Eurovision 2025 - After Thoughts

[RedToothBrush]

Austria's JJ won with Wasted Love

But then we’d have to host again 😂 which maybe the powers that be don’t want!!!

TBF I think the UK strategy this year was ok- pick a song that will be popular with the judges and forget the public vote!

Good year for the UK. The once in a generation breakthrough song (Ryder) happens and apart from that you get two decent years like this and 17-18 zero to a handful of pointers? Why is it usually so poor, unlike this year, when so much is sung in English, London is one of the most loved destinations in the world and so many nods are given to Anglo (and American) culture in song and performance? It's not Brexit as this was the situation before. Sure, there's a little bit of 'don't you like us then?' but that's minimal. It seems to be more that greater Europe doesn't 'get' the UK songs. To an extent it's missing some subtleties, but it is mostly the naff entries. I'm 35. The UK song reflected the lifestyle of some people I know pre-Covid as their 20s faded away. They missed the falling from a balcony and/or into a pool in Brentwood and making the news. It was a lifestyle song that might raise a smile and a grimace but it wasn't stunning.

Neither was the Austrian winner, but that had plusses and minuses on a different spectrum.

My enjoyment of Eurovision is as a geopolitical freakshow with some hilarious and touching moments. It is what it is and over time evolves. Three things I note are:

1. Varied expressions of sex and gender that are sometimes empowering, but generally excruciatingly painful. Nemo looked like he needed help in his later performance. The sign language clip of the Finland entry is something I'll remember for a day or two.
2. Ukraine. Going to do well for a while whatever is entered (didn't think this one was stunning, but then I 'get' both the Go_A entries - one was the missed year - [edit: 'and'] Kalush Orchestra at a fairly deep cultural level and of course Jamala). I got a message from a relative in Dnipro saying should they vote for the UK song? Said there was no need to. Russia being kept out is fine, though I often liked the Russian entries (lot of thought often went into the appeal they would have) and have had three relatives killed in the current war.
3. Israel. I'm not here to argue the Gaza horror. Looking at things the morning after: going to be top three next year I suppose? The Israel entry can garner votes due to the songs often being good (this one was middling good in my estimation), Israel having friends and, no doubt, some effective whipping up of votes by a range of methods. Eurovision is lucky Israel didn't win as the prospect was a performance with 5 countries attending while Hamas and the Houthis launched missiles on Tel Aviv, or a relocation to some other country's Liverpool. That might have been Salzburg.

No Celine , that was a shame.
I did think that Israel might win it at one point.
Didn’t like the winning song, but he seemed nice enough and could sing.
Nemo’s performance was bizarre.
The jury voting should be binned off. Let the public decide it all ! Goes on way too long now for that segment.
I knew our one wouldn’t do too well , but they gave it a good go. At least they got some points and wasn’t last.
Switzerland getting 0 from the public was strange.
I wanted Sweden to win.

I didn't vote this year. Maybe I should have. Maybe there's more like me who didn't have a stand out favourite so I just thought I'd watch and see who won rather than help pick a winner.

Also I didn't want to pay to vote 😂
Was it free to vote through the app one year or am I just getting confused?

Something has to really deserve my 15p for me to vote. Nothing really did.
You can't vote for your home country if you reside there so patriotism cant even be a reason to vote. 🤷‍♀️

Russian granny complete with freshly baked bread.

I like to think the UK came 19th out of 37, and not out of 26....which doesn't sound so bad.
So the plan for next year should be.

1. The 4 countries that make up the UK should enter separately.
2. The Scottish entry should be in gaelic.
3. The Welsh entry in Welsh.
4. We all vote for each other.

Every year (apart from Sam Ryder) the UK enters a crap song with crap staging and then we wonder why we don't win it.

War in Afghanistan.
War in Iraq.
2008 market crash.
Brexit.

And then Sam Ryder does a decent song with decent staging and comes 2nd. But even then (as people are doing here), it was only because of support for Ukraine, Covid etc.

Seriously, it's a music competition and the UK doesn't bother and that's why we don't win.

No one in the UK listens to our own entries and then we're surprised that the rest of the continent is the same.

It is interesting how different opinions can be.
I thought Nemo's second performance was a really intense and well staged. The lyrics talked of pain and sorrow, so he looked and sounded like he was crying and having a mental breakdown. He sounded like he was crying the words out, rather than singing them. And I thought that is rather difficult!

Polish milkmaids

I think we should do something Up Helly Aa-ish. Bagpipes! Drums! Beards! Fire! Vikings! Kilts! Big, OTT staging. Don't worry about winning, just make it not boring.

The San Marino televote algorithm in SF1 looks a bit odd. All of Azerbaijan’s 7 points came from that and 12 of Belgium’s 23 points.

Genius!!!

Ireland did well with Bambi Thug last year but I agree that usually we don't get it right. This year's entry was very lame.

I voted once for Italy. While I liked a few songs, I think I would only probably add this one to my playlist. The Austrian lad seems like a nice guy, but I can't warm to the song.

Another year done and dusted! I enjoyed the chat on the threads. Thanks Red for keeping the threads going. * *

Maybe. I thought it was uncomfortable to watch.

Oh yeah I forgot about them! A far cry from Dana and Riverdance 😆

I lasted til they announced the winner- and then the prosecco hit hard and I fell asleep .

Thank you @RedToothBrush for the threads- I love them every year, I'm sorry they descended into chaos. But you will rise like a phoenix etc and be back next year I hope . For us to re-hash all the same stuff.
It's part of the fun, right?

I wasn't a great fan of Austria, it really did feel like Re-Finding Nemo. I was surprised Sweden didn't do better. But I prefered Estonia on the night, I think.

As I predicted , none of the ones I liked did particularly well . I really loved San Marino! Italy did ok, I suppose. I really like Lithuania as well

I don't think our lot were bad singers , but it was a strange combination of song/performance that didn't gel- I maintain it was way better than Mae Muller though, and Olly should have been good last year (on paper).

Maybe the UK will get lucky and spot another Sam Ryder on Tik Tok?

I think the part of the whole thing I liked most was the production, and the presenters, who have been great all week- and I adored Hazel .
I would have liked Switzerland to win, just for them to come back next year.
(I also think the 'Made in Switzerland' song is still one of the best of the week - and it wasn't an actual song ).

Yes @NancyGreens and we can't send them every year! Most of our entries have been lacklustre or just not good. Bambi could perform and the staging was very good.

I think it's a bit too tricky to vote.
Can't do it via website, said you could it via app but that just led you to make phone calls.
I initially couldn't as said premium numbers weren't included in my mobile deal so I had to specifically go and add some "top up" pagy credit. What a faff!

Watching it in reverse, went to a pub last night for a friend’s birthday then we went back to their house for more drinks but only caught the scoring and a bit of the interval. Planning to watch all the performances while DP is out today with DSS.

Bambi Thug were awful! And she completely came across as an extremely vulnerable woman in an abusive relationship. Horrible to watch. Bit like Nemo’s second performance. I don’t want to see genderqueer (or whatever) people playing out their mental health issues for entertainment.

I thought the UK entry was poor, and the title unlikely to appeal to some of the people who would watch the show.

It’s annoying the one time in recent years the UK could (and should!) have won was the year a Ukraine win was a foregone conclusion. Yes we hosted it, but not because we won the thing. I think it will be a very very long time before the UK comes close to winning again.

100% came here just to say that 😂 what a tune!

It was the most British thing ever, we don't win but we end up having to spend millions to host the event anyway!

This! ^