Italy's Nina Zilli - can she improve on last years 2nd place at Eurovision

After some 13 years away from Eurovision Song Contest- one of the original countries Italy returned last in Dusseldorf 2012 
with Raphael Gualazzi's 'Madness of Love' that finished in 2nd placing.. one amazing comeback.


In the past Italy have been represented by the likes of Gigolia Cinquetti, Domenico Modugno,Toto Cutugno, Ricchi & Poveri and Umberto Tozzi, Al Bano & Romina Power & Franco Battiato-  to name a few. Although the list of artists reads like the royality of Italian music- they have won only twice in Eurovision history - and last year's runner up position is only the 2nd time they have been a runner-up- previously to 2011. We have to go back to 1974 when Gigolia Cinquetti came second to Abba's 'Waterloo'. 
For Eurovision Song Contest 2012 Italy have choosen San Remo artist Nina Zilli. She looks like almost like an italian Amy Whitehouse with a song called 'L'Amore e Femmina (Out of Love)' we think this could even be the one- 
with a modern song + a little of Eurovis Sparkle to be a winner

Le Electro-Vision for Baku 2012- Belarus & Hungary!

Electro pop has not been perfect for Eurovision in the past for some reason!
One example of this is the fantastic 'Comme ci, comme ca' from Evridiki for Cyprus back in 2007.
This tune finished in 15th place in the semi final- so Eurovision was not ready for the Electro 
pop generation back then.
In fact we can even go back to 1980 when synth pop was fresh and very different Electro pop Telex had become the french answer to Kraftwerk in germany. Today they are considered a pioneer of Electro music, yet at Den Haag in Netherlands in April 1980 they sang for Belgium last in that years running order. They looked and sounded perfect for a top place in the contest- with a caughty tune called 'Euro-vision' yet when the votes came in from the european juries they finished 17th with only 14 points! only the portugese jury voted for this new
synth sound giving belguim 10 points. 


In Baku for Eurovision 2012- we have two countries once again taking the brave step to send to Eurovision Song Contest a top national Electro band.
With two groups  LiteSound & Compact Disco-

Is over in Hungary the band Compact Disco- are not retro in anyway very 2012 with their sound. 
A huge band from Budapest formed back in 2009 & enjoyed a huge dance hit in UK/Europe with the hit          'I'm in love'
This year's entry is refreshing after last year's very popular Katy Wolf entry for Hungary in 2011 with 'What about my Dreams' that borrowed 
largely from the 90's sound of Celine Dion and such. 'Sound of our hearts' the new song could almost be a 
David Guetta track from his last album. With the right performance from the band at Baku this band could put Hungary 
in the Top 10. 

Next is Belarus, a new eastern european country that in the past 8 years have only qualified for the Eurovision final twice Koldun in 2007 and in Oslo with Three +2 singing 'Butterflies' So they really want to get back into the final -For this reason they selected a electro-Rock song that actually finished 2nd in their National Final in 2012. So this new three piece Litesound got the european break they had been hoping for with a good tune 
called 'We are the Heros'- This tune seems to be almost a flashback to the Italian pop-sound of Eiffel 65 
of the late 90's as Litesound have an italian born singer Jacopo Massa.


I hope both these countries bring some Electro- sounds to Eurovision at Baku

My favourite old- Eurovision Song Contest 1985- When Bobbysocks won!

Just recently I enjoyed many Eurovision memories & made a Euro-discovery on U-tube where Le wonderful Euroensiklopediya has the whole 2 hours

plus from way back in 1985 available to view (see below)- The year Goteburg hosted the show following the previous

84' win by Herreys with 'Digga Loo Digga Ley'- at this time in Eurovision history. It was 1985

so the contest had a full-orchestra & conductor to play on each entry- the song had to be sung in the countries

national language.

As well as one solo-presenter in Goteburg- none other than Lill Lindfors she just stole the show in more ways than one-

so grab a cuppa tea, put your feet up and enjoy ESC 85 again on the Full clip below- oh plus

there is even Sir Terry Wogan's BBC commentary - ohhh I now miss ole Terry -

Exclusive Interview with Eurovision Winner/Legend Linda Martin (1992)

- Linda Martin, Jedward n' Chilly Willy no-less doing Panto

We simply luv an indepth Eurovision Interviews when they pop up-and thanks to the wonderful Garrett Mulhall for his detailed interview

for Eurovision Ireland- well done- & Many Thanks

My Top 20 Playlist- March 2012 (month that was--)

1- Eurthoria- Loreen

2- Shapeshifter- Rikke Normann

3- Amazing - Danny

4- What a feeling (Hardwell Mix) - Kelly Rowland

5- Take our hearts - Jesper Nohrstedt
6- Make it better - Tommy Fredvang

7- Dix Pas Cent Pas - Kati Wolf ft Marc Mysterio

8- Kuula - Ott Lepland

9- The boy can dance - Afro-dite

10- Baby doll - Top Cats

11- Forlat Mig - Mattias Andreasson

12- Don't let me down - Lotta Engberg & Christer Sjogren

13- Why am I crying - Molly Sanden
14- Aldrig Aldrig - Andreas Lundstedt

15- The Girl - Charlotte Perrelli

16- Salt and Pepper - Marie Serneholt

17- I will fight for you (Papa's song) - Fabrizio Faniello

18- Shout it out - David Lindgren

19- This is the night - Kurt Calleja

20- Nar Jag Blundar - Pernilla Kalsson

My current playlist this month reflects perfectly the very best tunes

that have been delivered for Eurovision in Baku particularly in Norway & Melodifestivalen 2012

(it's almost My Melo-12 chart-list)

and I think we will be listening to these for a while yet-?

Its no more Direct-to-Globen In 2013 it will be Direct-to-SwedBank!

The brand new Arena in Solna called Swedbank Arena, is due to open on 27th October 2012. As well as being the main home

of Sweden's national football team- it has the capacity to take 65 0000 spectators. So Stv have confirmed due to this years increase in Melodifestivalen Final viewing figures in 2012. Next year will see this new massive arena - as certainly the new home of Melodifestivalen Final contest-

What fantastic news from Stv yet it's a little sad to see Globen be no longer a Melodifestivalen regular anymore!

And Direct to Swedbank- hmmm.. does not have the same ring to it- does it?

Madonna's New Video- Girl Gone Wild! Madge cannot make Baku - due to a massive World Tour

it seem you tube- won't show this clip- I cannot think why?- it's rather good and we are hoping

someone at least uses a couple of these sexy dancers for ESC ?

Engelbert Humperdinck's song 'Love will set you Free' released today

First impression- rather great classic tune- just shame about the dull video!

The Semi-Final list for Eurovision Song Contest 2012 in Buc-ku (with SDF brit-accent)

Just last night broatcaster Eén from Belgium selected the song for thier Eurovision artist in Baku -Iris the song is 'Would you'

This now completes the selections for both Eurovision 2012 Semi- Finals. In each semi final there is 18 songs battling it out

for 10 slots in the Eurovision Grand Final on 26th May 2012.

Here is all the song in no particular order- as the running

order is yet to be drawn-

Semi-final 1

Albania: Rona Nishliu – "Suus".


Belgium: Iris – "Would You" .


Cyprus: Ivi Adamou – "La La Love".

Denmark: Soluna Samay – "Should've Known Better".

Finland: Pernilla Karlsson – "När jag blundar".


Greece: Eleftheria Eleftheriou – "Aphrodisiac".


Iceland: Gréta Salóme & Jónsi – "Mundu Eftir Mér".


Ireland: Jedward – "Waterline".


Israel: Izabo – "Time".


Latvia: Anmary – "Beautiful Song".


Moldova: Pasha Parfeny – "Lăutar".


Montenegro: Rambo – " Euro-Neuro".


Romania: Mandinga – "Zaleilah".


Russia: Buranovskie Babushki – "Party for Everybody".


San Marino: Valentina Monetta - "?????".


Switzerland: Sinplus – " Unbreakable".


Hungary: Compact Disco – "Sound Of Our Hearts".


Austria: Trackshittaz – "Woki Mit Deim Popo".

Semi-final 2


Bosnia & Hertegovina: Maya Sar – "Korake ti znam".


Bulgaria: Sofi Marinova – "Love Unlimited".


Estonia: Ott Lepland – "Kuula".


Georgia: Anri Jokhadze – "I'm A Joker".


Croatia: Nina Badrić – "Nebo".


Lithuania: Donny Montell – "Love Is Blind".


Macadonia: Kaliopi – "Crno E Belo".


Malta: Kurt Calleja – "This Is The Night".


Netherlands: Joan Franka – "You And Me".


Norway: Tooji – "Stay".


Portugal: Filipa Sousa – "Vida Minha".


Serbia: Željko Joksimović – "Nije Ljubav Stvar".


Slovakia: Max Jason Mai - "Don't Close your Eyes'


Slovenia: Eva Boto – "Verjamem".


Sweden: Loreen – "Euphoria".


Turkey: Can Bonomo – "Love Me Back".


Ukraine: Gaitana – "Be My Guest".


Belarus: Litesound – "We Are The Heroes".





Sweden's Top 20 Singles Chart - One week after Globen Final 2012

Sweden's singles chart- 16th March 2012

1 : Loreen – Euphoria

2 : Danny Saucedo – Amazing

3 : Sean Banan – Sean den förste banan

4: Michel Telo - Ai se eu te pego

5: Train - Drive Me
6 : Ulrik Munther – Soldiers

7: Gote ft. Kimbra- Someone I used to know
8 : Molly Sandén – Why am I crying

9 : David Lindgren – Shout it out

10 : Dead by April – Mystery

11 : Ansiktet - Ackligt

12 : Norlie & KKV - Trojan du hatar

13 : Avicii - Levels

14 : Flo Rida ft Sia - Wild ones

15 : Lisa Miskovsky – Why start a fire

16: Moa Lignell - When I held ya

17: Laleh - Some die young

18: David Guetta ft. Sia - Titanium
19 : Björn Ranelid feat. Sara Li – Mirakel

20 : Top Cats – Baby doll

Bubbling under----
22 : Loreen – My heart is refusing me (Melo 2011)

25 : Axel Algmark – Kyss mig

26 : Loreen - Sober (single- 2011)
34 : Timoteij – Stormande hav

37 : Youngblood – Youngblood

43 : Mattias Andréasson – Förlät mig

As we like a good chart-list- this is SverigeTopplistan Top 20 - where we find the chart has

half songs from Melodifestivalen 2012 in the Top 20- One artist missing is Charlotte Perrelli for some reason

with 'The Girl' she may pop up somewhere next week.

It's interesting to see Sean Banan's second-chance song- head and shoulders above any other

non- Globen finalist- However Sean does have a new album popular at this time. Loreen has three songs

on the chart that is her previous two singles from last year.

Italy and San Marino have new songs for Baku- What do we think?

It's not all over yet- all countries taking part in Eurovision have the next couple of weeks to arrange their final songs for the big competition in Eurovision Song Contest in May- In the past we have had a few last minute changes, coming mainly from Ukriane. Who back in mid-March 2010 ditched the song and artist selected for Oslo (Vasyl Lasarovich) and held last minute National Final- only to end up choosing a different song again from the final winner!

Over in Belarus a runner up artist and song was prefered with Litesound's 'We are all Heros' instead of the real winner in 2012 of Alyona Lanskaya with her song 'All of My Life' Certainly I think the right song was selected here in Belarus- at Eurovision 2012.

In Italy it was annoched that Nina Zilli would be the artist from San Remo Contest this year- Nina's San Remo winning tune 'Per Sempre' was the choice and a new bilingual version was due to be created for Eurovision.

Then suddenly last week it was annouched that Nina's record lable had a preference for Nina's latest release 'L'Amore e Femmina' certainly

this new tune has a boom-boom kinda Eurovision ring ring to it- so it seems to be less of a promoinal decision to change this song.

However Per Sempre' certainly would have done equally well in Baku we think- certainly Italy have got it right for the second year back in Eurovision.

Meanwhile San Marino really need to qualify at Eurovision 2012- as with their past 2 entries failed to make the final.

So no current changes in San Marino- however a strong artist called Valentina Monetta with a tune written by none other than Ralph Seigel- the songwriter who has wrote 19 past Eurovision entries for Germany Luxembourg & many more.

I was so excited by this schlager rumour and news- and La Papa Pingouin, la papa pingouin-' began ringing in my ears.

This sounded like a real qualifier already for San Marino to put them on the map- then I heard and saw the song

called- wait for it...

'Facebook'

it is far from a Eurovision winner - and rather typical of some of the more modern Ralph Seigel tunes.

Some people like this social-media pop- I am not really sure as I do luv and respect Ralph's past glories.

Will this song really get past the EBU's rules- we think not-

I hate to bring up the subject of Sweden's Lotta Enberg's Melodifestivalen winner 'Fyra Bugg & Coca-Cola' was changed to 'Boogaloo'

for advertising reasons- in Eurovision 1987 -and most certainly facebook is the Coca Cola brand of the modern times.

Does this mean we need let yet another song change for Baku 2012? I think so ---otherwize what next year

(take me to your) 'ikea-heaven''?

-Valentina models her new Baku-chair in 12 pointa-grey

Stop-press-- the EBU have annoched 19/3/2012 that 'Facebook uh oh uh' lyrics are in breach of Eurovision Song Contest rule

book The rule 1.2.2. this was the same rule enforced for Georgia's 'I don't wanna Put In' in 2009 for the political message!