I just have to share this with someone. Anyone. Surely one of the best treatments for depression ever known, this clip is better than Prozac. Stay with it for the full 3 minutes as it just keeps getting better!
The last 10 years? Ortal, if you are reading this: I haven't forgotten you: Thompson Pense à Toi aaaaoooow. Seriously though I do think that Tellier was exciting: not like anything ever to cross a Eurovision stage and even though he sung in English, the whole way team France approached the contest last year was very, well... French. Kaas is the present day embodiment of the Chanson tradition. It is exciting that an artist of such renown has agreed to do this contest with a song of such quality. My first listen gave me echoes of Brel's 'Ne Me Quitte Pas' and the thought that France will leave Moscow with its dignity intact and not as many points as it deserves. I hope the returning juries see that this is not the case. My second thought is, that over my time watching this contest , as well as some real classy chansons (notably the 2001-2002 double) and a few wobbles in the wilderness (see HMSS Naya ) France, possibly more than any other country has had a knack for throw...
Ahead of the irish final next Friday night, one of the songs has sneaked into the public domain by having to withdraw from the Latvian final in which it was simultaneously a candidate. "I wish I could pretend" is a contemporary sounding ballad (albeit with a slightly dodgy late 80s guitar riff) which could find itself on a B side to a kelly clarkson single and for ireland, this is progress. Perhaps I am too used to hearing songs in the very early stages of production and still sounding desperately amateurish make their way into the irish final and it could be that RTE's approach this year of looking for an artist and song with a "polished product" is fuelling me with premature optimism. But on first listen, if this represents the general standard of this year's irish selection I would be far from disappointed... ... so whaddaya think??
Comments