Eurovision celebrates difference, not uniformity

When Benny Andersson of Abba announces he has given up watching it then it is time for the rest of us to take note.

Abba are the competition’s most celebrated winners — with Waterloo — 35 years ago. “What it is now is possibly a great television event, but for music it means nothing,” says Benny. He says too many countries take part, although it is good viewing “if you can bear sitting for such a long time”.

I have fond memories of watching the curious annual event as a child during the 1970s — the days before videos, DVD and cable, when there was not much else on. It made as much contribution to my understanding of European culture as that other TV series Jeux Sans Frontieres, a spectacle of games and races in giant costumes based on an idea by Charles de Gaulle, the greatest Eurosceptic of all time. After the domestic round, ‘It’s A Knockout’, had been completed, we could cheer on our brave lads as they took on the continentals.

But while Jeux Sans Frontieres was supposed to be silly, with the Eurovision song contest this was less clear. There was Terry Wogan, who cut an enigmatic figure as the presenter, joining in the joke, but also persuading himself that the whole affair had some higher purpose. He has been capable of genuine indignation over votes cast on the basis of politics rather than music.

There was fevered speculation after Israel was allowed to enter as to whether they would also join the ‘Common Market’. In 1978 the Jordanian broadcaster JRTV did not broadcast the Israeli entry but showed flowers instead. When during the voting it became apparent that Israel would win, they suspended the whole broadcast and later announced that Belguim had won.

This year, even before the contest starts, there has been political controversy with Georgia’s entry banned because it included lyrics critical of Russian President Vladimir Putin.  The Georgian ambassador to the UK, Giorgi Badridze, says many Georgians were now supporting the UK entry. How very diplomatic.

Rewarding risk-takers

As elsewhere, the first-past-the-post voting system in Eurovision is to be commended. It rewards the bold, the innovative, those who take risks. The safe mediocre multitude find their votes split so they lose. A good example was Finland’s 2006 triumph. Their entrant Lordi, with Hard Rock Hallelujah, was all conquering amidst a sea of bland, pretty blond girls.

The song warned of the impending ‘arockalypse,’ and that we should be ready for the day of ‘rockoning.’ If only we had heeded the warning. A catchy beat, but so much more, with tremendous showmanship including bat wings unfolding from the lead singer’s back.
At its best, Eurovision celebrates difference, not uniformity. Stereotypes should be flaunted, not concealed. It is hard to criticise Abba for singing in English, but generally it is more enjoyable to hear people sing in their own language.

When contestants try to shake off their national identity to become homogenised European singers, they become feeble American imitations. There is nothing that can’t be fixed about Eurovision if the contestants find some good songs to sing and are proud of who they are and where they are from. Let’s sing in harmony. Not in unison.