Melodifestivalen 2021 Deltävling #3

Back in the days of 7-inch vinyl, there was always the B-side. There was the hit song on the A-side, and on the B-side there was, generally speaking, a song favoured by the artist, but never likely to be a hit record.

I often quite liked the B-sides. They were often good songs. In 1977, ABBA released an “alternative version” of their song, “Why Did It Have To Be Me” called, “Happy Hawaii” (described as an earlier version of the song), which was interesting to hear.… Read the rest “Melodifestivalen 2021 Deltävling #3”

Melodifestivalen 2021 Deltävling #1

If I had to choose one song or performance from the first heat of this year’s Swedish path to Eurovision (Melodifestivalen) to go straight through, it would be that of Lena Philipsson.

She has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest six times: four times as a performer (1986, 1987, 1988 and 2004) and twice as a songwriter.

Lena was co-host for the first heat of this year’s Melodifestivalen, where she performed a couple of her own songs, including her current single, the title of which translates, roughly, “You learn throughout your life”.… Read the rest “Melodifestivalen 2021 Deltävling #1”

Eurovision 2020

Most years there’s two or three songs I really, really like, and “meh” is my usual reaction to most of the remainder. But this year, there were half a dozen songs I really liked, including one I’ve put on permanent repeat.

You know how when you’re a teenager you play the same song over and over and over and over again? Imagine, if you would, a 54 year old man dancing around the lounge room. I’ve become a teenager again!… Read the rest “Eurovision 2020”

Vote One Eurovision

“We know this stuff, but most people don’t”, a colleague reminded me the other day, as we spoke about the appropriateness of what you share online, and in particular on social media. We were talking about the number of political candidates who have lost pre-selection in the Australian election in the last couple of weeks, due to things they’ve published on social media.

And I use the word “published” intentionally. Often it seems with social media, people think they’re just sending a private note to a few friends, forgetting that note can be shared with others, and remains “somewhere online”, even if they feel they have set their privacy settings quite high.… Read the rest “Vote One Eurovision”