lördag, maj 17, 2025

 Eurovision 2025--The Grand Final

Here we are live blogging through the Eurovision Grand Final for 2025.  

If you want to see our reaction to every entry (including those that didn't make the finals), scroll down for our rundown and expert opinions.  

Good night folks!  Until next year.  

Final Voting:
So glad for Austria.  But don't let Nemo give you the trophy.  

Really surprising points from the phone vote.  

Only 41 points to Netherlands from the audience????

I can't believe UK got nothing!

Now for the Parade of Nations.

Will 12 points go to Greece from Cyprus?  But of course.

What is the Israeli spokesperson wearing?

12 points from Greece to France because Cyprus isn't in the final.

Love that Sweden was in a sauna.

They should have had Finland try blowing the horn...

And a big Shout Out to our fans in Madison, Wisconsin!

The Results of the Radio Free Järbo Jury:

12           Netherlands

10           Austria

  8           Israel

  7           France

  6           Italy

  5           Sweden

  4           Estonia

  3           San Marion

  2           UK

  1           Greece

 

And there we have it.  Finally over.  Results from the Radio Free Järbo Jury will be announced soon.  

26.  Albania
I’m sure there’s a good singer with a good song in there somewhere.  It’s just a bit tough to find it.

25.  San Marino
How nice of San Marino to salute their neighbor Italy in song.  Hard to image Canada doing this for the US right about now, eh? 

24.  France
A French singer doing what the French do best (outside of patisserie). 

I hope they have heavy duty vacuum cleaners to clear up all of that sand before the last two acts take the stage.

23.  Sweden
Apparently, everyone, including the bookies, thinks this sauna song is really hot.   It’s fun, but to win???

Bra jobbat killar. 

22.  Denmark
I’d dance to it, but I don’t really want to listen to it.  

21.  Portugal
They are pretty good.  Too bad the song is meh.  Good electronic guitarist.

20.  Malta
I don’t know, I think she’s enjoying bouncing on that ball just a little too much…

19.  Switzerland
Nice ballad.  Simple staging may doom her chances, though, even if it's just right for this song.  And I like the use of one single camera take. 

18.  Armenia
Note to ABBA-English song writers: “stay aliver” doesn’t work.  

Look at that muddy torso.  Time for him to hit the showers.  

17.  Greece
Her hair is even longer than Serbia’s! 

Well done.

16.  Germany
Have we met the evening's last place contestant?

Not my cup of apple wine.  Like the cello, though (if it’s real, that is).

15.  Poland
Take the staging away and it isn’t much here.  (There’s a lot of that this year.)

Maybe she'll fly away so she can't finish the song.  Oh rats, they brought her back to the stage.

14.  Italy
I find I like this song better each time I hear it.  Love the harmonica.

On the other hand, I hate the outfit (a bumble bee on LSD) and white face paint more each time I see them. 

13.  Finland
Not a fan of this song, even if it is impossible not to watch her.  Can someone please explain what the sparks coming out of the end of microphone mean?  

I was surprised this song with its thinly veiled (if veiled at all) sexual innuendo made it to the final, and yet Milkshake Man (Australia) didn’t.  Do, gasp, straight men vote in Eurovision?

12.  Netherlands
He seems to be having the time of his life and his smile is infectious.   This is in our top five.  Love his voice.

11.  Latvia
Gunnar says:  "This makes three minutes seem so long." 

I love the harmony.  Don’t like the song.  Loathe the costumes.   The head pieces look like something a Great British Baking show contestant made out of isomalt--then through away.


The hosts:  Don't French kiss a Swiss.

11.  Latvia
Love the harmony.  Don’t like the song.  Loathe the costumes. 

10.  Iceland
So, if the song is about rowing a boat, why are they wearing space suits? 

The fiddle is the best bit. 

 9.  Austria
You can tell he’s classically trained.  

I've heard countertenor singing is harder than other voices.  I just wish you could hear the lyrics better when he’s singing in the higher ranges.   Interesting staging.  

I do like it better with the live performance.

8.  United Kingdom
Gunnar hates it.  I like it—putting music to the walk of shame, but without the tell-tale smeared makeup or stained trousers.

7.  Ukraine
There are some nice moments, but there are also many bad ones.   Nice guitar solo, though.

Nominee for worst dressed.

6.  Spain
Yup.  Typical Spain.  It’s all about the staging, and the staging is good--far superior to the song itself.

5.  Lithuania
Seeing their live performance only confirms my earlier impression—they’re not bad a rock band but they need better material.   Really like the drummer.

4.  Israel
She did really well.

I know some call Israel's participation controversial.  Whichever way you feel, you can’t deny this song is beautiful and she can sing.  She said she rehearsed with background noise to be ready for some booing.  

3.  Estonia
I have been laughing my way through this one, the overuse of Italian stereotypes aside (which he says was done with respect) and the very dumb lyrics.  Lots of energy.  Here’s someone who doesn’t believe in decaf.

2.  Luxembourg
The song title means “The doll turned up the volume.”  Were I the doll, however, I would have turned the volume down on this one—way down.

1.  Norway
“Who wrote this?” Gunnar just screamed.  “What is he wearing,” I just screamed.  Without the pyrotechnics, the song doesn’t stand up to much.  And we’ve heard this before, more or less.

Nemo is singing now.  I didn't like the song much last year and it's not better with him in a wedding dress. 




onsdag, maj 14, 2025

Eurovision 2025--Our expert opinion on every entry



                               The Radio Free Järbo Jury are ready to pass judement.  


It’s that time again.


We watched the official videos as posted on the Eurovision website.  We tried to just listen to the song and not be too swayed by the visuals of the videos.  In some cases, however, the video gives more of a hint of what the song is about, especially if it is not in English, and even then.  Here is what we think of every entry.  We’ll give a summary of our thoughts on the semi-finals once they’ve happened.  


 Albania. Shkodra Elektronike.  “Zjerm”

I am normally a big fan of the Albanian entries in Eurovision.  Like this entry, they use musical motifs that are from their own culture, and that helps to make Eurovision interesting.  But this is not my favourite of their recent entries.  It doesn’t really seem to gel as a whole, at least on its first listen.  I do like some of the background music, however. 


  Armenia.  Parg.  “Survivor”

He is a treat for the eyes.  The song is an assault to the ears.

Nominee:  Best Looking Guy.


 Australia.  Go-Jo.  “Milkshake Man”

Leave it to Australia to break the mold. I don’t know if I like the song or not, but I did laugh all the way through the video.  He is lecherously good looking, and I like his moves in the video, so it will be interesting to see what he does on the stage.  And, I am sure there is a double entendre intended in the lyrics.  

Nominee:  Best Looking Guy.


 Austria.  JJ.  “Wasted Love”

I want to say something nice about it, so I’ll say nice voice.  But the song does’t work for me.  It builds to a grand finale, but by then, I don’t care.  


  Azerbaijan.  Mamagama.  “Run with U”

Ok, these are not the most original or thoughtful lyrics, but the song has a really catchy beat that make people want to get up and dance.  The video is hilarious, even if the connection to what the song is about isn’t really clear.  

Nominee:  Best Video


 Belgium.  Red Sebatian.  “Strobe Lights”

Based on the bio online, this artist has a lot of musical education and talent.  So it is a bit of a head scratcher that the song he was given does not allow him to show it off.  Just a bit too electrical for my taste.  With a good voice and a good song you don’t need all of that—unless you are doing 80’s disco.


 Croatia.   Marko Bošnjak.  “Poison Cake”

I’d rather eat poison cake than listen to this mess again.


 Cyprus.  Theo Evan.  “Shh.”

It has been a while since we’ve liked an entry from Cyprus.  Clearly he’s a talented guy, but the song is just so-so.  

Nominee:  Best Looking Guy.


 Czechia.  Adonxs.  “Kiss Kiss Goodbye.”

There is something about this song that grabs you and makes you want to listen to it, even if I’m not a big fan of the electro pop bridge.  I like his voice very much, enough so that I wish the song were a little more solid. 


 Denmark.  Sissal.  “Hallucination”

Without having looked to see that this was the entry from Denmark, one would know this was from Scandinavia.  It’s an OK song which Sissal sings the hell out of.  It will get decent middle of the pack placement.  


 Estonia.  Tommy Cash.  “Espresso Macchiato”

What a fun and funny song.  What it lacks in musicality and meaningful lyrics, it more than compensates with how much fun it is.  I hope they can do something on stage as creative as the video.  I’m not sure I would expect dodici punti from Italy, though.


 Finland.  Erika Vikman.  “Ich Komme”

Didn’t understand it.  Didn’t like it.

Nominee:  Best Dominatrix.


 France.  Louane.  “Maman”

You can (usually) count on the French to send a real singer with a real song to Eurovision.  The French can do a ballad really well, and this is a very nice one.  I fear Europe will hate it and not give the song its due.  


 Georgia.  Mariam Shengelia.  “Freedom”

Mixed emotions.  I really like the way she sings, but the song is a little all over the map musically in a way that doesn’t hang together for me.  There are several very good passages in the music which she handles really well, then it changes modes again and, while she always sings well, the song just doesn’t gel into a whole.


 Germany.  Abor & Tynna.  “Baller”

It takes more than energy to make a good song.  Energy is all this entry had.  I hated it.


 Greece.   Klavdia.  “Asteromáta”

We’re always suckers for a Balkan ballad, and Klavdia delivers with this beautiful song.  I like the Eastern sound in the music and in her delivery of it.  Well done, Greece. 


 Iceland.  VÆB.  “RÓA”

Another song with a very catchy beat and not much else, although I can get behind the idea of rowing out to see “the stars are bright.”  I hope they wear those glasses on the stage when they perform live.  Interesting that the video features the flags of Greenland and the Faroe Islands.  


 Ireland.  Emmy.  “Laika Party”

Normally, we would really get behind a song about Laika, the space dog, being alive and well and having a party up there in the sky, just maybe not this one.  It’s the kind of song you would gladly dance to after one too many cosmopolitans at Sunday tea dance, but it isn’t something you want to listen to over and over again.  I’m also not a huge fan of her voice, although this is the right kind of song for it.


 Israel.  Yuval Raphael.  “New Day Will Rise”

We really like this very beautiful song, simple, and simply done by this very talented singer.  New Yorkers will notice the chandelier from Leonard’s of Great Neck in the video.


 Italy.  Lucio Corsi.  “Volevo Essere Un Duro”

Full disclosure:  We watched the San Remo festival and Lucio Corsi was not our favourite.  But hearing it again, there is something about the song that we like now.  I think it has a chance to do well.  Absolutely the best video of the bunch—really hilarious.  

Winner: Best Video.


 Latvia.  Tautumeitas.  “Bur Man Laimi”

I think there is a place to mix traditional tunes with modern music, but in this case, it doesn’t make something I want to listen to.  Very nice harmony and vocal blending by the singers, though.  


 Lithuania.  Katarsis. “Tavo Aky” 

You know we like a good rock song, and this one is rather interesting and there is something engaging about it.  But we are not fans of the lead singer in this case.  There are times when you think he’s flat and others when his voice works.  The drummer is good.


 Luxembourg.  Laura Thorn.  “La Poupée Monte Le Son”

Given the name of the song and how she is dressed in the video, we wanted to hate it.  But there is something about the catchy beat and the dancers that actually make this fun to watch.  I hope she does the “costume”change on stage. 


 Malta.  Miriana Conte. “Serving”

Well, another case of an artist that we like, but a song that we are less fond of.  There is a nice energy in the video that should work well on the stage.  I hope she wears the Coke can hair rollers on stage. 


 Montenegro.  Nina Žižić.  “Dobrodošli”

Every year we hope there is a good ballad from Montenegro or North Macedonia.  This is it for 2025.  It is a really nice song which she sings really well.  She doesn’t need pyrotechnics or other gimmicks—just park her on the stage and let her go.  The song does seem to end rather abruptly, though.  


 Netherlands.  Claude “C’est la Vie”

While I really, really like his voice, I only really like the song.  It is a catchy tune for sure, and is not standard Eurovision fare.  It’s the kind of thing you’ll find yourself humming.  Although there were moments I thought Gloria Gaynor was going to break in singing “I Will Survive.”  


 Norway.  Kyle Alessandro.  “Lighter”

This is pretty standard Eurovision fare, and while not dreadful per se, it isn’t very good either.  For one thing, I am sure that beat track has been used in the past on several other Eurovision entries.  He performs it well in the video, but he’ll need to turn that into a decent stage presence.  If so, he’ll have the audience’s attention (just not mine).


 Poland.  Justyna Steczkowska.  “Gaja”

Based on the video, which was a filmed stage version, this entry is all about the full production of it—the great dancing, her flying above the crowd on ropes, etc.—and not so much (if at all) about the music or the singing.


 Portugal.  Napa.  “Deslocado”

Well, it was OK. I had higher hopes after reading about their musical influences.  Yes, you could hear the element of the Beatles as mentioned in their online bio, but, the song isn’t as strong as even the weakest Beatles tune.


 San Marino.  Gabry Ponte.  “Tutta l’Italia”

It’s been a long while since a Eurovision entry from San Marino hasn’t made us want to projectile vomit (like since 2014).  This one broke that streak!  It’s a fun song with a lot of bounce to it.  Not the best in the bunch, but hey, we kept our dinner down.  That’s a start!

Nominee:  Best Use of Tomato Sauce in a Video


 Serbia.  Princ.  “Mila”

Handsome man with a gorgeous voice singing a beautiful song—what’s not to like.  OK, maybe it is a bit typical of what the Balkans send to Eurovision, but as we said above, a good Balkan ballad is always welcome to us.  As is a handsome man.

Nominee: Best Looking Guy.

Nominee: Longest hair.


 Slovenia.  Klemen.  “How Much Time Do We Have Left”

I love this song.  It’s meaningful and melodic, with the beauty in its simplicity.  Maybe it could be improved with a stronger voice, but that just might be the quality of the video.  


 Spain.  Melody.  “Esa Diva”

It’s from Spain so we were prepared to hate it—but we didn’t.  Melody has a good voice, even if this trite song lets her down a little.  As with other entries from Spain, if she can deliver with a strong production on the stage, she’ll do well.  


 Sweden.  KAJ.  “Bara Bada Bastu”

So, what is Sweden’s strategy here?  With all of the talented singers in Sweden, why don’t they send actual Swedes to Eurovision?   Last year, they sent two Norwegian brothers to Eurovision because they won Melodifestivalen.  This year, it’s three guys from Finland, who at least sing in Swedish (sort of).  They just beat out Måns Zelmerlöw who won Eurovision in 2015.  OK, it’s fun and the dancing is as good as the music allows.  But it’s not a winner, as much as Sweden wants the record for the most Eurovision wins.

Nominee: Best Use of Towels and Birch Branches in a Video


 Switzerland.  Zoë Më.  “Voyage”

Every now and then you just want to have a simple, pretty song.  This is one and it is pleasant to listen to.  I am not the biggest fan of her voice, or at least as it comes out in this song.  I think the simplicity could get lost on the big stage.  And, it could hardly be more different than last year’s winning entry.


 Ukraine.  Ziferblat. “Bird of Pray”

There are parts of this song I really like, the clever use of traditional music, the good harmonies,  and the soprano descant, for example.  But there are parts of it I hate, like the disjointedness of it all.  Another good drummer, though.  


 United Kingdom.  Remember Monday.  “What the Hell Just Happened?”

“Totally forgettable,” Gunnar says, but I liked it.  The song is fun, and talks about the kind of night we’ve all had, only maybe we don’t remember it as fondly as these three.  I really like the way they harmonize.  It is good enough for the UK not to get totally snubbed again, as in “null points”?