MY MOST-PLAYED…non-Eurovision Europop
Good morning/afternoon/evening etc! I’ve finally recovered from my Christmas food coma and I’m ready to blog once again – no mean feat considering the overload of pudding that had me unable to lift my fingers to type a single word. I hope you guys had a great festive few days, with or without similar repercussions, and that Santa brought you some quality junk.
Today’s topic of discussion actually has nothing to do with Eurovision, although I can’t say I didn’t discover what you’ll read about as a result of my obsessive but totally healthy fixation.** It’s a most-played list of a different kind, factoring in my top songs from Europe that haven’t been sung on an ESC or NF stage. That’s the only rule, so let me know below which Europop-tastic tracks make your list.
* Okay, so maybe this ↓ has something to do with Eurovision. Just maybe.
* I think my New Year’s Resolution should be to stop writing such rambly, confusing introductions.
#1 | Korabliki by BiS (Russia)
They may have split up – #sadface – but BiS are still the best thing to have come out of the Russian music industry after Dima Bilan and those adorable grannies. You’ll see quite a few songs from their first and last album Dvuhpolyarniy Mir (Two-Polar World) in this list, because I love it to pieces and play it constantly. Korabliki (Boats) has to be my favourite track. It’s ridiculously catchy and is accompanied by a pretty cool Pirates of the Caribbean-esque video in which the guys aren’t wearing a whole lot.
#2 | Zasipay by BiS
#3 | Dvuhpolyarniy Mir by BiS
#4 | Zhivoy Tsvetok by BiS
#5 | J’aimerais Tellement by Jena Lee (France)
#6 | Pick Me Up by Emila de Poret (Sweden)
Swedish pop music is, not to generalise at all, amazing. This particular slice has more of an r & b feel than what we’re used to from our Melodifestivalen exposure, but the main reason I like it is the main reason I like the majority of entries in MF every year – yes, because it’s catchy. And believe me, it is great for performing in the shower using a shampoo bottle as a mike.
#7 | Stop! Stop! Stop! By Nu Virgos (Russia)
#8 | Pauza Povtor by BiS
#9 | Cry For You by September (Sweden)
#10 | L’Amore by Sonohra (Italy)
Brothers Diego and Luca won the youth section of the 2008 San Remo Song Festival with this piano/rock ballad, about *shock horror* love. It’s a much more mainstream-sounding song than the traditional Italian ballads that dominate that competition, and seems like something that would have been selected to go to Eurovision had Italy returned at that point. I reckon it could have done pretty well, too.
#11 | Money For Nothing by Darin (Sweden)
#12 | Pop-Korn by BiS
#13 | Vivi Per Un Miracolo by Gemelli Diversi (Italy)
#14 | Hurricane by Rebound (Sweden)
This could easily be an Eric Saade B-side, and like several of his singles and albums, it has topped the Swedish charts. It’s not deep or meaningful and the hurricane simile is kind of nonsensical, but it’s such danceable fun I couldn’t care less (in fact, I rarely care about that sort of thing when it comes to music). I defy you not to be singing along to the chorus by the time the last one rolls around.
#15 | Datascroller by Apparatjik (Denmark/Norway)
#16 | One In A Million by Bosson (Sweden)
#17 | Lovekiller by Darin
This is the title track from Swedish Idol runner-up Darin’s last album, which also featured his 2010 Melodifestivalen entry. It’s another album I’ve played over and over again due to its general awesomeness, which itself is due to this guy’s knack for writing very clever pop songs. Lovekiller is a builder, starting off simple and ending up walloping you in the face with strings and choruses and whatnot.
#18 | Mr. Saxobeat by Alexandra Stan (Romania)
#19 | All This Way by Amanda Fondell (Sweden)
#20 | Dragostea Din Tei by O-ZONE (Moldova)
I think everyone knows this song, even if they don’t know who sings it, what it’s called or where it came from. Released in 2004, it was one of the most-downloaded songs of the year and had a heck of a lot of people saying ‘numa numa’ at inappropriate moments. If you’re not familiar with O-ZONE, you may not be aware that 1/3 of the band represented Moldova in Eurovision 2006 – that’s Arsenium (Arsenie Todiras) who together with Natalia Gordienko and Connect-R crashed and burned with one of the most hideous contest performances of all time. I guess he should’ve stuck to riding on the DDT fame wave.
I’ve showed you mine…show me yours?
NEXT TIME Everybody has a few national finalists they wish had gone all the way. In my last post of 2012, you’ll find out which 10 I think should have been chosen for Eurovision, but missed out.
eurovisionbyjaz.com 
17 Responses to “MY MOST-PLAYED…non-Eurovision Europop”
Becoming a Eurovision fan has opened the door to such great music that I would never have known of otherwise. This post has made me realise that a lot of the performers I have come to like have been connected with Eurovision!! Certainly I have found out about artists who dont appear to have a connection with Eurovision – but i could be wrong!
I have come to quite like Flori Mumajesi from Albania, I dont think he has performed at a NF or Eurovision. I also like Wolfsheim.
However one of my all-time favourite bands is Irish (that’s acceptable I assume) and I found out about them from a TV show, called Robin of Sherwood. Clannad apparently performed in a heat for Eurovision (before my time) but I dont believe they have made a national final nor represented a nation at Eurovision.
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Maybe it’s like how every human being is related to every other human being somehow. Every European musician is somehow connected with Eurovision!
Irish stuff is totally acceptable. I haven’t heard of Clannad. Are they traditional-sounding, or more contemporary?
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Haha it does seem that way! There were a few I was going to add to my list but when I searched the net even though I didnt find out about them through Eurovision they had been to NF or Eurovision itself!! Guess I am showing my age talking about Clannad! They are a folky type of band with some very traditional songs and less traditional ones as well. They did all the theme music for the Robin of Sherwood TV show (from the 80s but I didnt see it till the 90s on foxtel). They also did the theme song from the last of the Mohicans and their sister is Enya! They are really well connected in the musical world. Duets with various people including Bono.
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Ooh, credentials!!
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woot, I agree about everyone knowing Dragostea Din Tei! What I remembered most from the song are the ma-ia hii’s in the beginning.
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Ma-ia-hiii, ma-ia-hooooo, ma-ia-haaaa, mi-ia-hahaaa!! Damn, it’s catchy.
I only found it what it was called and who sang it a few years ago, even though I knew of it since it first came out. Weird.
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Happy New Year! It sounds like you had a wonderful Christmas. Anyway, what a nice distraction from, well, you know how I feel about Malmö so far. However, I love this idea to pieces and (finally) have a top 20 to assemble!
1. Nights Like This – Icona Pop (Sweden): I’ve talked about them before, but I LOVE everything about this track. In fact, I love most of their stuff.
2. Call Your Girlfriend/ Sans Cri Ni Haine – Robyn/Marie Mai (Sweden/France): To this song and its equally good French-language counterpart, I say “Je t’aime!”
3. In and Out of Love – Armin van Buuren ft. Sharon van Adel (The Netherlands): The Dutch doing what the Dutch do best. If this went to Eurovision, it would have a Loreen/Rybak-esque margin of victory.
4. Jungle Drum – Emiliana Torrini (Iceland): Listen to this once and I promise that the hook will be stuck in your head. 😉
5. Big Bad Bitch – Rebeka Brown (Spain): I just found out about her, but she’s apparently amazing (and the Svetlana Loboda/Rebeka Dremelj of the real world).
6. One Last Time – Agnes (Sweden): Aaah, someone send me to Sweden, the home of good music! Seriously, though, this is how all music should be done.
7. Et Alors! – Shy’m (France): I have a suspicion that she’ll be on the Eurovision stage one of these days and if her song is half as good as this, we’ll be heading to Paris.
8. Æ Vil Bare Dans – Sirkus Eliassen (Norway): Aside from the painfully obvious English homophone of a title, this is wonderful Norwegian fun!
9. Zero Gravity – Kerli (Estonia): I’m running out of things to say for everything, but I really do like this song a lot!
10. Endless Summer – Oceana (Germany): Yes, this was the Euro 2012 soccer/football tournament-thingy’s song, but that doesn’t inhibit this song from being amazing. (Side note, what’s the proper term in Australia for the game played at the FIFA World Cup?)
11. Alors on Danse – Stromae (Belgium)
12. I Love It – Icona Pop (Sweden)
13. Some Die Young – Laleh (Sweden)
14. Go Do – Jónsi (of Sigur Rós) (Iceland)
15. Stereo Love – Edward Maya & Vika Jigulina (Romania)
16. Orinoco Flow – Enya (Ireland)
17. 1901 – Phoenix (France)
18. Countably Infinite – A.G. Trio (Austria)
19. Feel It Inside – Carlos Gallardo & Rebeka Brown (Spain)
20. With Ur Love – Cher Lloyd (United Kingdom)
21. Wonderful – Gary Go (United Kingdom)
22. Action Man – Hafdis Huld (Iceland)
23. Synchronized Swimmers – Hafdis Huld (Iceland)
24. Czekam – Kaisa Gomoła (Poland)
25. On est Là – Matt Pokora (France)
26. Glow – Madcon (Norway)
27. Little Talks – Of Monsters and Men (Iceland)
28. Picking up the Pieces – Paloma Faith (United Kingdom)
29. For the First Time – The Script (Ireland)
30. Everything You Do – Soluna Samay (Denmark) (I’m so sorry, but I love this song soooo much, I had to include it!)
Honestly, I’m slightly surprised at the Swedish-ness of my list. I didn’t think I would have that many songs from there. However, I’m happy that I got five Icelandic songs on the list without needing Björk (not Hera)! I just find her a little bit too… out there, for my taste.
I did include British songs, but there’s no rule against that, right? Anyway, I know I went overboard on the list, but I couldn’t help it, Europe produces music that is SO much better than American music, it’s honestly sad. I mean, they have Loreen (for example) and we get Flo Rida. Just think about that for a second… Ugh. I hope at least one of these artists (even Soluna and Madcon) makes it onto the Eurovision stage. They’d be my number one (not yours, Helena Paparizou!). 🙂
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Happy Second-Last Day of 2012!! Whichishwhattodayisatthetimeofmewritingthiscomment!!
So, your list (thanks for sharing btw):
2. I’ve only heard Robyn’s because Robyn kicks butt. Great song. ‘Show Me Love’ and ‘With Every Heartbeat’ are my favourites from her.
4. I find this a bit annoying, but it is an ear worm.
6. I absolutely LOVE this song, and the music video. One of Agnes’ best ever and easily the best song on her new album. I like how it’s a little bit 80s but still very contemporary. And how it isn’t yet another clubby song that sounds exactly the same as every other clubby song out.
11. This is what Belgium is capable of musically, and we still get what we get from them at Eurovision?? Wuuut? Not to say this or something like it would automatically do well, but come on… At least they’re getting closer with Roberto, IMO. PS – I love it that Stromae’s album is called ‘Cheese’.
12. I suspected this would crop up! Ironically, I hated it at first, but it is growing on me. Perhaps because I too am a nineties bitch.
16. This was played at my granddad’s funeral a few months ago =”( So it’s an emotional song for me.
20. I prefer ‘Want U Back’ but this is good too.
21. Did you comes across this before it was used in the ESC or after??
24. I swear I have listened to this a million times since you directed me to the video, so thank you!! It’s a spine-tingler, and I wish she really could represnt Poland. In fact, I wish ANYONE could represent Poland, so long as they’d come back.
26. Got this on my ipod!!
27. Again, I did not like this at first, but I do now. And I didn’t know they were Icelandic.
28. Great song, great artist. I saw her on a chat show recently and she was hilarious.
29. I have to admit what I love most about The Script is Danny ;D
I think the only Icelandic artist many people know is Björk. I am actually genuinely frightened of her.
Nope, no rule against British songs. No real rules at all.
I don’t want to offend you, as an American, but you kind of said it yourself – European music is a level above a lot of the time. Over here we are fed the same American songs on radio over and over again (pretty much exclusively whatever Rihanna/Katy Perry etc have just released) and hardly ever any European or even Australian music. I heard an Agnes song once like, five years ago, and nearly died of shock. I wish mainstream radio was more open-minded.
And now for something slightly related to the above but not completely…I was in a music/movie store the other day and discovered all the Australian movies in the World Cinema section. What. The. Fudge.
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The world is so odd! To respond to a few things…
6. This song’s totally amazing! Honestly, if countries sent their best stuff (like if Sweden sent this), Eurovision would be 100 times better. If you’re curious, I found most of my stuff from europopped.com, so it’s like in my top five favorite websites list.
11. Like what I said eariler, just apply to Belgium. However, I don’t get all the hate on poor Roberto. They already announced that the song would be revamped, so everyone just needs to give it time. Still, even in its current state, I think it’s the second best song of a lackluster year.
12. I don’t care! I love it! This is sooooo in my head 24/7.
13. You didn’t say anything about this, but I just wanted to mention that, while the studio version is great, this song really shined when it she sung it in Oslo for the memorial concert of the terrorist attacks in July. I nearly cried the first time I heard it.
16. I’m sorry. 😦
21. Actually, I came across it in one of those fan-picked Eurovisions on YouTube! I found it, bought it instantly and then nearly died of shock when it was actually played in Düsseldorf!
24. You’re more than welcome. With all these withdrawals, someone needs to return. I’m still holding out a little bit of hope for Slovakia, since they can never be trusted.
28. Was that Graham Norton’s show? Because, if it is, Paloma’s episode is my favorite episode EVER. That’s how I found out about her, actually.
Björk is known more for being frightening rather than being Icelandic, so it’s all good.
On behalf of America, I apologize for flooding your airwaves with our garbage. If I’m honest, I like most of Katy’s stuff, but the rest can go straight to the bin, frankly. To me, I hope that “Gangnam Style’s” play on the radio in the United States is the signal of a shift toward a more global market, which I would like to mean more European. When that happens, I’ll jump with joy!
…teehee… 🙂
P.S. You need to hear this! I can’t believe I forgot it. And she’s a Eurovision alum!
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That’s true about Slovakia. They are very fickle. I like to think of them as playing hokey-pokey with Eurovision (in and out, in and out…) so maybe maybe mayyybbeee we will have 40.
Yes, it was Graham Norton! That’s when I first heard that song.
By no means is all American music garbage, and I also am a Katy Perry fan. But I swear there are about ten songs on rotation 24/7 on mainstream radio. 9 American ones and Gangnam Style XD I just want some variety (which is code for ‘I just want all radio stations to play European/Eurovision songs and for everyone to love them…oh, and K-pop besides Gangnam’).
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Amen to that! Come on, Slovakia! I just want them to do well. (It’d also be nice if a Bosnian band just turned up in Malmö and performed, but that’ll never happen).
I absolutely LOVE his show! I watch it either on BBC America or YouTube, courtesy of some clandestine Australian(!) uploader. If I ever end up in London, seeing a taping of his show would be at the top of my list. 🙂
That’s why I don’t listen to radio! Sure, it’s nice fodder in the car to cover up awkward silence, but if I really want to hear a song, I can just Google it, either on my phone or when I get home. More quality music would be welcome, rather than some Nicki Minaj drivel pumped over a beat that would struggle to even qualify from a Maltese semi-final. I couldn’t care less where good music comes from, but it just happens to mainly come from Europe.
Eurovision being played in America is something I’m torn on. While I think that most people would actually be somewhat interested in it, especially if a country sent a really well-known artist, the hipster part of me wants it to remain a secret for those who have looked for it. How is the attitude in Australia to that?
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I think, if I could have one withdrawn country back, it would be B & H. I don’t know if a Bosnian band crashing the party would be good enough =P But I have just heard a rumour that we may not have heard the last of Turkey (mmm, turrkey…) so perhaps, perhaps, perhaps we will hit 4-0 after all.
So, that anonymous Norton uploader is totally me. Not. Love the guy, though. As cool as it is to have an Aussie commentary team for Eurovision, I’d like to hear his commentary.
Yeah, I hardly ever listen to the radio. Mainly because my car’s aerial needs to be pulled up in order for it to work and I always forget to do it. Actually, I’m not sure why we’re complaining about the content of radio when in this day and age we can listen to whatever music we like, anywhere anytime basically.
On a slightly relevant note, I would love to give Nicki Minaj a slap. Some of her songs are catchy, but I she really annoys me.
I feel the same as you actually. It would be nice to strike a balance between mass knowledge of Eurovision and it being sort of like an exclusive club. Like, it would be ideal if the general image of it was positive, but not everyone was super into it and us fans were looked upon as musical geniuses and oracles. I have simple dreams X]
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I totally agree with you. Although any of the other withdrawn countries would please me more than Turkey, it’s nice to know that they may be back.
The snippets of Norton commentary I’ve heard, I’ve loved. It sounds awesome!
Something about that felt weird. We should just get over it.
She’s sort of annoying but not slappable, at least to me. Did you see her on Norton’s show?
That’s like my dream world. However, it could also backfire and we’d be seen as the fat, homebound, 30-something men here in the United States that do fantasy football. On an almost unrelated note, I had a dream once where Eurovision was actually being held in my school. It was really weird and I can’t remember any of the songs. Oh well.
P.S. The Finnish songs are out and I’m listening to them now. Also, I have another theme ready in the works. 🙂
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Yep, saw Nicki on Norton! She actually annoys me more when she’s singing/rapping in her 100 different personalities than when she’s just talking. But it’s her fault that Sophia-Grace and Rosie are famous, which is the most annoying thing of all (if you know who I’m referring to…do you watch Ellen??).
Ahaha, how good are Eurovision dreams?? Well, sometimes not so good. It would be so handy for it to be held at your school though. I had one once where this random Australian chat show host won. I must have been watching his show that night or something.
Any good Finnish songs so far?? I don’t know if I’ll get around to hearing them all.
Try and top your last theme, I dare you. MWAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Ha. Ha…
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I think I know who you’re talking about, but I’m not sure. I don’t keep up with Ellen as much as I should.
Well, good is subjective (relating to the Finnish songs), but in semi final 1, of which the live jury performances have been uploaded, all the songs are more or less good. I don’t like all of them, but that’s a different matter. 😉
It would be very convenient, but my school building is pretty dilapidated, so if Rona Nishliu was to sing, she might literally bring down the house. The only other Eurovision dream I’ve had is one where my design was featured at Eurovision! And here’s the new one! (This is why I put the Finnish songs first.) Yay! 🙂
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This one’s nice!! I don’t mind a resemblance to Moscow since that was one of my favourite themes ever.
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Thank you! I didn’t really mean for this one to be serious. I just wanted to have a little fun.
I also have my Top 42 uploaded and I’m going to write up reviews of the songs. I’m excited to finally blog after so long! (I set my site up in 2010).
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