CROATIA 2011 - Celebrate

This song was supposed to be called Break A Leg, but HRT apparently decided that it needed a better title. And if you check out those lyrics, you may agree. :-)

That's not to say that the current lyrics are necessarily much better. I have to question the wisdom of opening a song in May 2011 with the phrase Friday, my night. (Damn you, Rebecca Black! :-D) And it doesn't get much better from there. But generally speaking we are of course not watching this for intelligent lyrics and correct English. And to be honest I kind of like it.

There's one rhyme in this song - well, not really a rhyme, they're trying to pretend that it is one, but it's not - that I just can't get out of my head. Stop the world for a moment/Shine like a comet. LOL! I love that! I agree with what a number of other commenters have said, that this isn't exactly top of the line. But I think it's fun. I like it despite myself ... like with the Andorran entry from 2008. :-)

This song sounds better live, at least in the recording that I've seen. It's fun live but more just a standard ditty in the studio version. Hope that works on stage in Düsseldorf too. :-)

The singer I'm not sure about - she seems rather unsure of herself and not like she's enjoying herself all that much. Which I think will definitely be a minus, if she gives off that vibe on stage. She should check out our Stella and take a page out of her book. ;-) I think this entry's success, or lack of success, will depend to a large extent on the performance.

But whatever success it has will be limited, in any event. May possibly get to the final, but probably not.

This is Daria Kinzer performing Celebrate by Boris Đurđević and Andrea Čubrić. They will be competing for Croatia on Tuesday, May 10th.

Widescreen here.

Lyrics here.

Different strokes

Yup, different strokes for different folks. I'm not sure whether I blogged about it, but last year on the Culture Night here in Oslo I went with the gang to various events ... one of them, the first, was in the Cemetery of Our Saviour, in the so-called Honor Grove where a number of great artists and politicians are buried. Think Henrik Ibsen, Edvard Munch. A kind of theater performance was presented to those assembled, I filmed some of it and made a video. Which I uploaded to Youtube. This was in September. Now, months later, I suddenly get a message from someone affiliated with the theater group who performed these theatricals - they're called Røde Rom, apparently ('Red Rooms') - demanding that I remove this video. This is their copyrighted material and bla bla bla.

I obviously can't show you the video, it's gone ... but I have to say that I think it's advantageous for people like these - ie, performing artists - to have their work featured on Youtube. Personally, I know that if I hear about a new band or whatever I'll go to Youtube and do a search ... and if nothing or very little comes up, my conclusion is usually that they're no good or really unpopular. Nobody likes them enough to want to share whatever it is that they're doing. In my opinion, it's completely a good thing if someone sees a performer or group of performers and think that what they see is so enjoyable that they want to share it with the world. However, not everybody sees it that way, and that's cool. This tiny little three-piece experimental theater group that I'd never heard of don't see it that way. They are above such things, I'm sure. Anyway, this was on Thursday that I got their message. Then today, Friday, I got another message ...

This was from the official Youtube channel of the Bosnian/Croatian girl group Feminnem. I have a video of them up too, from the concert series in Eurovision Village last month. So yeah, the contents of that video is their material, etc. Just like with Røde Rom ... except that these ladies are much bigger - they don't even compare - and have been at it for longer than the theatricals. So they'd really have reason to ask me to remove the video ... they don't need the publicity, I guess.

Except that they didn't ask me to remove the video. They sent me a friend request. Go figure. ;-)

Here's my video of them performing their lovely song from this year's ESC ...



... and here is their Youtube channel, if you're interested. :-)

CROATIA 2010 - Lako je sve

Croatia is a country I really want to like in the ESC, because a good friend of mine lives there - she's Croatian, from Zagreb - and it's such a beautiful country ... but I had a hard time doing so for a while, they've sent such middling songs. Just ... meh. Or worse, of course. ;-) But then in Belgrade their entry was SO amazing ... !!! I just love that song so much, it is so beautiful and so incredibly charming. I love it. :-) And their song last year was wonderful too. So my hopes were much higher this year.

These were somewhat shaken when I realized the performers would be the girl group with perhaps the dumbest name evar - Feminnem. (I mean, what is that?!) They performed the Bosnian song in 2005 ... in English, brr. This year they're singing in Croatian, fortunately. ;-) But where was I.

Oh yeah - it's a good song. :-) Actually a very good song. A beautiful melody. The contest is just flooded with ballads this year ... too many, IMO, it's difficult to keep them apart. Ballads are traditionally a hard sell in the ESC, and I think it's going to be even more difficult this year, partly because of the voting system and partly because it's just so many of them. But this one really ought to stand out. A lovely melodious song, performed with good voices and a lot of feeling. The official video is pretty screwy, but we're not going to be watching that, so hopefully that won't matter. :-) I just hope the performance on stage won't be too weird. Fingers crossed. :-)

A very pretty ballad that should definitely get to the final. Here's hoping. :-) This is Feminnem (shudder) performing Lako je sve by Branimir Mihaljević, Pamela Ramljak and Neda Parmać. They will be competing for Croatia on Thursday, May 27th.



Lyrics with translation here.

For those of you who are interested, check out my Youtube channel - there was a concert tonight in City Hall Square where seven of the entries were performed, and I was of course there and recorded most of it. :-) Three videos are up now, and more will be uploaded soon ... and there are more of these concerts planned, so check back, I'll be adding a bunch more videos. :-) It was really fun to see the entries performed on this pretty tiny stage, and people had a great time, so stop by if you get the chance. :-) You can see the program here.

Sweden, Croatia, Portugal

Sweden:
Was Malena Ernman really born female? The more I see of her, the more I question that.
Why does her gown have those feathers on it, it looks awful?? Hideous. It looks like she's stepped in a huge puddle of coffee.
Again: The chorus is fantastic, but the verse is totally standard and ruins it.
Come on, Alexander, you can beat this chick!! All this winning lark aside, you know that beating the Swede is all we really ask of you. ;-)

Croatia:
I like this song, I think it's lovely. Not a winner though, too slow and too little personality.
I've figured out what it is they're trying to communicate with the choreography: That Igor is soo sexy that when they hear him sing, they just have to touch themselves ...
Nice, I will listen to this a lot when I get around to picking up the CD. (I haven't yet, shame on me.) But far from a winner.

Portugal:
Aww, the sweetest entry. Adorable. Great performance, and I totally love what they're doing with the stage.
I so hope this will do well, it's just so sweet. Precious. :-) Good luck. :-)

Croatia, Ireland, Latvia

Croatia:
I really like this song, it's a lovely ballad. But there are so many good ballads this year, it may be a bit too forgettable.
I like the presentation, except the backing singers touching themselves inappropriately.
Ooh, and look - the girl singer wears white while all the others wear black. Not a transparent trick at all, no ... :-D
Good entry, but maybe a bit too anonymous.

Ireland:
Moscow welcomes Katy Perry!! :-D
This is a really catchy song and it will probably appeal to a lot of the younger audience members. Of whom there are many, in the east especially. But will they like this kind of pop music, that's the question ...
I like the presentation, although it's a bit 'teeny' for my taste. But eye-catching.
This song will probably either get through or miss it by just an inch.

Latvia:
I don't like the fact that they're singing in Russian. Sucking up, much? Fortunately it's a very unpopular language generally in Eastern Europe, so the one will cancel the other out. ;-)
This song gets annoying quickly. It isn't what you'd call melodious ... or actually the chorus is, but the verse is just ... well, annoying. And the backing singers don't match the song at all. Bah.
No, this guy needs to go. Bye bye Latvia.

CROATIA 2009: Igor Cukrov feat. Andrea - Lijepa Tena

The Croatian entry was my favorite last year - not that I thought it had any realistic chance of winning, it was too oddball for that, but it was the song I liked the best. An absolutely lovely song. So I approached their efforts this year with some trepidation. But I actually like this song a lot. Maybe because it's not at all unfamiliar to last year's entry ... ?

This is a lovely ballad too - not as original as Romanca, but sweet and charming. The singer isn't very good, unfortunately, but the song has personality and charm and a wonderful melody. I'm very happy that it's in Croatian ... partly on principle and partly because the English translation makes it sound totally stupid. But that's me. I like this song. I can see how it might not appeal to everyone, but I don't think a lot of people will have a lot to reproach Croatia with either, this year. A sweet ballad. Only problem is that they did pretty badly with their sweet ballad last year, so results-wise, I don't really know ...

But all the best of luck to them, definitely. :-) This is Igor Cukrov and Andrea performing Lijepa Tena (the title means Beautiful Tena, apparently) by Tonči Huljić and Vjekoslava Huljić. They will be competing for Croatia in one of the worst possible slots, #1 on May 14th.



Lyrics here.

Finland, Croatia, Poland

Finland:
I like this song ... and serious kudos for singing in Finnish. Finnish is a good language for this type of music. ;-)
I was really surprised when this song made it through from the final, but it is really pretty good.
Their performance is better tonight than it was on Tuesday.

Croatia:
Awww ... !!
This song is just so lovely. Absolutely beautiful. I love it. :-)
That old guy is really just too adorable. The dancer is beautiful and dances very well (I love it that she's barefoot!).
I love this song, I think it's actually my favorite. I'll have to vote for this as well as for Russia. ;-)
12 points for charm ... !!

Poland:
OMG, look at her teeth ... !! I think I need sunglasses. :-o
V. unbecoming dress. Her hips are just too wide for that type of dress.
It's an OK ballad, but IMO it's pretty boring. I don't see the charm in this. Especially coming right after Croatia, I really don't see it.

Czech Republic, Belarus, Latvia, Croatia

The Czech Republic:
What was that I was saying on Tuesday about backing singers who look like hookers ... ?
Oh, what a voice she has. She's a singer professionally? :-o Don't quit your day job ...
Bad song, bad performance, bad singer.
No chance.

Belarus:
I'm curious to see this presentation!
Pretty cool ... I like the star globes ... ! :-)
The song is genuinely catchy, it's a good song IMO. Belarus are getting to be a force to be reckoned with in the ESC. But they cannot and must not win!
They will get to the final, I will be extremely surprised if they don't.

Latvia:
What complete and utter crap.
They can't sing very well. They look like idiots. And the song is just, in a word, STUPID.
This is like a bunch of amateurs dressed up to entertain children at some birthday party.
They look like they're starting to lose their enthusiasm for their own entry now ...
Oh, please just give it up ...

Croatia:
Oh, I love that old guy ... !! He is so cool, and it's so cool of them to have him in the act. :-)
And this song is just beautiful. Lovely. :-)
They've got to get to the final, I can't imagine they won't.
A good presentation. Fun and simple. :-)
I dig that old geezer ... !!! :-D

CROATIA 2008: Kraljevi Ulice & 75 Cents - Romanca

Awww ... !

I love this!! This is like Croatia's best ever!! Fantastic that they're singing in Croatian, gotta mention that.

This is a song that is partly rap :-D performed by a 75 year old guy. The oldest contestant this year, actually ever. He's adorable. :-( The non-rap parts of the song are beautifully melodious, very charming. And the video is so fantastic! All this footage of lovely Zagreb, some of it really old.

One of my absolute favorites this year. I hope they will do extremely well. They may not, but I soo hope so!! Wonderful!!

The Finns will probably like this a lot.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbjPfG7-Db8


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4QXxtGJAT0