A Song for Europe

Date: 2010.03.18 | Category: Music | Tags:

I love the Eurovision Song Contest so much that one year, I actually timed a trip to Sweden so I could watch it. Now, I am delighted to say that I can stream it live on my very own computer. And thanks to YouTube, I can even familiarize myself with entrants before the contest itself (which will take place on May 29 this year).

The Swedish media give Eurovision Super Bowl-level coverage. Lately, the Swedish entrants have not been particularly successful — the last song to win was Charlotte Nilsson’s “Tusen och en natt” (1999), and last year’s entry, “La voix” by Malena Ernman, finished a lackluster 21st, Sweden’s worst result in over 15 years. Perhaps the most famous Eurovision winner of all time was ABBA’s “Waterloo” back in 1974; I’m guessing it’s the only winning song the average American would recognize.

Last weekend, Sweden selected its 2010 Eurovision entry — “This Is My Life” by former “Idol” contestant Anna Bergendahl. I find it a tad bland, a ballad with the always popular “I believe in me” lyrics: “This is my life, my friend/And this is my time to spend/I can’t be no one else.” Something about Bergendahl’s voice reminds me of a sheep bleating, which I suppose is mildly preferable to the Mariah Carey melismas used and abused by so many “American Idol” contestants.

If I had been voting, I would definitely had cast my ballot for Erik Saade‘s “Manboy,” the second place finisher, which is prime Euro-cheese. You must stop whatever you’re doing and watch the video, and make sure you watch it all the way ’til the end, because that’s the best part!

“Manboy, manboy, you can call me manboy/I’ll show you how to love.” What does it mean? Who cares! It’s the ideal Eurovision song — vaguely homoerotic inanity set to a disco beat. I had never heard of Saade, but apparently he is a children’s TV host and a former boy band member. Eric, you may have come in second, but your onstage shower (the sort of gimmick that would have killed at the finals in Oslo) made you #1 in my heart!

Most of the other finalists played a bit too safe, in my opinion, perhaps a natural reaction to the country’s skittishness after being rejected by the Eurovision voters so many years in a row. Besides “Manboy,” the undisputed highlight of the competition had to be the opening segment featuring the program’s three hosts. Whose brilliantly demented idea was it to have aging action hero Dolph Lundgren, best known for his turn as Ivan Drago in “Rocky IV,” co-host the proceedings? And who suggested that he sing?

(According to Wikipedia, Dolph’s latest direct-to-video masterpiece is a filmed-in-Russia action pic called “Command Performance,” in which Lundgren “plays a drummer in a rock band forced to face terrorists at a concert.” The story “was inspired by a concert Madonna did for Russian President Vladimir Putin.” Doesn’t that make you want to put it in your Netflix queue right this second?)

Folks, it doesn’t get any more Eurovision-y than this. Watch and enjoy.