#46 (2011)

The 100 Greatest Songs You've (Probably) Never Heard – 2011

#46

De Stroom
3JS
Netherlands

Nationaal Songfestival 2011 consisted of 5 songs performed by one band, 3JS. “De Stroom” (The Stream) was the runner-up in the Dutch final and is the group’s second song to make this list.

#47 (2011)

The 100 Greatest Songs You've (Probably) Never Heard – 2011

#47

Nothing Remains
Susperia
Norway

Susperia is a Norwegian thrash metal band that took their name from everyone’s favorite Italian horror film (Suspiria). How awesome is that?

#48 (2011)

The 100 Greatest Songs You've (Probably) Never Heard – 2011

#48

7 Days and 7 Nights
Brolle
Sweden

Brolle has built his career around filling the hipster-Elvis niche that apparently exists in Scandinavia. “7 Days and 7 Nights” (one week to the rest of us), his Melodifestivalen debut, continues that proud tradition. Unfortunately for Brolle, the Swedes weren’t too impressed, and this performance, dad-dancing and all, languished in last place in the nation’s final.

#49 (2011)

The 100 Greatest Songs You've (Probably) Never Heard – 2011

#49

C’est la musique
Steve Linden
Belgium

“C’est la musique” (It’s the music)? A likely story…

#50 (2011)

The 100 Greatest Songs You've (Probably) Never Heard – 2011

#50

Oida Taunz!
Trackshittaz
Austria

“Oida Taunz!” (Loosely: Dance, dude!) by the colorfully named Trackshittaz was the runner-up in the 2011 Austrian selection and would go on to top the Alpine nation’s singles chart. The hip-hop duo, consisting of Lukas Plöchl and Manuel Hoffelner, will represent Austria in Baku with their new track “Woki mitt deim Popo” (Shake Your Ass).

#51 (2011)

The 100 Greatest Songs You've (Probably) Never Heard – 2011

#51

Watch My Dance
Λούκας Γιώρκας (Loucas Yiorkas) feat. Stereo Mike
Greece

“Watch My Dance” was the Greek entry in Düsseldorf, where it finished in 7th place. Its odd fusion of rapped verses in English and sung contemporary laïkó choruses in Greek give the song a slightly disjointed feel, but the transition between the two is something special.

#52 (2011)

The 100 Greatest Songs You've (Probably) Never Heard – 2011

#52

Let’s Jazz
Natalia Barbu
Moldova

“Let’s Jazz” was the runner-up in the 2011 edition of Moldova’s “O melodie pentru Europa”. Natalia has previously represented Moldova at Eurovision, where she finished in 10th place with “Fight” in 2007.

#53 (2011)

The 100 Greatest Songs You've (Probably) Never Heard – 2011

#53

Let Love Kick In
Oliver Wimmer
Austria

Admittedly, this is the first time I’ve seen this performance since last year when I was watching the Austrian final. Wow, I’d forgotten how rape-y this guy looks.

#54 (2011)

The 100 Greatest Songs You've (Probably) Never Heard – 2011

#54

Over and Over
Kurt Calleja
Malta

This was Kurt’s second attempt to represent Malta at Eurovision. “Over and Over” placed a respectable third at Malta Eurosong 2011. Kurt would go on to win the 2012 edition of the Maltese final with “This Is the Night”.

#55 (2011)

The 100 Greatest Songs You've (Probably) Never Heard – 2011

#55

Unemati
Meister ja Mari
Estonia

“Unemati” is as pleasant of a song as one would expect considering its title translates as “Sandman”. Of course, it’s also as creepy as one would expect of a song about seducing the aforementioned sandman.

#56 (2011)

The 100 Greatest Songs You've (Probably) Never Heard – 2011

#56

Dance Alone
Love Generation
Sweden

Love Generation is an all-female pop group that was formed in 2010 via a record company’s casting call. The group originally had 5 members, but one left the group prior to “Dance Alone”. A second left in late 2011 and has yet to be replaced, leaving only three members. (At this rate, there will be no one left in Love Generation by 2015.) This song is most notable for being co-written by RedOne, who has produced massive hit singles for Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez, and One Direction.

#57 (2011)

The 100 Greatest Songs You've (Probably) Never Heard – 2011

#57

Not That Easy (Ah-Åh-Ah-Åh)
Åste & Rikke
Norway

Åste (the blonde one with the big voice) and Rikke (the song’s composer and Tribble attack victim) are playing to a more mature audience with “Not That Easy”, a song about moving on after a heartbreak. The performance features typical Norwegian choreography; i.e. monochromatically dressed women who strut around the stage while engaging in synchronized arm waving.

#58 (2011)

The 100 Greatest Songs You've (Probably) Never Heard – 2011

#58

Mama Told Me
Lena
Germany

“Mama Told Me” is Lena’s second song on this list as a performer and her first as a writer. She wrote this song with Stefan Raab, a German comedian and talk show host who has had a hand in 6 of Germany’s Eurovision participations. He composed his homeland’s 1998, 2000 (which he also performed), and 2004 entries, as well as devised the current national selection procedure which began in 2010. He also hosted Eurovision in 2011. All five of his previous entries have finished in the top 10 at ESC, including “Satellite” which won in 2010.

#59 (2011)

The 100 Greatest Songs You've (Probably) Never Heard – 2011

#59

I’m Still Alive
TWiiNS
Slovakia

After a brief hiatus, I know that many of you are worried, but don’t be-I’m still alive. TWiiNS consists of twin sisters Daniela and Veronika Nízlová, who some of you might recognize from the Czech Republic’s 2008 entry, for which they were backing singers. “I’m Still Alive” is the first Slovakian entry to be performed in English and achieved the nation’s best result at Eurovision, where it placed 13th in the second semi-final.

#60 (2011)

The 100 Greatest Songs You've (Probably) Never Heard – 2011

#60

Angel in Disguise
Musiqq
Latvia

The lyrics need some work, but overall, “Angel in Disguise” was a very solid effort from Latvia which deserved much more than finishing 3rd last in a semi-final.

#61 (2011)

The 100 Greatest Songs You've (Probably) Never Heard – 2011

#61

Dorule
Pasha Parfeny
Moldova

Three is the magic number for Pasha. He has tried to represent Moldova at Eurovision on three separate occasions and, each time, finished in third place in the nation’s selection show. His first bronze was in 2009 as the principal singer in SunStroke Project’s “No Crime”, while his second second-runner-up title came the following year with his solo effort “You Should Like”. “Dorule” from 2011 was his third third-place finish.

Interestingly enough, he will once more attempt to represent his homeland in 2012. The final is scheduled for March 11th, and Pasha was drawn to be the night’s third performer.

#62 (2011)

The 100 Greatest Songs You've (Probably) Never Heard – 2011

#62

With Love Baby
Witloof Bay
Belgium

“With Love Baby” is a contemporary a cappella song that represented Belgium at the 56th Eurovision Song Contest last May. Surprisingly, it was not the first a cappella entry at the contest, but it was, perhaps, the best received as it narrowly missed qualifying for the final by only one point.

#63 (2011)

The 100 Greatest Songs You've (Probably) Never Heard – 2011

#63

נוסעת אל געגועיי (Nosa'at el ga'agu'ay)
כרמל אקמן (Carmel Ekman)
Israel

If you’ve ever thought that the world needs more country/western songs in Hebrew, then today is your lucky day because I’ve got quite the song for you.

#64 (2011)

The 100 Greatest Songs You've (Probably) Never Heard – 2011

#64

Daisy
Use Me
Norway

I can’t help but think the Norwegians missed a golden opportunity by not finding a girl named Daisy to sing a song called “Use Me” immediately after “Daisy” by Use Me. Instead, all we got was a teen rock song filled with dubious rhymes (e.g. “bitch” with “reached”) and bad hair.

#65 (2011)

The 100 Greatest Songs You've (Probably) Never Heard – 2011

#65

E det fel på mej
Linda Bengtzing
Sweden

“E det fel på mej” (Is there something wrong with me?) was Linda Bengtzing’s (HA!) fourth attempt to win Melodifestivalen. Linda Bengtzing (HA!) is one of those artists that will always have a place on this countdown, where she has placed as high as 4th in 2006 and, most recently, 22nd in 2008. HA!

#66 (2011)

#66

Haba Haba
Stella Mwangi
Norway

“Haba Haba” (Little by Little) was the first Eurovision entry to contain lyrics in Swahili. (It is interesting to note that it was not the first time Swahili was spoken on the Eurovision stage. In 2000, the hosts greeted viewers using the languages of all of the competing nations and threw in a few words of Swahili “just in case”.) The song contains the phrase “Haba haba hujaza kibaba” which translates as “little by little fills the measure”, a variant on the common English saying “slow and steady wins the race”.

The song stormed to victory in Melodi Grand Prix 2011 and became a huge hit in Norway, where it spent 4 consecutive weeks at the top of the singles chart. Unfortunately, the rest of Europe didn’t care for it. At Eurovision, “Haba Haba” finished 17th of 19 in the first semifinal, thus failing to qualify for the final.

Bonus! 2011-Part 3

In this round, we’ll slip on our white coats to help some of 2011’s most mentally disturbed singers. Can you properly diagnose and treat the following 3 songs? Which needs only a prescription and some counseling, which needs some electric shock therapy, and which should be locked in a padded cell and left there?

Song A.
Paranoja
Emilija Gievska feat. Andrej Miske
FYR Macedonia

Patient exhibits signs of paranoia; believes imaginary friend, described as tattooed man in sweater vest, is attempting to steal patient’s shoes.



Song B.
Enemy
Sara Lumholdt
Sweden

Patient suffers from persecutory delusions and believes she is at the center of an elaborate revenge plot; also suffers from the delusion that she can sing; is dangerous to self and others.



Song C.
Like Suicide
Christian Walz
Sweden

Patient suffers from severe depression and admits to contemplating suicide; lacks social skills to realize when he has offended others; often speaks nonsense (“It’s like suicide all night”); possible impulse control disorder, specifically pyromania; believes he is Christoph Waltz.

#67 (2011)

The 100 Greatest Songs You've (Probably) Never Heard – 2011

#67

Не ми требаш (Ne mi trebaš)
Наталија Славева (Natalija Slaveva)
FYR Macedonia

“Ne mi trebaš” (I don’t need you) is a break-up song, and everyone loves break-up songs. Perhaps Natalija would have better luck keeping her boyfriends if she reevaluated her choice in headgear.

#68 (2011)

The 100 Greatest Songs You've (Probably) Never Heard – 2011

#68

Sur les paves
Aliose
Switzerland

For the first time since 2004, Switzerland opted to have a televised competition to select its Eurovision entry. “Sur les paves” (On the Cobblestones) finished 7th of 12 at Die grosse Entscheidungsshow in Kreuzlingen.

#69 (2011)

The 100 Greatest Songs You've (Probably) Never Heard – 2011

#69

Elle merveille
Alexandre Deschamps
Belgium

“Elle merveille” finished 4th in Belgium’s national selection, almost exclusively because of its popularity with the voting public, who split their power to choose with an “expert” jury. While the public thought this was the second best song of the night, the jury placed it 10th of 14. At least both sides agreed on a winner, but we’ll discuss that later.

#70 (2011)

The 100 Greatest Songs You've (Probably) Never Heard – 2011

#70

Running Scared
Ell & Nikki
Azerbaijan

I know what you’re thinking; Yes, this is the song that won Eurovision, and no, it is nowhere near as interesting as the title suggests. With a title like “Running Scared”, it is rather disappointing that the song is not about a zombie apocalypse or serial killer, but instead, is just a typical love song.

The Azerbaijani selection was a three month long process that consisted of 7 heats, a semifinal, and a final. In the heats, each contestant would sing a foreign song on Monday, an Azerbaijani song on Tuesday, a Eurovision entry on Wednesday, and a song of their choice on Thursday, with the results announced each Friday. (You can see Eldar’s Wednesday song here and Nigar’s here.) Both Eldar Qasımov and Nigar Jamal made the final as soloists and were declared joint winners by the jury.



The great thing about this selection procedure is that it produces a lot of train wrecks, like this, this, and especially this.

#71 (2011)

The 100 Greatest Songs You've (Probably) Never Heard – 2011

#71

Lucky You
Linda Sundblad
Sweden

I’d like to imagine that this is what Debbie Gibson or Tiffany would sing if they were still 1980s teenagers, but with a music career in the 2010s.

#72 (2011)

The 100 Greatest Songs You've (Probably) Never Heard – 2011

#72

Sand
Isabella Leroy
Norway

Isabella Leroy is best known in Norway for finishing in 9th place in the 2007 edition of Norwegian Idol, so I guess that means she’s not very well known at all. Perhaps that’s why “Sand”, despite being one of the more lyrically interesting songs of the year, failed to advance to the final of MGP 2011.

#73 (2011)

The 100 Greatest Songs You've (Probably) Never Heard – 2011

#73

Drømmen
Jeffrey
Denmark

Jeffrey is a 25-year-old singer who is relatively new to the Danish music scene. You may be more familiar with the writing team behind “Drømmen” (The Dream), which includes Lasse Lindorff (who sang “Hooked on You” in 2008 and wrote “Kæmper for Kærlighed” for Sukkerchok in 2010) and Svend Gudiksen (who wrote Denmark’s 2008 Eurovision entry “All Night Long”).

#74 (2011)

The 100 Greatest Songs You've (Probably) Never Heard – 2011

#74

Jestem
Magdalena Tul
Poland

“Jestem” (I am) handily won Poland’s Krajowe Eliminacje 2011 on Valentine’s Day, by receiving nearly twice as many votes as the runner-up. The song would go on to open the first semi-final at Eurovision and place 19th out of 19 songs (thus failing to qualify for the final). If you ever needed proof that the world isn’t fair, here it is: Armenia’s “Boom Boom” finished in 12th place.

#75 (2011)

The 100 Greatest Songs You've (Probably) Never Heard – 2011

#75

Good to Be Bad
Charlee
Austria

After a 3 year absence, Austria finally returned to Eurovision (and this list) in 2011. A 30 song semifinal was held online where voters pared the field to 10 competitors to compete in the televised final. “Good to Be Bad” snuck into the final and would go on to finish 8th.
The song sounds like it slithered out of pop’s dark age (2000-2003), where radio stations had to speed up mediocre tracks to make them sound more interesting (well, more than usual). “Good to Be Bad” sounds like the kind of song one would expect to hear from Stacie Orrico or JoJo; remember them? I didn’t think so.

#76 (2011)

The 100 Greatest Songs You've (Probably) Never Heard – 2011

#76

Weelderig Waardeloos
3JS
Netherlands

3JS (as in Three Js because they’re a trio of men named Jan, Jaap, and Jaap-get it?) have racked up quite a few hits in their native Netherlands of the past five years. They were selected to represent their country at Eurovision and presented 5 songs at Nationaal Songfestival 2011. “Weelderig Waardeloos” (Luxuriously Worthless) is a meandering song that, somewhat poetically, muses on the nature of happiness.

#77 (2011)

The 100 Greatest Songs You've (Probably) Never Heard – 2011

#77

Ринг ринг ринг (Ring ring ring)
The Breeze
Serbia

“Ring Ring Ring” was written by Kornelije Kovač (among others), who also wrote and performed Yugoslavia’s 1974 Eurovision entry “Moja generacija” (one of their best). The Serbian selection this year had a very retro feel to it.

#78 (2011)

The 100 Greatest Songs You've (Probably) Never Heard – 2011

#78

25 Hours a Day
Le Freak
Denmark

The proudly pop “25 Hours a Day” is a fun little number that would probably only do minor damage to the official charts. In a year filled with ballads and mid-tempo songs, this countdown needs up-tempo numbers for balance. Also, headbands…we need headbands.

Bonus! 2011-Part 2

The first round of everyone’s favorite guessing game was fairly straight forward and only one reader had problems sorting the songs. This week, we have a difficult one! (It’s difficult because they are all bad!) Can you determine which one of the following 3 songs narrowly missed out on making the top 100, which one narrowly missed out on being the worst of the year, and which one narrowly missed out on being memorable enough to fall on either end of the good/bad spectrum?

Song A.
Boom Boom Yeah
Axel feat. Saša Lendero
Portugal

Boom Boom No!




Song B.
Boom Boom
Emmy
Armenia

A KO would be merciful.




Song C.
Bang Bang
Mihai Alexandru feat. B-Body and Soul
Romania

Thankfully, we ran out of Boom-Booms.

#79 (2011)

The 100 Greatest Songs You've (Probably) Never Heard – 2011

#79

Sleepless
Anne Noa
Denmark

Seventeen-year-old Anne Noa is a rising star in her native Denmark. “Sleepless”, her runner-up at DMPG, would fit in nicely on contemporary pop radio and could easily become a minor hit in the US.

#80 (2011)

The 100 Greatest Songs You've (Probably) Never Heard – 2011

#80

Trenger mer
Sichelle
Norway

There are five kinds of break-up songs:
1. The I’m beginning to think our relationship is over, so I will end it in the near future song
2. The I’m breaking up with you/you’re breaking up with me right now song
3. The I can’t believe you broke up with me, and I miss you so much that it hurts song
4. The I’m very bitter about this and I’m now going to say some hurtful things song
5. The I’m over it and moving on because I am a strong individual song

“Trenger mer” ([I] Need More) falls into the third category.

#81 (2011)

The 100 Greatest Songs You've (Probably) Never Heard – 2011

#81

St. Cabah
Shirubi Ikazuchi
Estonia

The official Estonian title of this song is “Nõialugu”, which translates as “the story of a witch”.



Hopefully by now, you’ve realized that this song is about witches! Witches! WITCHES!

#82 (2011)

The 100 Greatest Songs You've (Probably) Never Heard – 2011

#82

I Like You
Lena
Germany

In 2010, Lena won the right to represent Germany with the song “Satellite”. She achieved Germany’s second victory at Eurovision, as well as Germany’s second number one on our yearly chart. It was then decided that she would be given the chance to defend her title in Düsseldorf, conveniently forgetting that Eurovision is a song contest, not a singer contest. Thus, Germany’s 2011 national selection consisted of Lena preforming 12 songs. That’s 12 eligible entries for this year’s list. How many will crack the top 100? At least one!

#83 (2011)

The 100 Greatest Songs You've (Probably) Never Heard – 2011

#83

Try Again
Dilba
Sweden

Every year, there are a few songs that make this list through a quirk in our top secret formula. Occasionally, songs are rewarded with a spot in the bottom third for being average in every category. This is one of those times. You can listen to Dilba’s first big hit, “I’m Sorry” from 1996, here. (It's much better.)

#84 (2011)

The 100 Greatest Songs You've (Probably) Never Heard – 2011

#84

Love in Rewind
Dino Merlin
Bosnia & Herzegovina

Dino Merlin is one of the best known and most respected Bosnian musicians. He wrote Bosnia & Herzegovina’s first Eurovision entry (“Sva bol svijeta” in 1993) and, in 1999, he represented his homeland as the performer and composer of “Putnici”. He even wrote Bosnia & Herzegovina’s first national anthem following the breakup of Yugoslavia. That’s quite the impressive résumé.

#85 (2011)

The 100 Greatest Songs You've (Probably) Never Heard – 2011

#85

Alive
Linda Pritchard
Sweden

Is this a ballad about love or the ramblings of a crazy woman who, inspired by Frankenstein, decided to build a monster?

#86 (2011)

The 100 Greatest Songs You've (Probably) Never Heard – 2011

#86

Strong
Soma Manuchar
Finland

To be honest, there is a performance video of this song, but I thought I would spare you from its questionable quality. More accurately, the video is fine, it’s the performance that might cause you pain. However, if you are feeling especially brave today, feel free to click here.

Bonus! 2011-Part 1

It’s the triumphant return of everyone’s favorite guessing game! In case your memory needs a refresher on how to play, here are the rules:
You will be given 3 songs from 2011 that did not make the Top 100. Your job is to identify (1) which one just missed out on being included in the upper 100, (2) which one is languishing somewhere in the 500s, and (3) which one falls somewhere in between. We’ll begin with an easy round.

For You
Natohé
Belgium

Natohé presents her case for a much needed dance scholarship.



Love Me Like Your Money
Kelly Schembri
Malta

Kelly makes a strong argument for an alternative use of Christmas lights.



Σαν άγγελος σ'αγάπησα (San Aggelos S'agapisa)
Χρίστος Μυλόρδος (Christos Mylordos)
Cyprus

Christos shares his thesis on “Representations of the Sperm and Egg in Modern Musical Performance” while wearing really heavy boots.

#87 (2011)

The 100 Greatest Songs You've (Probably) Never Heard – 2011

#87

Valss
Orelipoiss
Estonia

“Valss” is a fun, summery waltz that really showcases what Estonia does best: pleasant weirdness. You might recognize Orelipoiss (Jaan Pehk) from our countdown in 2009 as a member of Köök.

#88 (2011)

The 100 Greatest Songs You've (Probably) Never Heard – 2011

#88

Desperados
Pernilla Andersson
Sweden

Changing tack, our countdown moseys into the country/western side of the music world with “Desperados” by Pernilla Andersson, who also wrote the song. Over the past few years, there have been several hit songs that, like this one, have noticeably been influenced by mid-century country music. (Lily Allen’s “Not Fair” is an example.)

#89 (2011)

The 100 Greatest Songs You've (Probably) Never Heard – 2011

#89

Заместител (Zamestitel)
Лазар (Lazar Kisiov)
Bulgaria

“Zamestitel” (Substitute) is a song about heartbreak and trying to find something to fill the void in your heart following a breakup. That’s some pretty heavy stuff.

#90 (2011)

The 100 Greatest Songs You've (Probably) Never Heard – 2011

#90

טו דו דו (Tu du du)
Michael & Shimrit Greylsummer
Israel

The video speaks for itself.

Worst of...2011

Celebrate
Daria Kinzer
Croatia

Banal lyrics, hideous outfits, and a creepy magician/DJ/possible sex offender; it’s difficult to find even one thing Croatia did right with regards to their 2011 entry. I feel bad for poor Daria for being saddled with this monstrosity.

#91 (2011)

The 100 Greatest Songs You've (Probably) Never Heard – 2011

#91

Stotinama godina
Jacques Houdek
Croatia

There were slim pickings in Croatia this year. The final of Dora consisted of 3 songs, each performed by 2 different singers. “Stotinama godina” (For a Hundred Years) was by far the best, so naturally, it didn’t win.

#92 (2011)

The 100 Greatest Songs You've (Probably) Never Heard – 2011

#92

Emma
Christopher Brandt
Denmark

According to his official bio, Christopher was a professional ice hockey player for 11 years whose love of singing was rekindled while singing the Danish national anthem at a hockey tournament. “Emma” is a love song performed from the point-of-view of the singer. It seems Christopher had a little too much to drink last night and forgot to come home to Emma, whom he says he loves. The song is more or less a plea for forgiveness peppered with excuses and swearing.

#93 (2011)

The 100 Greatest Songs You've (Probably) Never Heard – 2011

#93

Tensão
Filipa Ruas
Portugal

“Tensão” (Tension) finished tied for fourth place (with five other songs) at the 2011 edition of Portugal’s Festival da Canção. In a year where the voting public and the professional jury largely disagreed, the people’s choice, the political protest chant “A Luta é Alegria”, nipped the win, and would go on to flop at Eurovision.

#94 (2011)

The 100 Greatest Songs You've (Probably) Never Heard – 2011

#94

Que me quiten lo bailao
Lucía Pérez
Spain

“Que me quiten lo bailao” is a Spanish expression that means something along the lines of “they can’t take away the fun I’ve had”. This is a good attitude for the Spanish to have, as this is their only song to make this list. To be fair, the main reason for this was the selection procedure, where most of the focus was on finding a singer. Several weeks were spent narrowing down 24 acts before 3 were selected to sing 3 new songs each in the final. Lucía Pérez eventually won with 68% of the vote. She would go on to finish 23rd at Eurovision.


If this doesn't add cheer to your Monday, you're dead inside.

#95 (2011)

The 100 Greatest Songs You've (Probably) Never Heard – 2011

#95

On Air
032
Bulgaria

“On Air”, which finished 7th in the Bulgarian selection, sounds like the kind of dance music one would expect to hear on European radio. This style of music has also popped up on American radio sporadically over the past few years. For some reason, this sounds very familiar…

#96 (2011)

The 100 Greatest Songs You've (Probably) Never Heard – 2011

#96

One More Day
Eldrine
Georgia

Rock band Eldrine extended Georgia’s string of successes at Eurovision, achieving a ninth place finish with their somewhat screechy track “One More Day”. The lyrics are a little muddled (“I wanna give it on fire”), but always entertaining (“I am lame, psycho from the brain.” is perhaps the best line). The video is one of those “look at the strange things that occur in an abandoned warehouse where we coincidentally happen to be shooting our video” kinds of videos, but…oooh, mimes!

#97 (2011)

The 100 Greatest Songs You've (Probably) Never Heard – 2011

#97

Run
Anders Fernette
Sweden

Here is a prime example of over-staging a song; i.e. adding too many performance elements that distract and detract from the song itself. If you cut the annoying background singers and the unnecessary aerial acrobatics, you’ll find the song is a very radio-friendly light rock number. Originally, Anders was going to perform a different song called “Don’t Stop” at Melodifestivalen, but the song was disqualified when it was discovered that a demo version of the song performed by JC Chasez (of *NSYNC fame) was published on MySpace earlier in the year. You can hear the demo by clicking here.

#98 (2011)

The 100 Greatest Songs You've (Probably) Never Heard – 2011

#98

Black and Blue
Kat & Justin Hopkins
Denmark

Katherine Thisted (a.k.a. Kat) is a Danish singer, DJ, and model who finished 3rd at the 2010 edition of Dansk Melodi Grand Prix (the Danish selection show) with the song “Come Come Run Away”. Justin is an American songwriter and singer who has enjoyed some minor success in Europe. He also co-wrote this song, a contemporary duet that has the potential to chart stateside. Unfortunately, videos of a live performance are impossible to find, so we’ll have to settle for this:

#99 (2011)

The 100 Greatest Songs You've (Probably) Never Heard – 2011

#99

This Love
Klinsmann & Ben
Malta

“This Love” is a pleasant little ditty that bounces along and sounds as if it would be right at home on contemporary radio. Klinsmann has competed in every Maltese national selection since 2007. His best result was a 3rd place finish in Malta Song for Europe-2007 with “She Gives Me Wings”, a far inferior song. “This Love” is Klinsmann’s best and most sophisticated entry to date; thus, it’s also his first appearance on our year-end list. “What about Ben?” you ask. Well, the only thing I know about him is what I learned from the brief introduction at the beginning of the video (which I won’t bother retyping because it’s right there for you to hear for yourself). Also, he suffers from severe neck chills.

Eurovision Lesson 1

After many months and much controversy (see here), Ukraine had finally selected the beautiful and talented Mika Newton to represent them at Eurovision. Unfortunately, the song was instantly forgettable. I’ve listened to “Angel” dozens of times and I still wouldn’t be able to sing/whistle/hum it for you if I were forced to at gunpoint. But, the Ukrainians are excellent at turning lemons into lemonade (even if the lemons were purchased from the back of some shady looking guy’s truck, left in a dark corner of your basement for years, and recently rediscovered covered in enough fuzzy mold to make it look like gerbils have invaded). That’s why “Angel” is the perfect song for the inaugural “Eurovision Lessons” series, where we will examine important things one should know if one wants to be successful at Eurovision.

Today, we’ll examine the importance of staging, i.e. the visual presentation of the song. Many entries throughout the years have tried to improve their chances of winning by adding a visual punch to the performance, with mixed results. Usually, this involves dated dance moves, surprise appearances by celebrities, puppets, or unusual props. “Angel” is by far the most successful application of this technique. Watch as the go-nowhere song is almost completely ignored in favor of the sand artist and her spellbinding use of…sand. By electing to focus on a novelty most have never seen, “Angel” was propelled from “lucky to qualify” to a respectable 4th place finish; an impressive result at a song contest for a song no one remembers.

Angel
Мiка Ньютон (Mika Newton)
Ukraine

#100 (2011)

The 100 Greatest Songs You've (Probably) Never Heard – 2011

#100

The Kukushka
Зла́та О́гневич (Zlata Ognevich)
Ukraine

Controversial national selections are quickly becoming the norm in Ukraine, and 2011 was no exception. After weeks of heats and semifinals (semifinals in which 7 of the eight acts proceeded to the final), Ukrainian audiences were finally treated to a final of 20 songs (well, 17 after disqualifications and withdrawals). “The Kukushka” finished in 2nd place after “Angel” by Mika Newton, and things were fine until rumors of fraudulent voting popped up. In an attempt to ensure fairness, a new final was scheduled with only the top 3 songs from the original competition allowed to compete, and new voting rules were established. However, Zlata and Jamala (the 3rd place act) withdrew from the competition, leaving only Mika Newton, who would go on to represent her country at Eurovision, albeit with a slightly altered version of her song (more on this later).

In case you were wondering, kukushka is Ukrainian for cuckoo. (Now it all makes sense!)

The 100 Greatest Songs You've (Probably) Never Heard – 2011

Back by popular demand! “The 100 Greatest Songs You've (Probably) Never Heard” is this blog’s flagship series, and, after a brief hiatus, everyone’s favorite countdown has returned. The 2011 Eurovision season was a great year filled with many memorable songs. Some were excellent, some were unique, and some were just plain terrible. Like past years, we will count down the top 100 Eurovision-related songs (songs that competed in the Eurovision Song Contest or competed to compete in the ESC) from 2011. Unlike the hundreds of other fan blogs (many of which are worth a visit), the songs in this list are ranked using a complex mathematical formula that examines a song’s quality and, most importantly, its potential for success in the US and Canada, but mostly the US.

Nearly 500 songs from 43 countries were eligible this year. Although the number of contributing territories is up from 39 in 2010, the pool of songs has shrunk. This is mainly due to scaled back selection procedures around the continent in an attempt by national broadcasters to save costs in a down economy. (Look for this trend to continue in 2012.) Fortunately, song quality did not take a hit, and I had no trouble finding 100 songs for this list. 36 nations placed at least one entry on the countdown-this ties the record set in 2008. Here are some of the story-lines to watch for as we plod along towards number one:

-Which 7 nations failed to place? (Some might surprise you.)
-Will Sweden continue its domination, or will it be usurped by one of its Nordic neighbors?
-Several nations had their best showing ever. Will their newfound success force perennial powers to only one entry, or maybe even off the list completely?
-Will Lena reign supreme for the second year running? (She does have 12 eligible entries.)

The answers to these questions await you over the next 2 months as we countdown The 100 Greatest Songs You’ve (Probably) Never Heard – 2011!