Well, over the last couple of days I’ve heard all of the entries for this year’s Eurovision several times over, which has let me get quite familiar with them. There are a lot of good ones in there, but I think ultimately it’s going to come down to two leaders and then the also-rans. So, in descending order (best first), here are my rankings of each, with points out of ten.

Monts et merveilles by Louisa Belaiche - France
Sounds like Kate Bush. One of my favourites. Could be a candidate for the top spot. 10 points.

Let’s Get Happy by Lou - Germany
More powerful than a speeding TGV. Should get the gay vote and do well in the clubs. 10 points.

Vise Nidam Tvoja by Claudia - Croatia
If Britney Spears was in Eurovision, this is what she’d sing. 8 points.

Ne Brini by Mija Martins - Bosnia
Hey, it’s ‘Sex Bomb’, but without Tom Jones, which is an immediate improvements. The cute guys in the video earn it some extra points, but will they be appearing on stage on the night? 8 points.

Cry Baby by Jemini - UK
Bouncy Steps-esque song. The more I hear it, the more I like it. Even found myself humming it in Tesco the other night. 7 points.

Hello from Mars by F.L.Y. - Lithuania
Jolly, cheerful, formulaic Euro-fodder. There is a lot worse here. 7 points.

Open your Heart by Brigitta - Iceland
Happy feel-good tune that deserves to do well. 7 points.

Never let you go by Manto - Greece
Eighties retro soft rock. Kind of thing your parents would like but doesn’t really go anywhere. 7 points.

Feeling Alive by S Konstantas - Cyprus
Stereotypical. Sounds like it comes from the Greek half of the island. Cheery, and a bit of a foot-tapper. 6 points.

Hasta la Vista by Oleksandr Ponomaryev - Ukraine
Sounds like Queen. 6 points.

Don’t break my heart by Nicola - Romania
Perhaps a bit too Jungle for the regular Eurovision fan. A brave break with tradition, though. 6 points.

Nanana by Karmen Stavec - Slovenia
Pulling the old nonesense lyrics trick in an attempt to appeal to as many listeners as possible, and kind of carries it off. 6 points.

Weil der Mensch by Alf Potter - Austria
Truly bizarre mix of Austrian folk and heavy rock. Grows on you over time, but probably won’t go far in the contest because the first time you hear it it’s just plain awful. 6 points.

One more Night by Esther Hart - Holland
Desree returns. Fun and inoffensive. 5 points.

I’m not afraid to move on by Jostein Hasselgard - Norway
Could be the dark horse of the contest, but just a bit to drippy to cut it really. Too earnest. 4 points.

Dime by Beth - Spain
For some reason quite popular, but formulaic and dull. 3 points.

Give me your love by Fame - Sweden
Unfortunately the best bit of this song is the obligatory key change, and even that’s a bit dull and predictable. Does the guy singing it have a false hand? 2 points.

Sanomi by Urban Trad - Belgium
New-Age muck. Can’t imagine it getting many points, but it will probably be picked up by advertisers - especially the banks. 2 points.

We’ve got the world by Mickey Harte - Ireland
Uninventive, uninspiring, unappealing. 2 points.

Every way that I can by Sertab Erener - Turkey
Very Holly Vallence ‘Kiss Kiss’, but then that was a cover of a Turkish song anyway. Not really my kind of thing. 2 points.

To Dream Again by Lynn Chircop - Malta
Wake me up when it’s over, will you. 2 points.

Deixa-me Sonhar by Rita Guerra - Portugal
A ballad that goes nowhere. 2 points.

Milim Shel Ahava by Lior Narkis - Israel
The kind of thing you hear in a restaurant on holiday. A show-tune gone wrong. 2 points.

Ne Ver, Ne Bojsia by t.A.T.u - Russia
Rock trash. Dreadful, but somehow the critics’ favourite. 2 points.

Zadnych Granic by Ich Troje - Poland
Save us, please. 1 point.

Eighties coming back by Claire’s Birthday - Estonia
Contrived, and reminiscent of the sound track to a Jamie Oliver cookery show. 1 point.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 14th, 2003 at 6:23 pm and is filed under Europe, Journal. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.