Lena Meyer-Landrut, who I've probably mentioned more on this blog than anybody else (!!!), has got herself another incredible achievement by winning the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 with the fantastic Satellite, one of Europe's biggest hits of 2010 so far, particularly in Germany where it smashed all existing download records and has resided in the top five there for 10 weeks so far, 5 at #1, and sure to return to the top end now, following the triumph of the teenager from Hanover. It brings to an abrupt end the awful run of luck for Germany at the contest - they last won in 1982 with A Little Peace by Nicole and were last in the top ten back in 2004 with Max's Can't Wait Until Tonight. They had been amongst the favourites a couple of times in the noughties - with Corinna May's I Can't Live Without Music in 2002, which managed to finish in the bottom five and country pop song No No Never by Texas Lightning in 2006 - a similarly huge chart success as Lena in Germany, it finished 15th. Aside from these they've become more accustomed to the bottom five in the last few years, thanks to the likes of Gracia and No Angels.So the standout song of the contest, the most contemporary and catchy song wins again, just like Fairytale last year, and for a nation who really upped their game and reaped their rewards accordingly. I'm ecstatic because it's easily my favourite song of 2010 so far. So what of the other results? They all trailed a long way behind Lena, but Turkey's rock band Manga finished 2nd with We Could Be The Same, following an energetic and memorable performance and Romania's fantastic Playing With Fire by Paula Selling and Ovi, came 3rd, equalling their best result in the contest, helped no doubt by their brilliant transparent double ended piano. Denmark's 1980s throwback anthem, sounding like Starship meets Tina Turner's The Best, did incredibly well in 4th place and the pre-contest favourites Azerbaijan didn't quite live up to the hype and finished 5th.
Special mention to Belgium who's gorgeous acoustic strummer Me & My Guitar, by Tom Dice, finished 6th, having won its semi final comfortably, their best result since 2003!!! So what of all of the many, many ballads? They almost all flopped! Ireland and Norway's You Raise Me Up meets Titanic clones both ended up in the bottom six having once been highly tipped, and Portugal and Belarus didn't do much better either. Last place, naturally, went to the United Kingdom, as we returned to form. After managing a rare top five last year with It's My Time by now Sugababe Jade Ewen, we're back to where we were in 2008 - dead last. Why? Because it's not 1989, its 2010 - simple as that. Please BBC, for 2011, can we have a contemporary song with at least a chance to do well, pretty please? We have one of the biggest music industries in the world, certainly the biggest out of any nation competing in Eurovision, but how on earth do the likes of Jemini, Daz Sampson, Scooch and Josh Dubovie represent what we as a nation listen to and buy? I'll admit to liking (and buying on single) three of the above four songs, but when we have the likes of Leona Lewis, Amy MacDonald, Cheryl Cole, Taio Cruz and others excelling around Europe, you have to wonder how they in any way relate to the things we send to Eurovision? Put it this way, had Cheryl Cole's Fight For This Love been our Eurovision entry, I don't think Satellite would have been such the clear cut winner it managed to be last night. But anyway, well done to Lena, Stefan Raabe and Germany - boo to Norway and Sweden for not picking A1/Bjorn Johan Muri or Salem Al Fakir/Timoteij, and lets hope the UK can follow Germany's zero to hero turnaround and win ESC 2011 in Berlin...or Munich...or Hanover...??? Enjoy Satellite once again, at Eurovision this time of course;
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