Rankings That Never Lie

This week I’ll discuss my 26th-30th favorite songs from this year’s Eurovision contest. Although I haven’t yet reached the halfway point, I’m starting to get to the songs that I really enjoy.

30. Switzerland
Lovebugs - “The Highest Heights“
Reaction: This sounds like one of those modern mainstream rock bands that everyone but me likes, and thus I can’t make a good comparison (Coldplay? U2? Fill in the blank here). Despite it being in a genre that I’m not well versed in, and the singer’s voice being too raspy for my tastes, it’s not a bad song.
Best Part: “Oh, I’ve got no head for heights”
Rating: 3/5

29. France
Patricia Kaas - “Et S’il Fallait Le Faire”
Reaction: I seem to always have one like this every year. This is a fan favorite that I enjoy but just don’t see the brilliance in. The singer has a strong voice and the backing instruments give it a nice haunting effect. I love the verses, but I don’t like the melody in the choruses.
Best Part: Key change at beginning of second verse
Rating: 3/5

28. Belarus
Petr Elfimov - “Eyes That Never Lie”
Reaction: I sense that Belarus has settled on a pattern. It’s a decent rock song, but then again, it’s a less good version of “Hasta La Vista” which is less good than so-on-and-so-on. It’s hard not to compare it to previous efforts when it is so similar to them.
Best Part: Chorus
Rating: 3/5

27. Serbia
Marko Kon & Milan Nikolic - “Cipela”
Reaction: This is a departure from Serbia’s previous two entries, as this one has male vocals and is not a ballad. I always appreciate the use of accordion. I don’t really like the spoken verses but I like the catchy sung choruses.
Best Part: Chorus
Rating: 3/5

26. Slovenia
Quartissimo - “Love Symphony”
Reaction: In my 4 years of doing Eurovision rankings, this is the first time I’ve placed the Slovenian entry outside the top 10. However, I really do like this song. I like the use of classical string instruments and piano with flourishes of electric guitar. It sounds like it would be much better suited as background music, perhaps as a battle theme in a video game. On its own on a stage and with vocals, it drags on a bit and isn’t as strong. That isn’t to say that I don’t like the vocals, but as a purely instrumental song and in a different context, as an accent to other visuals, it becomes much better than it is on the Eurovision stage.
Best Part: The shouts of “Hey!”
Rating: 3/5