It struck me before tackling 2001 that it’s quite similar in structure and feel to 2006, with a pretty slow, low-scoring opening slew before things take off in the mid-section and the energy cranks up and up right to the end. It’s also a contest (not continuing the comparison here, mind you) in which what is wrong is clearly wrong and what is right would be hard to get any righter. The V: comments include those I made at the time from being there – and looking back on them now, I must have been on a high from the event, because some of them are inexplicable.
01 The Netherlands
B: It may be a very Dutch way of thinking, but “I never felt so free in the choices of my life” remains my favourite line. Disastrous sepia portrait in the CD booklet.
A: Stunning string intro, followed immediately by a little acoustic masterpiece. Very Beautiful Thing. If anything, the vocals are a little forceful. This strikes me as something juries would have wet themselves over and veritably chucked points at.
V: Abrupt opening. It’s brave to go with such a structured and yet static performance. (Is anyone even watching? I seem to remember not.) Sounds quite flat in places.
02 Iceland
B: He must be singing about his teenage years, the way he pronounces “I was just a joker”.
A: This is super bland – something I never fully realised at the time. Good harmonies though, and the lads’ voices offset each other nicely. It’s well structured, too, in a very pop-school-graduate kind of way. Ironically, it only spreads its wings and takes flight in the last 20 or so seconds.
V: This just doesn’t work in front of the cameras. It’s not helped by some terrible direction, like when they pull out on the line “now I see you closing in”.
03 Bosnia and Herzegovina
B: The lyrics are of course completely depressing (“I da ti u lice kažem ono šta hoću / Ti ne bi brinula”) but also delightful, and somehow arousing.*
A: The minimalist production is spot on, and impossibly rich. I can only assume it too would have fared better under other circumstances.
V: *Something to do with Nino Pršeš effortlessly oozing sex appeal, perhaps. But no one’s taking any notice of this either. I marked it down originally (along with the Netherlands) as “instantly forgettable”. How wrong I was! His voice in the verses is positively magnetic. Diction overload on the English bits.
04 Norway
B: The lines “I’m on my own again / Left all alone, where I belong” seem very harsh. Note that they changed the original lyrics after that – “I wouldn’t change a day when curtains fall” – for the live version, as if those few words alone were taking the theatricality of it all too far.
A: I love the way this and the Dutch entry are superficially so similar and yet so different at the same time. It’s clearly a case of the voice winning it for the song rather than the song standing out, and it’s all a trifle dull.
V: Everything about this guy screams wrongness, except his voice, which screams beautifully. The vocal fireworks deservedly got the audience going, briefly, which led me to believe at the time that it may have the same effect on the voting hordes of Europe. But he’s way scarier than anyone intends.
05 Israel
B: The theme here is 100% Israeli (“Or vakhoshekh nilkhamim aleynu akhshav”)...
A: ...but the production has always struck me as being a bit of a departure for them; I don’t know why, and I’m probably wrong. Quite a successful one in any case, but it could do without the (synth?) horns. The little rumba/samba/whatever break at the end is terrific. I liked this as soon as I heard it, and I still do.
V: Sadly, it was sabotaged on the night by a spectacularly awful performance. The shrill backing vocals are a disaster from the word go; one of them is so far off it’s embarrassing. “Im ko’ev lakh, shtey enaikh dom’ot” – there’s no ‘if’ about it!
06 Russia
B: I love the lines “The slipping serpentine night / Would... / ...smother warning signs / My old mistakes should send her”.
A: Funny how Russia thought this was the obvious thing to follow up the success of Solo with. Completely bonkers. Very David Bowie, from what little I know of his music. I’m constantly surprised at how authentic and accomplished it sounds, although why it shouldn’t I have no idea.
V: Despite Ilya’s weird voice, he’s the first one to actually sound real to me in a way. It’s been such an odd start to the contest to this point: like some warm-up act you’re not expected to take much notice of.
07 Sweden
B: “Wou je mij verslinden / Zonder je te binden?” are my favourite lines, albeit from Liefde is een kaartspel.
A: The first case of obvious plagiarism in 2001, but the only one punished for it. They picked right though, giving Friends a killer hook to work with when backed by the full Swedish production. Having said that, it’s a wonder the DAT copies of this wheel of cheese ever made it past the sniffer dogs it’s so aggressively pungent.
V: The crowd laps this up. I like the look the blonde one gives the backing vocalist who fluffs her lines during the first chorus. Overall it sounds, and looks, rather forced. I hate the way they’re so mechanical at the end about lining everyone up for their bow at the front of the stage as quickly as they can before the cameras cut to something else. I love the fact they don’t manage it.
Addendum: Aren’t the hosts dreadful? I just noticed again. It’s only really in the voting when they come into their own, at long last.
08 Lithuania
B: Clever touches to the lyrics (especially in the Lithuanian interlude, where I love the flow and sound of the line “Aš skaičiuoju keikvieną tavo žingsnį, žingsnį”).
A: Clever touches to the music as well, and Erica has my kind of voice, but I’ll admit the point does become a bit laboured towards the end. Lithuania were premature sending something like this in 2001: it probably would have done better a few years later.
V: This is another very real-sounding performance. It’s completely unpretentious. Why, though, were flares so big in 2001? That’s four pairs I count so far; six if you add the Israeli backing vocalists’, and seven with both Skamp lads.
09 Latvia
B: If poor Arnis has to keep asking the ladies “Why, darling, you don’t come?” he really ought to start looking at his own technique. I love the paredness of the lines “Why do I feel this way? – Dunno, last night was great / But something’s screwin’ me up, I swear to God I will stop”.
A: Talk about odd choices! And yet this seems so completely Latvian that I probably would have been disappointed if they’d chosen anything else. Too much nuttiness though straight after Lithuania, methinks, however much fun it offers... if you’re in the right mood.
V: With this, Russia and Lithuania, what impression do you think the audience got of the mental health of people from the former Soviet Union? At the time I said this performance was ‘excellent’. Was I watching something else?
10 Croatia
B: They didn’t spend long writing the lyrics to this, did they? Yet another hideous snap in the CD booklet: one of many.
A: This is one of those songs I was convinced pre-contest had everything it needed to win. When one of my friends complained that it was too busy, I just couldn’t see it. I kind of get it now, but still adore it. Strangely, the studio version is very poorly edited.
V: Fab ending to both versions though, and Vanna looks stunning. But shouldn’t the fiddler have been a man?
10 Croatia
B: They didn’t spend long writing the lyrics to this, did they? Yet another hideous snap in the CD booklet: one of many.
A: This is one of those songs I was convinced pre-contest had everything it needed to win. When one of my friends complained that it was too busy, I just couldn’t see it. I kind of get it now, but still adore it. Strangely, the studio version is very poorly edited.
V: Fab ending to both versions though, and Vanna looks stunning. But shouldn’t the fiddler have been a man?
11 Portugal
B: If “...procuro o teu mar / É a tua ilha que eu quero encontrar” is anything to go by, these two must share similar problems to Arnis Mednis.
A: Is this the first example of a song being reworked from uptempo to no-tempo for the contest rather than the other way round? I was dumbfounded to discover they’d done so, and seemingly so late in the day, especially when the original version had much more potential. (A relative term when it comes to Portugal during this era, but still.) I do like it though: the lyrics just flow out, and there’s a sense of easy comfort to it all. Choosing this after being relegated in ’99 with Como tudo começou though... What were they thinking?
V: Lovely performance, but it still feels like the show hasn’t actually started.
12 Ireland
B: “No, I can’t go on.”
A: They have a processed sausage here in Estonia that comes with cheese already shot through it. This song is without doubt its musical equivalent, and surely Ireland’s least respectable entry. It’s a definite contender for the title of worst song in the contest’s history if you ask me.
V: Gary looks like a goofy science teacher. That cuteness is these three minutes’ only redeeming feature.
13 Spain
B: Come on: “todo es mentira” is an understatement. Leather pants? Ha!
A: The first version I heard of this was the longer live version from their national final that had the bass turned up to maximum. I fell for it instantly. Listening to it again now, it’s not nearly as brilliant as I thought it was, but it doesn’t do a lot wrong either for a Spanish entry. Great guitar, needless to say. And it’s a bit of a trendsetter when you think about it.
13 Spain
B: Come on: “todo es mentira” is an understatement. Leather pants? Ha!
A: The first version I heard of this was the longer live version from their national final that had the bass turned up to maximum. I fell for it instantly. Listening to it again now, it’s not nearly as brilliant as I thought it was, but it doesn’t do a lot wrong either for a Spanish entry. Great guitar, needless to say. And it’s a bit of a trendsetter when you think about it.
V: The audience has finally woken up a bit! Stelios Konstantas borrowed these dancers for Cyprus ’03, didn’t he?
Addendum: The trophy gag is pretty much the only thing that works all night for the hosts.
14 France
B: I love the rhyming couplet of “Même si tu dis que je fais partie de toi / ... / Je sais tellement que l’amour a ses lois”. And I can certainly identify with “mon corps... s’enflamme au son de ta voix”.
A: Many people are not as taken with this as others are, but to me it epitomises the best of French Eurovision. The arrangement is stunning, and deceptively simple. I can fully understand why Terry Wogan thought this would at long last return the contest to Paris.
V: She’s not too good at keeping track of the cameras, and it all gets a bit toothy towards the end. I jumped up and down when she’d done belting it out, but nobody else seemed much bothered.
15 Turkey
B: “Kollarım açık beklerken, sevgim yollarda.” Out cottaging, I’ll wager.
Addendum: The trophy gag is pretty much the only thing that works all night for the hosts.
14 France
B: I love the rhyming couplet of “Même si tu dis que je fais partie de toi / ... / Je sais tellement que l’amour a ses lois”. And I can certainly identify with “mon corps... s’enflamme au son de ta voix”.
A: Many people are not as taken with this as others are, but to me it epitomises the best of French Eurovision. The arrangement is stunning, and deceptively simple. I can fully understand why Terry Wogan thought this would at long last return the contest to Paris.
V: She’s not too good at keeping track of the cameras, and it all gets a bit toothy towards the end. I jumped up and down when she’d done belting it out, but nobody else seemed much bothered.
15 Turkey
B: “Kollarım açık beklerken, sevgim yollarda.” Out cottaging, I’ll wager.
A: This is the Disney theme that never was: you can just see the animated princess sashaying across the screen in some epic Persian fairytale to this, with the dishy Sedat as her hirsute prince. It’s really quite lovely, and sad, but completely hopeless and OTT at the same time. Which I’ve always liked. Wonderful ending.
V: Positively archaic, but Sedat looks gorgeous. Tired, but gorgeous.
16 United Kingdom
B: ‘Reaching for eternity’ could be a metaphor for that final note.
A: I love the way all the clubby numbers are clumped at the end, even if I’ve never much liked this: it seems oddly dated, even for 2001. It has an interesting structure though, and Lindsay has the right voice for it... when she hits the notes she’s supposed to. Generally though, the song tries a bit too hard for my liking.
V: No, I don’t think so. Mind you, the chorus sounds pretty good. The last note still gives me palpitations; does her, too, obviously. She got it so devastatingly wrong in the last dress rehearsal that the song finished and almost no one clapped.
17 Slovenia
B: Is that a stunt double in Nuša’s photoshoot for the CD booklet? It looks nothing like her. “My whole life is one big fantasy” indeed.
A: This is so expletingly good. Absolute trash, but pulled off with such bombastic aplomb that you’d swear it was a musical masterpiece. (It got easily the best video of the year, too. Exploding pianos!)
V: Strange outfit. But we have a performance! The direction and lighting are working in unison with the music at last, and she’s about the only one you see smile, too.
18 Poland
B: Great lyrics. I love the realism of the lines “I would never want to be with someone like me / But maybe one more night could make us feel alright / What difference does it make?” and “I know the honesty within is nothing when you’re cryin’”.
A: The aforementioned second big (undiscovered) rip-off of the contest if you ask me. They had the right idea with this as a comeback; not quite as right as Slovenia perhaps, but certainly much more than Portugal. Bit modest when you look at it, however.
V: There’s an overwhelming sense of the song going nowhere here – “How long is too long” indeed – but Piasek is rather shaggable, and the black-clad backing vocalists are a terrific touch.
V: Positively archaic, but Sedat looks gorgeous. Tired, but gorgeous.
16 United Kingdom
B: ‘Reaching for eternity’ could be a metaphor for that final note.
A: I love the way all the clubby numbers are clumped at the end, even if I’ve never much liked this: it seems oddly dated, even for 2001. It has an interesting structure though, and Lindsay has the right voice for it... when she hits the notes she’s supposed to. Generally though, the song tries a bit too hard for my liking.
V: No, I don’t think so. Mind you, the chorus sounds pretty good. The last note still gives me palpitations; does her, too, obviously. She got it so devastatingly wrong in the last dress rehearsal that the song finished and almost no one clapped.
17 Slovenia
B: Is that a stunt double in Nuša’s photoshoot for the CD booklet? It looks nothing like her. “My whole life is one big fantasy” indeed.
A: This is so expletingly good. Absolute trash, but pulled off with such bombastic aplomb that you’d swear it was a musical masterpiece. (It got easily the best video of the year, too. Exploding pianos!)
V: Strange outfit. But we have a performance! The direction and lighting are working in unison with the music at last, and she’s about the only one you see smile, too.
18 Poland
B: Great lyrics. I love the realism of the lines “I would never want to be with someone like me / But maybe one more night could make us feel alright / What difference does it make?” and “I know the honesty within is nothing when you’re cryin’”.
A: The aforementioned second big (undiscovered) rip-off of the contest if you ask me. They had the right idea with this as a comeback; not quite as right as Slovenia perhaps, but certainly much more than Portugal. Bit modest when you look at it, however.
V: There’s an overwhelming sense of the song going nowhere here – “How long is too long” indeed – but Piasek is rather shaggable, and the black-clad backing vocalists are a terrific touch.
19 Germany
B: What does “Sometimes love’s a glant / A warm but brave romant” mean? Is -ce pronounced -t in German?
A: I thought her voice was a joke at first. I can’t be the only one who finds it almost insurmountably odd. Granted, she has a pretty strong song behind her, featuring some lovely orchestration and great guitar, but it still makes me frown in bemusement. The shorter live version has always come across to me as a bit denuded, so at least they retained that tremendous signposting of the final chorus in studio.
V: Michelle looks great. I love the regal wave at the beginning. Where are the backing vocalists hidden?
20 Estonia
B: “I guess this is party time!”
A: My first ever Eurolaul was won by what was to me the only possible song that could have. I should have trusted my instincts come the actual contest. By then the initial feel-good thrill had dissipated and I’d decided it had little hope of faring well at all. I must have paid too much heed to the majority of fans, who dismissed it out of hand; it clearly had something Europe liked. It’s no work of musical genius, as composer Ivar Must himself has admitted, but it’s nowhere near the disaster most people paint it as. It strikes me as strange that people chuck this in the same basket as I Wanna for unworthy winners when they’ve got next to nothing in common.
V: See, they engage the audience at home and in the hall: winning combo. Easily the most upbeat and accessible thing on offer. I suppose this was half a win for the Netherlands, too. Or at least Aruba.
21 Malta
B: “I’m sure you understand all this is magic” might be overstating it a bit.
A: In retrospect, that’s twice Fabrizio has had his knobs fiddled with and ended up with a final version that’s not as good as the original. This remains streaks ahead of I Do, all the same. It doesn’t try very hard, but what it does come up with is decent enough. Terribly Maltese, if that’s a good thing.
V: God, what a sight! The girls’ outfits are bizarre. The vocals are pretty good though.
22 Greece
B: Nice rhythm to the lyrics, in both languages.
A: It’s very hard to achieve any distance with this, the most enduring of the 2001 entries. Oh, what the hell: it’s brilliant. Greek and European!
20 Estonia
B: “I guess this is party time!”
A: My first ever Eurolaul was won by what was to me the only possible song that could have. I should have trusted my instincts come the actual contest. By then the initial feel-good thrill had dissipated and I’d decided it had little hope of faring well at all. I must have paid too much heed to the majority of fans, who dismissed it out of hand; it clearly had something Europe liked. It’s no work of musical genius, as composer Ivar Must himself has admitted, but it’s nowhere near the disaster most people paint it as. It strikes me as strange that people chuck this in the same basket as I Wanna for unworthy winners when they’ve got next to nothing in common.
V: See, they engage the audience at home and in the hall: winning combo. Easily the most upbeat and accessible thing on offer. I suppose this was half a win for the Netherlands, too. Or at least Aruba.
21 Malta
B: “I’m sure you understand all this is magic” might be overstating it a bit.
A: In retrospect, that’s twice Fabrizio has had his knobs fiddled with and ended up with a final version that’s not as good as the original. This remains streaks ahead of I Do, all the same. It doesn’t try very hard, but what it does come up with is decent enough. Terribly Maltese, if that’s a good thing.
V: God, what a sight! The girls’ outfits are bizarre. The vocals are pretty good though.
22 Greece
B: Nice rhythm to the lyrics, in both languages.
A: It’s very hard to achieve any distance with this, the most enduring of the 2001 entries. Oh, what the hell: it’s brilliant. Greek and European!
V: And it should have won. Helena is very Eva Longoria here, albeit Eva Longoria after a bout of some mystery illness.
23 Denmark
B: The way this flows in English is much more appropriate to the song than the smash-and-grab word-fest of the Danish version.
A: This is arguably the best of what the Danes do, er, best, and I wouldn’t have been at all disappointed to see it bring them back-to-back victories. It’s just so perfectly pitched, for Western Europe at least. There’s so much going on in the arrangement when you listen to it.
V: Actually, this should have won. I love the “yeah!” bit near the end. Finally it feels like a proper contest – between about half a dozen songs.
And so to the points…
1 point goes to Estonia
2 points go to Germany
3 points go to Croatia
4 points go to the Netherlands
5 points go to Bosnia and Herzegovina
6 points go to Russia
7 points go to Denmark
8 points go to France
10 points go to Greece
and finally...
12 points go to...
Slovenia!
Needless to say the wooden spoon goes to Ireland.
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