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So, for this year’s Phil Explains it all – we’re having the helpful comments of Shai along side my own (Shai is helpfully coloured in blue)- you can always rely on him!
Croatia
It’s almost as though they looked at Bambi Thug and their tattoos and wove them into a story and, for the avoidance of doubt, there is a story behind the tattoos and the crosses and stuff but who on earth is going to tell that in 42 seconds between songs? – Televoters just saw some young witches singing an ethereal song quite well, rather than what the group wanted you to see but their vocal clearly cut through. Jurors were more sceptical though with four big scores accounting for most of their points. A bit disappointing for HRT.
It seems that this kind of song has its limits. It gets love but not enough to win. Previous songs in the same genre got 10th(Czechia 2023 with 129 points) and 13th(Latvia 2025 with 158 points). Mostly it is the juries who give the song the push up on the score board, but here, the televoters gave 18 more points than the juries. This kind of song has its audience who will make sure it will get a respectable result. But let’s face it , this kind of song is not going to win Eurovision.
Norway
The first one on this list I am genuinely confused at. This is a great little pop bop sung by someone with a great deal of talent all bundled up in a slightly sleazy package. That could have been something to do with it’s public failure. That and the fact that Jonas oversung it in both the jury final and the show proper may well have scuppered it’s chances. I still love it to pieces though – More of this kind of thing please.
Loved by the juries, ignored by the televoters, receiving only 19 points out of a total 134 points, from them. I think the televoters got it right. They didn’t like what they heard or saw.
Albania
This is another one that is genuinely confusing me. My brain cells, or those that are left, suggests that this kind of thing would do hideously badly. An Albanian gangsta telling you all about his mothers yearnings for her boy is the stuff of nightmares and/or the Albanian version of Eastenders. However, Alis’ vocal and those damn subtitles (because no one understands Albanian) did a number on this song and I’m actually please it got his high and no higher. Now get out of my pub!
More televoters and juries. Diaspora voting, Balkan voting and anyone who could not resist a singer singing to or about his mother. I would say, less drama, more natural emotions would be much appreciated.
Poland
I’m with the televoters of Europe on this one. To me, this song is messy and all over the shop and you can’t vote for a song that is two different things sellotaped together unless you are a part of the diaspora (Hello UK!), so Europe didn’t. Those middle-aged jurors, though, must have thought that this had the requisite hit potential in four countries and none of them were neighbours! I guess they thought it was well sung and staged well, which it undoubtedly was, it was just too boring for a televoter.
She finished 2nd in semi 1. Ahead of Finland in 3rd place and behind Israel in 1st place. On her way to the final she lost 97 points, mostly from the televoters. I am not sure if the juries were listening to the song or just marking her up for her vocals, which was the best asset the song had. Because the song was disjointed and was zigzagging between different styles.
France
Get this absolute shower of shit in the bin and off my television. For me, and I can only speak for myself, this is France being TOO French. Yes you’re a country of culture, yes you think you are morally superior to everyone else, Yes you think a Galic shrug is the appropriate response to most questions *including* this one. I reckon this got that OnEurope staple, the votes from the Ironic gays or the jurors that fancied themselves as a bit upper-class because real people saw a Britney Spears clone with braided hair singing opera… and that is not a good look for the masses of Europe. 11th is higher than it deserved to finish.
Like Norway, loved by juries, ignored by the televoters, receiving only 14 points out of 158 points, from them. She was good, vocally on point, and was rewarded by the juries. But let’s be honest that the whole song sounded more in place in a musical than in a competitive set, which is Eurovision. And thank goodness, they didn’t use Paris as their backdrop for the staging.
