Modern Music has no place in EUROVISION for me

[FROMTHENORTH]

Theres an obvious trend in the music industry lately that in order to appear cool or modern/relevant your song and its message have to be defiant, conveying independence, aggression and negative energy

Basically the '**** you' song is the way to go to be modern

'im not your toy'

The other way to go is to be crass, sexualised and seductive

'Because im burning up and I ain't cooling down, yeah I got the fire'

Edgy and defiant are the apparent ways to stay relevant with the modern listener

I for one love a good anthem, with a good chord progression, one that rouses my spirit and makes me feel good

'A million Voices' to me was the perfect Euro song

I don't know why people suddenly think its important for a Euro song to be made for radio and the modern listener

They're two different styles of music

Eurovision to me should be about the staging, the way the song makes me feel, how music unites the nations

The 2014 Interval act 'Rainmaker' was one of the best moments ever seen in Eurovision. I got goosebumps listening to the arena explode in united singing.

THAT is what Eurovision should be about

Not a flat beat, neat drops that go nowhere and a sexy dance routine that appeals to the 'fast food' generation

So if the songs I love are deemed 'cheesy' and out of touch then I really don't care, because Eurovision should be anthemic and powerful

 

[Odalis]

Can i have your dealer's number? Thx!

 

[RainyWoods]

Everyone is different. I didn't like Fuego at all (it was right near the bottom of my 2018 ranking). I never got on board for Toy. People like these songs though. I wouldn't want to dictate what others should be listening to. We connect with music in different ways. It's a very personal thing. I absolutely hated A Million Voices (you speak of "fast food" music and I thought this song was exactly that in ballad form, extremely contrived and sterile) but who would I be to deny that you and others connected with it? We can have opinions about music but ultimately Eurovision isn't just here to please us personally as individuals. Fuego made people happy. It made them want to dance. The same applies for Toy. They've got as much a right to be in the contest as any other song.

For me I like it when songs at Eurovision feel authentic. The singers connection with the composition is one of the very most important things to me. Outside of the contest I mainly listen to alternative music and quite underground artists so I don't have to worry about it, but at Eurovision more and more reality singing shows are being used to select singers which are then being plonked onto songs that don't fit them, trite compositions. Everything is very manufactured and I don't feel sincerity from a lot of stuff that's produced. That's my own personal grievance with the contest. My enjoyment levels for ESC have fallen drastically over the past few years. I'm a feely kind of guy but the ballads are leaving me cold, and the songs which you describe as "modern" I'm also not keen on. I think pop music is in a really bad place at the moment. It is what it is though. I just keep listening to what I like and try as much as I can to focus on that. Let people do their thing.

For me the bottom line is: Music has a place at Eurovision (even the stuff I'd quite happily chuck off a cliff). This contest belongs to everyone.

 

[lavieenrose]

Like what you like. For me, "A Million Voices" is a part of, hell, a leader of, the trend towards neurotically modern tripe that you seem to object to, while "Toy" isn't, but it's good that we see songs in different ways.

But put your damn thread in the right place, and stop barking up every single wrong tree you possibly can.

 

[Uvaro]

who asked?

 

[Citelis]

The more different genres there are the better for me!

 

[BorisBubbles]

There certainly has been a marked shift towards Conceptualism over the past few years. For those not certain by what I mean by this: 'Concepts', moreso than song, it what wins Eurovision lately. Every winner from Conchita onwards had capitalized on their current year's zeitgeist (or otherwise had an ironclad concept people could identify with). Netta's thing was that she tackled the #MeToo movement and did clucking noises. Jamala came at a time where the anti-Russia sentiment was at its white-hottest. Salvador came in as a (seemingly) unassuming entrant in a contest drenched in petty political drama. These entries won because they represented the right sentiment at the right time.

That isn't to say that their songs were unimportant. They were. None of them wouldn't have won had the song, live vocals and act not been nailed by the performers and the production team behind them. You cannot win Eurovision without working for you meal, so to speak.

I personally don't mind this shift. While my fave song rarely wins (I can't even remember the chronologically last year I have the winner at #1. Probably 1991?), each winner represents the political landscape at the time, rooting the zeitgeist for future generations and eurofans to come. Eurovision is and has always been its own political micro-cosmos and that's partially why we all love it, right?

My pet peeve however is -and I realize that I am speaking for myself here- the shift towards rewarding mass-produced SAFE imitation pop. In other words: the inclusion of "modern music", whatever that is, itself isn't a problem. I can on occasion appreciate a clear carbon copy clone; Both Michael and Eleni charmed me in spite of their utter lack of originality and I quite like Barbora in the Czech selections.

However, I still cannot wrap my head around so-called "professional" juries watching the 2018 finale and deeming Anthems of the Lowest Common Denominator "Dance you off" and "Nobody but you" the AB*SO*LUTE best acts of the entire evening, like wtf? That cannot be a genuine opinion anyone has. I don't dislike either song by any means but how generic, how soulless, how expected, how terribly disappointing. By the same token original, daring, fresh entries like "Hvala, ne!" and "O jardim" are relegated to the proverbial rubbish bin (not to mention "La Forza", "Mercy", "When we're old", "Viszlát nyár",...) The system as it is now has become too complacent and too comfortable with itself and if Netta's victory had any silver lining, is that it has opened all registers for new, daring entry that will hopefully continue breaking the wheel.

 

[Ana Raquel]

Hi Salvador Sobral how is it going

 

[QwaarJet]

It's an interesting discussion, but like RW, I need most of my music to feel authentic. The fact that you said that "A Million Voices" was the perfect Eurovision song is interesting, since it's basically factory manufactured pop, designed to appeal to the masses as much as possible.

I want more diversity of genre. Less pop, less bangers, and stuff with more substance.

 

[BorisBubbles]

Eh. I agree with authentic emotion being number one, but I have to disagree with "A Million Voices", of all entries, being devoid of it. I thought the live performance of it was RIFE with emotion and energy, cf Polina's face during the performance:

That's definitely NOT the face of your regular, rehearsed, stoic SovBot. That's the face of a *REAL* person with *REAL* emotion. "A Million Voice"'s transformation from a generic, cloying, inauthentic, crafty reformation ballad written to elicit sympathy votes into a genuine song is precisely what I watch Eurovision for. I think it's one of the best entries in this decade, and I'm willing to defend it to the death if needed.

Dina Garipova and the Twinbeasts can be thrusted in a few incernators though...

 

[QwaarJet]

Eh. I agree with authentic emotion being number one, but I have to disagree with "A Million Voices", of all entries, being devoid of it. I thought the live performance of it was RIFE with emotion and energy, cf Polina's face during the performance:

That's definitely NOT the face of your regular, rehearsed, stoic SovBot. That's the face of a *REAL* person with *REAL* emotion. "A Million Voice"'s transformation from a generic, cloying, inauthentic, crafty reformation ballad written to elicit sympathy votes into a genuine song is precisely what I watch Eurovision for. I think it's one of the best entries in this decade, and I'm willing to defend it to the death if needed.

Dina Garipova and the Twinbeasts can be thrusted in a few incernators though...

There's no point in defending it. I doubt we are going to change each other's minds on it. I think every inch of it is manufactured, including the emotions, and you think it's genuine. That's fine.

I would say that although Dina's song was also incredibly manufactured, I thought her performance felt a lot genuine, as opposed to Polina the Putinbot.

I agree on the Tolmachevy sisters though.

 

[FROMTHENORTH]

Eh. I agree with authentic emotion being number one, but I have to disagree with "A Million Voices", of all entries, being devoid of it. I thought the live performance of it was RIFE with emotion and energy, cf Polina's face during the performance:

That's definitely NOT the face of your regular, rehearsed, stoic SovBot. That's the face of a *REAL* person with *REAL* emotion. "A Million Voice"'s transformation from a generic, cloying, inauthentic, crafty reformation ballad written to elicit sympathy votes into a genuine song is precisely what I watch Eurovision for. I think it's one of the best entries in this decade, and I'm willing to defend it to the death if needed.

Dina Garipova and the Twinbeasts can be thrusted in a few incernators though...

My thoughts on A million dreams are exactly this

An absolute masterpiece of a performance and should have won

 

[Mainshow]

"A Million Voices" was not authentic at all. A well-calculated ballad by numbers. Polina had zero input in the whole process and it's clearly a propaganda song to show the world how peaceful and diverse Russia is whilst the Russian channel and Polina are kissing Putin's ass. Actually, that entry was utterly outrageous and disgraceful.
For all those reasons, I had Russia inside my Bottom 2 back in 2015.

That said, Polina made the song her own when it comes to the live shows. She was clearly living for this moment, made it very emotional and delivered flawless vocals. She really turned everything around.. In the end, my whole family voted for Russia that year and it was close to my Top 10 in the end.

However, the entry itself is far from being authentic or original but everyone is entitled to voice their own opinion, of course.

For example, I love "Blackbird", "1944" and "Solayoh" alike.. But I know that the last song is basically trash.. Still I think it's amazing haha

 

[Preuss]

"Who are you, may I ask?"

 

[FROMTHENORTH]

"A Million Voices" was not authentic at all. A well-calculated ballad by numbers. Polina had zero input in the whole process and it's clearly a propaganda song to show the world how peaceful and diverse Russia is whilst the Russian channel and Polina are kissing Putin's ass. Actually, that entry was utterly outrageous and disgraceful.
For all those reasons, I had Russia inside my Bottom 2 back in 2015.

That said, Polina made the song her own when it comes to the live shows. She was clearly living for this moment, made it very emotional and delivered flawless vocals. She really turned everything around.. In the end, my whole family voted for Russia that year and it was close to my Top 10 in the end.

However, the entry itself is far from being authentic or original but everyone is entitled to voice their own opinion, of course.

For example, I love "Blackbird", "1944" and "Solayoh" alike.. But I know that the last song is basically trash.. Still I think it's amazing haha

I dont care about authenticity, or if you thought it sounded manufactured.

ALL songs are manufactured. They're all created

The song was epic, and rousing with a great hook, a great chorus and a great singer

 

[FROMTHENORTH]

Just to be clear it came as a complete surprise to me on the night because I hadn't even registered this as a contender during the NFs

 

[BorisBubbles]

Let's not get carried away. Polina is in my top 2 for 2015, but that's 100% down to her live (actually, her semifinal 1 performance specifically. Mans was better in the final i m o), the song itself is rubbish , but I don't mind because, again, she sold it well. Talk about a rags to riches tale.

I mean, having a "good song" (whatever that means) isn't really that important once the live has happened. The live often transcends the inherent quality (or lack thereof) of a Eurovision song. In other words: It's not the song itself that matters, but what you do with it.

 

[Citelis]

I dont care about authenticity, or if you thought it sounded manufactured.

ALL songs are manufactured. They're all created

The song was epic, and rousing with a great hook, a great chorus and a great singer

Yes but that's your personal opinion! I never liked it for example and i always thinking that this overrated!

 

[mauve]

I actually don't know what we are talking about. Can there be a perfect ESC-song? There is always a subjective perspective involved. Basically what someone finds perfect (like Polina), might be trash for another one. I can't recall who said it, but someone mentioned the phenomenon of zeitgeist here a page before. That also explains why a song can evoke enthusiam in a certain year and not inanother. I for myself prefer songs that may be timeless for me, meaning that songs grasp me and that I will listen to even after the ESC-year has ended. A song shouldn't be like a butterfly where I say "Oh! Beautiful!" and that flies away and that I forget the next moment. I simply love ESC generally because I get to learn why people like songs that I don't like and because I can share the ones I love with people that also love these songs.

 

[A-lister]

Yeah, let us bring back Eurovision to the "good ol'" 1980's with "great clever messages", dated ballads and sounds that were "in" during the 1960's

I don't mind Eurovision staying a relevant force in music (= MODERN), what's more problematic though is the lack of diversity and that everything is commercially safe Americanized/Swedo-Popnized fluff, and if you refer to "modern" as that, then yeah I get your point, but there's nothing wrong in staying up to date, nor is it wrong to have hit-worthy songs, it's however wrong if everything sounds the same and if there is no room for variety, alternative stuff, ethno stuff, local-flavors etc.