#Elitsa Todorova

[eurovision-facts]

Eurovision Fact #705:

Elitsa Todorova, who participated for Bulgaria in 2013 alongside Stoyan Yankulov, once worked for the State Dance and Music Ensemble in Varna. In the choirs she was a part of, she performed traditional Bulgarian folk songs and arrangements in Sanskrit and Yiddish.

[Source]

Participants of Malmö 2013: Elitsa Todorova, Stoyan Yankulov, Eurovision.tv.

[gaymer-hag-stan]

Good evening Europe!

It's that magical time of the year again when we all come together to trash each others' musical tastes!

The point system has changed many times over the years, and as various countries have come and gone, it is hard to determine who did "the best" based on the points they got alone as, since the maximum available points doubled with the jury and televote scores no longer being combined, post 2016 entries would have an obvious advantage and, likewise, the contests with 40+ participants would also have more maximum available points to give so a country getting 200 points in 2004 is not the same as another getting 200 points in 2009 or 2016.

But if we divide the points each entry got by the maximum available points for the respective year it competed, we get a percentage score that can easily be measured against entries from years with differing point systems.

So, for example, in 2009 42 countries participated. The maximum points each country can award is of course 12 and you can't vote for yourself. So 41 × 12 = 492. Let's then take Norway's total of 387 points and divide it by the 492 total of maximum available points. We get 78.6, meaning Norway and Alexander Rybak amassed 78.6% of the total points in 2009!

In the case of tie breaks the entry that placed higher in its respective year wins the tie break and if there's still a tie I used rules similar to the actual contest; the winner of a tie is the entry that received more points from televoting. If there are no split results available to the public, the entry that received points from more countries, then the country that received more 12 points, then 10 points all the way down to 1. If the tie cannot be broken in this way, the entry that performed earlier wins the tie break.

I've set 2004 as the "beginning of time", if you will, because that's when I started watching Eurovision and because there also had to be some sort of limit to how far back I would go with this 🤣

With that very long-winded explanation of my measuring tactics out of the way, shall we see our current Top 100 before new entries are added after the 2023 Grand Final is over?

100. Greece 🇬🇷 - 2010 - Giorgos Alkaios and Friends - Opa - 30.7%

99. Armenia 🇦🇲 - 2010 - Eva Rivas - Apricot Stone - 30.9%

98. Bulgaria 🇧🇬 - 2016 - Poli Genova - If Love Was a Crime - 31.1%

97. Belgium 🇧🇪 - 2010 - Tom Dice - Me and My Guitar - 31.3%

96. Azerbaijan 🇦🇿 - 2019 - Chingiz - Truth - 31.4%

95. North Macedonia 🇲🇰 - 2019 - Tamara Todevska - Proud - 31.7%

94. Serbia 🇷🇸 - 2008 - Jelena Tomasevic feat. Bora Duguc - Oro - 31.7%

93. Azerbaijan 🇦🇿 - 2010 - Safura - Drip Drop - 31.7%

92. Bulgaria 🇧🇬 - 2007 - Elitsa Todorova and Stoyan Yankoulov - Water - 31.7%

91. Moldova 🇲🇩 - 2005 - Zdob si Zdub - Boonika bate toba - 32.4%

90. Ukraine 🇺🇦 - 2006 - Tina Karol - Show Me Your Love - 32.6%

89. Denmark 🇩🇰 - 2010 - Chanée and N'evergreen - In a Moment like This - 32.6%

88. Finland 🇫🇮 - 2021 - Blind Channel - Dark Side - 33%

87. Hungary 🇭🇺 - 2014 - András Kállay-Saunders - Running - 33.1%

86. Turkey 🇹🇷 - 2007 - Kenan Dogulu - Shake It Up Sekerim - 33.1%

85 Greece 🇬🇷 - 2013 - Koza Mostra feat. Agathon Iakovidis - Alcohol Is Free - 33.3%

84. Serbia 🇷🇸 - 2022 - Konstrakta - In corpore sano - 33.3%

83. Latvia 🇱🇻 - 2005 - Walters and Khaza - The War Is Not Over - 33.5%

82. Israel 🇮🇱 - 2005 - Shiri Maimon - HaSheket SheNish'ar - 33.7%

81. Germany 🇩🇪 - 2008 - Michael Schulte - You Let Me Walk Alone - 33.7%

80. Italy 🇮🇹 - 2017 - Francesco Gabbani - Occidentali's Karma - 33.9%

79. Austria 🇦🇹 - 2018 - Cesár Sampson - Nobody but You - 33.9%

78. Norway 🇳🇴 - 2019 - Keiino - Spirit in the Sky - 34.4%

77. Romania 🇷🇴 - 2007 - Luminita Anghel and Sistem - Let Me Try - 34.6%

76. Sweden 🇸🇪 - 2019 - John Lundvik - Too Late for Love - 34.7%

75. Ukraine 🇺🇦 - 2011 - Mika Newton - Angel - 34.8%

74. Sweden 🇸🇪 - 2017 - Robin Bengtsson - I Can't Go On - 34.9%

73. United Kingdom 🇬🇧 - 2009 - Jade Ewen - It's My Time - 35.1%

72. Romania 🇷🇴 - 2010 - Paula Seling and Ovi - Playing with Fire - 35.5%

71. Turkey 🇹🇷 - 2009 - Hadise - Düm Tek Tek - 35.9%

70. Norway 🇳🇴 - 2008 - Maria - Hold On Be Strong - 36.1%

69. Lithuania 🇱🇹 - 2006 - LT United - We Are the Winners - 36.4%

68. Belgium 🇧🇪 - 2017 - Blanche - City Lights - 36.8%

67. Turkey 🇹🇷 - 2010 - Manga - We Could Be the Same - 37.2%

66. Switzerland 🇨🇭 - 2019 - Luca Hänni - She Got Me - 37.9%

65. Moldova 🇲🇩 - 2017 - SunStroke Project - Hey Mamma - 38%

64. Russia 🇷🇺 - 2013 - Dina Garipova - What If - 38.1%

63. Sweden 🇸🇪 - 2006 - Carola - Invincible - 38.2%

62. Russia 🇷🇺 - 2019 - Sergey Lazarev - Scream - 38.5%

61. Romania 🇷🇴 - 2006 - Mihai Traistariu - Tornerò - 38.7%

60. Armenia 🇦🇲 - 2008 - Sirusho - Qélé, Qélé - 39.4%

59. Latvia 🇱🇻 - 2015 - Aminata - Love Injected - 39.7%

58. Ukraine 🇺🇦 - 2021 - Go_A - Shum - 39.9%

57. Armenia 🇦🇲 - 2014 - Aram Mp3 - Not Alone - 40.3%

56. Sweden 🇸🇪 - 2004 - Lena Philipsson - It Hurts - 40.4%

55. Cyprus 🇨🇾 - 2004 - Lisa Andreas - Stronger Every Minute - 40.4%

54. Sweden 🇸🇪 - 2011 - Eric Saade - Popular - 40.5%

53. Iceland 🇮🇸 - 2021 - Dathi og Gagnamagnith - 10 Years - 41.4%

52. Italy 🇮🇹 - 2011 - Raphael Gualazzi - Madness of Love - 41.4%

51. Australia 🇦🇺 - 2015 - Guy Sebastian - Tonight Again - 41.8%

50. Norway 🇳🇴 - 2013 - Margaret Berger - I Feed You My Love - 41.8%

49. Azerbaijan 🇦🇿 - 2009 - AySel and Arash - Always - 42%

48. Russia 🇷🇺 - 2007 - Serebro - Song #1 - 42%

47. Malta 🇲🇹 - 2005 - Chiara - Angel - 42.1%

46. Greece 🇬🇷 - 2008 - Kalomira - Secret Combination - 43.2%

45. Cyprus 🇨🇾 - 2018 - Eleni Foureira - Fuego - 43.2%

44. Serbia 🇷🇸 - 2012 - Zeljko Joksimovic - Nije ljubav stvar - 43.4%

43. Iceland 🇮🇸 - 2009 - Yohanna - Is It True? - 44.3%

42. Ukraine 🇺🇦 - 2008 - Ani Lorak - Shady Lady - 45.6%

41. Belgium 🇧🇪 - 2015 - Loïc Nottet - Rhythm Inside - 46.3%

40. Turkey 🇹🇷 - 2004 - Athena - For Real - 46.4%

39. Sweden 🇸🇪 - 2022 - Cornelia Jakobs - Hold Me Closer - 46.7%

38. Ukraine 🇺🇦 - 2013 - Zlata Ognevich - Gravity - 46.9%

37. Switzerland 🇨🇭 - 2021 - Gjon's Tears - Tout l'univers - 47.3%

36. Ukraine 🇺🇦 - 2007 - Verka Serduchka - Dancing Lasha Tumbai - 47.7%

35. Azerbaijan 🇦🇿 - 2011 - Ell and Nikki - Running Scared - 48.4%

34. Spain 🇪🇸 - 2022 - Chanel - SloMo - 49%

33. Italy 🇮🇹 - 2019 - Mahmood - Soldi - 49.1%

32. United Kingdom 🇬🇧 - 2022 - Sam Ryder - Space Man - 49.7%

31. Russia 🇷🇺 - 2016 Sergey Lazarev - You Are the Only One - 49.8%

30. Sweden 🇸🇪 - 2014 - Sanna Nielsen - Undo 50.4%

29. Greece 🇬🇷 - 2005 - Helena Paparizou - My Number One - 50.4%

28. Azerbaijan 🇦🇿 - 2013 - Farid Mammadov - Hold Me - 51.3%

27. Bosnia and Herzegovina 🇧🇦 - 2006 - Hari Mata Hari - Lejla - 51.5%

26. Netherlands 🇳🇱 - 2019 - Duncan Lawrence - Arcade - 51.8%

25. Australia 🇦🇺 - 2016 - Dami Im - Sound of Silence - 51.9%

24. Israel 🇮🇱 - 2018 - Netta - Toy - 52.4%

23. Russia 🇷🇺 - 2012 - Buranovskiye Babushki - Party for Everybody - 52.6%

22. Germany 🇩🇪 - 2010 - Lena - Satellite - 53.9%

21. Russia 🇷🇺 - 2008 - Dima Bilan - Believe - 53.9%

20. Ukraine 🇺🇦 - 2016 - Jamala - 1944 - 54.2%

19. Serbia 🇷🇸 - 2007 - Marija Serifovic - Molitva - 54.4%

18. France 🇫🇷 - 2021 - Barbara Pravi - Voilà - 54.7%

17. Netherlands 🇳🇱 - 2014 - The Common Linnets - Calm After the Storm - 55%

Honourable Mention. Turkey 🇹🇷 - 2003 - Sertab Erener - Everyway That I Can - 55.6%

16. Russia 🇷🇺 - 2006 - Dima Bilan - Never Let You Go - 55.8%

15. Italy 🇮🇹 - 2021 - Måneskin - Zitti e Buoni - 57.4%

14. Greece 🇬🇷 - 2004 - Sakis Rouvas - Shake It - 60%

13. Denmark 🇩🇰 - 2013 - Emmelie de Forest - Only Teardrops - 61.6%

12. Italy 🇮🇹 - 2015 - Il Volo - Grande amore - 62.3%

11. Bulgaria 🇧🇬 - 2017 - Kristian Kostov - Beautiful Mess - 62.5%

10. Serbia and Montenegro 🇷🇸 - 2004 - Zeljko Joksimovic and Ad-Hoc Orchestra - Lane Moje - 62.6%

9. Russia 🇷🇺 - 2015 - Polina Gagarina - A Million Voices - 64.7%

8. Finland 🇫🇮 - 2006 - Lordi - Hard Rock Hallelujah - 65.7%

7. Ukraine 🇺🇦 - 2004 - Ruslana - Wild Dances - 66.6%

6. Austria 🇦🇹 - 2014 - Conchita Wurst - Rise Like a Phoenix - 67.1%

5. Ukraine 🇺🇦 - 2022 - Kalush Orchestra - Stefania - 67.4%

4. Sweden 🇸🇪 - 2012 - Loreen - Euphoria - 75.6%

3. Portugal 🇵🇹 - 2017 - Salvador Sobral - Amar pelos dois - 77%

2. Sweden 🇸🇪 - 2015 - Måns Zelmerlöw - Heroes - 77.9%

1. Norway 🇳🇴 - 2009 - Alexander Rybak - Fairytale - 78.6%

And there it is! The 100 most successful Eurovision entries from 2004 to 2022?

Did your all time fave make the cut?

[residentraccoon]

Updated list of my ESC winners

1956: Franca Raimondi - Aprite le finestre (Italy)

1957: Margot Hielscher - Telefon, Telefon (Germany)

1958: Domenico Modugno - Nel blu dipinto di blu (Italy)

1959: Teddy Scholten - Een beetje (Netherlands)

1960: Nora Brockstedt - Voi voi (Norway)

1961: Jean Claude Pascal - Nous les amoureux (Luxembourg)

1962: Marion Rung - Tipi Tii (Finland)

1963: Grethe & Jorgen Ingmann - Dansevise (Denmark)

1964: Gigliola Cinquetti - Non ho l'eta (Italy)

1965: France Gall - Poupee de cire, poupee de son (Luxembourg)

1966: Udo Jurgens - Merci, cherie (Austria)

1967: Sandie Shaw - Puppet on a string (United Kingdom)

1968: Cliff Richard - Congratulations (United Kingdom)

1969: Salome - Vivo cantando (Spain)

1970: Mary Hopkin - Knock knock who's there (United Kingdom)

1971: Severine - Un banc, un arbre, une rue (Monaco)

1972: Vicky Leandros - Apres Toi (Luxembourg)

1973: Anne Marie David - Tu te reconnaitras (Luxembourg)

1974: ABBA - Waterloo (Sweden)

1975: Teach-in - Ding a dong (Netherlands)

1976: Brotherhood of man - Save your kisses for me (United Kingdom)

1977: Monica Aspelund - Lapponia (Finland)

1978: Izhar Cohen - A-Ba-Ni-Bi (Israel)

1979: Milk & Honey - Hallelujah (Israel)

1980: Katja Ebstein - Theater (Germany)

1981: Lena Valaitis - Johnny Blue (Germany)

1982: Anna Vissi - Mono i agapi (Cyprus)

1983: Danijel - Dzuli (Yugoslavia)

1984: Alice & Battiato - I treni di tozeur (Italy)

1985: Bobbysocks - La det swinge (Norway)

1986: Sandra Kim - J'aime la vie (Belgium)

1987: Lilliane Saint Pierre - Soldiers of love (Belgium)

1988: Celine Dion - Ne partez pas sans moi (Switzerland)

1989: Birthe Kjaer - Vi maler byen rod (Denmark)

1990: Toto Cutugno - Insieme 1992 (Italy)

1991: Carola - Fangad av en stormvind (Sweden)

1992: Evridiki - Teriazoume (Cyprus)

1993: Ruth Jacott - Vrede (Netherlands)

1994: CatCat - Bye bye baby (Finland)

1995: Secret Garden - Nocturne (Norway)

1996: Eimear Quinn - The voice (Ireland)

1997: Jalisse - Fiumi di Parole (Italy)

1998: Edsilia Rombley - Hemel en aarde (Netherlands)

1999: Selma - All out of luck (Iceland)

2000: Brainstorm - My star (Latvia)

2001: Nusa Derenda - Energy (Slovenia)

2002: Malene - Tell me who you are (Denmark)

2003: Urban Trad - Sanomi (Belgium)

2004: Ruslana - Wild dances (Ukraine)

2005: Zdob si Zdub - Bunica bate doba (Moldova)

2006: Hari Mata Hari - Lejla (Bosnia & Herzegovina)

2007: Elitsa Todorova & Stoyan Yankulov - Water (Bulgaria)

2008: Mor ve otesi - Deli (Turkey)

2009: Alexander Rybak - Fairytale (Norway)

2010: Paula Seling & Ovi - Playing with fire (Romania)

2011: Eldrine - One more day (Georgia)

2012: Kaliopi - Crno i belo (North Macedonia)

2013: Zlata Ognevich - Gravity (Ukraine)

2014: Sebalter - Hunter of stars (Switzerland)

2015: Mans Zelmerlow - Heroes (Sweden)

2016: Iveta Mukuchyan - Lovewave (Armenia)

2017: Joci Papai - Origo (Hungary)

2018: Yianna Terzi - Oniro Mou (Greece)

2019: Keiino - Spirit in the sky (Norway)

2020: The Roop - On fire (Lithuania)

2021: Maneskin - Zitti e buoni (Italy)

2022: Zdob si Zdub & Fratii Advahov - Trenuletul (Moldova)

[koschei-the-ginger]

shuffle your favorite playlist and post the first five songs that come up. then copy/paste this ask to your favorite mutuals <3 (no pressure ofc)

omg hiiii

I don't have a favourite playlist, I try to listen to new music every month so this is my april playlist

dian solo, savina - yunache

Boryana Vasileva, DJ 89 - Латино

tribeat - bada copa

hozier - too sweet

DJ 89, Elitsa Todorova - Вода

[betweenthetimeandsound]

My ESC 250 (#190-181), featuring three of the most powerful vocalists in the Balkans, the Spanish Evita, and Bulgaria's only qualifier for almost a decade.

[osleyakomwonkru]

Because I get weird thoughts at 8am after not having slept yet... if your favourite The 100 character was a Eurovision performer, who would they be?

I have two options for Octavia:

1. Ruslana (Ukraine; Winner of Eurovision 2004)

I mean, come on. Look at this video. Ruslana made Grounder chic a thing ten years before The 100 even started airing. (Also, Ruslana is incredible and is my favourite Eurovision performer of all time, I’m lucky that I’ve seen her and my second favourite Jamala live.)

2. Elitsa Todorova (Bulgaria; 5th Place in Eurovision 2007)

Now, I can’t ignore the fact that Marie is a drummer, and Elitsa here sings and drums. Maybe Octavia would do the same? I know I’ve seen Marie in the same outfit that Elitsa has on here.

[borisbubbles]

Eurovision 2010: 35 - 31

35. KEiiNO - “Spirit in the sky” Norway 2019

During the preshow I posited that "Spearwhil”  would be the Rasmussen but as it turned out-

I HEAR YOU CALLING ME AT NIGHT

No, Tom NOT NOW!!! I’m in the middle of my sentence. 🙄 Wait your turn Anyway, it turned out that ‘the Rasmussen’ really ought to be called ‘the KEiiNO’. Observe this Michal-esque rise up the scoreboard:

OutSzpak’ing Spzak. 😍 Let’s be honest though, it was-

I HEAR YOU CALLING ME AT NI-

- COMPLETELY DESERVED TOO.  Fred was especially great, who delivered EPIC yoik solo that I am sure won KEiiNO the televote on the spot. 😍

This particularly pleases me because I was worried Tom & Alexandra (who are both very good performers) would take the spotlight away from Fred, but no did the weakest link pre-show turned not only turn out to be the strongest one, but he was arguable the single strongest performer of finale night. SO PROUD OF THEM ANGELS. 😍 Let us all sing along

*cough* I said, “let us all sing along”

... 

(k Tom, now is ur cue)

I HEAR YOU CALLING ME AT NIIIIIGHT

THE NORTHERN LIGHTS ARE DANCING

HÅ LA HEI LOI LÅ

A lot of the criticism from KEiiNO comes from your typical value-seekers who can only enjoy themselves in public if their shallow trash comes coated in a thick layer of novelty gimmicks and Deep Meaning, so they don’t have to admit to others and themselves than they tune in to have fun, like everyone else. There’s nothing wrong with novelty gimmicks & the like, but applying that standard to everything is taking it a tad too far. Sometimes, simplicity is key and that’s exactly what KEiiNO were: unpretentious, highly-addictive EDM adorned with epic yoiking. 😍 

_______________________________________________________________

34. Gianluca - “Tomorrow” Malta 2013

"Tomorrow” is, to use Gianluca’s own words, a curious delight: I always, always, always forget about it. Then I rewatch 2013 as I do at least once per year, and each time it’s like a Céline Dion song IT’S ALL COMING BACK TO ME and I’m in love again. 😍 “Tomorrow” is such a clever twist of the typical love song by telling the story from the THIRD PERSON PERSPECTIVE by an all-knowing narrator. It’s world’s merriest audiobook. 😍

Naturally, this works because Gianluca has TONS of charisma. He’s one of the most magnetic humans ever on a Eurovision Stage? 

It’s hard to believe that he ages like the rest of us, I’d assume he was birthed fully formed and clothed, at age thirteen, in whatever rests at the end of a Neverlandian rainbow. 

“Tomorrow” could’ve so easily been one of those “Annoyingly Positive songs”, but because he’s so relentlessly jolly, Gianluca injects “Tomorrow” with limitless happy energy, enough to melt the polar icecaps. I am happy that I don’t revisit Gianluca between watches, as I do with others, because each time I rediscover him it’s like finding a four-leaf-clover. 🍀

________________________________________________________________

33. Elitsa Todorova & Stoyan Yankoulov - “Samo shampioni” Bulgaria 2013

IMA LI MLADI? IMA LI LYUDI? TSYALO SELO DOIDE PEITE NE SE BOITE

Let us continue with one of the most glorious trainwrecks EVER in Eurovision. 😍 Of course, this being the GOD-tier the severity of wreckage (aka the Sennek Factor) is even higher than normal. In the case of “Samo shampioni” the messiness began DURING THE PRESELECTIONS. 😍 Okay you may not remember or know this backstory, so allow me to enlighten you:

Okay, so *initially* BNT selected Elitsa & Stoyan and for some reason decided to hold an NF: They introduced: first a terrible rapbomination, second a boring ethnoballad (think Iriao + percussion) and then pulled out an experimental fusion of ethnic bagpipes, polyphonic singing and dubstep, which Elitsa openly pointed as her favourite. 😍 Obviously, the audience had to choose for the latter? NOPE The audience chose the iriao-esque ballad 😍 and in one of the most hilariously open displays of riggage, LESS THAN A DAY AFTER THE NF (and after Elitsa allegedly threw a huge backstage temper tantrum threatening to withdraw LMFAO), BNT produced a statement that was all like “well. we can’t send “Kismet”. 🤓 You see... it has come under our attention that... the songwriter from Argentina (lmao) can’t agree to the copyright terms we demanded of him 🤓but that’s fine because it means we can send “SAMO SHAMPIONI” instead 😊‘ <3333333333333333333333456789 who the fuck is Christer Björkman, fucking NOBODY that’s who. And of course, once “Samo Shampioni” finally got to Malmö it was an utter disaster. 😍 I say "disaster” in the best meaning of the word though. I LOVE when countries showcase their musical traditions, but Elitsa and Stoyan do it so aggressively, BLASTING the unassuming viewer with loud af bagpipe noises, following it up with a menuet of polyphony, a clarion of “AAAAAAAAAAAA-YUUUU” and a finale of dubstep and mayumaniacal percussion. “Samo Sampioni” was loud, abrasive, a clamour of ethnic noise but by the same token such a catchy, infectuous, delightful fucking BOP. No surprise it got jurypwned but it was well worth the effort. 😍

________________________________________________________________

32. Nadav Guedj - “Golden boy” Israel 2015

Welcome to the Dicedrome, ladies and gentlemen: Introducing the man who put Israel back on the map after four straight NQs. But Nadav is more than just a Hebrew Tom Dice. 

For starters, “Golden boy” is also the first time we were ever subjected to Doron Medalie (and also Imri Ziv but lol Imri), who is at his BEST here (apart from that moment when he brusquely shoved Cesár out of the way as if he were Krisse Salminen lmfao 😍): “Golden boy” has everything I could want in an uptempo party song: Drama, catchy rhythm, limitless fun, chanting, dancing and an absolutely ridiculous premise: sixteen year old boy gets wasted after fruitlessly flirting with all sorts of femfolk on his first night out. Yes, THIS

is sixteen years old. 😍 But what I mostly love about “Golden boy” is the humour. Intentional humour is really hard to get right and “Golden boy” NAILS it for me. From self-deprecating one-liners, to that choreography to b-roll material like the sound effect of beer being pourn as Nadav gets further into the song, to of course the epic finale of “THREE MINUTES! BYE :selfie”. 😍

A wild ride which, as serendipity demands, is topped off by Nadav kicking off a strong Israeli streak that indeed ENDS up with Israel winning the contest (with a worse Doron composition :-/) and him showing us around in Tel Aviv. Funny how life works sometimes, huh? 

OKAY GOTTA GO  THREE PARAGRAPHS BYEBYE

_______________________________________________________________

31. Jessy Matador - “Allez ola olé” France 2010

Did you know “Matador” is Eurospeak for “SLAYER”?  😉

Speaking of EPIC party songs, I was looking “Allez Ola Olé” up for my usual ranking purposes and this song.. is one of the most successful Eurovision songs EVER? I am not surprised, because “Allez olla olé” OWNS, but at the same time random 12th placers becoming massive off-season hits <3

(yes I am aware it’s because it was the French “Waka Waka” but that’s even more hilar, actually. What on earth is it doing in Eurovision <3)

Anyway, “Allez ola olé” definitely DESERVES all praise it can get. ETERNAL THORN IN THE SIDE OF THE EUROVISION ELITISTS <3 it is of course the anti-Proud, being all rhythm and no story, literally having no purpose other than making people dance (which I LOVE doing to “Allez Ola Olé”... within the confines of my bedroom, with the curtains closed because I have the dancing skills of drunk JarJar Binks) and honestly, what a spectacle. 😍

It features, in order of ascending awesomeness, male twerking (gender equality <3)

witty references to sex (which I don’t mind here because it’s clearly consentual, and therefore, healthy, ICKOLAS)

“Je sens le truc monter/..😏 ALLEEEEZ 😱”. 

DAM BA DAM BA DAM BA DAM DAM

A fucking HAKA????? (btw, the female backing doing a salute is also lowkey great <3)

Actually, TWO HAKA’S????

This song may not have relevant meaning but my weave flew all the way to French Polynesia. “Allez, ola, olé” is nothing less than fucking AWESOME. 

In this update, we pay our final respects to Norway, Malta and France: Read more about them below:

NORWAY

I don’t feel like this chart reflects my true feelings on Norway, because I like them a LOT more than what their average implies. They’re largely just dragged down by a few bad entries in the first half of the decade. Norway in the second half of this decade has shown a lot of promise and they are on my list of countries that I expect to win in the upcoming decade. 

MALTA

Malta are a very average Eurovision country imo. As you can see, they very often select songs that are not worth giving a fuck about, but conversely the few times that they do, they’re usually excellent happy-go-lucky gems. I could see them winning if they find that rare 1-in-50 entry (by one of their jesc winners preferably), but only if they keep internally selecting their entrant because lmao MES(s)C <3

FRANCE

This is a really good chart for France and roughly what I expected. Not my favourite country but solidly upper tier. France really have reinvented themselves post 2016 and are reaping the rewards with generally higher results. I hope it gets topped off with another win soon. They deserve it. 

[eurovisionopinions]

[kyniathewhovian]

ban Elitsa Todorova from Eurovision

[arandomeurovisionblog]

BULGARIA

Bulgaria debuted at 2005 and has brought us some of the best songs of recent years. Indeed, they have qualified four times for the final, and in three of them they have placed between the top 5.

-Beautiful Mess, Kristian Kostov (2017)

The best Bulgarian entry. Kristian was wonderful at stage and everybody was very moved by this beautiful ballad. The production was also impeccable. Top 2. He deserved to win that year imo.

-Let me cry, Mariana Popova (2006)

Ok, a couple of things happened with this one. It’s a dramatic ballad with folk sounds that sounds very well imo. But 1) The official video is a mess and 2) the staging too. Having to deal with these big issues and paying attention to the song itself is difficult, so I can understand the no qualification after that disaster. But I actually enjoy the song, I think it deserved a better treatment.

-If love was a crime, Poli Genova (2016)

I think this was the moment when people started to think of Bulgaria as a serious candidate to victory. The song is modern, dance and catchy. I think the staging and production were too simple for this act, but in the end it worked and got top 4.

-Water, Elitsa Todorova & Stoyan Yankulov (2007)

This song is alternative, folkloric, rhythmic and catchy. Elitza’s voice is amazing and I couldn’t get it off of my mind for months. The lyrics are in Bulgarian and everything is a strange mix that works amazingly. Top 5.

-Equinox, Bones (2018)

This is one of my favourite Eurovision songs in general, and objectively I think it is pretty good. Sadly, the live performance and the production were very complicated and over-elaborated, and for some reason they changed the way the five voices mixed during the song. The group already had sang in a couple of live concerts, proving they were able to replicate the official version and making it more amazing, but someone thought that it was a good idea to change all that for the Eurovision act. I’m never going to understand it :S

Other interesting entries: 2008 Dj, take me away by Deep Zone & Balthazar, 2011 Na inat by Poli Genova (Poli’s first attempt, better than If love was a crime for some people), 2020 Tears getting sober by Victoria.

[eurovision-facts]

Eurovision Fact #523:

Bulgaria has historically not done well at the Eurovision Song Contest, only making it to the Grand Final five times in their 15-participation career.

However, when they make it to the Grand Final, they usually do fairly well:

The first time Bulgaria made it to the Grand Final in 2007, they placed 5th thanks to Elitsa Todorova & Stoyan Yankulov's "Water."

Next, in 2016, Poli Genova's "If Love Was A Crime" placed 4th. The following year, Bulgaria got it's best result from "Beautiful Mess" by Kristian Kostov, which placed second.

Unfortunately, in the final two times Bulgaria made it to the final, they did not do as well, placing sub-tenth:

In 2018, EQUINOX's "Bones" placed 14th, and in 2021 VICTORIA's "Growing Up Is Getting Old" placed a respectable 11th.

[Sources]

Bulgaria, Eurovision.tv.

[eurovisionsongaday]

A big welcome back to Elitsa & Stoyan!

[mildmagician]

Bulgaria 🇧🇬

Fantastiiiic! A lot of fire with the Intelligent Music Project and their song ‘Intention’!🔥🔊

This Progressive Rock song is a fresh choice coming from the BNT, as Bulgaria tended to send more commercial songs in the past years. Though it is interesting to know, that one of the Intelligent Music Project’s band members might be familiar to some, as Stoyan Yankoulov had participated in the contest before in a duet with Elitsa Todorova performing their Eurodance Pop songs with elements of Folk back in the 2007 and 2013.

As mentioned by the band’s frontman Ronnie Romero – there will be a lot of fire! And by that we mean – A LOT! The band’s smart way of using the spherical style of the stage background to stand out from other contestants was a great decision as the semi-circular construction made from speakers looks very dramatic and attracts a lot of attention.

Късмет!🍀

[everyeurovisionsong]

Bulgaria 2013

'Samo Shampioni' (Only Champions), performed by Elitsa & Stoyan. Composition: Elitsa Todorova, Kristian Talev. Lyrics: Elitsa Todorova, Kristian Talev.

As Malmö 2013 dawned, Bulgaria had made only one appearance on Saturday night since debuting at Eurovision in 2005. So the smart thing to do was to call back the singers of 'Water' in the form of Elitsa and Stoyan.

Unfortunately Elitsa and Stoyan decide to carry the 'same again please' attitude. They managed to navigate 'Samo Shampioni' through the 3-song national selection... complete with all its echoes of 'Water'. Mixing in a ridiculous number of drums, and the occasional skril of bagpipes, it feels more like a greatest hits medley from the duo rather than a new track.

'Samo Shampioni' lacks the coherence that 'Water' had. The various elements work against each other and it's a curious feeling to describe.. .the song doesn't feel comfortable to me, and I suspect that the jurors and televoters agreed.

Following the non-qualification, Bulgaria would withdraw from Eurovision until it decided to call up another former champion.

Semi Final - Points: 45. Placing: 12th. Grand Final - Did not qualify.

[imperiumtenebrarum]

My Eurovision Top 30 - No. 20

Elitsa Todorova & Stoyan Yankoulov - Water - Bulgaria - 2007 - 5th place

Lo, lo, she sings Lo, Mitra sings by the river...

This is a bit of a “marmite song”... what some consider a unique blend of Slavic folk and modern electronica, sounds like a goat being tortured to others. I’m a big fan of “Water”, and not just because it’s one of the most unique and daring entries of the modern era, but also because – in contrast to many other ESC songs – it really comes alive on stage. Elitsa and Stoyan (who’ve been making music as a duo since 2003) are charismatic and engaging performers, and it’s obvious that they’re truly enjoying themselves. I love the mysterious vibe of the first few seconds, and the sheer energy of their drum performance! Elitsa and Stoyan eventually returned to Eurovision in 2013, but sadly failed to qualify for the final with their song “Samo Championi”.

[borisbubbles]

Eurovision 2010s: 60 - 56

60. Emma - La mia città Italy 2014 

Emma is short for “Emmanuella”. 😍 Clearly the inspiration for this act:

You may not know this, but “La mia citta” is probably my favourite song out of 2014? It’s ROCKIN’ A RIDE (na na na na na na) of high voltage energy that I instantly became addicted to.  😍 Of course we were also immediately forewarned that Emma couldn’t sing her own song (which is hilarious, but yeah  😬)  so I was expecting a ready disappointment.  What I did NOT expect however was that Italy would yank UP the fun factor by trapping Emma into the direct-to-video sequel of Tinto Brass’s Caligula and letting her steal the show even more. 😍 ITALY <3 <3 <3 

The vocals may have been beyond subpar, but Emma flailing herself around the stage, contorting her body in IMPOSSIBLE angles, dismissively pushing the beta manfolk around like the boss she is gives me SO MUCH LIFE. If she had sung in a key that suited both her voice and the song, she would’ve ranked even higher, but a spot right outside of the highest tier will have to do. ALL HAIL THE EMPRESS OF TERRIBLE TASTE. 

________________________________________________________________

59. AWS - “Viszlát nyár” Hungary 2018

[2018 Review here]

GIVE ME FIRE, I’M A FIGHTER!

2018 may not have been as great of an experience for me as it has been for many others, but good god did it NEED AWS. A 2018 without AWS has no high voltage, uptempo, loud, aggro ENERGY. “But Boris there’s also Toy” yeah no. Na na banana I do what I wanna :-) 

and honestly, why shouldn’t we love “Viszlát nyar”? Loss songs that instead of mourning solemnly burst into a primordial tempest of ire and flame. IT’S INTENSE, all thanks to Orz’s excellent performance. 

and this comes WITHOUT the consideration that AWS were the backstage deities for the 2018 contest as well, providing many hilarious interviews and other moments of levity. 

AWS were great, because they weren’t a typical Eurovision entry. They are an indie metal band from Hungary that won A Dal by accident and in doing so were thrusted into an adventure beyond their wildest expectations. They never took Eurovision seriously, but regardless they had loads of fun with it and so did I. We will continue this line of thought when we get to a certain deadpan Slovene duo, much, much later in this ranking. 🤭

________________________________________________________________

58. Loïc Nottet - “Rhythm inside” Belgium 2015

Cutting Loïc means I have my change my t-shirt into the one my friend gave me for my 25th birthday (😍)

and I mean what is there to say about Loïc? He’s widely regarded as one of the most artistic and memorable entrants in recent years, sparking a hot streak of entries which ended when Sennek refused to rehearse her song/come up with an act. 

I may as well use this moment for a little confession: Avant Garde is one of my favourite Eurovision genres. AG entries are always interesting, always delivering, always different from what we’re used to. They are brave and inspired. When well-executed they can easily becomes some of the all-time best Eurovision entries.

“Rhythm inside” also falls into the category, taking a fairly simple subject (the beating of the human heart) and turning it into a metaphilosophical journey of discovery, star matter and mindblowiness. Loïc launched “Rhythm” into greatness, providing excellent vocals, dancing and miming. 

and also like all amazing things in life, it contains a small dose of SuRie: 

However, avant garde often comes with one massive problem: poorly-executed AG tends to frame every twirl, fart and headturn as a testament of some highly ~artistic vision~ when it adds nothing of value. In other words, fuckin’ meaningitis. “Rhythm inside” is actually one of the worst offenders, imo. For every epic moment of Loïc gazing into the camera or twirling around like an ebon cygnet, we get a tryhard one in which somebody lays themselves down and starts kicking their feet into the air for no reason and *sigh*. 

It saddens me that  “Rhythm inside”, despite being a very innovative composition that explores the boundaries of music, tries too hard to sell its own artistry and well... it is that moment of self-doubt which prevents me from ranking it inside the elite tier. BELIEVE IN AND LOVE THYSELF!!!

________________________________________________________________

57.  Madame Monsieur - “Mercy” France 2018

[2018 Review Here]

Every year is defined by its political zeitgeist, and in 2018 there were two defining themes: #MeToo, covered by “Toy”, and “Transmigration” covered by Madame Monsieur. I soon was convinced one of them would win 2018, which happened, but sadly it was the weaker of the two entrants 😭

Regardless, Madame Monsieur deserve all the praise they can get. It is SO easy to take a topic such as “migration” and turn it into an Americanized story of Wrong And Right. It’s SO easy to turn it into a sob story. It’s SO easy to cheapen the plight over others for self-gain. It is important to remain authentic, austere and respectful. 

Which is exactly that Madame Monsieur did. 

Using a peppy synthpop beat as a platform to carry their haunting lyrics (”je suis ces enfant que la mer a pris” ::shivers::), Emilie and Jean-Karl turn “Mercy”, a tribute to a baby born at sea to refugee parents, into a true humanitarian hymn, focusing on their message and letting this speak for itself. The end result is pretty potent. THE SEA OF FISTBUMPS <3

So naturally I really fucking love “Mercy”. However, I also think it was lacking in the little area of staging. While I do think the intent of keeping it sober and free of gimmicks was a clever coice, the gut-punching message didn’t exactly come across.

The act was too subtle. It’s the Hassani story of France getting outclassed by Italy at the last second, but much stronger than with Bilal. I don’t think the lack of LEDs was the issue though, like, just bring stage props? Work the camera more? It sucks that I have to nitpick so close to the highest tier, but the fact that I do proves to me that “Mercy” can’t make it that far. RIP sweet synth angels. 

________________________________________________________________

56. DiHaj - “Skeletons” Azerbaijan 2017

[2017 Review here] Another lovable avant garde angel, morph! DiHaj improved quite a bit for me on the rewatch, but I can’t let her move onto the elite tier for reasons that I think are obvious. (If they are not, please unmute your computer.)

HOWEVER, I do think “Skeletons” a great, dark moody song that is highly entertaining. It is, for the most part a great example of how to do novelty at Eurovision: It displays the greatest strength of modern Azerbaijan: the visually stunning SPECTACLE. Music is supposed to a form of expression and DiHaj goes ALL OUT.

Of course, I understand that the act isn’t to everyone’s taste and it does suffer a *little* bit from Fuckin’Meaningitis™ , which is fair enough. At the same time... the story told here is pretty obvious? There is no dispute that this song is about a broken relationship and the moral dilemma that often comes with it. Azerbaijan stuck with the source material provided by the song and that makes Skellingtons’ act much better than that of “Rhythm inside”. It’s a captivating story, because it makes sense. 

Too bad those Professional Swedish Backings sounded like crap tho...x

And that was the last of Azerbaijan,

After a pretty terrible start of the decade, Azerbaijan reinvented themselves as trash angels and the rest is herstory. I hope they continue to dazzle us with ridiculousness in the years to come. 😍

_______________________________________________________________ 

And now we move on to the higher tier. CONGRATULATIONS TO THESE (nearly) FLAWLESS ANGELS:

2010 

Juliana Pasha - “It’s all about you” Tom Dice - “Me and my guitar” Kuunkuiskaajat - “Työlki ellää” Jessy Matador - “Allez ola olé” Giorgos Alkaios & Friends - “OPA” Paula Seling & Ovi - “Play with fire” maNga - “We could be the same”

2011

Dino Merlin - “Love in rewind” Poli Genova - “Na inat” Lena - “Taken by a stranger” Maja Keuc - “No one”

2012

Ott Lepland - “Kuula” Pasha Parfeny - “Lăutar” Loreen - “Euphoria”

2013

Elitsa Todorova & Stoyan Yankulov - “Samo shampioni” Koza Mostra ft. Agathonas Iakovidis - “Alcohol is free” Gianluca - “Tomorrow” Who see ft. Nina Zizic - “Igranka” Anouk - “Birds” Zlata Ognevich - “Gravity”

2014

Aram MP3 - “Not alone” Conchita Wurst - “Rise like a phoenix” Cleo - “My słowianie- We are slavic” Tinkara Kovač - “Round and round” Ruth Lorenzo - “Dancing in the rain” Sebalter- “Hunter of Stars”

2015

Elina Born & Stig Rästa - “Goodbye to yesterday” Nadav Guedj - “Golden Boy” Aminata - “Love Injected” Polina Gagarina - “A million voices” Bojana Stamenov - “Beauty never lies” Måns Zelmerlöw - “Heroes”

2016

Iveta Mukuchyan - “LoveWave” Laura Tesoro - “What’s the pressure?” Poli Genova - “If love was a crime” Nika Kocharov & Young Georgian Lolitaz - “Midnight gold” Hovi Star - “Made of Stars” Francesca Michielin - “No degree of separation”

2017

NAVIBAND - “Story of my life” Blanche - “City lights” Joci Pápai - “Origo” fusedmarc - “Rain of revolution” JOWST ft. Aleksander Wallmann - “Grab the moment”

2018

Rasmussen - “Higher ground” Elina Nechayeva - “La Forza” Ieva Zasimauskaite - “When we’re old” DoReDoS - “My lucky day” Lea Sirk - “Hvala, ne!” ZiBBZ - “Stones”

2019

Kate Miller-Heidke - “Zero gravity” Mahmood - “Soldi” KEiiNO - “Spirit in the sky” Zala Kralj & Gašper Šantl - “Sebi”