Three German-language songs in the final – and all three in the lowest places.Image: watson/keystone-sda
ESC
German-language songs took the very last places in the rankings at this year’s ESC. This is how the respective local media explain their defeat.
There was a real zero-point festival for German-language songs at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna. The performances from Germany, Austria and Great Britain (at least parts of this one and the title are in German) take the distant last places in the final rankings.
The respective local press also knows immediately what the problem was:
Germany: Rank 23
Once again on Saturday evening it was: Germany – Zero Points! Pop star Sarah Engels was able to charm the jury so much that she was awarded a total of twelve points, but her song “Fire” fell on deaf ears from the audience.
In all the flames, Engel’s hope of a public victory probably melted away.Image: keystone
She writes that she put on a visibly expensive and professionally planned show and sang stably Focus magazine on Sunday – and still finds the explanation for the flop. “Fire” is the epitome of contemporary Alemannic ESC thinking: not too weird, not too risky, not too embarrassing. The song warmed you into the evening and disappeared from your memory just as quickly.
However, one should not forget that Germany had the “worst possible starting position” of the evening in second position – this is considered a “death slot” among fans because there is still a lot of time before the voting, in which more spectacular performances could come.
Nevertheless, Focus’s conclusion is: “Fire” failed not because Europe doesn’t like Germany, but because the song didn’t affect anyone.
Austria: Rank 24
It sounds similar from the host country Austria. Although Cosmó’s “Dance Certificate” was able to elicit an impressive five points from the audience, the jury contributed exactly one point to the final result.
Singer Cosmó could have used a points ticket instead of a dance ticket.Image: keystone
Even before the big finale, Cosmó would have had to struggle, writes weekend magazine, and not just with the “classic host penalty”. The bookmakers predicted “Tanzschein” would be in last place early on. And actually – in the end it was just enough for 24th place.
The reason: While the winner from Bulgaria stood out with a clear concept and strong messages, “Tanzschein” remained comparatively pale. Cosmó’s performance worked well in the semi-finals in the smaller hall, but the concept no longer worked in the competition for the points.
UK: Rank 25
The British synth-pop banger “Eins, Zwei, Drei” by Look Mum No Computer, real name Sam Battle, is beaten down, and really beaten down. Only the Ukrainian jury was able to spare a single point. The rest of Europe seemed so turned off by LMNC’s very special performance that they stuck with this one point until the bitter end.
When singer “Look Mum No Computer” has lots of computers on stage, things can only go wrong.Image: keystone
What did et jelegen do? The BBC has an extensive analysis ready. First of all, Battle’s performance was a breath of fresh air for the British ESC spirit; In recent years they have been competing with “songs that are too safe”. This certainly cannot be said about this year’s performance:
“Eccentric, captivating and with the energy of a shaken Coci bottle, he has produced a song that is, for once, uniquely British.”
You dared to do something and it just didn’t work. But that’s not all: in the United Kingdom there is a stigma that the ESC is a poisoned chalice for a musical career. No established artist dares to take part in the competition for fear of negative reviews.
Therefore, the BBC, which is the public broadcasting authority responsible for the national selection process, has long been relying on less established artists who do not have a (larger) record company behind them. And that’s exactly why there are performances like Look Mum No Computer’s.