It’s been a week or two since the 2023 edition of Eurovision, held in Liverpool this year who were hosting it for Ukraine – where the rightful winner Käärijä from Finland was beaten into second place by Sweden’s Loreen, her second time winning the contest. Now in its 67th year, Eurovision continues to be a television highlight for millions across the continent, representing the largest annual music event in the world. I personally love Eurovision, and look forward to it every year – a staple in my calendar. There’s no other event as unique as this, that offers the same joys and delights as this one. And yet many people will scoff at those like me who proudly profess their love for Eurovision – it really does seem to have a love/hate effect upon people. I hope here to convince my readers of several arguments to why the event should be loved by all.
Outright Entertainment Value
One of the commonest criticisms I hear about Eurovision is
the regular suggestion that the show should be derided due to its reputation for
not presenting ‘serious’ music (whatever that may mean). People are often
surprised that someone like myself – who has such a substantial engagement with
music – would waste my time getting so involved with something that treats
music as something of a joke. Eurovision performances are often recognised for
their humour, or their kitschiness, before any supposed ‘musical’ value. Take
for instance Ukraine’s entry into the 2007 contest (which I actually view as
one of the best entries of all time), Verka Serduchka’s ‘Dancing Lasha Tumbai’.
Music like this would never be considered ‘great art’ by
those who choose to think in such ways. Yet all the ridiculousness contained
within these performances is precisely what I adore about the contest. Who ever
said that one can only judge a performance on the complexity of its composition,
or whatever it is that ‘Dancing Lasha Tumbai’ is supposedly lacking? If one
gets entertainment from watching an act like this, then whatever the actual
source of the entertainment, one is still being entertained. It is an
unfortunate individual who has to dissect the specific reasons as to why they
may or may not like a piece of music. For me, if I find myself smiling as I
watch a performance, I like it. And there is no doubt that many Eurovision
performances make me smile.
Experiencing Otherwise Unexplored Cultures
The fun and enjoyment that comes with Eurovision is
undoubtedly a big reason as to why I rate it so highly, but there’s a deeper level
of appreciation to this as well, in representing more than just pure silliness.
This comes with the fact that Eurovision successfully manages to showcase many
of the weird and wonderful aspects of various cultures that one might never get
to experience. There’s only so much of a culture one can take in from an
outside perspective, and even if one visits that respective nation to
experience it for themselves, it’s unlikely that they would see much beyond the
standard tourist encounters. Yet Eurovision allows each country to fully
immerse the viewer right into the heart of their culture, putting on display –
if only for a few minutes – some of the odder and more unusual parts of their
respective ways of life, and celebrating them. This can be seen in examples
such as Pasha Parfeni’s ‘Soarele și Luna’, Moldova’s entry this this year,
which incorporates elements of Moldovan folklore; or Keeiino’s ‘Spirit in the
Sky’, Norway’s entry in 2019, sung partially in the Northern Sami language.
The amount of different cultures across Europe, all unique
in their own way, is significant, and no one could ever hope to encounter all
of them in a lifetime – and certainly not to experience some of the more
unusual aspects of them. Yet when watching Eurovision, for one night, one can
briefly absorb themselves entirely in the many distinct bizarre and momentary
phenomena that they would otherwise never have encountered.
Genuinely great music
The cultural experience is without doubt my main reason for
enjoying Eurovision, but as an added bonus, one must surely recognise that
actually, Eurovision does occasionally put forth some really really good songs.
There are of course many acts which, whilst memorable for other reasons, wouldn’t
go down as something I would ultimately listen to, but there are also many
others which I really do actually enjoy. Go_A’s ‘Shum’, Ukraine’s entry from 2021
has legitimately gone on to become one of my favourite songs of all time; and I
also absolutely loved Alvan and Ahez’s ‘Fulenn’, France’s entry from last year,
which incidentally was criminally underscored on the night.
Also, whilst I did complain earlier about Käärijä’s ‘Cha Cha Cha’ losing out this year, Loreen’s ‘Tattoo’ was a genuinely phenomenal pop song, and certainly earned its space at the top of the scoreboard. Yes, there are many silly and goofy songs throughout Eurovision, but every now and then you can guarantee some absolute jewels.
Solidarity Across Nations
One final point I wish to raise concerns the political implications
of an event like Eurovision. We’re all well aware of the cynical political
voting that goes on (which actually is part of the fun), but underneath that
all, what an event like Eurovision does is present a spirit of togetherness,
bringing together all of Europe to appreciate one another and celebrate
together. Indeed, the official slogan of the event is ‘United By Music’, and
whilst this sort of message does come across as somewhat shallow and
meaningless, it is still undeniable that this uniting of disparate and distinct
people is a very heart-warming thing to witness. And this togetherness is made
no more evident than in instances such as last year, when Ukraine’s Kalush
Orchestra were voted the winner for their song ‘Stefania’ – with the highest
ever score received in the contest’s history. This wasn’t simply a patronising
vote either, for again, the song was genuinely excellent – demonstrating that
despite all the turmoil occurring in their country, such musicians were able to
overcome such awful circumstances to create incredible music.
Eurovision is always one of the dates I look forward to most,
year on year, and I hope to have communicated my reasons why. As one of the
best demonstrations of the vast variety of cultures and musics of Europe, I
hope for more people to forget their cynicism, take themselves a little less seriously, and embrace all the camp and
silliness that the contest has to offer. I feel sorry for those who do not
share my enthusiasm.
