Eurovision Song Contest

This year's Eurovision Song Contest was, of course, its typical mix ranging from the bland to the bizarre. For me there were not any especially outstanding songs. I may have been a little too sober for it all this year as I didn't fancy drinking any more after my initial large dark rum. The variety among the songs, and the direness of some, makes me wonder if it is more a contest of national selection procedures than national talent.

I liked the entry from Armenia. The one from Azerbaijan was okay; it might have seemed incoherently weird if not for being followed by the strange Croatian entry. I thought the Romanian entry fun, the Moldovan entry initially catchy, and the songs from France and Germany were reasonable; the German lady seemed to enjoy herself. I didn't find the UK entry pleasant: much of the melody seemed pitched a bit high for where the lady's voice was best and the subject matter appeared to require her to appear to be somewhat stressfully upset throughout. The Portuguese winner I found boring although somewhat improved in the reprise when the sister joined in: her voice was better for it and, as she wrote it too, she should have just entirely dumped her tedious brother.

Last year I wrote that I notice that I agree rather more with the vox populi than with the jury vote. I am not aware that the full split results are yet available but I am under a strong impression that again I am rather more with the public than the professionals, though of course not wholly so.