Crimes Against Music: The Fiftieth Eurovision Song Contest

Crimes Against Music: The Fiftieth Eurovision Song Contest

The song titles through the years say it all. “Boom Bang a Bang”, “La La La”, “Binge Bong, Binge Bong”, “Ding Dinge Dong”, “Diggi-Loo Diggi-Ley”: and some of those were winners. Nobody takes the Eurovision Song Contest seriously we’re told. Except of course for the contestants from some 40 countries, their sponsors and agents, and the international...
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Crimes Against Music: The Fiftieth Eurovision Song Contest

The song titles through the years say it all. “Boom Bang a Bang”, “La La La”, “Binge Bong, Binge Bong”, “Ding Dinge Dong”, “Diggi-Loo Diggi-Ley”: and some of those were winners. Nobody takes the Eurovision Song Contest seriously we’re told. Except of course for the contestants from some 40 countries, their sponsors and agents, and the international television audience of over 100 million. That’s a lot of nobodies. There’s real national pride at stake here: or at least the chance to avoid the national humiliation of the dreaded “null points”. So every year the contest is accompanied by a barrage of allegations of vote rigging worthy of a Ukrainian Presidential election; this year the Ukrainians were even accused of fixing their own qualifying contest. And the artistes - wannabe Abbas every one – certainly take it seriously. One UK loser described Eurovision as the worst experience of her career; another said he would rather have drawing pins stuck in his eyes than take part again. For the rest of us earplugs would be a better idea.
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