Well, well, how very convenient that Sweden won Saturday's Eurovision Song Contest and ensured the country would host next year's competition on what just so happens to be the 50th anniversary of ABBA winning Eurovision 1974 with "Waterloo." How very convenient indeed.
Sweden's winning song "Tattoo" by Loreen was good! It's a strong song sung by a powerful performer (in fact this weekend Loreen became the first woman to win Eurovision twice) but FINLAND! SHOULD'VE! WON! The national juries did Käärijä dirty. His song "Cha Cha Cha" is about capping off an exhausting week by drinking pina coladas and letting loose on the dance floor. (I think.) And his Eurovision Grand Final performance was an absolute delight, a neon-colored fever dream full of danger and whimsy. So grab a tropical cocktail (or a milkshake), get comfortable in front of a fan, and enjoy.*
"Who the Hell Is Edgar?" by Austria's Teya & Salena also deserves another look. The pair came in 15th with 130 points. Absurd! "Who the Hell Is Edgar?" is a witty and boppable dance track about being possessed by the ghost of Edgar Allen Poe and using his talents to get rich quick. And it comes with a subversive anti-Spotify message!? The song's got layers and it's catchy as fuck. Brilliant.
I expect to hear Belgium's entry a lot this summer—the song "Because of You" by Gustaph is the perfect '90s club hit, beaming with Boy George/George Michael/La Bouche energy. It's utterly danceable with infectious optimisim. BOOK HIM FOR SEATTLE PRIDE IMMEDIATELY.
In the true WTF spirit of Eurovision, we have Croatia's Let 3 with "Mama ŠČ" which, well, watch it. It's about tractors and morons and war, I guess? Strangely playful, playfully strange.
Finally, what's with Germany's Lord of the Lost only getting 18 points? They've got blood! They've got glitter! It's a power anthem about mankind coming together in their differences with an industrial rock breakdown heavy enough to summon satan himself! What's not to love, people?
*The final performance isn't online yet, so this is Käärijä's national performance from a couple of months ago. Still good.
