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1998.written.by.noah
Thanks Vanja for
sending me this video. It was really special to
watch it, while a Bosnian woman was commenting on
the songs (it was Ismeta Dervoz, ex-YU 76, btw).
1. Croatia: Wow,
one of the best performances ever in ESC. I was
so excited that I finally was going to see
Danijela sing this beautiful powerballad. I
really wanted to see her strip :). And it was
marvellous! Beautiful girl, beautiful dress,
beautiful song, beautiful lyrics. For many this
song will always be in their all-time top lists.
It is in mine.
2. Greece: Not
exactly Pia prosefhi or Ellada, hora
tou fotos, but I love the song nonetheless.
The intro is superb and it has always reminded me
of something. There must have been a Bosnian song
back in the days that had a similar introduction.
My brother says it was a rock song by Divlje
jagode, but I am doubting that. In any case, the
song is awesome, again one of my top faves of
all-time. But, the dress! Oh, goodness, I have no
comments.
3. France:
Each year there has to be a song that is awesome,
but scores badly. Remember Sev! and Verliebt
in dich from 95? Well, those were awesome
song, as was Ou aller. Many fans said
that the performance was bad. To me, she did a
superb job, she really did. I found myself
getting up and dancing while this song was
playing. Now, that is rare with an ESC song and
me. Anyway, I loved those two backing vocals in
the back. Their swaying was so cool. So, I don't
know what the fuck went wrong. I would not rate Where
Are You or Hemel en aarde much
higher than Ou aller. In fact... Well,
read on.
4. Spain:
One of my favorites in 1998. A very beautiful
ballad with awesome lyrics. I was singing to this
song, it was that powerful. He has a bit of a
screeching voice, but it ain't too bad. He was
underrated on the night, just like France. But, I
am proud to say I love ¿Qué voy a hacer sin
ti? The chorus is awesome. I sing it every
time I hear it. It's a beautiful melody. And
again, I do not know what the fuck went wrong.
Good song, good melody, good singer with a good
voice. Come on Europe, what else do you need?
This song used to be in my mind all the time
after I had broken up with my ex. Sniff, sniff.
5. Switzerland:
Bullcrap. I am not fond of this. Can't understand
why it was a favorite to win. I do not like slow
ballads with a dance beat in the background. And
there isn't much melody in the song either,
especially in the verses. I also am not too fond
of Switzerland's comeback in 2000. The only 90's
song of theirs that I liked was the 1990 entry,
which most fans dislike. A bad song this Lass
ihn is, in any case.
6. Slovakia:
A nice little tune. I believe it was under-rated,
especially when I hear the beautiful chorus.
Katerina has a beautiful voice also. BTW, whoever
said that Slavic languages sound pretty when sung
is right. I haven't noticed it before, but now,
after hearing this and also after starting to get
infatuated with many Polish entries, I think that
Slavic languages are the most beautiful ones to
be sung in.
7. Poland:
I don't like this at all. Is it a ballad, a rock
song, or what? After the highly rated To nie
ja!, the beautiful Sama, the
awesome Chce znac swoj grzech, and the
powerful Ale jestem, To takie proste
is a disappointment to say the least. I only like
the part when they play the music that sounds
very Irish. BTW, don't most of Polish songs sound
Irish or what?
8. Israel:
What a reaction from the audience! I loved it! I
just wish that Eurovision had a persona like this
every year. Dana deserved the victory even though
she sung off-key for most of the song. But I have
to say that the backing track was really too
quiet (Turkey 1999, anyone???) and those backing
vocals did not help. Speaking of the backers, I
wish Israelis would get a new choreographer for
once! Every fucking year those backing vocals
walk up to the lead and sing with him/her (1993,
1995, anyone???). I hate that!!!
9. Germany:
Bullshit. That's pretty much all I have to say.
The song is awful. Guildo is fucking ugly and his
voice is unbearable. How in the hell Guildo
hat euch lieb got the seventh place I will
never understand. ARGH! Let's move on.
10. Malta: No
surprise from this small Mediterranean island.
Not a terribly exciting song, but it is a good
song, though certainly not one of my favorites. I
believe that third place was a bit too high for
this lullyby. Nonetheless, Chiara has a good
voice. That's it, I think.
11. Hungary:
Guildo no.2. Awful! The melody is unbearable. The
voice is excruciating. This must be the worst
Hungarian entry and that says a lot. Really a
lot! I am not sure how in the hell a country
sends this awful a song to represent it. Clearly,
it cannot be considered the best Hungarian song
of that year.
12. Slovenia:
Such a beautiful song! I just adore the chorus.
My mom also likes this very much and that says a
lot. She is not a fan of Eurovision at all, but
once in a while comes along a song she likes.
Well, Naj bogovi slišijo is one of
them. Vili has a great voice and I think that the
song was very, very underrated. I place it near
the top of all the Slovene songs, just behind Zbudi
se.
13. Ireland:
I don't like her looks or her voice very much,
but the song is quite OK. A little R&B-ish in
the beginning. Oh, how I wish the Irish would
finally send either the Cranberries, The Corrs,
or B*witched to Eurovision. It'd immediately
enter my top 10! Back to the song, however. I
like the chorus a little more than the rest of
the song, but still it's not good enough to enter
my top 10.
14. Portugal:
Yoo-hoo! A great song. One of my favorites ever
since I heard it and now it's in my all-time top
50! The ethno feel of the song sounds so good! It
was a great idea to bring in all those
traditional instruments into the song. As a
result, the song sounded very Greek and nothin'
beats that! Unfortunately, not a very good result
for Se eu te pudesse abraçar. Wake the
fuck up, Europe! Damn!
15. Romania: The
verses are a bit boring, but the chorus is so
powerful that I like it a lot. A very
recognizable melody, though. I've heard so many
songs like this on numerous Croatian music
festivals, that it is not anything too exciting.
And that doesn't click with me too many times.
I'm afraid I can't rank Eu cred awfully
high.
16. United
Kingdom: "The most trendy song in the
Contest," said Ismeta Dervoz, the Bosnian
commentator. And it is true, it is the
most modern-sounding song of all 25. My mom was
glued to the TV set while Imanni was singing.
It's a great tune to sing along with and to dance
to. Too bad it wasn't released in the U.S.,
because this would have been an instant hit. But,
she'd have to forget those backing vocals. She
might have them there to dance, but they should
not be singing. They were awful. Imanni, on the
other hand, was brilliant.
17. Cyprus:
I did not like this when I first heard it, and
since this is Cyprus that was very hard
for me. I did not like it for a long time after
the initial hearing either. But when I saw this
on tape, I fell in love. It's a great ethno power
ballad. And isn't Michael a stud? He is just
gorgeous. he has a great voice. The song is very
demanding and I admire his vocal abilities. Looks
too, btw :).
18. The
Netherlands: A good sequel to Vrede.
A very rhythmic song that everyone likes on first
hearing. Well, almost everyone. And the audience
proved my point. The backing vocals did a great
job, also, as opposed to Imanni's company. They
also danced well. Just like in 1993. However, the
song became a bit repetitive after a while, but
it can be forgiven given that the song is great.
19. Sweden:
A great message this song has. To bad the song
itself didn't live up to the expectations. I
expected much more, but the song was rather flat.
The bridge and the chorus (or the one sentence of
it, as I deciphered it to be long) are very nice.
The backers were good and the lead did a great
job. It's just that the overall melody of the
song was not powerful. But I would have rated it
more highly on the night.
20. Belgium: Why
in the hell was this a favorite just days before
the Big Night? And why the hell did this come
sixth? It's a really boring song with no defined
melody. The most annoying part is that awful
chorus. Movin' on.
21. Finland:
A very good song. It's the type that Iceland sent
us in 1993, and y'all know how much I like Şa
veistu svariğ. Well, you should know! Read
my 1993 review! It was a clear favorite (much
like Cyprus 1999), but the performance changed
many of the fans' opinions (much like Cyprus
1999). Why, I will never find out. To me, the
performance was quite good and she did not sound
like she had a cold. Even if she did, give her a
break!
22. Norway: Oh,
too many extra cute guys in such a small arena. I
am melting. I like this song very much and it's
in my all-time top 50. You should know that the
only other Norwegian song in my top 50 is Alle
mine tankar (check the front page). Maybe Altid
sommer would have been even better with bass
beat, but it's quite fine as it is.
23. Estonia:
Here we go. The most boring 6-7 minutes of the
Contest. A true ballad and I stay away from those
as much as I can. He is cute and all, but I am
judging the song here (well, most of the time,
anyway). Mere lapsed reminds me of a
Vanessa Williams song, but then again most
Eurosongs sound like some other song.
24. Turkey: What
the fuck went wrong? Oh, my God! Dinle
was such a great song and this shit is awful. As
the Bosnian commentator said, it seems like the
Turks got tired of trying to reach a top 5
position so they sent an extraordinarily
old-sounding song that sounds like you've heard
it thousand times. Now, Ismeta said it all. I
have nothing to add.
25. Macedonia:
A great beginning song for Macedonia. It is just
awesome. I loved it ever since I heard it back in
1998. I can't understand why so many fans don't
like it and why it placed so low. The music is
very easy to listen to, though that can't be said
about the backing vocals. In any case, a top 10
of 1998 for me. BTW, the Macedonian jury (or was
it a televote?) was awesome with its votes. That
was nerve-wrenching even though I had known the
results from 1998.
Here is my top 25
of 1998:
1. Croatia: Neka mi ne svane
2. Greece: Mia krifi evesthisia
3. Portugal: Se eu te pudesse abraçar
4. United Kingdom: Where Are You
5. France: Ou aller
6. The Netherlands: Hemel en aarde
7. Norway: Altid sommer
8. Spain: Que voy a hacer sin ti
9. Macedonia: Ne zori, zoro
10. Slovenia: Naj bogovi slišijo
11. Finland: Aava
12. Israel: Diva
13. Cyprus: Genesis
14. Sweden: Karleken är
15. Slovakia: Modlitba
16. Malta: The One That I Love
17. Ireland: Is Always Over Now
18. Romania: Eu cred
19. Estonia: Mere lapsed
20. Poland: To takie proste
21. Switzerland: Lass ihn
22. Belgium: Dis oui
23. Turkey: Unutumaszin
24. Germany: Guildo hat euch lieb
25. Hungary: A holnap mar es szomoru
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