Get Ready for Goulash in 2012

Hungary: Kati Wolf - What About My Dreams?

Hungary has this one again off again relationship with the ESC. Last year they were absent, this year they’re back again – and in style. Unlike Austria, Hungary has taken their time away from the contest and used it wisely so that they could make one amazing comeback. This could very possibly be the winner, and we might be enjoying some authentic goulash in Budapest next May. Out of all the odds favorites I think this one is you safest bet. Let’s look at the competition: France is too difficult, the UK is a bit outdated, Estonia is overrated and Sweden is too much of a cliché. Hungary is for me the country that really stands out as the biggest favorite, although it’s still early days and I’m not going to say anything I may very well regret later.

To sum it up: this number really has everything a good ESC piece need; it’s a fresh and catchy song, Kati Wolf has a great voice and she’s hot. When you think about it’s actually a quite simple recipe, so it’s quite odd how so many countries fail to get this right year after year. Kati is also an experienced singer, she’s been performing for over 20 years but she only became a real household name last year as a finalist in the Hungarian X-factor. There have been some worries about her being too old for this number, she’s a 36 years old mum after all, but don’t worry Hungary – we would never have guessed.

No matter if Kati wins or not, this ought to at least be Hungary’s highest placement in the ESC since 1994 when they finished fourth. Hungary has never really been a country to count on in this context, so it’s nice to see this old flopper do a great turn around. The best song ever from them – and one of the best in this year’s ESC.

Good evening and Goodbye Austria

Austria - Nadine Beiler - The Secret is Love

After having flopped several years in a row, Austria cowardly decided to bid the ESC goodbye forever in 2007 because according to them, this was now a totally Eastern-European competition. We obviously all know that Austria just stunk, sadly they weren’t brave enough to admit it. Not admitting to their failures – I guess that’s not a first for Austria… Anyways, when their best buddies in Germany triumphed in Oslo last year, the Austrians thought it would be a shame not to be there when their favorite neighbor was putting on the grand finale. In other words – they’re back and ready to take some sweet revenge. Their comeback will of course be totally overshadowed by Italys return to the ESC – but nevertheless it’s nice to see that Austria has gotten over the embarrassment and it’s good to have the old veteran back. Or did I speak to soon?

After having heard the song I can sadly conclude that their time away from the ESC has not done the Austrians any good. “The Secret is Love” is one big snooze-fest of a song, and Nadine Beiler both looks and sounds like a scared cat. And why have they styled this poor girl as Liza Minnelli? Or perhaps it is a tribute to the late Elizabeth Taylor? Most likely it is just another result of poor Austrian taste, which has once again led them to pick a number that will probably end up in the bottom sludge.

No really, this is not how a comeback should be. Also Austria has not been away long enough for their return to cause any kind of fuzz – most people barely noticed they were gone. I doubt this will qualify for the final, the Austrians will go home empty handed as usual and will probably withdraw from the competition in shame once again. I guess we will have to wait until Switzerland wins before they return to the ESC, and let’s hope that will take a good number of years as the Austrians clearly needs a lot more time to think about how bad they have been.

No More Jokes

The Netherlands - 3JS - Never Alone

The Netherlands have won the ESC four times, but the last six years the big finale has been held without them – basically because they keep sending one terrible song after the other which have left Europe thinking; What is wrong with the Dutch? Is it a joke or is this what people in Holland actually like? Just look at the Toppers from 2009 and Sienke from 2010, it’s hard to know what to make of that. They seem to be stuck on that old schlager remedy which worked so well for them 40 years ago, while the rest of Europe moved on a long time ago and hence have been giving the Netherlands two thumbs down every year.

But it seems to finally have gotten through to the Dutch that there needs to be some serious changes done if don’t want to be the joke of the contest anymore. “Never Alone” sounds contemporary, fresh and cool, sure – it’s not masterpiece that you’ll find on the top of that charts, but in this context it works rather well. 3JS consists of three guys who’s name starts with – yeah that’s right the letter J, two of them are in their 30s and one guy is 50 something. Perhaps a little dull, they’re definitely not the coolest or sexiest in the ESC, but they’re quite alright and they work well together on stage. Lead singer Jan Dulles has a good voice and his performance is heartfelt and authentic – a big plus in a contest that has so many show-numbers.

This could easily be played on any average radio station across Europe, and it’s one of those songs that could pick a few points in most Western European countries. I’m not going to recommend a bet on a fifth victory for the Netherlands this year – you would probably end up losing that money, but it is nice to see that the Dutch seem to have realized that old schlagerpop is dead. This is the best they have produced in a long time, and they deserve to be in the big finale this year.

Sjonni's Friends to the Rescue

Iceland - Sjonni's Friends - Coming Home

Iceland has the entry with perhaps the most moving story. This song was originally supposed to be performed by Sjonni Brink, but he passed away before he got a chance to compete with it so his friends decided to team up and continue the show as a last tribute to Sjonni. Nevertheless – these are no ordinary friends – they’re all known musicians in Iceland who have all competed in the ESC before on various occasions. And needless to say – it would be very heartless and cruel for the Icelandic nation not to vote for this one to represent them in Düsseldorf – so Sjonni’s friends triumphed and off to Germany they are to give a last tribute to Sjonnis memory.

But let’s put this touching story behind us and look at the actual song. I guess this is one of those songs I wouldn’t mind hearing on a Sunday morning while I’m having my coffee in the garden as I’m casually reading a newspaper or a book or something. In other words – this is decent background music, perhaps not the greatest compliment – but I don’t hate it. I’m not going to dread seeing this on stage in Düsseldorf at all; I might even sing a long a little bit when it comes on – but I would never cross my mind to vote for it – unfortunately.

However I think this could be a hit with the 50+ ESC crowd. It’s a typical feel-good song from Northern-Europe, it’s natural, it’s pure and free of gimmicks, something that a lot of people seem to vote for these days as the ESC has become too much of a show and not a song-competition. These ordinary guys will probably charm some middle aged ladies and should be able to collect a good amount of votes in the Scandinavian countries. Sure it has a moving story to it, and whoever hears it might throw in a sympathy vote or two, but it’s one of those songs everybody will forget about within a week or two after the competition – and clearly it’s not the winner.