Eurovision Song Contest 2004

I really don't understand why the tracks have to be ordered according to the country codes and not the order of appearance. Now we'll see if this year really was as bad as I remember it. The upside was that visually it was a very good year with many countries bringing forth beautiful (and mostly obvious) candidates.

#1 Andorra - Marta Roure - Jugarem a estimar-nos 9

Nice beginning for such a substandard year. The choreography was great, even though I can't say the same about singing or styling...

#2 Albania - Anjeza Shahini - The Image of You 8½

Another good debut. The chorus could be a bit more varied, though.

#3 Austria - Tie-Break - Du bist 6

Bwooh. I feel like throwing up, even though the reason probably isn't so much this song as having eaten too much. It could be the song as well, though.

#4 Bosnia-Herzegovina - Deen - In the Disco 8½

The song was the weakest of the five entries in the Bosnian preselection but the show saved a lot. I can so see myself in the ESC performing just like Deen, although I'd leave the rubber women home and go for the real thing instead.

#5 Belgium - Xandee - 1 Life 8½

The infamous flopper. And after all, not too surprisingly so.

#6 Belarus - Alexandra & Konstantin - My Galileo 9

Now that I look at it, the year doesn't seem as bad as I thought. However, the order may just've been lucky. This was the third good first entry, as well as the introduction of the enticing Belarussian language also known as Danish (or bad English).

#7 Switzerland - Piero Esteriore & The Musicstars - Celebrate! 6½

Yeah, it must've been the order.

#8 Serbia & Montenegro - Željko Joksimovic - Lane moje 9

I never enjoyed this as much as most of the fans and the people of Europe. Don't know why.

#9 Cyprus - Lisa Andreas - Stronger Every Minute 8

I used to think I'd learn to like this but in the end, I didn't.

#10 Germany - Max - Can't Wait Until Tonight 5

Plurgh!

#11 Denmark - Thomas Thordason - Shame on You 8

Fairly average. However, extra points for the public dedication of this song to his husband.

#12 Estonia - Neiokõsõ - Tii 5½

Bluaagh. Serves these linedancing monstrosities so right to have flopped.

#13 Spain - Ramón - Para llenarme de tí 8

This, on the other hand, would've been a lot better served with a worse placing, as a punishment to the juries for denying Mi obsesión its rightful participation and becoming the best entry of the decade and a member of the all-time top ten.

#14 France - Jonatan Cerrada - A chaque pas 7

The pretty little hobbit was the victim of the most disturbing staging of the year, with the crazy stilt woman and the transparent red globe. Fortunately, musically there wasn't much to ruin.

#15 Finland - Jari Sillanpää - Takes 2 to Tango 8

And for the second time in a row, we do the same mistake: a song with little first-time appeal. It can, however, hardly be denied that with a better draw and less sound problems, it would've been in the final.

#16 UK - James Fox - Hold on to Our Love 7

I don't remember which review it was in but I wrote a comment that describes this so well: "Nothing really."

#17 Greece - Sakis Rouvas - Shake It 6½

I don't know how much of a singer he is but he has definite other qualities that can't be ignored. Too bad the song is the weakest link.

#18 Croatia - Ivan Mikulic - You Are the Only One 8

This kind of Slavic shlager usually finds at least some response from me. So this time as well, even though the song was mainly ruined by the "positivisation" of the lyrics and there were many better choices in the preselection.

#19 Ireland - Chris Doran - If My World Stopped Turning 6½

Nowadays Ireland usually beats even the traditional champions of being stuck in the past, Switzerland and Portugal. Well produced and inoffensive but oh so bland.

#20 Israel - David d'Or - To Believe 8½

O to sing like him... Too bad he ruined the magic in the end of the performance by lapsing into the lower register.

#21 Iceland - Jónsì - Heaven 7

Classy but boring.

#22 Lithuania - Linas & Simona - What Happened to Our Love 6

Just boring.

#23 Latvia - Fomins & Kleins - Dziesma par laimi 7

They so destroyed this by the new version. I used to like the original one.

#22 Monaco - Maryon - Notre planète 9½

It's such a shame they dropped the original title Prenez soin de notre planète, which would've been even more corny. Though I guess it's already quite enough so as it is. It would've deserved a much better placing, as also the performance was good.

#23 Malta - Julie & Ludwig - On Again... Off Again 9½

In the beginning, I rather hated this, but it has grown on me, and not the least thanks to BNM.

#24 Macedonia - Toše Proeski - Life 7

Such a potential, such a waste. To begin with, the second-placed preselection candidate would've been so much better but judging from the artist's performance, he apparently didn't want it. At that point, however, all was not yet lost. The preview video made an impact by its visual values, especially the near-perfect styling, including the sleeveless red plastc trail shirt that prompted me to announce the winner of the title of Mr Eurovision 2004. However, in the actual performances, he was instead dressed up as a ribbon-spawning cream cake and surrounded by rather ridiculous chair dancers. Nuff said.

#25 NL - Re-Union - Without You 6

Oh help. This in the final was nothing short of a complete joke.

#26 Norway - Knut Anders Sørum - High 6½

Last place deserved. And predictable.

#27 Poland - Blue Café - Love Song 7

Poland does a slovenia by sending an artist a year too late. You May Be in Love with its Korean verses would've been great. Well, the body-wanting duck and her crew got what they deserved. Too bad in this version her curious voice is mixed so that it sounds almost normal.

#28 Portugal - Sofia Victória - Foi magia 8½

Months after the contest, this became a surprise hit. The simple but effective choreography may have had its say.

#29 Romania - Sanda Ladosi - I Admit 7½

More big mistakes. The scary Egyptian lady was the right one. The only value of this comes from the performance styling, where especially the dancer's transparent golden shirt earned many points. Not saying as much of the artist herself, though.

#30 Russia - Julia Savicheva - Believe Me 9½

Finally some light in the darkness, even though the song would benefit greatly from better arrangement and faster speed. The performance was also rather misguided with its contagiously painted men. Believe me, even displaying flesh doesn't always work.

#31 Sweden - Lena Philipsson - It Hurts 9½

Despite all the time I've had to hear this under various circumstances, it seems to have managed to stay surprisingly fresh. That's a sign of a good composition. Next month, I'm going to perform a part of the Swedish version playback to 500+ people. But still, I'm keeping my mind and this safely on the fourth place in my annual ranking.

#32 Slovenia - Platin - Stay Forever 7

I really can't bear to listen to this, thinking of the foolish juries that robbed the brilliant Forbidden Natalija of her rightful and certain victory. The only upside is that like us, they got married during the ESC week. We didn't rob anyone, though.

#33 Turkey - Athena - For Real 8½

One of my inexplicable likings.

#34 Ukraine - Ruslana - Wild Dances 10

Yee! For the first time since 1988, my favourite won. That happens so rarely that I was reluctant to predict it, even though in a radio interview I did say that the winner is either Ukraine or Serbia & Montenegro. For once (twice) I was right.