of building rooftops. All in all, a rather unusual entry really. Not my taste in music at all; I’d rather this doesn’t qualify, but this might just slip through.

Song 4: Switzerland - Nemo “The Code”
On the official Eurovision website, Nemo states "'The Code' is about the journey I started with the realisation that I am neither a man nor a woman. Just like in the preview video, the first verse was sung in a bouncy manner, and a beat could be heard. The first line “the show” presumably means the story which Nemo wanted to tell within the song. The pre-chorus, was sung in quite an unusual manner, operatic (or perhaps spooky), but powerful. The chorus was sung in a bouncy manner. Presumably the lines “I, I went to hell and back”, “To find myself on track” are Nemo’s way of stating the problems he had being accepted by society with his lifestyle. The second verse was a rap section, performed at high speed. The section which seemed like a bridge or middle eight, was sung at a noticeably slower pace. Having read the background information, it’s clear to me that 0s and 1s is referring to male and female, but casual viewers who watch the Contest in May without doing any background reading probably won’t interpret it that way. “That’s where I found my kingdom come” is Nemo is getting his lifestyle message across; neither male nor female. For tonight’s live performance, no attempt to recreate a railway carriage (as seen in the preview video) was made, either on stage or on the background screen. Instead, the centrepiece was a circular platform, which could tilt and spin. Nemo stepped on to, and jumped off this more than once during his performance, so some of the time he was on the platform and at other times he was directly on the stage. Flashing lights appeared at times, and for some mysterious reason, a totally eclipsed sun could be seen on the background screen at the end of the performance. Altogether, a lively, catchy song, with a mix of styles, but to understand what Nemo is trying to get across in the song, one needs to do the background reading. Casual viewers watching tonight, without having previewed any of the songs beforehand, let alone doing any background reading, will be unaware of what the song is about, and they will either like or not like the song depending or whether not they like this style of music. Some who read the background information beforehand, but who also have an aversion to LGBTQIA+ lifestyles may refuse to vote for this when they realise what this song is about. People who have read about this song, and find such lifestyles perfectly acceptable are likely to vote for this. Anyway, I’d definitely like to see this in the final, and this is almost certain to qualify. See you Saturday, Nemo.

Song 5: Czechia - Aiko “Pedestal”
Czechia has gone for a rather lively entry this year. Just like in the preview video, the verses were sung quite rapidly, but the beat within the verses seemed to overpower Aiko’s voice. The chorus is lively and catchy, and was performed in a powerful manner tonight. I didn’t like the way Aiko sang the line “Put myself on a pedestal” in the preview video, but I thought it was better tonight. There was an unusual electronic sound between the first instance of the chorus and the second verse. The argument, which appeared in the preview video after the second instance of the chorus, was retained for tonight’s performance; I think that ought to have been omitted tonight. The outro seemed a bit repetitive, especially as it contained multiple instances of “Loving me”. Altogether a very lively song, with a powerful beat throughout, and well staged too, including plenty of rapid rising flame effects. However, I think Aiko ought to have sung more strongly during the verses tonight to compensate for the beat within them. I wouldn’t mind if this is in the final, but I wouldn’t miss it if it’s not there. In any case, I think this is a borderline qualifier.

A short break followed at this point. The time was now 20:27. Malin spoke about Jahn Teigen, who represented Norway in 1978, 1982 and 1983. Clips of his Eurovision entries, from those years, were shown. Next, Petra introduced a series of ciips of songs which finiihsed last over the years. This break ended at 20:30. After the break, Malin and Petra spoke together before introducing the next song.

Automatic Qualifier 1: France - Slimane “Mon amour”
The first of three automatic qualifiers to perform on a non-competitive basis tonight, that being France. This is one of my least previewed entries so far this year, so I was watching this performance with barely any knowledge of the content. For the whole of this performance, the stage floor was lit plain white. Slimane started by lying down, on his side, on the stage, but by the first instance of the chorus, he was kneeling. He continued kneeling through the second verse, and stood at the start of the first instance of the chorus. Vocally, he started by singing the first verse and first instance of the chorus softly. He sang the second verse a little more powerfully, and second instance of the chorus even, more powerfully. Musically, piano sound could be heard in the first verse, an da beat could be heard in the second verse. Altogether a pleasant ballad, and best of all it was sung in the native language, French. I particularly liked the way this song builds up musically and vocally as the song progresses. Furthermore, the staging was perfect; this is an example of a song for which the simplest staging works best. The addition of a little smoke / dry ice, after the second instance of the chorus, was a worthwhile enhancement for the most powerful part of the song. It’ll be interesting to see how this scores with the juries and public on Saturday evening, but for now, France doesn’t need to rely on viewers voting for this performance to get to the final.

Song 6: Austria - Kaleen “We Will Rave”
Back to tonight’s competing entries, which viewers in eligible countries can vote for. Austria has gone for an upbeat entry this year. I like the way in which Kaleen sings the opening verse. The section “So I go go go” to “They will never know”, which I presume to be a pre-chorus, has a beat, and it seems as though the vocals have been distorted in the preview video. The section starting “When the darkness hits and we can’t be saved”, which I presume to be the chorus, is sung in a powerful manner, and is very catchy and memorable. An instrumental section follows before the second verse. The second verse is sung in a similar manner to the first, but this has a beat. This is followed by second instances of the pre-chorus and chorus. As for staging, tonight’s performance featured considerable use of blue light beams or lasers throughout, and flashing lights at times. Rising smoke jets provided the climax to this entry during the final instance of the chorus. Altogether, a very lively, catchy disco song, so it’s hardly there were four dancers on stage for the performance. This is likely to attract plenty of votes from the viewing public, but I think this will struggle in a jury vote. For that reason, this should have no difficulty qualifying in tonight’s televote only semi-final, but this will be totally reliant on viewers votes to get a respectable overall placing on Saturday. I’d like this in the final, and there’s a reasonable chance this will qualify.

Song 7: Denmark - “SAND”
I watched the Danish national final, Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2024 Final live, online from the UK, on Saturday 17 February 2024. The first song to be performed that night, “SAND”, sung by SABA, ended up winning. At the time, I felt this was one to be valued more for being a multi-style light show rather than the song itself. Just like in the DMGP 2024 Final, I liked the introduction, but I think Saba's voice ought to have been in the first verse. Thankfully it was considerably stronger in the chorus. I particularly like the way she sang “Uh-uh-uh-uuh” at various points in the song. In tonight’s Eurovision performance, SABA was on a predominantly dark stage, under a spotlight, and with stage level lights behind her, during the first verse. During the instances of the chorus, there were white and yellow light beams, and bursts of flashing lights at times. In the bridge section, lasers provided a fan effect from both sides of the stage. Being as the song title is “SAND”, it’s hardly surprising that SABA appeared to be dropping sand at various points in the song (whether this was real or simulated is anyone’s guess) and a simulated sandstorm effect could be seen on the background screen for the closing section. Altogether, a powerful, memorable song, with some spectacular lighting effects. I’d like to see this on Saturday night, but I think this is destined to be a borderline qualifier.

Song 8: Armenia - LADANIVA “Jako”
This song is being performed in Armenian; it’s great to hear a country sing in its native language. Looking at the lyrics, it seems as though there is a seven-line verse (whose first line means “They tell me”): and a four-line verse (whose first line means “Come, come, come and join me!”). Apart from that plenty of “La La La” appears in the gaps, presumably to serve as a crude chorus. The rest of the composition is largely instrumental, but it features plenty of eastern style sounds, including a flute (or some other wind instrument) which someone was playing (or perhaps just miming) on stage tonight. During tonight’s performance, the stage floor had a multi-coloured eastern style pattern, which I think suited the style of the song appropriately. However, I’m mystified by the purpose of the stepped platform, with triangular lights on the risers. Altogether, an unusual entry, which seems to be more music than singing. Finally, this must be one of the shortest songs in this year’s Contest, because the preview video is just two minutes and 39 seconds long, including the Eurovision slide at the start. Tonight, I’ve measured this to be two minutes and 26 seconds. I wouldn’t’ mind this in the final, but I wouldn’t miss it if it’s not there. In any case, I have my doubts about this song’s ability to qualify.

A short break followed at this point. The time was now 20:48. The hosts reappeared together and spoke in various languages for a few minutes. After the break ended, they spoke a little longer before introducing the next song.

Song 9: Latvia - Dons “Hollow”
Latvia has gone for a ballad this year. The opening verse is sung quite slowly, and a piano can be heard clearly. Dons sings the chorus in a more powerful manner and various other sounds can be heard. The second verse is sung at a similar pace and vocal level to the first verse, but there is a regular soft beat as well as the piano here. This is followed by a second full instance of the chorus, and finally a couple of lines in a softer voice to close the song. At the start of tonight’s performance, Dons stood in what looked like a giant circular structure, lit by a spotlight. As the song progressed, a river effect momentarily appeared on the stage during the first instance of the pre-chorus, and circular patterns appeared on the background screen during the first instance of the chorus. During the second verse, Dons stepped out of the circular structure and walked forwards, along the stage. During the second instance of the chorus, a tree appeared on the background screen, and there were light beams, in multiple directions, from overhead. Altogether, a good ballad (or perhaps some might call it a power ballad), Dons has an excellent voice and has the talent to sing amazingly well both softly and powerfully live. Furthermore, the simple staging, including lighting and background images, suited this song perfectly. The only problem is, I think this style of song would do well in a jury vote, but struggle in a public vote. I’d like to see this in the final, but I think it will be a miracle for this to qualify, especially in tonight’s televote only semi-final.

Automatic Qualifier 2: Spain - Nebulossa “ZORRA”
The second automatic qualifier to perform on a non-competitive basis tonight, that being Spain. This is a lively, catchy song, from start to finish. I particularly like the musical introduction; this provides the perfect lead-in to the song. The chorus, which starts “Estoy en un buen momento”, is very catchy and memorable. At the start of tonight’s performance, a member of the group appeared to be behind a keyhole, but the block creating the illusion was soon raised. Early on, overhead views showed black and white zig-zag patterns on the stage floor, though I’m mystified as to their significance. Background images included what looked like red patterned wallpaper, and gold Lametta icicles; however, I’m mystified as to the significance of those images. From time to time, the title “ZORRA” was displayed on the background screen. One notable feature is the circular sofa structure, with steps, but again, I’m mystified as to its significance. Apart from that, this performance made good use of white light beams in various directions, and fireworks towards the end provided the perfect climax. Altogether, a catchy, memorable song, well performed and well staged. It’ll be interesting to see how this fares with the juries and public on Saturday evening, but for now, France doesn’t need to rely on viewers voting for this performance to get to the final.

Song 10: San Marino - MEGARA “11:11”
Back to tonight’s competing entries, which viewers in eligible countries can vote for. San Marino has gone for a hard rock song this year. It’s difficult for me to give a fair opinion on this as I don’t like this style generally, but anyway, it’s a very lively, powerful song, and plenty of electronic sounds can be heard at various points in the song. Interestingly, this is being performed predominantly in Spanish, with a few English lines. Tonight’s performance began with a swirling white pattern on the stage floor, which quickly changed to a tiled path pattern. Black trees on a purple background dominated for about two thirds of the song, but at times a cartoon like figure and a dragon appeared on the backgrounds screen. Towards the end, a giant clock, with towers either side, was on the background screen. Unsurprisingly for a song of this style, strobe lighting and smoke effects were included, and flame effects near the end provided the climax to this song. Altogether, a very lively hard rock song; and appropriately staged, you either like this genre or you don’t. The question is, will even hard rock, glam rock or heavy metal fans like this enough to want to vote for this tonight? We all saw what happened to Germany’s Lord of the Lost - “Blood and Glitter” in the Grand Final televote last year. I definitely don’t want this in the final, but if the betting odds at the time of the performance are anything to go by, there is just a slim chance this could slip through.

Song 11: Georgia - Nutsa Buzaladze
According to Wiwibloggs website, Nutsa conveys a powerful message in the song, expressing a metaphorical fight against various negative aspects like wars, envy, and hate. Tonight’s performance began with thunder-like sounds. Just like in the preview video, Nutsa sang the opening lines quite slowly, I liked the various sounds that could be heard between lines there. As she sang these lines, a circle formed, bottom up, on the background screen. The first verse proper has a noticeable beat to it, of rising and falling pitch. The line “Did we build empires, just to watch them burn?” could be interpreted as “Did we build cities, to see them destroyed by war?” There seems to be a slight increase in the tempo on the pre-chorus. In addition to the beat, other sounds can be heard. The first two lines in this block could be seen as a representation of damage being caused by war, and “It's getting harder to breathe” could be seen as “it’s getting increasingly difficult to live one’s life with war in progress”. I particularly like the way in which Nutsa sings the chorus, in a rising and falling pitch. The line “I'm rising from these ashes like a phoenix, yeah” could be interpreted as determination to succeed, despite destruction caused by conflict. The second verse has a good beat to it, and just like in the preview video, Nutsa raised the pitch during “rise higher, and higher, and higher”. Being as the title is “Firefighter”, it's hardly surprising that fire was a key feature of the performance, including simulated flame and smoke effects on the background screen, and actual rising flames around the stage edges at various moments in tonight’s performance. The performance ended with Nutsa being raised on a platform, and a final burst of flames from the stage. As if that wasn’t enough, the four dancers enhanced the song further with their dance routine. Altogether, an excellent song, which presumably could be classed as a power ballad. However, I think you need to read the background information, to understand what this is about, and one needs to be able to interpret the lyrics in connection with the background information. Will viewers, in eligible countries, for whom it’s their first time of seeing or hearing this, want to vote for this tonight? I’d definitely like to see this in the Grand Final, and I think this has a good chance of going through.

Song 12: Belgium - Mustii “Before the Party's Over”
Belgium has gone for a power ballad this year. The opening verse is sung softly, and is accompanied by electronic sounds and gentle beats. The chorus, which starts “Are you still playing the game” is sung in a more powerful manner, and has a faster and stronger beat. However, I’m mystified as to what Mustii means by “the game”. After the second verse and a second instance of the chorus, I like the way Mustii sings “I got a soul on fire”, “I’m gonna make moves tonight”; presumably this serves as a bridge. As far as the staging goes, Mustii was silhouetted, with yellow-tinted cloud effects behind him, and the area of stage behind him lit yellow, at the start of tonight’s performance. It wasn’t long before he was lit properly, and before the first instance of the chorus, he was on a circular platform surrounded by microphones on stands. I’m mystified as to the need for those, and have my doubts as to whether or not they actually worked, because he was singing into a hand-held radio microphone, and knelt down during the second verse. Late in the song, he stepped off the platform, and there were plenty of white light beams from above. The song drew to a close with multiple instances of “Before the party is over”; a simple, but effective way to round off this power ballad. During this outro, smoke effects appeared on the stage, but I question the need for strobe lighting in this part of the song. All in all, a good power ballad, Mustii sang well, but I’m not sure the circle of microphones was the best way to stage this. The question is, can this qualify tonight? I think this may appeal more to juries than the public, in which case this may have difficulty getting enough points to qualify in tonight’s televote only semi-final. I’d definitely like to see this in the final, but I think this is going to be very much a borderline qualifier.

Song 13: Estonia - 5MIINUST x Puuluup “(nendest) narkootikumidest ei tea me (küll) midagi”
The Estonian national final, Eesti Laul 2024, took place on Saturday 17 February 2024, and I watched it online from the UK, on demand, three days later. The winning song, “(nendest) narkootikumidest ei tea me (küll) midagi”, whose title means “We (really) don't know anything about (these) drugs”, is a rock song, which has a powerful beat. Just like at Eesti Laul, the song was performed in Estonian tonight; it’s great to hear Estonia perform in its native language for once. The band members had their unusual stringed instruments for tonight’s performance, though its uncertain whether they were actually playing them, or just miming them. The performance made use of illuminated squares on the background screen and stage floor, which were yellow for most of the song; however, there was an interlude when these were green and purple. Altogether a very lively rock song, which will not be everyone’s taste. Furthermore, having seen an English translation of the lyrics, some of the content, and the song’s title, could be cause for concern for some. This is not my cup of tea at all, and I’d rather this doesn’t qualify, but this could just slip through.

Automatic Qualifier 3: Italy - Angelina Mango “La noia”
The third and final automatic qualifier to perform on a non-competitive basis tonight, that being Italy. This is another song I’ve barely previewed in the run-up to tonight’s semi-final. Tonight’s performance included what looked like flowering thorn tree images on the stage floor and background screen. At times the song’s title was shown on the background screen. The parts which I think must be the chorus and middle eight sound pleasant enough, but I’m less keen on the section that sounded like rap. I’m mystified as to the significance of the unusual sculpture at the back of the stage; presumably it’s there for a purpose. The performance drew to a close with falling fireworks at the back of the stage. Summing up, another unusual entry and performance, and I think I’ll need to do some background reading online to find out more about this song before Saturday, time permitting. With that mind, it makes me wonder how casual viewers, who only watch the Grand Final, without seeing or hearing any of the songs beforehand, will think of this. Time will tell whether this can get votes from juries or viewers on Saturday night, but for now, Italy doesn’t need to rely on viewers voting for this performance to get to the final.

Song 14: Israel - Eden Golan “Hurricane”
Now for the last batch of tonight’s competing entries, which viewers in eligible countries can vote for. I’m aware of the reasons why Israel’s participation at all has been controversial this year, but let’s remember this year’s slogan “United By Music”, cast aside the fact that Eden is representing Israel, and assess this solely on the song’s lyrics, and tonight’s live vocals and staging up against tonight’s other 15 semi-finalists. Just like the preview video, tonight’s performance began with simulated thunder sounds. The first verse and first instance of the pre-chorus are sung softly, whereas the first instance of the chorus is sung in a slightly more powerful manner. I like the way in which some of the chorus lines are performed. The second verse is sung softly, but there are more sounds in this verse compared to the first (including what I think is a tambourine). The second instance of the chorus has a wider variety of musical sounds than the first instance. After an instrumental break, the closing section includes some Hebrew. The centrepiece of tonight’s staging was the giant circular structure, with lights around its outer edge. During the opening verse, Eden was inside the circle, and her dancers momentarily climbed on its outer for part of the chorus. At the start of the second verse, Eden was on the stage itself, and her dancers performed a dance routine. As for lighting, there were some spectacular effects with blue light for most of the song, but for some mysterious reason, the dominant lighting colour changed to yellow in the instrumental break, and remained yellow for the rest of the song. Smoke or dry ice effects provided further enhancement throughout the song. Altogether a pleasant ballad which includes both gentle and more powerful sections, and very well staged tonight. Furthermore, Eden has a beautiful voice, and sang amazingly well live tonight. The sad situation is, external factors, outside the scope of Eurovision, could influence whether people want to vote for this, or refuse to vote for this, tonight. Considering the song qualify, and tonight’s vocals and staging (and nothing else), up against tonight’s other competitors, I think this ought to be in the final, it’s questionable whether this can qualify or not.

Song 15: Norway - Gåte “Ulveham”
I watched the Norwegian national final, Melodi Grand Prix 2024 Final live, online from the UK, on 3 February 2024. Interestingly, the lyrics of this song had to be rewritten for the MGP Final. Just like at MGP Final, this was performed in Norwegian tonight. This is good, because I think performing this song in any other language would spoil it. Just like at MGP, the lead singer performed this on a plinth, with rocks, however I'm mystified as to the significance of that plinth. Early on, she was surrounded by a cone of narrow light beams. During the choruses, there was considerable use of flashing lights and lasers. In addition, some spectacular wave effects appeared on the background screen during the choruses. As if the lighting effects and screen images weren’t enough, smoke or dry ice provided further enhancement throughout the performance. One member of the band had an unusual stringed instrument, one had an electric guitar and another was seated at a drumkit, but it’s unclear as to whether they were actually playing, or just miming, their instruments on this occasion. All in all, a rather unusual entry, consisting of rock and some softer parts, so viewers will either like this or they won’t. The lead singer's voice is quite beautiful in the verses, but during the MGP Final, I thought she was too screechy for my liking on each instance of the chorus. For some reason, she didn’t seem quite so screechy tonight. I’d like to see this in the final, and I think there’s a good chance this will be there.

Song 16: Netherlands - Joost Klein “Europapa”
The final song in the line-up already; it’s amazing how time flies! the Netherlands. It’s quite a lively entry, though it contains spoken rap and sung sections. The song was performed in Dutch; it’s great to hear a country perform in its native language. Looking at an English translation of the lyrics, the gist of this is it’s about visiting various locations in Europe. The background screen showed part of a globe, with Europe visible, on the background screen at the start. Later background screen images included European locations or items associated with various European countries, e.g. spaghetti Bolognese, fish and chips. At certain points the title Europapa was displayed multiple time on the background screen. Apart form that, there was considerable use of flashing lights, and dancing at times. Near the end, this fast-paced entry slowed down considerably, and going by the in-vision English subtitles that appeared, it seemed as though Joost used this end section as a tribute to his father. All in all, quite a lively, albeit unusual, entry to close this show. Viewers will either like this or they won’t. I personally don’t like this at all, and I’d rather this doesn’t qualify. However, if the bookmakers’ odds are anything to go by, not only is this almost guaranteed to qualify tonight, but this is most likely to win tonight.

Televoting and Recap
After the songs finished, the hosts reappeared to announce the start of the voting at 21:35 BST. Some fireworks appeared at the back of the stage, and a message “Start Voting Now” appeared on the background screen. A recap of the songs followed. The UK was unable to vote in tonight's semi-final, and therefore UK viewers saw a message "UK VIEWERS CANNOT VOTE TONIGHT", and “Please do not call, your vote won’t count” underneath, at the bottom of the screen during the recap. Lines closed 21:50.

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My Preferences
Here are my preferences, based solely on all of tonight's performances:
Definitely want to qualify: Malta, Albania, Switzerland, Austria, Denmark, Latvia, Georgia, Belgium, Israel, Norway.
Wouldn't mind qualifying: Czechia, Armenia.
Prefer not to qualify: Greece, Estonia, Netherlands.
Definitely don't want to qualify: San Marino.

So, these are the ones I want to see Saturday night: Malta, Albania, Switzerland, Austria, Denmark, Latvia, Georgia, Belgium, Israel, Norway.

My Qualification Predictions
Here are my predictions of which countries will and won’t qualify, based solely on all of tonight's performances:
Almost certain qualifiers: Switzerland, Netherlands.
Likely qualifiers: Greece, Armenia, Georgia, Norway.
May qualify: Malta, Czechia, Austria, Denmark, San Marino, Belgium, Estonia, Israel.
Highly unlikely to qualify: Albania Latvia.

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Eurovision Song Contest 2024 Second Semi-Final Results
Here are the results, which were announced in a random order before 22:00 BST. Any use of "tonight" still means Thursday 9 May 2024.

My desired qualifiers: Malta, Albania, Switzerland, Austria, Denmark, Latvia, Georgia, Belgium, Israel, Norway.

Actual qualifiers (in order of announcement): Latvia, Austria, Netherlands, Norway, Israel, Greece, Estonia, Switzerland, Georgia, Armenia.

Bold entries represent the actual qualifiers that match my “Definitely want to qualify” preferences, and italic entries represent the ones that match my “Wouldn't mind qualifying” preferences.

OUT: Malta, Albania, Czechia, Denmark, San Marino, Belgium.

I’m glad Latvia qualified because Dons is a talented singer to be able to perform the way he did, and I think “Hollow” is a good ballad. I thought he had almost no chance of qualifying, but amazingly, he did. It just goes to show, anything is possible at Eurovision. I’m glad Israel also qualified, because Eden Golan is a talented, young singer, and her entry “Hurricane” is a pleasant ballad. Taking the lyrics of “Hurricane”, and how well Eden performed live, along with the staging, I think she genuinely deserves a place in the final.

Well done to also to Switzerland, Austria, Georgia and Norway all of whom had some amazing songs. It’s quite a diverse range really. I admit that some parts of Norway’s song that I like and some parts I’m less keen on, but with the way it’s been staged is a perfect package for this year.

So that means six of my ten “Definitely want to qualify” countries’ songs went through. Not bad I suppose. Sadly, Malta, Albania, Denmark and Belgium didn’t make it. Still, millions of other Eurovision fans around the world have different musical tastes to me, and without a shadow of a doubt, many must have liked some of the songs I didn’t want in the final. At the end of the day, I cannot expect to have all the songs I want in the final.

Anyway, no matter how I personally feel about which countries' songs went thorough and which ones didn't, all the artists who performed tonight deserve equal respect. Congratulations to the ten countries which qualified to the final, and commiserations to the six which failed to reach the final. So that means all 26 finalists are now confirmed and 11 countries have been eliminated (but will still vote in the final). Roll on the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 Grand Final at 20:00 BST Saturday evening.

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Wednesday 8 May 2024

Eurovision Song Contest 2024 First Semi-Final

Host country: Sweden (SVT)
Venue: Malmö Arena, Malmö, Sweden
Hosts: Petra Mede, Malin Åkerman
Date: Tuesday 7 May 2024

N.B. Any use of “tonight” or “this evening” throughout this post means Tuesday 7 May 2024. All times in this post are in BST.

The Opening
After the usual Eurovision ident, accompanied by Charpentier's Te Deum prelude, the First Semi-Final First Semi-Final began with an opening sequence, showing clips of past Eurovision winners receiving points, followed by a postcard sequence. The first official opening act featured former participants performing shortened versions of their entries, those being Eleni Foureira - “Fuego” (Cyprus 2018), Eric Saade - “Popular” (Sweden 2011) and Chanel - “SloMo” (Spain 2022). At 20:08 the hosts Malin Åkerman and Petra Mede appeared on stage to give their opening speeches.

The Songs
13 minutes after the start of the show (20:13 BST) it was time for the first song. Each song was introduced by a postcard film related to the appropriate country.

Song 1: Cyprus - Silia Kapsis “Liar”
It’s difficult being the first to perform, but someone has to sing first. The entry began with an overhead view of the stage, to show a turquoise circular pattern, which shrunk inwards. Unsurprisingly, there were some Greek style sounds during the first verse which, just like in the preview video, was sung quite softly tonight. A beat began in the first instance of the section starting “Should’ve known that you are a liar”. I particularly liked the section “Because of you”, “I'll make it through”, which appeared just before each instance of the chorus. As for the chorus itself, that was very lively and catchy, with a fast and powerful beat. The second verse also had a beat to it, and Greek style sounds could be heard during that verse. Between the second and third instances of the chorus, there was an instrumental break, with a powerful beat, and Silia fitted in a few instances of “Yeah, Yeah, Yeah”. This part of the song included considerable use of flashing lights. Altogether, a very lively, catchy song; the perfect way to start the show. During tonight’s performance, Silia managed to sing powerfully enough to overcome the beat which featured in much of the song. There were some spectacular turquoise patterns on the background screen and stage floor for much of the song, some of which included swirling and fountain effects, but for some mysterious reason these changed red for the final instance of the chorus. Unsurprisingly, there were dancers on stage, and their dance routine provided further enhancement to the performance. I’d definitely like to see this on Saturday evening, and there’s a good chance this will qualify.

Song 2: Serbia - TEYA DORA “RAMONDA”
Now for something totally different, a ballad. I liked the introduction, and the zooming through the cloud effect which appeared at the start of the performance. When Teya started singing, she was sitting on an artificial rock. However, the rippling water effect must have been graphically simulated on the stage floor. Just like in the preview video, the opening verse was sung softly. I particularly liked the way Teya sang the lines “A nema ko da vodi me”, “do svetle zvezde Danice”, which mean “And there is no one to guide me”, “Towards the bright North Star”. By the start of the first instance of the chorus, which consists of multiple instances of “Lila ramonda”, Teya was standing, but the rock could still be seen behind her. She sang this in a more powerful manner, and overhead views showed some spectacular radiating patterns on the stage floor. I question the need for the strobe lighting during the second verse, but evidently the lighting designer felt they fitted in here somehow. During the next instance of the chorus, the first two lines were sung softly, and the rest was sung more powerfully. Presumably this was a way of providing some variation in a chorus which may otherwise have been seen as repetitive. Finally, the two lines at the end, sung softly, were the perfect way to close this song. Teya sat back on the rock, and a graphically simulated flower grew on the background screen at this point. Altogether, a beautiful ballad, some of which is sung softly, but there are some more powerful parts. I’d like to see this on Saturday evening. The only problem is, I think this is a song which would do well in a jury vote, but could struggle to get votes from the public, and tonight’s result decided by public voting only.

Song 3: Lithuania - Silvester Belt “Luktelk”
Eurovizija.LT 2024 Final took place on Saturday 17 February 2024, and I watched it online from the UK, on demand, one day late. The winner was Silvester Belt - Luktelk. According to the Eurovision website, Luktelk (which means ‘wait’/’hold on’) is about being stuck in limbo between two stages of barely existing and feeling alive, when you have to hold on and dance through whatever life throws at you. Tonight’s performance was staged much like the national final performance: blue / black background patterns during the verses, and red / black patterns during the pre-choruses and choruses. The colour scheme for the instrumental break was rapid flashing blue and red, just like in the in national final performance. Just like in the national final, the song was performed in Lithuanian at Eurovision. I’m glad it stayed in Lithuanian; I think performing this in English or any other language would have spoiled it. Altogether a lively, catchy song, with plenty of electronic sounds, and a powerful beat. The chorus is simple and memorable; “Luktelk luktelk, dar vieną minutę luktelk.”, which means “Wait up, wait up, Just another minute”. I’d definitely like to see this in the Grand Final, and there’s a good chance it will be there.

Song 4: Ireland - Bambie Thug “Doomsday Blue”
Ireland are trying something out of the ordinary this year. It’s unclear whether Bambie was singing or talking in the opening section. The three-line section starting “I, I, I know you’re living a lie” is very unusual, I personally don’t like this style, but presumably there are enough people in the world who enjoy this style. Anyway, Bambie was on a predominantly dark stage, with strobe lighting (which presumably simulated sheet lightning), during the first instance of this The section “I, I, I guess you’d rather have a star than the moon” to “I’m down, down, in my Doomsday blue” is more down to Earth, in that it’s what I’d call typical singing. Presumably this is a chorus, as more instances of this section appear later, but anyway, the last line of this section is where the title is mentioned. Lighting was static, and a moon appeared on the background screen during this part of the song. Later, the section “For your romance” to “Compared to the others is doom” was sung in a rather haunted manner, with some siren sounds in the background. For some reason, static red lighting featured here. Presumably this serves as a bridge. After several instances of “Blue”, accompanied by flashing blue light, the song ended with “Avada Kadavra I speak to destroy!”, which sounded as though Bambie is almost screaming, albeit very softly. Flames appeared during this closing section, and Crown The Witch, in capital letters and a rater unusual font, appeared on the background screen right at the end. Altogether a very unusual style of song; with a mixture of styles; RTE is taking a risk sending this to Eurovision. One may like this in whole, in part or not at all, depending on one’s musical taste, but time will tell how this fares tonight. I’d rather this doesn’t qualify, but mark my words, this could well slip through because it’s so unusual.

A short break followed at this point. The time was now 20:29. The hosts reappeared for a short speech. Petra mentioned some Eurovision trivia. This break ended at 20:32.

Automatic Qualifier 1: United Kingdom - Olly Alexander “Dizzy”
For the first time ever, the artists representing the countries pre-qualified for the Grand Final performed their entries live, in full, on a non-competitive basis, between competing entries in the semi-final. The first of tonight’s automatic qualifiers was Olly Alexander from the United Kingdom. At the start, Olly appeared to be upside-down sitting, and then walking around, in a box. This box consisted of what looked like tiled walls on the side panels, and illuminated squares on the top and bottom. By the first instance of the chorus Olly was upright. A spinning galaxy of stars could be seen at the back of the box, which was tilted left and right, during the chorus. This in itself must have confused some viewers. During the instrumental break the box was shown upside-down, and some background voices could be heard. When Olly was shown upright after that, an eclipsed sun could be seen at the back. During the final instance of the chorus, Olly and his four dancers were on the open stage, with spinning circular patterns. A quick burst of fireworks was the perfect end to the performance. From a technical point of view, it’s obvious that the upside-down and tilted views, seen by TV viewers were either created by turning the camera upside-down or on an angle, or alternatively the camera could have been kept upright, with the digital video images inverted or tilted using a computer, but how were the audience in the Arena able to see the inverted views? As for the song itself, the verses have a heartbeat like sound in the background, whereas the chorus is quite catchy, with a beat and what sounds like bells. All in all, this is one to be valued more for the staging than for the song itself, which could be seen as an average, radio friendly pop song. As for the outfits, Olly in his white vest and red trousers, with his four dancers topless with red shorts on, may not please some. Time will tell how this scrores on Saturday night. At least the United Kingdom doesn’t need to rely on viewers voting for this performance to get to the final.

Song 5: Ukraine - alyona alyona & Jerry Heil “Teresa & Maria”
Back to tonight’s competing entries, which viewers in eligible countries can vote for. I like the introduction, including the “ooh-ooh” sounds. The song is mostly in Ukrainian, with some English lines. I like the opening verse, and the chorus sounds quite bouncy. Interestingly, the chorus references Mother Teresa and Diva Maria. The first two lines mean “Mother Teresa and Diva Maria are with us, Barefoot, as if on a blade, they walked on the ground”. The early part of the song showed what looked like flowing lava in the centre of the background screen, with cliffs either side. During the first instance of the chorus, one singer performed on what looked like a rock ramp, and golden shooting star effects, with after-trails, were shown on the background screen. I’m less keen on the rap section, and question its need, but that said, rap worked well with Ukrainian folk in Kalush Orchestra’s entry two years ago. Furthermore, I question the need for the strobe lighting during the rap section. The next instance of the chorus included gold marble like effects on the stage floor. The song closed with more eastern style sounds and some “ooh ooh” sounds. Altoghter this is the sort of style Ukraine tend to send, and it was very well sung and staged tonight. Despite my dislike for the rap, I’d still like to see this in the Grand Final, because what I like about the other parts far outweighs my dislike for the rap. In any case, this is almost certain to be there. See you Saturday alyona alyona & Jerry Heil

Song 6: Poland - LUNA “The Tower”
The opening section has a beat. The chorus is sung a bit more powerfully, and I like the way in which it’s sung, particularly the lines “Rise up, shout it louder, I'm the one who built the tower”. The most notable stage feature was two towers which represent rooks (or castles). In addition, a moon, stars and clouds appeared on the stage for much of the performance. The fireworks, during the last instance of chorus, provided the climax to this song. LUNA was joined by two others, one dressed in white and one in black, and both wore crowns. Presumably they represented bishops or kings on a chess game. A horse could be seen at some points, presumably representing a knight. On the whole, this is certainly quite a lively song, with a very catchy, easy to remember chorus, and tonight’s performance featured some amazing staging, including the chessboard effect on the stage floor. However, I think many will see this as a run-of-the-mill pop song. I think the vocals could have been stronger. Perhaps it’s best if this doesn’t qualify, but this could slip through due to the staging, and this is the sort of song which could well attract televotes.

Song 7: Croatia - Baby Lasagna “Rim Tim Tagi Dim”
I watched the Croatian national final, Dora 2024 Final live, online from the UK, on Sunday 25 February 2024. This was the hot favourite to win Dora 2024 Final during the run-up to, and throughout, the show. It’s difficult for me to judge this fairly as I don’t normally like this style. It's got a powerful beat throughout. At the time I "half liked" the chorus (but could just tolerate the rest). Having heard this a few times recently, I’m beginning to like this a little more now. According to the Eurovision website, singer-songwriter Marko tries, for those who listen carefully, to convey a deeper message about the worries and sufferings of our environment. This is reflected in the chorus with the lines “There’s no going back, My anxiety attacks”. Having previously looked at the song’s lyrics in several languages on Eurovision World, the title stays the same; therefore, it appears to me as though the title is untranslatable. Tonight’s staging included considerable use of smoke / steam jets, and flame effects during the latter stages of the song. Neon style images of farm animals, in various colours, appeared on the background screen at times, and various coloured shapes appeared on the stage floor. A burst of fireworks rounded off the performance. By far, this is definitely the liveliest of the songs so far. After tonight’s performance, I’m not sure whether I personally want this in the final or not, but this is almost guaranteed to be there. In fact, this is currently the hot favourite to win tonight, and also to win on Saturday night.

Song 8: Iceland - Hera Björk “Scared of Heights”
I watched the Icelandic national final, Söngvakeppnin 2024 live, online from the UK, on Saturday 2 March 2024. “Scared of Heights” is what I would call a country song. There is a regular beat during the first verse and first instance of the pre-chorus. The beat is more powerful, and varied, during the chorus, and I like the way Hera sings the chorus lines (which vary in length) in rising and falling pitch. Tonight’s performance made considerable use of golden light beams (which may have been lasers), and golden triangle images appeared on the background screen during the instances of the chorus. About two thirds of the way through, red light beecame dominant, and near the end, some fireworks appeared whilst Hera performed atop a column. Altogether a likeable song, with a really catchy chorus. However, compared to some of tonight’s other semi-finalists, this could be seen as an average, run-of-the-mill song, and not competitive enough to qualify. I wouldn’t mind this in the final, but I wouldn’t mind if it’s not there. In any case, I think it would be a miracle for this to qualify.

A short break followed at this point. The time was now 20:54. The BBC showed highlights of Liverpool 2023. Presumably these images were only seen by UK viewers. After the break, Petra spoke briefly before introducing the next song.

Automatic Qualifier 2: Germany- ISAAK “Always On The Run”
The second automatic qualifier to perform on a non-competitive basis tonight. I watched Germany’s national final, Das Deutsche Finale 2024 live, online from the UK, on Friday 16 February 2024. During the opening lines, ISAAK left a pause in place of the offensive word he had to remove. I think he should have thought of an acceptable substitute word to replace the disallowed word. There is a powerful beat after the opening lines have been performed. The chorus, which starts from the line “I'm always on the run, run, run, run” is sung in quite a powerful manner, particularly the three lines “Run-un-a-eh, run-un-a-eh”. Tonight’s staging included what looked like troughs with frames above them to resemble a room. For some mysterious reason, fire seemed to be a dominant feature of the performance. During the opening lines, a tank with fire could be seen in one corner. Flames appeared in the tanks at the start of the first instance of the chorus, and burned until the end of the second instance of the chorus. Rising flames from the stage floor also appeared during the choruses. After the second instance of the chorus was the block “Run from the silence” to “Can't do this anymore”. Two instances of this block were sung softly and slowly, presumably to serve as a bridge, and a further two instances of this block (with backing) were sung in a powerful manner (presumably to serve as an outro). Altogether, a lively, powerful song, and if nothing else, this will be remembered for considerable use of fire. It’ll be interesting to see how well (or badly) this does on Saturday night, but for now, Germany doesn’t need to rely on viewers voting for this performance to get to the final.

Song 9: Slovenia - Raiven “Veronika”
Back to tonight’s competing entries, which viewers in eligible countries can vote for. It’s unclear what type of song this is; presumably this is a power ballad. I like the way the opening section is sung softly. The first two lines mean “I hid in the river. And went into the silent night.” This clearly explains the significance of the person underwater in the preview video. However, the chorus, which has a beat, is sung in a powerful and somewhat unusual manner, which I’m not particularly keen on. The second verse (if it can be called that) seems to be louder than the opening verse, and this is followed by another instance of the chorus. As for the staging tonight, blue light streaks appeared on the background screen, and on the stage floor, during the opening section. Clouds appeared on the background screen during the first and second instances of the chorus, and sea foam and waves appeared on the background screen during the second verse. The climax was towards the end, when some flashing lights were used. I’d rather this doesn’t appear in the final. It’s questionable whether or not this can qualify; no doubt some will like this enough to want to vote for it, but I think this is destined to be a borderline qualifier.

Song 10: Finland - Windows95man “No Rules!”
I watched the Finnish national final, Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu, otherwise known as UMK, live, online from the UK, on Saturday 10 February 2024. “No Rules!” is a lively, high tempo song. After winning UMK, it was questionable whether or not Windows95man, whose real name is Teemu Keister, would be allowed to call himself Windows95man at Eurovision. Fortunately, he was allowed to perform under that name in Malmö. The chorus sung rapidly, and is highly memorable. Just like at UMK, I liked the way they had a giant egg, covered in denim, at the start, which opened to reveal Windows95man dressed in a Microsoft Windows 95 cap and T-shirt (albeit with the Windows 95 logos pixellated), and the associate singer dressed as what presumably is a bird. During tonight’s performance, some viewers may have been alarmed what Windows95man was wearing (or lack of?) below his T-shirt, until his denim shorts were within reach near the end. In fact, was the use of the clipboard as a hiding device at one point planned or an unexpected necessity? All in all, a very lively, catchy fun song, which will be difficult to forget. The question is, some may express their concern at the line “I don't even care what's wrong or right”. This is likely to pick up plenty of votes from the public, so being as tonight is televote only, this has a high chance of qualifying, but I think the professional juries may mark this down for its lyrics on Saturday.

Song 11: Moldova - Natalia Barbu “In The Middle”
Moldova has gone for a ballad this year. Just like in the preview video, the opening section was sung softly tonight. The chorus, which starts “I want you to be happy all of your life”, was sung in a slightly more powerful manner and a beat could be heard. I particularly liked the way the post chorus, consisting of “Tararararararararara aaua” multiple times, was sung. By far, this was the most memorable moment, and the perfect hook, for this song. As for the staging, Natalia performed on what looked like a graphically simulated island on the stage floor. After the first instance of “Tararararararararara aaua”, graphically simulated flowering plants appeared on the island, and a flowering tree “grew” on the background screen. On the second instance of “Tararararararararara aaua”, butterflies could be seen on the background screen and cubes above the stage. Just like in the preview video, Natalia appeared to play a violin during what must have been the instrumental break, but it’s unclear whether she was actually bowing it or just miming it. Anyway, giant birds’ wings appeared either side of her in the background. The song ended with a final instance of “Tararararararararara aaua”, accompanied by various background screen and stage floor images, and light beams. Altogether a pleasant song, almost far eastern style, and Natalia has a beautiful voice. The amazing, life-like background images provided further enhancement, but I have my doubts as to whether or not this can qualify. I wouldn’t mind this in the final, but I wouldn’t miss it if it’s not there.

At this point the hosts spoke for a moment before introducing the next song.

Automatic Qualifier 3: Sweden - Marcus & Martinus “Unforgettable”
The third and final automatic qualifier to perform on a non-competitive basis tonight, that being this year’s host country Sweden. I watched the Swedish national final, Melodifestivalen 2024 Final, live online from the UK, Saturday 9 March 2024. The song “Unforgettable” has plenty of electronic sounds. The chorus is catchy, albeit a bit repetitive. Just like the Melodifestivalen performance, tonight’s Eurovision performance featured plenty of grids on the stage floor, in white or cyan, with white numbers and letters on the background screen at times, though I’m mystified as to their significance. It's hardly surprising this was performed on a dark stage, in order for the lines and numbers to show up clearly. There were times when the title Unforgettable appeared on the background screen, in capital letters. Late in the song, various error messages appeared there for some mysterious reason. Altogether quite a lively host entry, but how will this fare with the juries and the public in all the other countries on Saturday? Time will tell. Whatever the line-up of countries on Saturday, we already know this will be the opening song that night. For now, Sweden doesn’t need to rely on viewers voting for this semi-final performance to get to the final.

Song 12: Azerbaijan - FAHREE feat. Ilkin Dovlatov “Özünlə Apar”
After Azerbaijan tried a 1960s Beatles / Marmalade / Dave Clark Five style rock ‘n’ roll song, with rap thrown in for good measure, only to be eliminated in their semi-final last year, İctimai has gone back to their usual sort of musical style this year. “Özünlə Apar” is a ballad, which is mostly in English, but the chorus is in Azerbaijani. During the opening section, electronic and eastern style sounds can be heard. A beat can be heard during the section starting “Hold my heart in your hands,”; presumably this must be a pre-chorus. I particularly like the way in which FAHREE sings the chorus in Azerbaijani; it consists of: “Gəl özünlə apar, Sənsiz göy mənə dar”. This means “Come take me with you, Even the sky is not wide enough for me”. The instrumental break features more eastern style sounds. After another instance of the pre-chorus, the song ended with another instance of the chorus. For the Eurovision performance, the dominant feature on the background screen was the giant head, which rose up at the start and stayed there throughout the performance. A white arch could be seen above the giant head there. In addition, giant hands were placed on the stage. Personally, I thought the giant head in the background made FAHREE look tiny at times. I question the need for the strobe lighting which appeared during the instrumental break; such lighting looks out of place in a ballad like this. Altogether a good eastern style ballad, featuring plenty of eastern style sounds, and it’s great that some use of the Azerbaijani language has been included for once. Furthermore, this was very well sung tonight. The question is, can this qualify? I think this would do well in a jury vote, but this will struggle to get votes from viewers at home in the semi-final or final, and that will be a problem because tonight’s result is being determined by televoting only. I’d very much like this in the final on Saturday, but without a jury vote tonight, it’ll be a miracle for this to qualify.

Song 13: Australia - Electric Fields “One Milkali (One Blood)”
Australia has gone for an upbeat song this year. Just like in the preview video, the song was sung in quite a powerful manner tonight. Notable features of the song itself are a powerful beat most of the way though, a lively and catchy chorus and didgeridoo sounds late in the song. In fact, someone appeared to be playing (or miming) a didgeridoo on stage during the song tonight. A red and yellow starry effect appeared on the background and stage, which formed a spiral effect at times. Near the end of the song, some lyrics appeared on the background screen and cubes above the stage. Right at the end, Milkali La, with One Blood underneath, appeared on the background screen in block capitals. All in all, a powerful and memorable song, and very well sung tonight, but I think there was room for improvement with the staging, e.g. background images. I’d like to see this in the final, but if recent bookmakers’ odds of this qualifying are anything to go by, I think this will be very much borderline between just scraping through or just missing out. Will enough viewers want to vote for this tonight, or will people see this as too run-of-the-mill or average to want to vote for this? Time will tell.

Song 14: Portugal - iolanda “Grito”
The Portuguese national final, Festival da Canção 2024 Final, took place on Saturday 9 March 2024, and I watched it on demand, online from the UK, the following evening (10 March 2024). The winner, out of 12 finalist songs, was “Grito”, sung by iolanda. The song began by being sung in a slow and gentle manner, but gradually built up to a comparatively lively middle section. That middle section had quite a powerful beat. Just like at Festival da Canção, iolanda was accompanied by dancers tonight. Their dance routine fitted that middle section of the song well. Near the end, this drew to a close by returning to singing at a gentler and slower pace. Altogether quite an unusual song, it’s great to hear Portugal bring its traditional musical style to Eurovision. Interestingly, iolanda and her dancers all wore white for tonight’s performance. I’d definitely like to see this in Saturday’s final, but I think this is another song which will do well in a jury vote, but struggle in a public vote, so in tonight’s televote only semi-final, I have my doubts as to whether or not this can qualify.

Song 15: Luxembourg - TALI “Fighter”
It’s wonderful, if not unthinkable, to see Luxembourg back for the first time since 1993. I watched the Luxembourgish national final, Luxembourg Song Contest 2024, live, online from the UK, on 27 January 2024. Just like in the national final, the song was performed in a mixture of French and English tonight. The French lines were sung rather fast; it seemed as though Tali wanted to cram a lot of French into the permitted time. The choruses are powerful and lively, with a good beat. Just like in the national final, tonight’s performance featured flame effects on stage during the first instance of the chorus. Strobe lighting was used towards the end of the first two instances of the chorus. At the start of the second verses, mountains were graphically simulated on the background screen, though I’m mystified as to their significance. At the start of the second instance of the chorus, cheetahs (or leopards) appeared on the stage graphically (presumably, augmented reality), but I’m mystified as to their significance. Just like the preview video, tonight’s performance drew to a close with a soft, slow version of the chorus, on a predominantly dark stage (with spotlights), followed by the usual lively version of the chorus on a fully lit stage. More flame effects appeared on stage during the final lively instance of the chorus. “Et voilà” provided the perfect ending for this song. Altogether, a lively, catchy song, with an unforgettable chorus, and very well staged and performed tonight. As if that wasn’t enough, the dance routine, performed by the five dancers, provided further enhancement. The question is, will this qualify tonight? Will some see “Fighter” as another generic pop song, and thus not vote for it, or will they like it and vote for it because they genuinely feel it’s a good song, or might they vote for Luxembourg on sympathy grounds to welcome them back after their exceptionally long absence? Time will tell. I for one definitely want to see this on Saturday night, not just because this is their first entry since 1993, but because I feel this is one of the better songs tonight which genuinely deserves a place in the Grand Final. However, I think this could be another maybe qualifier.

Televoting and Recap
After the songs finished, the hosts reappeared to announce the start of the voting at 21:37 BST. Some fireworks appeared at the back of the stage, and a message “Start Voting Now” appeared on the background screen. A recap of the songs followed. The UK voted in tonight's semi-final, and therefore UK viewers saw the voting numbers at the bottom of the screen during the recap.

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My Preferences
Here are my preferences, based solely on all of tonight's performances:
Definitely want to qualify: Cyprus, Serbia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Australia, Portugal, Luxembourg.
Wouldn't mind qualifying: Croatia, Iceland, Finland, Moldova.
Prefer not to qualify: Poland, Slovenia.
Definitely don't want to qualify: Ireland.

So, these are the ones I want to see Saturday night: Cyprus, Serbia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Australia, Portugal, Luxembourg, plus two (and no more) of Croatia, Iceland, Finland, Moldova.

The UK voted this evening; I voted for: Lithuania, Ukraine, Cyprus, Portugal, Azerbaijan, Luxembourg, Australia.

My Qualification Predictions
Here are my predictions of which countries will and won’t qualify, based solely on all of tonight's performances:
Almost certain qualifiers: Lithuania, Ukraine, Croatia.
Likely qualifiers: Cyprus, Ireland, Finland.
May qualify: Serbia, Poland, Slovenia, Moldova, Australia, Portugal, Luxembourg.
Highly unlikely to qualify: Iceland, Azerbaijan.

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Eurovision Song Contest 2024 First Semi-Final Results

Here are the results, which were announced in a random order before 22:00 BST. Any use of "tonight" still means Tuesday 7 May 2024.

My desired qualifiers: Cyprus, Serbia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Australia, Portugal, Luxembourg, plus two (and no more) of Croatia, Iceland, Finland, Moldova.

Actual qualifiers (in order of announcement): Serbia, Portugal, Slovenia, Ukraine, Lithuania, Finland, Cyprus, Croatia, Ireland, Luxembourg.

Bold entries represent the actual qualifiers that match my “Definitely want to qualify” preferences, and italic entries represent the ones that match my “Wouldn't mind qualifying” preferences.

OUT: Poland, Iceland, Moldova, Azerbaijan, Australia.

I’m overjoyed that Luxembourg is through; as far as I’m concerned, it would have been a shame of them to fail to qualify after their long absence, especially as their entry was so lively, catchy and well-performed and staged. They genuinely deserved a place in the final. I’m glad Cyprus and Lithuania as they too had lively, catchy entries. I’m also glad Serbia, Ukraine and Portugal qualified as their songs reflected their own cultures. Although I thought Ukraine’s entry was among the ones most likely to qualify tonight, I had my doubts about Serbia and Portugal qualifying, as I thought their ballads would struggle to get votes from the public. Evidently there are plenty of other people besides me who decided to vote for their beautiful ballads.

The one song I didn’t want in the final was Ireland, because their entry “Doomsday Blue” is not my taste at all. Some parts are okay, but some parts I really can’t stand. Still, plenty of people evidently liked it enough to want to vote for it tonight. At least this is Ireland’s first time of qualifying to the Grand Final for the first time since 2018.

So that means six of my eight “Definitely want to qualify” countries’ songs went through. Not bad I suppose. The only ones which didn’t qualify were Azerbaijan and Australia. At the end of the day, I cannot expect to have all the songs I want in the final.

Anyway, no matter how I personally feel about which countries' songs went thorough and which ones didn't, all the artists who performed tonight deserve equal respect. Congratulations to the ten countries which qualified to the final, and commiserations to the five which failed to reach the final. So, that means sixteen finalists are now confirmed and five countries have been eliminated. Another sixteen countries will battle it out for the ten remaining places on Thursday evening.

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Sunday 5 May 2024

Eurovision Song Contest League Tables 2023

Most Top Ten Places
I've compiled a league table of all the countries that have ever participated in the Eurovision Song Contest one or more times at some point from 1956 to 2023. The way it works is simple.

If a country wins a particular year (like Sweden did in 2023), it scores 12 points for that year. Other top ten countries in a particular year receive the following number of points for that year: 2nd = 10 points, 3rd = 8 points, 4th = 7 points, 5th = 6 points, 6th = 5 points, 7th = 4 points, 8th = 3 points, 9th = 2 points, 10th = 1 point. Any country placed 11th or below receives zero points for that year! N.B. For my analysis, in 1956 Switzerland has been given 12 points for winning, but the other 6 unplaced countries were flagged as Unplaced, and thus awarded no league table points for that year.

Where multiple countries have tied for a particular total, I have taken their best ever places into consideration. For example, Finland and Yugoslavia both have 58 points. Finland and Yugoslavia have both won once each, but Finland has finished second once, whereas Yugoslavia has never finished second, hence Finland is ranked higher than Yugoslavia. Where necessary, third, fourth and subsequent places down to 27th are also considered.

Countries that have appeared in a grand final but have never had a top ten grand final placing (and hence have a league table total of 0) are ranked on their best final placing below 10th. Countries which debuted 2004 onwards and never reached the final (and hence have a league table total of 0) are ranked on their best ever semi-final placing (currently the only such country is Andorra).

N.B. From 1956 to 2003 inclusive there was only one show. There was one semi-final plus a grand final from 2004 to 2007 inclusive, and two semi-finals plus a grand final from 2008 onwards. For the purposes of this post, the term "final" or "grand final" includes the single shows from 1956 to 2003 inclusive and grand finals from 2004 to present.

The above is done for each year a country has participated, and all their scores added up. As you can see, despite the UK's poor performance since 1999, with few exceptions, it still tops the league table with 323 points.

Rank

Country

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

5th

6th

7th

8th

9th

10th

Total

1

United Kingdom

5

16

3

5

1

2

5

1

1

3

323

2

Sweden

7

1

6

3

10

1

4

4

2

5

265

3

France

5

5

7

7

2

1

2

5

0

3

258

4

Italy

3

3

5

3

5

6

4

2

3

1

216

5

Ireland

7

4

1

3

3

3

2

2

2

4

208

6

Germany

2

4

5

4

2

3

2

8

3

2

199

7

Switzerland

2

3

4

6

2

3

0

5

1

2

174

8

Denmark

3

1

3

2

5

2

1

3

4

2

147

9

Spain

2

4

2

2

1

4

2

1

4

7

146

10

Netherlands

5

1

1

2

2

2

3

1

6

2

143

11

Israel

4

2

2

2

2

2

3

2

2

0

142

12

Norway

3

1

1

3

4

2

2

4

3

3

138

13

Luxembourg

5

0

2

5

1

1

1

1

2

2

135

14

Belgium

1

2

0

4

2

4

5

3

1

3

126

15

Russia

1

4

4

0

1

0

1

0

2

1

99

16

Austria

2

0

1

1

4

2

2

2

3

5

98

17

Monaco

1

1

3

3

2

1

1

2

1

1

97

18

Ukraine

3

2

1

1

1

2

1

0

0

1

92

19

Greece

1

0

3

0

2

1

3

5

3

2

88

20

Malta

0

2

2

0

1

1

1

3

2

2

66

21

Turkey

1

1

1

3

0

0

2

0

1

1

62

22

Estonia

1

0

1

1

1

3

1

3

0

0

61

23

Finland

1

1

0

0

0

2

4

1

2

3

58

24

Yugoslavia

1

0

0

3

0

1

3

2

1

0

58

25

Azerbaijan

1

1

1

1

1

0

0

2

0

0

49

26

Cyprus

0

1

0

0

3

2

1

0

3

0

48

27

Iceland

0

2

0

2

0

0

1

1

0

1

42

28

Portugal

1

0

0

0

0

1

2

2

3

2

39

29

Serbia

1

0

1

0

1

1

0

0

0

1

32

30

Latvia

1

0

1

0

1

1

0

0

0

0

31

31

Romania

0

0

2

1

0

0

1

0

1

1

30

32

Armenia

0

0

0

2

0

0

2

2

0

1

29

33

Croatia

0

0

0

2

1

1

0

0

1

1

28

34

Bulgaria

0

1

0

1

1

0

0

0

0

0

23

35

Australia

0

1

0

0

1

0

0

0

3

0

22

36

Bosnia & Herzegovina

0

0

1

0

0

1

1

0

2

1

22

37

Moldova

0

0

1

0

0

1

1

0

0

2

19

38

Hungary

0

0

0

1

1

0

0

1

1

1

19

39

Poland

0

1

0

0

0

0

1

1

0

0

17

40

Serbia & Montenegro

0

1

0

0

0

0

1

0

0

0

14

41

Albania

0

0

0

0

1

0

1

0

0

0

10

42

Lithuania

0

0

0

0

0

1

0

1

1

0

10

43

Slovenia

0

0

0

0

0

0

2

0

0

1

9

44

Czechia

0

0

0

0

0

1

0

0

0

1

6

45

Belarus

0

0

0

0

0

1

0

0

0

0

5

46

North Macedonia

0

0

0

0

0

0

1

0

0

0

4

47

Georgia

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

2

0

4

48

Montenegro

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

49

Slovakia

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

50

Morocco

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

51

San Marino

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

52

Andorra

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0


The above is highly deceptive, because the UK first entered in 1957, followed by every year from 1959 to present (65 entries to-date); and in that time clocked up 323 points, thereby topping the leader board. Azerbaijan first entered in 2008 and has had an excellent track record (at least during its first few years of participation), achieving 49 points in 13 grand final appearances, but still only appears 25th out of 52 on the above table. Clearly that puts countries which debuted since 2000 at a disadvantage as they inevitably have had far fewer entries to-date than countries that first entered in the 1950s and 1960s.

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Average By Grand Final Appearance
By dividing each country's total by the number of times it has appeared in the Eurovision Song Contest Grand Final, you get a much more accurate representation. Dividing the UK's total of 323 points by its number of grand final appearances (65) gives an average of 4.969 points per grand final appearance, putting it into 3rd place. Dividing Azerbaijan's total of 49 points by 13 (its number of grand final appearances to-date) gives it an average of 3.769 points; i.e. 11th place.

Where two or more countries tie for a particular average, the same tie-break rule used in the previous table is applied here. Countries whose totals are zero, and hence whose averages are zero, have been dealt with in the same manner and thus ranked in the same order as in the previous table.

Rank

Country

Years in Final

Total

Average

1

Serbia & Montenegro

2

14

7.000

2

Ukraine

18

92

5.111

3

United Kingdom

65

323

4.969

4

Ireland

45

208

4.622

5

Monaco

21

97

4.619

6

Bulgaria

5

23

4.600

7

Italy

48

216

4.500

8

Russia

22

99

4.500

9

Sweden

61

265

4.344

10

France

65

258

3.969

11

Azerbaijan

13

49

3.769

12

Israel

38

142

3.737

13

Luxembourg

37

135

3.649

14

Estonia

18

61

3.389

15

Switzerland

52

174

3.346

16

Denmark

44

147

3.341

17

Australia

7

22

3.143

18

Latvia

10

31

3.100

19

Germany

66

199

3.015

20

Netherlands

53

143

2.698

21

Serbia

12

32

2.667

22

Malta

26

66

2.538

23

Armenia

12

29

2.417

24

Norway

58

138

2.379

25

Spain

62

146

2.355

26

Belgium

54

126

2.333

27

Greece

40

88

2.200

28

Yugoslavia

27

58

2.148

29

Austria

48

98

2.042

30

Turkey

33

62

1.879

31

Romania

19

30

1.579

32

Iceland

27

42

1.556

33

Cyprus

32

48

1.500

34

Croatia

19

28

1.474

35

Moldova

13

19

1.462

36

Hungary

14

19

1.357

37

Bosnia & Herzegovina

18

22

1.222

38

Finland

48

58

1.208

39

Czechia

5

6

1.200

40

Poland

16

17

1.063

41

Albania

11

10

0.909

42

Portugal

45

39

0.867

43

Belarus

6

5

0.833

44

Lithuania

16

10

0.625

45

Georgia

7

4

0.571

46

Slovenia

16

9

0.563

47

North Macedonia

9

4

0.444

48

Montenegro

2

0

0.000

49

Slovakia

3

0

0.000

50

Morocco

1

0

0.000

51

San Marino

3

0

0.000

52

Andorra

0

0

0.000


This is still deceptive, because it ignores years from 2004 onwards in which a country entered the Eurovision Song Contest but failed to reach the final. Bulgaria has actually had 14 entries from 2005 to 2023 inclusive, but has only reached the final 5 times so far. Under the above scheme of things, its total of 23 points divided by 5 gives it an average of 4.600 points per grand final appearance (6th place on the leader board). The Netherlands has had 53 appearances in the final, the last being 2022, but failed to get past the semi-finals from 2005 to 2012 inclusive, and since then in 2015 and 2023. Dividing its total of 143 points by 53 gives an average of 2.698 points per grand final appearance, putting it at 20th place on the leader board.

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Average By Years Entered
To get an even more accurate representation, one should include the years from 2004 onwards in which a country entered the Eurovision Song Contest but failed to reach the final. Obviously, a country which fails to reach the final scores no league table points for that year, just like finalists that finish below 10th. Dividing the UK's total of 323 points by its number of entries (65) gives it an average of 4.969 points per year it entered, which is now 2nd place. Dividing Azerbaijan's total of 49 points by 15 (its total number of entries to-date) gives it an average of 3.267 points per year; i.e. 11th place.

N.B. Serbia & Montenegro entered in 2006 but withdrew at the last minute. Nonetheless they voted in the Grand Final but didn't participate in either the Semi-final or Grand Final that year. Thus, they have been regarded as having finished last with zero points in the official Semi-Final 2006 results, despite not actually performing in that semi-final. Consequently, their total number of years entered has been taken as being 3 here; dividing their 14 points by 3 gives an average of 4.667 per year, putting them 3rd on the leader board.

Once again, the same tie-breaker rules apply where two or more countries tie for a particular average. Countries whose totals are zero, and hence whose averages are zero, have been dealt with in the same manner and thus ranked in the same order as in the previous two tables.

Rank

Country

Years Entered

Total

Average

1

Ukraine

18

92

5.111

2

United Kingdom

65

323

4.969

3

Serbia & Montenegro

3

14

4.667

4

Italy

48

216

4.500

5

Russia

23

99

4.304

6

Sweden

62

265

4.274

7

Monaco

24

97

4.042

8

France

65

258

3.969

9

Ireland

56

208

3.714

10

Luxembourg

37

135

3.649

11

Azerbaijan

15

49

3.267

12

Israel

45

142

3.156

13

Germany

66

199

3.015

14

Denmark

51

147

2.882

15

Switzerland

63

174

2.762

16

Australia

8

22

2.750

17

Spain

62

146

2.355

18

Netherlands

63

143

2.270

19

Norway

61

138

2.262

20

Estonia

28

61

2.179

21

Yugoslavia

27

58

2.148

22

Serbia

15

32

2.133

23

Greece

43

88

2.047

24

Belgium

64

126

1.969

25

Armenia

15

29

1.933

26

Malta

35

66

1.886

27

Turkey

34

62

1.824

28

Austria

55

98

1.782

29

Bulgaria

14

23

1.643

30

Latvia

23

31

1.348

31

Romania

23

30

1.304

32

Cyprus

39

48

1.231

33

Iceland

35

42

1.200

34

Bosnia & Herzegovina

19

22

1.158

35

Hungary

17

19

1.118

36

Moldova

18

19

1.056

37

Finland

56

58

1.036

38

Croatia

28

28

1.000

39

Portugal

54

39

0.722

40

Poland

25

17

0.680

41

Czechia

11

6

0.545

42

Albania

19

10

0.526

43

Lithuania

23

10

0.435

44

Slovenia

28

9

0.321

45

Belarus

16

5

0.313

46

Georgia

15

4

0.267

47

North Macedonia

21

4

0.190

48

Montenegro

12

0

0.000

49

Slovakia

7

0

0.000

50

Morocco

1

0

0.000

51

San Marino

13

0

0.000

52

Andorra

6

0

0.000


Now all of Bulgaria's 14 entries from 2005 to 2023 inclusive are being taken into consideration, dividing its total of 23 points by 14 gives it an average of just 1.643 points per year it entered, pushing it way down the leader board to 29th out of 52. From 2005 to 2012 inclusive, and since then in 2015 and 2023, the Netherlands entered but failed to qualify, giving it a total of 63 entries to-date. Dividing its total of 143 points by 63 gives it an average of 2.270 points per year it entered, thereby putting it in 18th place, which ironically is a higher rank than when its total is divided by its number of grand final appearances (53).

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