#softengine

[aijamisespava]

Eurovision Thoughts

Welcome back to Eurovision Thoughts. The part of the blog where I mention a random thing in Eurovision that I've been thinking about.

This week (and rather appropriately after discussing a 2014 entry), I want to discuss something I noticed about Finland's 2014 entry on streaming.

So, my favorite Finnish entry is 2014's "Something Better" by Softengine. And of course it's on my Spotify playlist (and in a WIP), and one day while I was listening to my music, it came up...and it sounded different.

The cover looked different (it was the UMK cover as opposed to their album cover), and it sounded different...but BETTER? I like this new version and wanted to share my thoughts about it. If they sent what looks to be the UMK version, I still would have liked it all the same! :)

That's all for today's Eurovision Thought!

[littledrummerangie]

when Eurovision songs are not as fun and good as they used to be so it's time to revisit the good old ones...

...like Alcohol is Free and Moustache.

[melpcmene]

spotify wrapped starter. | 🎁 | a dragon perhaps? spyro? dealer's choice | @tidesbled ( yellow house - softengine )

“ maybe i'm moderate but i'm not afraid. ” the blue ninja huffed, arms crossed over his chest.

[omppupiiras]

after thinking so much about past eurovision songs today, just for funsies i wanted to rank my top 10 finnish eurovision entries of all time but could only come up with 9......... anyways here they are:

9. 2006 - Lordi

ofc lordi has to be on the list. iconic. but the song is not really to my taste 🙈

8. 1984 - Kirka

oldie but a goldie. a very classic and fell known finnish song, and he looked so happy performing it, that makes me like it even more :D

7. 2011 - Paradise Oskar

at the time I remember being kinda bummed he performed 1st in the finale, i thought he would've gotten more points if he'd had a better spot :( i liked it then and thought it deserved better

6. 1987 - Virve Rosti

for some reason i absolutely LOVED her music as a child. and she's got pipes man. this song is an absolute classic too

5. 2014 - Softengine

idk i think this song sounds nice

4. 2008 - Teräsbetoni

I'm a bad finn I don't really like heavy metal but this song slaps!! hevillä ei hävitä! vaikka tällä hävittiin

3. 2021 - Blind Channel

do I even have to say anything. back then I thought their ranking would be the best Finland would be getting for a while...

2. 1982 - Kojo

this song never fails to make me laugh so for that in my heart it's a winner (it got 0 points)

AND NUMBER ONE ............ do i even have to link it you know who it is!!!

[disorqer]

joskus leikin et on vuosi 2014 sit selaan monta tuntia yöllä jotain kusisia softengine tumblr postauksia 10 vuoden takaa ja viihdytän itseäni

[because-its-eurovision]

Eurovision 2014 Postcards: Finland

[aijamisespava]

Wrapped 2023 (Aijamisespava Edition!)

Oookay, taking a break from my messenger role in Eurovision Land to bring you something different (buckle up, this is going to get long). Yesterday was Spotify Wrapped, and while I'm off celebrating my favorite songs that made it to that top 100 list, I also become a wild statistician and bring you my stats.

General Stats: Well...I listened for 139,902 minutes (more than my friends and family), my top artist was Taylor Swift with Evanescence, Panic! At The Disco, My Chemical Romance, and Loïc Nottet rounding out my top 5. I'd go into my top 5 songs but.....Loïc Nottet took 3rd and 4th with "Mélodrame" and "Mud Blood" respectively. What about the rest? That's what I'm here for.

Welcome to my Eurovision 2023. Any Eurovision song that makes my Spotify Wrapped is in my Grand Final. So countries can participate as many times as they appear. So here is my list. I'll have their actual placement on my Wrapped in parenthesis.

Latvia 2023: "Aijā" by Sudden Lights (1)

Serbia 2023: "Samo Mi Se Spava" by Luke Black (2)

Türkiye 2010: "We Could Be The Same" by maNga (5)

Switzerland 2021: "Tout l'univers" by Gjon's Tears (7)

Norway 2023: "Queen Of Kings" by Alessandra (9)

Australia 2023: "Promise" by Voyager (12)

Slovenia 2023: "Carpe Diem" by Joker Out (13)

Czechia 2023: "My Sister's Crown" by Vesna (14)

Georgia 2023: "Echo" by Iru (15)

Italy 2023: "Due Vite" by Marco Mengoni (17)

Armenia 2023: "Future Lover" by Brunette (19)

Austria 2023: "Who The Hell Is Edgar?" by Teya + Salena (20)

Lithuania 2023: "Stay" by Monika Linkyte (23)

Finland 2023: "Cha Cha Cha" by Käärijä (26)

France 2023: "Évidemment" by La Zarra (27)

Romania 2023: "D.G.T. (Off And On)" by Theodor Andrei (29)

United Kingdom 2023: "I Wrote A Song" by Mae Muller (31)

Australia 2016: "Sound Of Silence" by Dami Im (48)

Czechia 2022: "Lights Off" by We Are Domi (49)

Switzerland 2020: "Répondez-moi" by Gjon's Tears (52)

Bulgaria 2017: "Beautiful Mess" by Kristian Kostov (53)

Greece 2022: "Die Together" by Amanda Tenfjord (56)

Sweden 2015: "Heroes" by Måns Zelmerlöw (59)

Finland 2014: "Something Better" by Softengine (60)

Belgium 2015: "Rhythm Inside" by Loïc Nottet (61)

Italy 2014: "La Mia Città" by Emma (64)

Austria 2022: "Halo" by LUM!X and PIA MARIA (68)

Russia 2016: "You Are The Only One" by Sergey Lazarev (69)

Belarus: "Forever" by ALEKSEEV (72)

Denmark 2013: "Only Teardrops" by Emmelie de Forest (73)

Ireland 2020: "Story Of My Life" by Lesley Roy (79)

Ireland 2022: "That's Rich" by Brooke (87)

Ukraine 2017: "Time" by O. Torvald (93)

Finland 2022: "Jezebel" by The Rasmus (96)

Cyprus 2021: "El Diablo" by Elena Tsagrinou (97)

Moldova 2010: "Run Away" by Sunstroke Project (100)

Honorable mentions go to "Gladiator" by Jann and "Novi Plan Drugi San" by Filip Baloš for making my Wrapped at 21 and 32, respectively. They may not have made it to the Eurovision stage, but they have a soft spot in my heart. Unfortunately, I did not have any Junior Eurovision songs make it. But if they did, they would be listed.

[musictomyremember]

Softengine - Something Better (Finland) LIVE Eurovision Song Contest 201...

[escmemesandstuff]

Finland’s best three results, everyone.

[guysofeurovision]

what do you think about the lead singer of softengine (finland 2014)? I don’t know what he looks like right now but looking at their performance in 2014, he sure is a hottie 🫣

You're right, I admit I've almost never shared pics of this buddy... It's because I've never been into him, I don't find him attractive but I promise I'll keep an eye out on future cool pics!

[citrusgurke]

uhh, it is so hard to choose only 5 ;(( also i'm sick, so i can only sleep and listen to music, haha-

umazane misli — joker out

www.nevergetoveryou — prozzäk

yellow house — softengine

pāris neuzņemtu foto — sudden lights

lion in a coma— animal collective

i don't have 10 blogs that i can tag, so... @eyuoq, boo💋💋 i hope i scared you, bro

RULES: put 5 songs you actually listen to, then tag 10 people.

Tagged by @izzy-b-hands ty <3 i pulled these from my on repeat playlist for a little variation from the things i always say!

Two's a Crowd - Cartwright

Atrophy - The Antlers

To: Myself In Colorado - Everybody's Worried About Owen

Someone Somewhere Somehow - Super Whatevr

I Won't Follow Him to the Grave - Emma Pollock, Distant Voices

Tags for if you want to do it!

@humblexwanderer @crustose @wolfpoets @faith-orise @kaarijafag @fryingmintbunny @origami-butterfly @trashkingtater @mushroom-intimacy @gydima

[anotherescsite]

Favourite things: Finland

Something better - Softengine

Finland is one of the unluckiest countries in the contest. They have one victory to their name, but they aren’t normally remembered for this. It is the multiple times they have placed last in the song contest and further more had no points on a few too. That all said, I like Finnish entries. They are always following convention and what all the others are doing.

Something better is a song where Finland provided something original and inspired and the Europeans ate it up. It is all to the credit of lead singer, Topi, who exerted emotion, power, vulnerability, happiness and melancholy in a small three minute package. And for this it came a distance 11th when it should have been top 5.

[borisbubbles]

Eurovision 2010s: 65 - 61

65. Michael Schulte - “You let me walk alone” Germany 2018

[2018 Review Here] (shared with Eugent)

When Germany revealed this homely carrot top  as their entrant I of course IMMEDIATELY rolled my eyes at it. Discount Ed Sheeran, GTFO!! Idk what the general lowdown on Ed Sheeran is, but good lord that man is responsible for some really BORING and GENERIC music (I will never get the obsession with “Perfect”, ever.) and as you can expect that also bled into my initial opinon of Michael.

However, two things. A of all, “You let me walk alone” is a much better song because it is actually VERY catchy, in a good way. ONE love / TWO hearts /  THREE kids / LOVING mum is among the more memorable hooks in this decade. 

Secondly, Michael’s emotion is *real*. This is a song about his coping with his dead father and well... I am not made from stone. Dude was in GENUINE TEARS during the endgame!! And as someone who deeply loves his father, I can definitely empathize with that message on a personal level.

There are better songs around. There are better performers around. There is better emotional pull left in this ranking. Regardless, Michael was able to stun me into teary-eyed silence and that is a feat which earns nothing less than RESPECT.

________________________________________________________________

64. Softengine - “Something better” Finland 2014

FANTASTIC INDIE ANGELS <333 The appreciation I have to Softengine I have is obvious, yes? Highly energetic indie rock song from one of my favourite Eurovision countries. 😍 That also did VERY well because it’s genuinely that good. Take THAT Finland bullies!!! #HeyaSuomi

However, Softengine offer even more than just a kickass rock song. They offer some of my favourite song lyrics ever? They are both puzzlingly weird and endearingly ESL Even Human Bound People Rolling Dice Such A Novel Life She Thought While Knowing Nothing At All~

What on earth is Topi singing about? 😍 Well actually, it’s the story of an old man looking back at the life he’s had and.. It actually has a LOT of emotional pull wtf? Take a look at the bridge: 

ALL THESE WORDS SHE MEANT TO SAY TO ME

ALL THESE WORDS AGAINST MY FAITH

ALL THESE WORDS BEFORE SHE PASSED AWAY

ALL THESE WORDS  WILL NEVER NEVER NEVER CHANGE

A wonderful display of juvenile energy that has me coming back craving for me. SHOULD HAVE BEEN TOP 10 but lol it’s Finland when is Finland not getting bullied by people with no taste. 😭

________________________________________________________________

63. Litesound - “We are the heroes” Belarus 2012

More rock angels. 😍 However, Litesound rank on the other end of the quality spectrum, being great because of their incompetence.  

Honestly, I don’t think there’s anything more endearing when the inept give it their all, completely oblivious to their amateurism, a description which -let’s be honest- is “Belarus in Eurovision” is in a nutshell 😍. Well that plus the hilariously rigged NF, remember that ALYONA LANSKAYA originally won Litesound’s NF and then had to bequeath her spot to them when her voting fraud was exposed. 😍 It’s not even the most hilariously rigged NF of the decade though, omg YES we shall discuss that whenever it’s “Samo shampioni’s” turn. 😈

Anyway, Litesound bring the a double whammy of hilarity with some A+ Bad English diction (let us all sing along)

WONEVER STEN INDO AR WEH WHEEL MEK IT FRU DE DEH CUZ WE AR DA WEINERS WE AR DA GEEROS

WIR BRACKING DOWN DA WALLZ GODDA HIT DE MALL CUZ WE ARE DA GEEROS WE ARE DA DRIMURS

and the fact that all Litesound members look like animals, introducing:

The seahorse

The afghan greyhound

the mongoose

and of course Dima who might be the lovechild of Alsou and an ostrich. 😍

All of this may make you believe I merely stan Litesound on an ironic level, but I actually LOVE them on an unironic level too. “We are the heroes” is a fun, futuristic electronic rock rollercoaster and Litesound strike a perfect balance between good song, disarming incompetence and going ALL OUT in proving themselves as high quality, laced with high voltage addictive rock beats. SO, NO MATTER WHAT THEY SAY, NO MATTER WHAT THEY DO, I’LL MAKE IT ALL RIGHT! I’M BRACKING DOWN THE WALLS, THEY ARE THE *HEROES*

________________________________________________________________

62. Justs - “Heartbeat” Latvia 2016

AGE OF AMINATA <3 what a glorious two-piece act in the herstory of Latvia. To Latvia’s credit they completely reinvented themselves in the Supernova Era, usually resulting in bold entries (and Carousel). 

If "Love injected” was the earthquake that shook Latvia AWAKE with her experimental masterpieces, then "Heartbeat” is the aftershock, providing the same avant garde novelty, but not as impactful with a lesser impact. 

However, to recycle a phrase i’ve already used multiple times, a lesser Aminata is still fucking awesome. “Heartbeat” packs a massive emotional punch, being more aggressive and volatile than its predecessor, which... works out fine actually. Killer lines such as:

YOU’RE MY DESIRE AND MY PAIN BUT ALL THE BATTLES ARE IN VAIN YOU MEAN MORE THAN ANYTHING TO  MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

need an emotionally intense delivery and Justs fucking GOES for it without any inhibitions for his own health and safety 

and with every passing second

he gets more into the zone

right until the end, when he LOSES his voice and is reduced to panting an aspirated ”thank you”. 😍 If you’re going to sing about lost love, you’d better do it by also SCREAMING YOUR LUNGS OUT <3

________________________________________________________________

61. Hatari - “Hatrið mun sigra” Iceland 2019

God I’ve been dreading this write-up. Not because of the Hatari stans (lol who is going to complain about getting ranked 61st out of 408), but can I do Hatari justice in print? Hatari weren’t as much as an entry as they were the fiery spirit of mischief, an existential manifestation of defiance, a gestalt of provocative resistance, all contained in the tiny package of two asshole hellraisers.  Yes, assholes.  You see, the one thing you NEED to understand before everything else is that Hatari’s poetic palestine shawl moment is one of grade A assholery. Pulling that at the last sec towards their hosts WAS a dick move and Hatari were fully aware of it. We MUST see this as a fact before we discuss anything else that is also Hatari-related.

However, that’s precisely the point? Provocation was the sensation that swept the icelandic nation and its idolization became Hatari’s vocation with dedication and its application in the humiliation and the vexation of the Israeli station in support of the Palestine civilization, leaving KAN in devastation after months of the rabid disorganization was a justification well worth the potential probation. In other words: GET REKT KAN SHIT HOSTS HOPE U GET BLACKLISTED LOLOL #Hatredwon 😈 😈. 

ps: still getting the Israelis to cheer for them despite being OPENLY pro-palestine when will ur faves.

~My reasons~ for ranking Hatari lower post-show are less grounded in the politics (again, they were jerks but... that’s also the entire point of sending Hatari lmfao) and more determined by the actual live performance: I thought Klemens was underwhelming and his parts of “Hatrið mun sigra” were also the fave bits. 😭 On the flipside I thought Matthias was excellent (when he didn’t miss his cue) and I legit laugh out loud each time I see his hilarious OTT facial expressions.

What a justified use of guyliner <3 The act was yet again a diabolically brilliant clanging of chains, bashing of mallets, grinding of gears, steaming of punk, a satanic cirque du soleil come to rain justice and brimstone down on our hopeless souls. Hatari were the anti-heroes we needed and don’t deserve.

ps: i hope i will ever find someone who loves me as much as Klemens loves Teresa May. 

Iceland’s chart looks much better than I thought it would, but the averages actually put them somewhere in the middle on average. Iceland are always hit-or-miss for me, much moreso in the 2010s than in any other decade and it’s largely down to them failing to pick the best available option because, you know, BadTastitis. 

the next update... will be the FINAL one in this shade of green :o  Yes, we are about to move on to the highest, upperest, bestest tier of Eurovision entries. The mind-blowingly amazing entries that are not off this fucking world. Find out who makes the cut and who doesn’t TOMORROW :o

[music-is-all-we-need]

Tonight it will be all about you and I 🌟

[theeurovisionconfessions]

“I was rewatching 2014 and I really can’t stand it when people compared Softengine to One Direction. Nothing wrong with 1D but it’s such a lazy comparison since they both have 5 boys. The Coldplay comparisons are annoying but I understand that more than 1D.”