#friderika bayer

[eurovision-revisited]

1994 Dublin - Number 2 - Friderika Bayer - "Kinek Mondjam El Vétkeimet"

And now for something completely different. What could possibly beat Russian punk? Why a religious song from Hungary, also in their first Eurovision. This is Kinek Mondjam El Vetkeimet (Whom Can I Tell My Sins?) sung almost perfectly by Friderika Bayer. It scraped home through Hungary's first ever selection competition against a huge field of widely varied songs by just two points from second place.

That sent Friderika to Dublin where she finished 4th - still the best result that Hungary has achieved. The song of loneliness, regret and existential dread in the middle of the night. She's upset by a multitude of potentially imagined sins, seeking forgiveness but there's no one there to unburden her of her guilt. It's a simple tune accompanied by an acoustic guitar and a multitude of orchestral strings and woodwind.

Friderika herself is unbearably sweet. Standing alone in the spotlight in a sleeveless dress she sings. And it's her voice that's the absolute star. Such a pure tone, almost without vibrato, but with huge amounts of power waiting to deliver her despair at the weight of her guilt. It's a closing your eyes on the big notes sort of performance. It's enough to make all us godless sinners cry - her voice is that perfect. In other years I think she might have had a chance at winning, but not only was 1994 a year of exceptionally strong female soloists, everyone got blown away in the Rock 'n' Roll kids tidal wave.

For a few years after this, Friderika was something of a celebrity in Hungary, recording hit albums and songs. Around the turn of the century she moved more towards religious music, recording gospel albums as well as albums of music for children.

[betweenthetimeandsound]

Remember that time where I wouldn't do another gif recap after song #101?

Well...I lied, and decided to do this one just before the top 50 instead. Here it is in its glory, with a plea to stop nuclear disaster, psychadelic chaos, and a lost musical number.

(I still might do one for my top ten of all-time, though--that's too important to miss out.)

In addition, in lieu of the usual "how are the countries are doing at this stage of the list" post, here's some stats for my top 50 ever.

By Country:

Italy: 7

France: 6

Greece, Norway, Turkey, Ukraine: 4 each

United Kingdom: 3

Bosnia-Herzegovina, Ireland, Israel, Serbia*, Sweden: 2 each

Armenia, Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Yugoslavia: 1 each

*I included Serbia-Montenegro 2004 (oops, spoilers!) as part of Serbia, as the country only participated twice.

By Decade:

1990s: 19

2000s and 2010s: 9 each

1970s and 1980s: 4 each

1960s: 3

2021: 2

--on an added note, 1991 has the most songs remaining, with 4. Next up are 1993, 1995, 1997, and 2009 with three songs each.

[womenofesc]

[eurovisionopinions]

[eurovisionsongaday]

Welcome to the contest, Hungary!! Thanks for such a gorgeous tune!

[isabellaofparma]

Hungary in Eurovision: 1994 // Bayer Friderika - Kinek mondjam el vétkeimet?

Result: 4th place in the Final

[women-of-eurovision]

[mexicaneurolover]

Eurovision 1994 my top 25

Hello, and welcome to another episode of this ESC series of tops, and I go back to April 30, 1994 when the 39th edition of the contest was held in Dublin, Ireland after Niamh Kavanagh’s victory in Millstreet last year, and it was the second year in a row that the contest was held in Ireland. 25 countries took part, while Belgium, Denmark, Israel, Italy, Slovenia, Turkey and Luxembourg withdrew, the latter hasn’t returned since, Estonia, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, Lithuania, Poland and Russia debuted in this contest. The winner was, again, Ireland with Paul Harrington & Charlie McGettigan and the song Rock n’ Roll Kids, making this their 6th victory, a record at the time and the third time in a row Ireland won the contest. And now, let’s review the songs. I want to say that the RTE Orchestra here is wonderful and I’m crazy for the drums. 

1st Place: GERMANY/MeKaDo-Wir geben ‘ne party (Real Placing: 3rd-128 points) 

Legend says that if you find a live version of this, you can make a wish. Jokes aside, THIS IS EXCELLENT, this is catchy, funny and the music is so modern for the time, I like the performance and they are so nice together, I’m in love with this song and yeah, this is my personal winner and IMO this deserved, along with Poland and Hungary, the victory. 

2nd Place: POLAND/Edyta Górniak-To nie já! (Real Placing: 2nd-166 points)

Oh this song is amazing as well, Edyta’s voice is so out of this world and the music is pretty, the chorus is so powerful and the verses are calm and soothing, just a perfect balance. What a debut from Poland and it’s still their best result, you can do it Poland!!

3rd Place: HUNGARY/Friderika Bayer-Kinek mondjam el vétkeimet? (Real Placing: 4th-122 points)

This song is so calm and beautiful, her voice is perfect and the music is so well done. This is one of my favorite songs from the 90′s and this is the perfect debut for Hungary, I’m in love with this song. 

4th Place: IRELAND/Paul Harrington & Charlie McGettigan-Rock n’ Roll kids (Real Placing: 1st-226 points)

Our winning song of the night, at first I disliked this so much, but then I started to appreciate it’s beauty, the music is very cute, they are good singers and the lyrics are so good. I don’t think this is a winner but is such a cute song. 

5th Place: ESTONIA/Silvi Vrait-Nagu merelaine (Real Placing: 24th-2 points)

Ok so why this song finished second last? I LOVE THIS ONE, the music is stunning and her voice is such a delight to hear, the chorus is very effective and it’s one of my favorite Estonian entries ever. 

6th Place: FINLAND/CatCat-Bye bye baby (Real Placing: 22nd-11 points)

ONE OF FINLAND’S MOST UNDERRATED SONGS, this sounds so 90′s and it’s modern and fresh, they sing nice and the music is pretty strong, but maybe the orchestra kinda ruined it a bit, because the studio version is miles better, anyway, I love this song so much. 

7th Place: CYPRUS/Evridiki-Ime anthropos ki ego (Real Placing: 11th-51 points)

 Oh Evrikidi I love you, this song is so powerful and dramatic but this works so well for me, her voice is as good as in 1992 and the music is very nice, I love the bridge after the chorus and her performance is so amazing. 

8th Place: UNITED KINGDOM/Francis Ruffelle-We will be free (Lonely symphony) (Real Placing: 10th-63 points)

This is such a song for 1994, modern, cute and the intro is stunning, everything here works well and her voice is amazing, the chorus is memorable and there’s a musical bridge at the end that is very exciting and wonderful. What a song!

9th Place: NORWAY/Elisabeth Andreassen & Jan Werner Danielsen-Duett (Real Placing: 6th-76 points)

ELISABETH <3 This song is pretty, the music is so good and their voices match so well together, the verses are nice and the chorus is wonderful. A nice entry from Norway, and one of the best ballads of that year. 

10th Place: RUSSIA/Youddiph-Vechny strannik (Real Placing: 9th-70 points)

This entry as well is beautiful, the music changes on this one are so effective, the verses are very sweet and the chorus is powerful. Also her voice is stunning and the dress is weird but effective. A nice debut for one of the powerhouses of the contest. 

11th Place: ROMANIA/Dan Bittman-Dincolo de nori (Real Placing: 21st-14 points)

This entry makes me cry so much, his voice is on point and it’s perfect, the music is so touching and cute. I don’t speak Romanian but this makes me shiver. An amazing debut from Romania, shame on the juries that night. 

12th Place: PORTUGAL/Sara Tavares-Chamar a música (Real Placing: 8th-73 points)

Oh what a wonderful song, the music is beautiful and her voice is so pretty, also what a power does she has in the chorus, sweet but strong. The lyrics are also beautiful. Again Portugal giving us a great song. 

13th Place: ICELAND/Sigga-Nætur (Real Placing: 12th-49 points)

What a nice song from Iceland, the vibe in this one is pretty and what a voice does she has, the chorus is the best part on this and yeah, I like this entry so much. 

14th Place: SWEDEN/Roger Pontare & Marie Bergman-Stjärnorna (Real Placing: 13th-48 points)

Again a pretty ballad with two wonderful singers, I’m in love with Roger’s voice and Marie is such an elegant lady on stage, their voices are amazing together and the music is very charming, a nice entry from Sweden.  

15th Place: CROATIA/Tony Cetinsky-Nek’ ti bude ljubav sva (Real Placing: 16th-27 points)

Awww this song is pretty, his voice is stunning and the music is very good, also he’s very handsome. I love the chorus so much and he delivers all his voice there. 

16th Place: MALTA/Chris & Moira-More than love (Real Placing: 5th-96 points)

Again a nice melody with nice singers, I’m crazy for the music and the feeling on this songs, but maybe this song had so much to offer and didn’t do it. Maybe it was too much for a top 5 but I still like it. 

17th Place: AUSTRIA/Petra Fey-Für den Frieden die Welt (Real Placing: 17th-19 points)

The music here is so good but I’m not so fond of her voice, and I like the chorus so much in this one. A nice average song from Austria that I think it has potential but failed to deliver it. 

18th Place: BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA/Alma & Dejan-Ostani kraj mene (Real Placing: 15th-39 points)

This is such an amazing song, both are amazing singers and the music is so lovely, the cheering at the start is overwhelming and it makes me feel happy for them, a nice song from B&H and I feel bad because of putting this so low. 

19th Place: SWITZERLAND/Duilio-Sto pregando (Real Placing: =19th-15 points) 

Another ballad with a nice singer and a cute melody, but, as my problem with many of the songs that year, it’s forgettable, even I must admit that the chorus is the best part of it. 

20th Place: SLOVAKIA/Tublatanka-Nekonečná pieseň (Real Placing: =19th-15 points) 

The beginning is very nice and I love the verses, but my problem here is the chorus. kinda falls flat and it’s so contrasting to the verses, but still, I find this a nice debut. 

21st Place: THE NETHERLANDS/Willeke Alberti-Waar is de zon (Real Placing: 23rd-4 points)

This ballad is so nice, but in a contest full of ballads, this fails to impress me, even I find the music lovely, it’s kinda boring, her voice is pretty though. 

22nd Place: GREECE/Kostas Bigalis & The Sea Lovers-To trehandiri (Real Placing: 14th-44 points)

This intro is wonderful but the song turns to be repetitive and boring for me, although the music is so nice and tropical, but still, the song isn’t nice for me because of the chorus. 

23rd Place: LITHUANIA/Ovidijus Vyšniauskas-Lopšinė mylimai (Real Placing: 25th-0 points/last)

A song that is nice but unfortunately isn’t memorable and it’s kinda boring, his voice is okay but overall this song isn’t good enough for me to place it higher, also, this didn’t deserve nul points. 

24th Place: SPAIN/Alejandro Abad-Ella no es ella (Real Placing: 18th-17 points)

Oh another song I can’t stand this song as well, the lyrics aren’t so good and his voice is not for me, the music is kinda alright but still this song isn’t great. 

25th Place: FRANCE/Nina Morato-Je suis un vrai garçon (Real Placing: 7th-74 points) 

I hate this song so much, and it’s weird that I hate a song, this entry annoys me so much and her singing isn’t pleasant for me and the music makes me feel angry for some reason, the lyrics are amazing but the song...  

[maschasrankings]

1994: Top 25

Ireland: Paul Harrington & Charlie McGettigan - Rock'N'Roll Kids

Russia: Youddiph - Vechny Strannik

United Kingdom: Frances Ruffelle - Lonely Symphony

Poland: Edyta Górniak - To Nie Ja!

Bosnia & Herzegovina - Alma & Dejan - Ostani Kraj Mene

France: Nina Morato - Je Suis Un Vrai Garçon

Hungary: Friderika Bayer - Kinek Mondjam El Vétkeimet?

Iceland: Sigga - Nætur

Germany: MeKaDo - Wir Geben 'Ne Party

Portugal: Sara Tavares - Chamar A Música

Finland: CatCat - Bye Bye Baby

Romania: Dan Bittman - Dincolo De Nori

Estonia: Silvi Vrait - Nagu Merelaine

Switzerland: Duilio - Sto Pregando

Croatia: Tony Cetinski - Nek' Ti Bude Ljubav Sva

Slovakia: Tublatanka - Nekonečná Pieseň

Spain: Alejandro Abad - Ella No Es Ella

Netherlands: Willeke Alberti - Waar Is De Zon?

Lithuania: Ovidijus Vyšniauskas - Lopšinė Mylimai

Cyprus: Evridiki - Íme Ánthropos Ki Egó

Austria: Petra Frey - Für Den Frieden Der Welt

Sweden: Marie Bergman & Roger Pontare - Stjärnorna

Malta: Chris & Moira - More Than Love

Norway: Elisabeth Andreassen & Jan Werner Danielssen - Duett

Greece: Kostas Bigalis & The Sea Lovers - To Trehandiri

[munchausenparokaja]

Saját farkába harapott a Magyar Nyelvű Internetek, Bayer Friderika interjút készített Kovács Katival.

A Hetekben.

[eurovision-revisited]

Eurovision 1994: The actual result

This is your spoiler warning for 1994. If you don't know now, well I'm going to tell you who won Eurovision.

And of course, even if Ireland had tried to tank their chances, it just wasn't going to work. They won for the third time in a row, the only country to do so before or since. Besides Ireland, other English language entries finished fifth and tenth - not quite as well as was expected. On the other hand, the new countries fared outstandingly. Poland, Hungary and Russia all finished in the top 10, with Poland second. Germany had a good year (and a party) and finished third.

The countries unluckily finishing at the bottom were Estonia, Finland, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Romania, Slovakia and Switzerland all of whom would have to take a year off in 1995. Lithuania scored the first nil points since Austria managed in in 1991.

Here then is the full result of the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest

Ireland - Paul Harrington & Charlie McGettigan - "Rock 'n' Roll Kids"

Poland - Edyta Górniak - "To Nie Ja!"

Germany - MeKaDo - "Wir Geben 'ne Party"

Hungary - Friderika Bayer - "Kinek Mondjam El Vétkeimet"

Malta - Moira Stafrace & Christopher Scicluna - "More Than Love"

Norway - Elisabeth Andreasson & Jan Werner Danielsen - "Duett"

France - Nina Morato - "Je Suis Un Vrai Garçon"

Portugal - Sara Tavares - "Chamar A Música"

Russia - Youddiph - "Vechni Stranik"

United Kingdom - Frances Ruffelle - "We Will Be Free (Lonely Symphony)"

Cyprus - Evridiki - "Ime Anthropos Ke Ego"

Iceland - Sigga - "Nætur"

Sweden - Marie Bergman & Roger Pontare - "Stjärnorna"

Greece - Costas Bigalis and the Sea Lovers - "To Trehantiri"

Bosnia & Herzegovina - Alma & Dejan - "Ostani Kraj Mene"

Croatia - Tony Cetinski - "Nek'ti Bude Ljubav Sva"

Austria - Petra Frey - "Für Den Frieden Der Welt"

Spain - Alejandro Abad - "Ella No Es Ella"

Switzerland - Duilio - "Sto Pregando"

Slovakia - Martin Ďurinda & Tublatanka - "Nekonečná pieseň"

Romania - Dan Bittman - "Dincolo De Nori"

Finland - CatCat - "Bye Bye Baby"

Netherlands - Willeke Alberti - "Waar Is De Zon"

Estonia - Silvi Vrait - "Nagu Merelaine"

Lithuania - Ovidijus Vyšniauskas - "Lopšinė mylimai"

[vintageurovision]

Hungary in the Eurovision Song Contest: The 1990′s

1993 - Árva Reggel, Andrea Szulák (failed to qualify from the pre-selection round)

1994 - Kinek Mondjam El Vétkeimet, Friderika Bayer

1995 - Ùj Nèv Egy Règi Hàz Fàlan, Czaba Szigeti

1996 - Fortuna, Gjon Delhusa (failed to qualify from the pre-selection round)

1997 - Miert Kell, Hogy Elmenj?, V.I.P.

1998 - A Holnap Már Ném Lesz Szomorú, Charlie

[betweenthetimeandsound]

Three Minutes to Eternity: My ESC 250 (#58-57)

#58: Friderika Bayer -- Kinek mondjam el vétkeimet? (Hungary 1994)

“Semmi sincs, csak fénytelen éj Csak szótlan bánat, hiú remény Nincsen hûség, nincs szerelem Nincs simitó kéz nekem”

“There is nothing, just the lightless night Just speechless sorrow, just illusive hope There is no loyalty, no love There's no caressing hand for me”

Seven countries debuted in the 1994 contest (including Russia--see #149 about that), and I thought this was the best of all of them. While To nie ja showcased Edyta's vocals and put her on the road to superstardom in Poland, Kinek mondjam el vetkimet does something more than that for me, as it creates a compelling soundscape and actually makes me feel something.

The song puts Friderika in a vulnerable situation, where she seeks somebody to talk to. It gets occasionally interpreted as a teenage pregnancy, because of the line "A meg sem született gyermekemnek"/"In spite of nobody dying and no children being born" and the English version suggesting that the narrator aborted the child. I didn't get that sense while I was listening to it, but I could relate to it a lot, because of the need to relieve oneself of the burdens that haunt them in life. I felt lonely at times, and need someone to talk to about life. (also, the title translates to "To whom I may confess my sins?", and the slight religious hints intrigues me again, haha)

The minimalistic instrumentation highlights that fragility; there's the guitarist playing that melody, the occasional tambourine, and the orchestra in the background. They create a little world for three minutes, filled with longing and the need to cry. It's almost like a prayer for understanding, because of the simplicity and sincerity of it. And it is just pure gold, deservingly getting Hungary’s best entry to date (for now, I hope).

P.S. A shout-out for @eurosong and @white-eyed-girl; both really love this song, but for the former, it's their favorite Eurovision song ever!

Personal ranking: 1st/25 Actual ranking: 4th/25 in Dublin

Final Impressions on:

--1994: It's known for having seven new countries come over (four that missed out on Kvalificacija za Millstreet in Hungary, Slovakia, Romania, and Estonia, along with Poland, Russia, and Lithuania), along with being an especially ballad-heavy year. Several times in the running order, it seemed like all the songs blurred together, though I do think that the song quality was high enough to keep it from being bad. Most notably, Riverdance blew everyone out of the water with its use of Irish dance; it became more popular than the whole starting lineup. Basically, that was epic, along with the crowd in Point Theatre cheering for Ireland when they received multiple 12 points to get their third straight title.

--Hungary: Definitely one of the more unique countries in the contest, in terms of what they send. Looking back, they were more up-and-down in terms of quality, but they never leaned towards something more "basic". When they did deliver, they really did in spades; that helped with maintaining an eight-year qualification streak between 2011 and 2018. Sadly, they withdrew because of their increasingly authoritarian government, which is made even worse because they looked like they were going to win. Hopefully, they come back soon!

#57: Minouche Barelli -- Boum Badaboum (Monaco 1967)

“Avant de faire tout sauter, boum boum Laissez-moi le temps d’aimer, badaboum Laissez-moi encore la vie, boum boum Au moins mille et une nuits, badaboum”

“Before blowing everything up, boom boom Leave me the time to love, badaboom Still leave me my life, boom boom At least a thousand and one nights, badaboom”

Another Serge Gainsbourg-penned song, I find it quite interesting. Whereas Poupée de cire, poupée de son (#179) and White and Black Blues (#74) deal with similar thoughtful issues with well-written lyrics, Boum Badaboum is a lot more straightforward.

Despite the silly title, it has a serious message about trying to enjoy what life is about before she gets killed in a nuclear explosion. The United States and the Soviet Union were just hours away from catalyzing a nuclear war five years ago, and yet amongst the negotiations and proxy wars of the Cold War, tension remains. These pleas are almost drowned out amongst the cacophony of the "bada-boums", which can be an acquired taste to some people.

Mincouche's voice is a bit shouty, which when combined with the instrumentation, makes me waver on whether or not I truly like the song. However, it does gets the message across the poppy soundscape, and she performs it with a bit of mischief amongst the despair. The orchestration for this makes it so cool and groovy, you wouldn't know that she's shouting for a little bit of peace!

Personal ranking: 1st/17 Actual ranking: 5th/17 in Vienna

[24hu]

Az eddigi legsikeresebb magyar induló ma már legszívesebben elfelejtené a versenydalát.

[eurovisionsongaday]

Here’s Hungary with a very successful national debut! She’s a lovely lady with a lovely song, definitely a well-earned top five!

[escinsight]

Eurolaul, Eesti Laul: Towards a Second Estonia Eurovision Crown

Their first impression was almost entirely unremarkable. Among the seven débutant countries at the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest, Estonia scored a mere two points (courtesy of  the Greek jury): 25th of 26 entries. But in a year where two other new delegations managed top five placements—Poland’s Edyta Górniak finishing second with ‘To nie ja’ and Hungary’s Friderika Bayer with ‘Kinek mondjam el��