Eurovision 2023 Grand Final - thread 4

[GrandTheftWalrus]

Just incase anyone wants to carry on the chat.

Nerd alert

Top five running order (number of times from position in the running order)
1st x 1
2nd x 0
3rd x 2
4th x 0
5th x 2
6th x 1
7th x 3
8th x 1
9th x 3
10th x 3
11th x 5
12th x 5
13th x 5

14th x 1
15th x 0
16th x 0
17th x 1
18th x 2
19th x 3
20th x 4
21st x 2
22nd x 5
23rd x 3
24th x 7
25th x 4
26th x 1
27th x 1

You really really don't want to be at the start of either the first or second half...

Nerd Alert 2
(The one that kills the Abba Conspiracy theory dead - Sweden really are this good at Eurovision. And don't bet against Italy as 4 of those 6 have been since 2018)

Number of top five finishes since 2010 (modern era)
Sweden 9
Italy 6
Ukraine 5
Russia 5
Azerbaijan 4
Denmark 3
Germany 2
Serbia 2
Norway 2
Austria 2
Netherlands 2
Belgium 2
Australia 2
Bulgaria 2
Israel 2
Switzerland 2
Turkey
Romania
Albania
Armenia
Hungary
Portugal
Moldova
Cyprus
France
Iceland
UK
Spain
Finland

Indeed but 1997-2008 when it was all public vote were real dross and the decade that really cemented Eurovision’s reputation as naff.

I’d argue the only memorable winners from those 12 years are Dana International and Lordi. The hit rate for 2009-2021 is much better, Alexander Rybak, Lena, Loreen, Måns Zelmerlöw, Netta, Duncan Laurence and Maneskin were all memorable winners. Arguably Conchita Wurst and Jamala too.

There has definitely been an improvement from 2009. No doubt about it. The years previous to that were grim. I had almost given up on it completely despite watching it since the mid eighties. I think my earliest memories of it are Bucks Fizz and then Johnny Logan

Also, great stats, Red.

@RedToothBrush

When people talk about memorable winners how many actually remember the song rather than the performers?

Meanwhile battling it out for the wooden spoon we have

UK
2010 25th (last)
2011 11th
2012 25th
2013 19th
2014 17th
2015 24th
2016 24th
2017 15th
2018 24th
2019 26th (last)
2021 26th (last)
2022 2nd
2023 25th

Germany
2010 1st
2011 10th
2012 8th
2013 21st
2014 18th
2015 27th (last)
2016 26th (last)
2017 25th
2018 4th
2019 25th
2021 25th
2022 26th (last)
2023 26th (last)

Don't worry we can equal Germany's record next year!

It is fascinating to see both country's record in recent years though.

To me Conchita's Rise Like a Phoenix is the best song to come out of Eurovision ever 🔥

I'd agree that Rise Like a Phoenix is probably the best Eurovision performance of this century. Gutted that it happened the same year as my personal favourite.

I can remember Conchita's song instantly.
For some of the others, I would have to hear the song to remember them except for 'Fairytale'. The guy from Norway who sang and played the violin. Nice!

Very funny 😁

I love Conchita too. I think it’s just so theatrical that I didn’t really have it in the “hits” box in my head. To me it feels like something from a west end musical. I voted for the Common Linnets that year but was very happy to see Conchita win. It was a really phenomenal performance.

I think of it as a James Bond song, and Conchita and it so powerfully.

My favourite ever U.K. entry is Lyndsey de Paul and Mike Moran singing Rock Bottom. That must have been in the 70s sometime.

Rise Like A Phoenix is a masterpiece of a song. Conchita has an exquisite voice. And yes, it's quite James-Bond-ish.

As for the poster who asked peoples ages who loved the Finland song - I am nearly 50. And I love it. My cousin who I am very close to, loves it, and rocks out to it like a boss, even though she doesn't know any words apart from Cha Cha Cha........ She is 60 next month. My 20-something DCs aren't keen on it, but like the Mae Muller song.

My 35 y.o. neighbour thinks the Finnish song is crap, but her 10 y.o. son thinks it's the best song this decade.

Seems the young, and slightly older people like it (less than 20 or more than 45 like it!) The inbetweenies are indifferent (IME.)

The four fifty-somethings watching it at our house were all team Finland, as were my 18 and 20 year old DC. We're all ideologically opposed to the Swedish Eurovision production-line. But I can see why Loreen won. I liked Australia and am gutted for the Austria girls.

These are the most memorable acts for me in recent times. For me Eurovision really 'starts' being watchable in 2006 though the modern era is generally termed as from 2010. There are others I love, but these are definitely the ones I REALLY remember most either musically or because they are mad with staging.

Lordi 2006 (winner)
Verka 2007 (I really don't need to explain do I?)
Alexander Rybak 2009 (winner)
Lena 2010 (winner)
Jedward 2011 (nuff said)
Loreen 2012 & 2023 (winner)
Buranovskiye Babushki 2012 (aka The Russian Grannies)
Emmelie de Forest 2013 (winner)
Conchita Wurst 2014 (winner)
The Common Linnets 2014 (they were robbed!)
Donatan and Cleo 2014 (aka The Polish Milkmaids)
Mariya Yaremchuk 2014 (her of the Hamster Wheel Fame made even more famous by Måns & Petra in 2016 with 'Love Love Peace Peace' which deserves its own special mention on this post cos I don't actually really remember anything but the Hamster Wheel)
Måns Zelmerlöw 2015 (winner)
Polina Gagarina 2015 (A Million Voices)
Jamala 2016 (winner)
Dami Im 2016 (Sound of Silence)
Sergey Lazarev 2016 & 2019 (You Are the Only One & Scream - aka as The Guy Climbing The Wall or The Shower Guy)
Salvador Sobral 2017 (winner)
Netta 2018 (winner)
Duncan Lawrence 2019 (winner)
Keiino 2019 (Spirit in the Sky)
Kate Miller-Heidke 2019 (Zero Gravity aka as The Australian Witch on a Stick)
Hatari 2019 (aka Icelandic bondage)
Big Little 2020 (Part of The Contest That Never Was - if you know it, you know it!)
Måneskin 2021 (winner)
Daði og Gagnamagnið 2020 & 2021 (Think About Things & 10 Years)
Go_A 2021 (Stum)
Kalush Orchestra 2022 (winner)
Sam Ryder 2022 (Space Man)
Subwoolfer 2022 (Give That Wolf a Banana)
Zdob și Zdub 2022 (aka Those Mad Moldovans on a Train who have been on Eurovision about a million times)
Käärijä 2023 (Cha Cha Cha)
Let 3 2023 (aka The Anti-Russian Village People)

I have a few others I really adore on a personal level, but I can't say they class as 'memorable' in a way that others will go - 'oh yeah, I remember them' in a couple of years time.

For me the best two years have been 2019 & 2021 by far.
2023 definitely hasn't been vintage.

Who were the colour coded ones with the duplicates who kept popping in and out of the house a few years ago? Great staging, couldn't hum it for a million quid.

And of course Post-It Note Girl from last year, and the Divine Sebastian Tellier from 2008.

Also

https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/liverpool-smashes-eurovision-song-contest-26920092?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sharebar
Liverpool smashes Eurovision Song Contest 2023 visitor targetsIt was originally forecast that 100,000 visitors would flock to the city for the Eurovision celebrations

An additional 500,000 visitors came to Liverpool to celebrate the Eurovision Song Contest, early footfall figures suggest.

Although the economic impact and full evaluation will not be known for a few weeks, early footfall data and figures from Merseyside Police suggest that, over the two weeks of the festival, an additional 500,000 visitors came to Liverpool – compared to the 100,000 forecast.

I think it was Moldova.

And yes I loved Sebastian Tellier, which I didn't think anyone else liked!

I'm vintage 70s Eurovision. 'I see a star' Mouth and MacNeal, Vicky Leandros, 'Come what may' and Anne-Marie David 'Tu te reconnaîtres' are my instant go to Eurovision songs.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CsLv21eLv06/?refsrc=deprecated

The stage crew set changes...

My (Finnish) driving instructor who I reckon is in her 20s certainly doesn't like it (turned it off saying I hate this! when it came on the car radio ), but everyone else I know who are inbetweenies love it