ONCE AGAIN, I FEEL FORCED out of semi-retirement after yet another Eurovision Song Contest has been held, showing, as is always the case, how our European songwriters are capable of reflecting the pulse of our individual nations and of our collective identity much in the same manner as the troubadours and poets of old, whose balladeering and scribing revealed a remarkable rapport with the people.
WE WERE INFORMED OFFICIALLY that the winner of the competition was Jamala, from the Ukraine (above), with a song about the movement of and forced deportation of the Tartar people from the Crimea under Stalin, a sad moment in European history which deserves to be remembered in her touching ballad "1944".
OF COURSE, UGLY RUMOURS ARE CIRCULATING that the current leader of Russia, Vladimir "Ras" Putin, is not very happy about the song, nor indeed about Eurovision at all, as, so it is reported by unofficial sources, he stated "It was all a long time ago, and everyone is happy now." Indeed, if the mood of the lyrics to the Official State Russian song, "Believe" written and performed by Sergey Lazarev and Putin himself, on piano above,are to be believed, Putin may have been announcing some hidden aspects of future Russian foreign policy: "Thunder and lightning, it’s getting exciting/ Light up the skyline to show where you are".
BUT AS USUAL WITH EUROVISION it is the also-rans that will really make the headlines in the future. Fortunately, most of the entrants will be forgotten forever unless they return to compete again or end up hosting the show, but there are occasionally some signs that certain contestants will be around for the long haul.
GERMANY DID BADLY YET AGAIN, with repeat contestant Angie Merkel and 'Donner und Blitzen' a somewhat depressing song about the forced movement and deportation of Syrian people into Europe and then out again, into Turkey. The song admittedly has some cheer involved at the end when the deported Syrians, now living in Turkey, come back into Europe when Turkey joins the European Union. My rehearsal photo shows Angie and her set designers working out where to put the Syrian dancers on stage.
THE USA WAS INVITED TO PROVIDE a special guest for this year's show, and as per usual the Americans showed the Europeans what a true performer can do when given the means that only the greatest financial superpower can summon up. This was Donald "The" Trump, with his haunting, Jim Morrison and The Doors style ballad "Get Out Baby, Now You're Fired", about the unfortunate forced movement of and deportation of Mexicans from California and Texas and how the USA closed its doors to any immigrants except leggy, busty supermodels who were prepared to marry millionaires.
BRITAIN WAS AGAIN A LET-DOWN, with the popular smiling duo Dave 'n' Georgie and their song "Stay". Although many commentators saw this as a paean to union and harmony, others saw it as a cynical mock-lament about the forced movement of and then deportation of hundreds of thousands of Eastern and Southern Europeans to factories, shops and hospitals in the south of England, only for them to be told that they had to go home again when unemployment benefit was eliminated in the country.
FOR MANY, HOWEVER, THE TRUE winner was the runner-up in the BBC's choice of song, which was the charismatic Bojo Jojo and his Shakespeare tribute "Out Out Damned Spot", which some believe will represent the UK in next year's event. The clever lyrics, taken from Macbeth, deal with one man's urge to form a new dynasty and enact the forced deportation of Dave 'n' Georgie from the British parliament.
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