I see the composition which is as good as any Bond piece by John Barry. I say this as a huge Shirley Bassey fan, she'd murder in broad daylight for this song with it's exact production.
I see a brilliant performance and staging, the best of the night in fact. it was clever, refined and sophisticated.
I see a strong message which is certainly a bonus and makes a change from the millionth song about love/partying.
I see a ballad that despite how familiar it is in sound, actually is something quite fresh for the contest and brassy. It really makes a strong impact.
The only point i'd give people is on Conchita's vocal. Tom has not got the best voice in the world or the most pleasing vocal timbre but it's very easy to look past when the song is so strong and I think everything more than pulled together on the night. Also, in my mind i'm thinking of winners from the past few years.. Apart from Loreen (who literally was incredible and I say that as a non fan), who has been vocally fantastic of late? I certainly can't think of anyone.
Sanna had yet another love song about getting over someone, Conchita had a song about rising above those who once tormented her. The message is an important part of song craft and Conchita just so happened to have something that really hit home with a lot of people, not just gays but anyone with sympathy. Conchita is obviously a part of why the song won but then I find it strange how anyone can deny the quality of the piece of music.
I beg to differ.
I hear a mediocre take at some 80's Bond track, in other words a musical relic you'd never hear on contemporary radio these days, but we have these relic ballads in Eurovision each year and somehow they are stuck in this contest. Sure not all are Bond-ish, but still relics.
Sanna sings a standard love ballad, but Conchita's "message" is just as common. The whole "ME, I made it, I'm here" blaha blaha is almost just as common as love messages.
Then again, this sorta marks my point, Conchita got lots of votes for the act and a supposed "message", but I think it's problematic in a contest which should be a judgment of the music first and foremost. Maybe some fell for it, but I feel the whole Conchita act and "message" is contrived and I'm a bit disturbed by the whole politicization of the contest, it felt more like an LGBT-convention than a European music show tbh. I don't want ESC to turn into a political forum like that. I'm all fine with it embracing the LGBT community to some extent (I'm gay myself so I guess it's nice to have a forum like this in some sense), however I don't want it to turn into an LGBT-fest, because that to me is just politics and excluding and has very little to do with the concept of bringing Europe together in music. I want great songs to win, not political "causes".
Again, I know this type of music is genuinely your cup of tea, so I'm not questioning your musical judgment here, but if people believe that this win was based solely on performance/song/vocals and not because of the hype (which was mostly caused by media and fans), then they are deluding themselves (regardless if they like the song or not).
I'm 100% sticking by my opinion that this song would have NOT won, had it not been for the hype surrounding the act and the supposed "message".
Also, this entry wasn't even composed/written by any Austrian? So where is the actual representation here?
Not an Austrian product neither in sound or in names
) and even with no vision it's still very memorable. "Hard Rock Hallelujah", yeah... jury wouldn't like them. And I don't remember this song 
she looked cold.
