h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

And one week from now, how many people will remember the refrain?

Well nobody in the UK cos this song will never ever ever cross our airwaves again.

'Oh oh oh. Dum dum dum dum di dum dum di dum dum.'

...

To be fair to the german entry... The recorded version of her song is far better than the live performance she gave last night... And as the recorded version has been a huge hit across Europe I think a lot of people would have been voting on that version, not on what they actually heard last night.

Any link to the recorded version, Whisky?

Having been woken with the news that Germany won last night, I thought I'd see what was said here. Have just read the last 450 posts without having seen the programme. Had a good laugh. Now I can pick what I want to see on youtube. Or not.

Here's the official video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esTVVjpTzIY&feature=related

I didn't watch a minute of it, BTW. Haven't since "Puppet on a String", I don't think, with one exception. That's three hours of my life per year for the last 30-odd years I've saved.

It certainly looks as though it was somehow engineered so that Germany would win because they're the only country solvent enough to stage next year's event. Not that I don't like the song. It's catchy and finally Germany have cottoned on that the only time they win is when they send a girl with no allures to sing on her own.

Lena is popular for her gauche, untrained, but self-confident way of moving, and her outspokenness and, possibly, for her looks.

I don't know why BEl wanted to watch the UK TV version - I thought the same pictures, produced by the same people, were broadcast all over Europe and the German TVs were therefore showing exactly the same as the UK ones. I can't imagine that there were 150 OB crews milling around, when one would do.

I wanted to watch the English version for the moderator, TC. I listened to Ken Bruce instead, with the TV sound switched off.

I honestly don't think that the audience cares who can pay for the show. Germany got 12 points from nine very different countries, so there must have been something people liked. Probably Lena. I think she's natural, with no diva allures. The song isn't bad, either.

yaaayy!
"we" won...

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swl

That wouldn't please Pierce, GB.

That said, I like the German song, but would have liked at more mature voice to sing it. A voice with a bit of soul and blues.

The Danish song (me being a Dane) was not too bad or badly performed. But too much ABBA to be special.

Maybe there are group votes, especially concerning neighbouring countries.

But think about it. They and we have had the same musical developement at the same time - so 'this is what we like right now'!.

The other day I watched a very interesting documentary of how The Beatles have had more influence on the youth in the Sovjet - all former states included - for Perestroijka than anything else.

So, music (and art) can alter the mind - and the world. For the better is yet to be decided - as always.

As I'm getting older I find I'm more nuanced towards music. You must all have been through the phase when ESC was too bourgeoisie, too much a bad taste.

Personally I like the songs that include some of the local musical culture (which the Danish song didn't, if you don't count being neighbour to Sweeden and in that way capitalising on the Swedes very good music and having been 'exposed to' USian and British pop/rock for more than half a century).

I agree.

There was a depressing lack of folk music this year - just the odd token violinist.

Many of the songs were so poorly arranged (the UK is a good example) that it completely masked the underlying melody. I can still remember Germany's song today, so it was probably a worthy winner.

<> sorry, you've lost me

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He is rooting for Denmark but expects Germany to win (the World Cup) - and as he is of origin half of each....

Well done Germany - a deserved winner!

My battery died during the show so I couldn't join in the comments, but at least I got the pub watching the show.

Has anyone else got 'Apricot Stone' going round and round in their head the day after?

Ah, so the fact Great Britain now routinely gets next-to-nul-points is only partially due to crap songs: the rest of Europe sees us as an American stooge, and punishes us apropriately... this I can buy!

Thanks chaps ... as usual I've read the whole blog 24 hours later ...

We thought (again) that a lot of the songs were very good. We mark each song as we go along and then award points at the end in the same way as the juries. All of my point-scoring songs were rated 8 out of 10 or higher. I would agree there wasn't enough folk or ethnic music, and there were too many violins copied from last year. But there were only a couple of really duff songs.

In our opinion the UK fully deserved its placing - the song was weak and the performance lacked confidence. But we felt very sorry for Josh, who only won the 'Song for Europe' because the other entrants were *totally* dire, and who really should never have been representing the country. (We cheered every time he got some points, but really: the poor, poor boy).

The girls (10, 11 and 13) were rooting for Azerbajan, I liked Cyprus (I am *so* bad at this, you'd think after 30 years I would have got the hang of it) but reckoned Denmark would win, we all liked Germany, Greece and Iceland, and all hated both the butterflies and the apricot stone nonsense. Best moment of the evening was easily the Benny who joined in with Spain being frogmarched off by security.

Half time dancing was ace and we really liked Graham Norton (but then I never liked Sir Tel, I'm afraid). About time the resultats of ze juries were announced by computers though - some of those clowns were painful to watch.

Whole experience this year was enlived considerably by the addition of a *genuine Norwegian* to our normal party. (Incidentally, although she didn't go so far as to boo Russia, she didn't like *any* of the songs from Russia and the former Soviet states. She was hard-pressed to come up with any rationale for this but thought it might be because of ancient historic rivalries.) The Norwegian food was delicious ... although I only managed a sip of the Norwegian liqueur.

And now I need to come up with a German menu for next year. I've got as far as Black Forest Gateau

Mol

I'm sure we can concoct something for you Mol. Fish? Meat? Northern Germany? Western? Eastern? or Southern?

Mol, can I point you to: A47229041

Or maybe you prefer something from the southern cuisine?
A11504666

Like TC said, there are lots of people on here who can help you.