Although I don't like "Believe" and it's one of my least favorite winners ever, you can't call it a winner most people resent. I don't know for other places, but here and in Greece, everyone remembers Dima Bilan and "Believe". And the victory of that song re-introduced something in ESC: the violins. If you see, 2009 was full of violins and the winner was a song that had violin as very important part of it. So nah, it wasn't a winner nobody remembers or that did nothing to ESC. That was Azerbaijan in 2011. And no, if Denmark wins, it will have influence in the years that will follow. We'll see flutes & celtic elements in the songs. Whether you like it or not...
Of course there must be people who like Dima Bilan and his 2008 entry,
somebody must have voted for him, but the general overall feeling towards him is bad. And you're right, I had forgotten about 2011
Violins and flutes have indeed a history of success in ESC, as well as Celtic elements. All of them, or some at least, were strongly present in the winners of 1995, 1996, 2007, 2009 (naming out of memory) and they made for top 5 finishes several times.
Thing is, after all those successful entries, those elements in the Danish song are just very feeble and weak. They are just as superficial as all the golden confetti and fire cascades they are very unoriginally throwing at us. They are there to maskerade the song's poorness and not to enhance its greatness.
Anyway, it will not be the first time visuals and make believe musical instruments will win over songs and it won't be the last either!
