Israel ISRAEL 2014 - Mei Finegold - Same Heart

[Sean]

I don't think any of us want to strip away languages completely, I think you're exaggerating. You make out like you're the only person championing native language but the fact is some songs fit the native language, some just don't. And I know you prefer a song to stay in the language it was written in which is how it should be!

So if the song is in Hebrew or English it doesn't matter. I don't think it'd make the blind bit of difference. Some people will just prefer songs to be in English so they can understand it and there's nothing wrong with that. It doesn't mean they'll get what they want.

 

[QwaarJet]

Actually, if you think I "hated on English" in ESC you haven't seen my rankings throughout the years I've been a member here, if you find any of them for any edition you'd see that that statement of yours is false.

I don't agree with you that Moran's song should be in English at all, especially since it had a bit of local flavor to it... but we just have to agree to disagree on that one.

It's funny though, you say I shouldn't judge a song before I hear it? But aren't people saying it should be in English sorta doing the same? Why would me wanting the entry to be sung in Hebrew be an opinion with less credibility than someone wishing for English?

The language rule may have been abolished (unfortunately), but the concept of ESC remains and I stick to my interpretation of the concept, and again you totally underestimate languages as if they aren't of any importance. There's firstly the obvious symbolic importance in keeping entries in native languages (afterall ESC's concept is about entries representing their countries and languages is part of this, but seems like people want to strip away everything in this concept to leave us with practically nothing unique), secondly (and I've stated it plenty of times already) languages are unique and have specific characteristics which can be used and sound differently when sung (not only when spoken.

Also, you're totally contradict yourself with your response, you start off saying that some songs would fit better in English and that I should be "open to that idea aswell" and you argue how their 2013 entry would hypothetically fit better in English... then when it comes to native languages it's suddenly "all about music" and "languages doesn't matter"... well apparently it DOES matter for you aswell otherwise you'd see no issue in my comments and you'd obviously have no issue with "Rak Bishvilo" staying in Hebrew...

Again, your ranking is the same as your typing here, you have no choice. A large amount of the songs each year are in English, so It's to be expected that a lot of your top songs are in English. That doesn't prove anything.

I agree with you that those asking for English before hearing are guilty of the same thing, although I don't see them screaming "THIS MUST BE IN ENGLISH!" in every thread, so I guess that makes it more tolerable.

On your last paragraph, as you know from my ranking, I utterly loved Rak Bishvilo. Which is why I say It's about the music. I think it would be have been a little better in English, but a good song is a good song, and for me as long as the music is good, the language only makes a small difference. I guess I just don't feel like you do when you say the language used can make or break a song. It makes a difference, but It's a relatively small one. What I personally dislike is the constant remixing of the song itself. That's usually the death knell.

I do love our discussions though.

 

[A-lister]

I don't think any of us want to strip away languages completely, I think you're exaggerating. You make out like you're the only person championing native language but the fact is some songs fit the native language, some just don't. And I know you prefer a song to stay in the language it was written in which is how it should be!

So if the song is in Hebrew or English it doesn't matter. I don't think it'd make the blind bit of difference. Some people will just prefer songs to be in English so they can understand it and there's nothing wrong with that. It doesn't mean they'll get what they want.

What I react to is the contradictional arguments, people saying in one comment that "languages don't matter" and in the next that "some songs fit better in English"...

But truth of the matter is that if more countries will send entries in English, we'll simply end up with only English in ESC and although the language rule is abolished, I don't think that was the purpose with abolishing it to totally transform ESC to an only-English contest. We already had a record of English already, I think instead of wishing more countries would turn into English we should applaud the FEW that actually goes against the trend and stay true to their own languages and the concept of ESC (and Israel is one of those countries).

Also, people in here may be fluent or atleast pretty good in English, but it's a myth that the general audience of ESC are. Also, since when was ESC really a lyrical contest to begin with? And again, if languages don't matter and "music speaks for itself" then why is it important to have it in English then? I don't get the logic here

 

[Sean]

Personally the music does speak for itself. But I've never claimed that it's important for a song to be in English. Maybe some other people are being contradictory

 

[A-lister]

Again, your ranking is the same as your typing here, you have no choice. A large amount of the songs each year are in English, so It's to be expected that a lot of your top songs are in English. That doesn't prove anything.

I agree with you that those asking for English before hearing are guilty of the same thing, although I don't see them screaming "THIS MUST BE IN ENGLISH!" in every thread, so I guess that makes it more tolerable.

On your last paragraph, as you know from my ranking, I utterly loved Rak Bishvilo. Which is why I say It's about the music. I think it would be have been a little better in English, but a good song is a good song, and for me as long as the music is good, the language only makes a small difference. I guess I just don't feel like you do when you say the language used can make or break a song. It makes a difference, but It's a relatively small one. What I personally dislike is the constant remixing of the song itself. That's usually the death knell.

I do love our discussions though.

That's true, but what I mean is that in the end of the day I'm not "language biased", if I like a song sung in English more than a song sung in native language, I'd rank it higher naturally. Though, and you do point out a big issue with the current direction of ESC (or atleast it's an issue imo), that there are less and less entries sung in native language in general which pretty much leaves us with just English language entries. I don't think that's something honorable in a contest that atleast on paper should be about entries representing our countries and showcasing a European diversity and understanding.

I dunno, I think people saying an English entry should fit her better is pretty much doing the same thing I do

Well, still though you do say that languages don't really matter, but then you argue throughout that it does indeed matter (atleast to some degree) so I'm a bit confused Obviously it does matter and do some difference for you too, if it wouldn't at all then you wouldn't even argue that some entry would be better in English

I do love our discussions too!

 

[A-lister]

Personally the music does speak for itself. But I've never claimed that it's important for a song to be in English. Maybe some other people are being contradictory

If music speaks for itself yet people "need to understand the lyrics and therefor it should arguably be in English" then yeah it's a bit contradictory

I'm not saying you agree with those people though, I just responded generally speaking

 

[QwaarJet]

Well, still though you do say that languages don't really matter, but then you argue throughout that it does indeed matter (atleast to some degree) so I'm a bit confused Obviously it does matter and do some difference for you too, if it wouldn't at all then you wouldn't even argue that some entry would be better in English

I do love our discussions too!

I'm saying the language doesn't REALLY matter. There is a difference. As I said, if I think a song belongs in one language but It's sung in another, then I can live with it. Maybe singing in the language I prefer (not always English by any means, as you know from my history) would make a 10% difference. I'm still going to like the song almost as much, but It could be the difference between being 1st or 2nd on my list. That's what I'm saying. Picking the right language to sing in gives it that bit of polish.

So the language matters to an extent, but not enough for me to rage about it and how it destroys the "spirit of the contest". I believe Eurovision is about musical diversity, not a language diversity. Each country can sing in whatever language they want, and I don't believe they should be under any pressure to keep it in their native language or switch to English. The music still matters that most.

 

[A-lister]

I'm saying the language doesn't REALLY matter. There is a difference. As I said, if I think a song belongs in one language but It's sung in another, then I can live with it. Maybe singing in the language I prefer (not always English by any means, as you know from my history) would make a 10% difference. I'm still going to like the song almost as much, but It could be the difference between being 1st or 2nd on my list. That's what I'm saying. Picking the right language to sing in gives it that bit of polish.

So the language matters to an extent, but not enough for me to rage about it and how it destroys the "spirit of the contest". I believe Eurovision is about musical diversity, not a language diversity. Each country can sing in whatever language they want, and I don't believe they should be under any pressure to keep it in their native language or switch to English. The music still matters that most.

Well, it may not mean THAT much to you, but you sure admit that I do have a point though and that it does matter to some extent

Though, this is the thing I don't get, you can't just act as if languages are irrelevant (and you sorta agree to some degree atleast that they do matter), and as for the concept of ESC I think since it's countries competing against each other in music, I think overlooking languages and cultural musical diversity is not really correct. Had the concept just been a general music contest, then musical diversity could be enough, but now it's also a country contest of some sort, so I think other aspects have to be taken into consideration... but then again we seem to not fully agree on how much a language really means in music and as a symbolic worth. I don't think one can simply separate one from the other, an important part of our diversities are our different languages and music have to some extent been shaped (atleast historically) with those languages in mind. Also, you have to note that in many countries singing in English is pretty much alien, so it's even more odd how artists end up singing in English in a contest where they atleast on paper ought to represent their countries in music when they normally never sing in English or native music rarely is sung in English in the first place... it just makes it seem faux and totally against the concept of ESC. If an artist's regular material at home is in English then it's atleast somewhat logical, but if they never really sing in English and only choose it for this occasion... then I think it's not just sad based on ESC's contest, but also it's not genuine.

Atleast we came to a somewhat agreement that it does matter (maybe more for some than others of course), so it can't be totally overlooked atleast.

 

[Yoni]

Hebrew/English combo is almost usually awful and sounds extremely unnatural, the only ones who managed to make the combination successful in their song were Izabo (but they had other problems).

Personally I love ballads in Hebrew, and the English of most singers here sounds very unnatural and 'off', about Mei though.. I think I'll just wait for the songs, because she sings in both English and Hebrew.

FYI this is the latest thing from her that was released (she's the main vocals in the group), also the guy she's with in this group is the one who's helping her to make the songs for the private National final.

 

[A-lister]

^
If that's the latest thing she's done and he's helping her doing some entry for the NF, then I'm slightly more optimistic. That song itself is not particularly good, but the fact that she's willing to add ethno/oriental flavor to music aswell atleast is something I've been waiting for Israel to do since 2008 (yes Dana had a small partion of that in her entry aswell, but not enough).

 

[WinMei]

Mei Finegold in an interview:

"I'm still in shock , I'm in shock ," says Mei Finegold , yesterday formally declared Israeli representative Eurovision 2014 to be held this year in Copenhagen, Denmark , in early May.
- How do you feel ?
"I turmoil total , I mostly very happy. Streamed down my tears when I got the news first , on Thursday evening. Rang a number unlisted, I looked at the phone and said Lior owners did not feel like answering . , And he said, ' Why ? Answer , let's see Who's " . the line was Isaac Sonnenschein ( Chairman of the Committee of Eurovision ) , told me the news ."

You were already the final "American Idol."
"I hope this time I never finished in third place."

- If you get a third at Eurovision, with all politics thereall the country will be proud of you.
"I hope this time to win. Seriously I mean it.you are not going such competition without blind faith you're going to win, or do not go. To me there is no other option."

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[A-lister]

^
Well, I think most acts entering are pretty much stating the same right?

She better goes blonde and classy/sexy/cool in ESC, that faux punk-ish redhead look looks cheap imo...

 

[theCONWEL]

She better goes blonde and classy/sexy/cool in ESC, that faux punk-ish redhead look looks cheap imo...

Just what I was thinking... She looks haaaat as a blonde

 

[QwaarJet]

Oh no, red hair for me please. Blonde is so boring.

 

[alca]

I'm in Team blonde!

 

[A-lister]

Oh no, red hair for me please. Blonde is so boring.

She looks like a cheap punk chick in red, looks so unnatural and premature and it's unfortunate because she got good looks in general :/ But taste differs with looks just as with music

 

[GWTW1939]

People seriously need to get over it and stop wishing people with blonde hair to change their hair color xhand. Blonde hair is not boring and making it black, brown, red or even green isn't going to change anything, the person remains the same. The hair color means nothing and isn't going to magically give you the music that you want them to do xsnooty. Being blonde is not bland, stop acting like all the other hair colors mean something more!

xsorry I always get touchy on the subject cause as a Britney fan I'm sick and tired of fans wanting her to have brown hair and complaining when she's blonde again for a new era As if that is somehow going to make her edgy, more open and less closed off :roll:

 

[A-lister]

^
In most cases, people look best with their natural hair color (or shades of it atleast). I don't see the "edgy" in her red hair days, it looks mostly juvenile and cheap to me (but taste will differ). And why would "black" be edgier than blonde anyways?, when natural blonde is one of the most unique hair-colors while black being the most common one in the whole world?

If Israel has learned anything from last year, then it's that visual appeal does matter in ESC (clothing, styling etc.), not that these things matters the most (of course not), but still.

 

[GWTW1939]

^^^
I don't know when it happened but somewhere over the decades people starting claiming blond equals bland . Its apparently so generic and boring to have blond hair these days it needs to be livened up with a change in color or style otherwise you may not get noticed xdoh.

It's like when Paris Jackson cut her long brown hair real short and made it black with some red in it xdoh. Everyone praised her for being expressive, edgy and grown up and all I could think was how beautiful her original look was and why would she do that to herself . In my opinion she looks less mature and more juvenile now although she still looks beautiful, but that's more because of her face not hair

 

[Happiness]

Sorry if I missed something but I was checking the Eurovision 2014 Page on Wikipedia and I saw that Israel officially is in Semi Final 2. Why is that?