Eurovision 2023: Thoughts, Top 10s, and Matching Songs To Books

Hello to all, and especially my fellow Europeans!

The best week of the year (Eurovision week) is over and the post-Eurivision depression is hitting hard. I’ve had quite some time to collect my thoughts. Let’s talk about it.

This will be a somewhat long post because, apparently, nothing gets me going more than our silly little international contest*. So, grab a drink and let’s dive right in. We’ll discuss this year’s contest as a whole, talk about the final top 10, and match my personal ten favourite songs with books and fictional characters. Let the Eurovision talk begin!

_{*Keep in mind that only Europeans (and Australians) can call it silly— it is ours and we can say whatever we want about it, the rest of you (and especially Americans) will respect it.}

EUROVISION 2023

Firstly, a few words on the organisation of this year’s contest. Contrary to popular belief (my Twitter feed), the UK, in my eyes, failed to deliver as hosts despite organising a decent show. And that failure is simply on the fact that they made this hosting all about themselves when in reality it was Ukraine’s win. Having the show be half about Ukraine and half about them was bad enough as an idea from the beginning, but at the end, we didn’t even see that. We just got three shows of British people patting their own backs for how generous they were for providing a hosting place for the war-torn Ukrainians. Ukrainian artists barely got the spotlight for longer than a minute, the presenters were 3/4 British, and even when they started talking about Ukraine’s history in the contest they always turned it into a joke about them. The Charles and Camilla jumpscare? Peppa Pig in the arena? It was honestly infuriating to watch at times. They had Ruslana there only to be an extra to a Dutch man singing “You’ll never walk alone”. The final was so Liverpudlian I was afraid Klopp would pop on stage at any minute and tell us about his failed attempt to win the Champions League. In short: in typical UK fashion, they stole Ukraine’s thunder. Disappointed but not surprised.

It wasn’t all bad, however. Hannah Waddingham and Julia Sanina were great as hosts. Some lines they gave them were a bit on the nose, but I think they had a wonderful chemistry and they genuinely enjoyed being there. I didn’t mind the other two presenters, but again, I would’ve preferred it if they were Ukrainian artists in their place instead.

As for the actual contest, I feel like song-wise we got one of the least boring finals in recent years. Having no juries in the semi-finals filtered the entries a lot better than when the juries had weight on the decisions. Yes, some entries were robbed (Malta, sweetie, I’m looking at you), and the second semi was a bit torturous to sit through, but overall I think we got a solid bunch of finalists. Looking back on the night of the Grand Final I don’t recall being bored, at least not for more than the duration of one song at a time, and generally I had a great time. Until the voting results came in.

Voting-wise this might have been the worst year recently. The juries really outdid themselves. They favour certain countries every year, but what they did for Sweden this year is ridiculous even for them. There’s no way I’ll ever be convinced that they didn’t overvote that song because they were afraid it would lose the televote by a margin. It wasn’t even that good of a song to deserve all that praise. The public voting was messy, too, this year, but I think it’s because we sensed that the juries would play favourites and so we pushed for the one entry harder, thus unfortunately, ignoring other great ones.

The bottom line is that the winning song received zero 12-points in the televote. It was no country’s favourite. And yet, it still won because it got an insane amount of jury points. Jury points that, mind you, were supposedly put in place to award creativity and uniqueness, something they have continuously failed to do in the past years. I have so many thoughts on this system, but that’s not the point of the post so I won’t bother you with the jury vote any further.

Speaking of voting, I was never a big fan of the idea of having the rest of the countries that watch but don’t participate vote. Seeing the ROTW (rest of the world) voting and their placing Israel first proved me right. No offence, but the rest of the world simply doesn’t get it. Also, I don’t want this to be seen as a chance for half the world to enter. Eurovision is the only thing I’ll ever gatekeep as a European. It’s our way to handle geopolitics peacefully and if (more) random countries start entering, it’ll throw us off balance.

THE GREEK ENTRY

Naturally, I can’t let this post go by without mentioning my country’s entry. If you haven’t been following Eurovision this year, prepare to read about the most dramatic season of the Greek delegation.

As you might know, for quite a few years now the choice of the Greek Eurovision entry has been resting on the hands of our national broadcaster— it’s been literal ages since we last had a national final. This year, however, they decide to give the public a say, too. They organised a committee of randomly chosen people to listen to the proposed songs and vote on a designated day. There was also a jury following the same process. At the end of the day, the people made their choice but for unknown to us reasons the broadcaster decided to go with another candidate. The singer chosen by the public then sued the broadcaster, who was also accused of nepotism since Victor Vernicos (the 16-year-old boy who ended up representing us) comes from a very wealthy family and there is high chance there was money involved in the decision. We don’t know exactly what unfolded during the decision process, but rumour has it that Victor was neither the jury’s nor the public’s choice, but a secret third option because the broadcaster messed up.

Fast forward to the actual contest, when the song was released, everyone hated it. Personally, I found it really boring and flat, but I had hoped that the staging would elevate it because I liked his voice. Little did I know. The staging was terrible. From having the boy dressed as a boy scout jumping around on stage to the butchering of the Greek alphabet in the background, it was painful to watch. Sadly, because of all that jumping and what seems to be a lack of effort from everyone involved, it was sometimes also painful to hear. I truly feel that the delegation left Victor alone and exposed in this effort. As a result, he has been receiving excessive hate not only from the public but also from the media. This is what I’m most disappointed in, not the non-qualification or the entry itself. I wish Victor all the best and for Greece to go back to what we do best: ethnic and upbeat, hopefully chosen by national selection.

THE FINAL TOP TEN

As you might have guessed from my little rant about the juries, this year’s top ten wasn’t my favourite. I tried matching the songs to books as I had done back in 2021, but the effort gave me headaches. So, I’ll just comment on them instead.

1. Sweden: Tattoo by Loreen. I’m gonna be honest with you. This song infuriates me. First of all, it is identical to at least three other songs. If any other country had sent it, they’d be dragged through the mud. Secondly, it’s a very basic pop song, I don’t see why it’s getting so much praise. Double jury points than the second finalist are in no way justified. I don’t get the hype for the staging, either. And thirdly, this song and its win represent exactly why I have come to absolutely hate Sweden in Eurovision. Year after year they send the most boring mainstream songs and they get voted in the top 3 simply because they’re Sweden. I’m tired of watching them always at the top. The last time they won with a basic pop song (that was also very much copy-pasted), the following year we got one of the most boring contests ever. I hope we don’t have to suffer next year, too.
2. Finland: Cha Cha Cha by Käärijä. We have established by now that jury voting is a mistake, so Finland is the true winner of the evening. It’s creative, it’s catchy and it has a crazy staging. The public has spoken. Europeans want to cha cha cha.
3. Israel: Unicorn by Noa Kirel. Israel shouldn’t even be there, I don’t want to talk about their basic pop song. I truly don’t see why it got so many votes, especially from the juries. “Europe, do you wanna see me dance?” No, I do not.
4. Italy: Due Vite by Marco Mengoni. I see all the criticism of Italy basically sending the same entry almost every year, and it’s true. But, I always eat it up, I’m sorry. I am not immune to handsome Italian men singing ballads in their native language.
5. Norway: Queen of Kings by Alessandra. Now, this is my exact kind of Eurovision pop! Empowering in an about-to-conquer-fantasy-lands kind of way.
6. Ukraine: Heart of Steel by TVORCHI. Ukraine definitely had the most well-produced song of the evening. The sound, the staging, and their entire presence, all were insanely well done. It could be the soundtrack of a superhero movie. I’m not mad it made its way into the top ten.
7. Belgium: Because of You by Gustaph. Classic Eurosong, but I’m afraid it will always be known for causing conflict with Cyprus in this country 😂. As a song, it’s ok, it’s fun. But as a 12-points-from-Greece, it’s historic. No one saw it coming and no one liked it.
8. Estonia: Bridges by Alika. I think Estonia brought one of the strongest vocals of the year. I mean, Alika can SING. The song was a bit boring, but the haunted piano was a strong bonus.
9. Australia: Promise by Voyager. Australia earned the right to stay forever with this song. It’s a banger and it was delivered with a whole car on stage. Douze points!
10. Czechia: My Sister’s Crown by Vesna. I am very happy this made it into the top ten because I really enjoyed it! It’s unique, in the sense that there are four languages in its lyrics, it is empowering and they have really good voices. The staging was a bit meh, but I can forgive that, and they get extra points for showcasing the hand signal of domestic violence. Also, to be honest, when I first heard it I refused to believe it was a Czech entry because it was very Eastern European (and I say that as a compliment).

MATCHING MY TOP TEN TO BOOKS

As mentioned above, I tried to match the official top ten to books, but the effort failed horribly. So, instead, I borrowed Line’s idea and matched books to my personal ten favourites. Which was honestly also pretty hard. Why do they all sing about real life and stuff? Just sing about dragons or something, think of the book bloggers! I’ll leave my winner last and talk about the rest in random order because I can’t rank things to save my life.

Austria- Teya & Salena- Who The Hell Is Edgar?

“Oh my God, you’re such a good writer”, best opening lyric of all time for a final. This song is such a bop! The fact that it was ignored by the public is criminal, I can only blame this on the running order (and maybe the staging a little bit as it was quite empty). Appearing first in the final is a known death slot and it unfortunately has killed many bangers in the televoting.

POE POE POE POE POE POE POE POE POE POE

EDGAR ALLAN EDGAR ALLAN POE POE POE

POE POE POE POE POE POE POE POE POE

It could be said that Austria sent a song for the English majors, but in reality, the song talks about the struggles female songwriters face in the music industry, from dealing with being accused of having ghostwriters to not being paid enough for their work.

While this is a very interesting theme to explore, I haven’t read any books with similar topics. So, we’re taking the simpler route in matching this absolute bop to a book: answering the titular question. What better way to learn who the hell Edgar is than reading a collection of his works?

As the title suggests, The Complete Tales and Poems by Edgar Allan Poe collects Edgar’s entire work. This volume collects all works of fiction by Edgar Allan Poe, giving the reader a complete understanding of why he is considered a pioneer of the short story and a reformer of the horror genre. Sure, you can pick up a collection of his poems or short stories for a smaller read, but reading the collective works gives you a fuller image, so you never have to ask again “Who the hell is Edgar?”

Serbia- Luke Black- Samo Mi Se Spava

I am loving this route Serbia has taken the last couple of years! I absolutely adored their Balkan ballad era, but this turn to more creative artistic performances they took with Konstrakta and are continuing with Luke Black is insanely enjoyable, too.

The song is really nice, and the beat is great, but what I love most is the staging and the Mortal Kombat vibes. And Luke’s deranged laugh towards the end. In his interviews, he said that he and his team were very inspired by Salvador Dali and they wanted to bring elements of surrealism on stage. That maybe wasn’t in favour of their televote chances, but I think that it’s something the juries had to award according to their criteria (they didn’t). It definitely didn’t deserve to be in the bottom six.

“I just want to sleep forever. I like it better when I dream. Samo mi se spava” (I’m just sleepy)”

The song talks about the need to wake up and fight against the big boss, aka the system. It’s a calling to rise up against the violence that has taken over the world. So, I decided to pair it with the OG dystopia that touches on government oppression and dehumanisation.

In 1984 Orwell describes a dystopian surveillance state ruled by “Big Brother” through the eyes of a man who wants to fight against the system. The novel has long been considered a cautionary tale against the rise of totalitarian regimes worldwide and a wake-up call for the people. Serbia’s entry similarly talks about the need to wake up and fight against the systemically imposed violence of the “big boss”.

Albania- Albina & Familja Kelmendi- Duje

As one of my good friends said, ballads are allowed if they’re Balkan enough. And if there’s something our dear neighbours excel at in Eurovision, that’s making their entries extremely deliciously Balkan! This year they even achieved maximum Balkan presence by having a whole family on stage. The girls carrying the tough parts of the song, the parents on the side watching and mingling, the brother just being there— it’s all so homely, so familiar.

Duje is a song about family. It talks about a family falling apart and about the strong love that still exists between them despite everything, love that can bring them closer again. For this deeply cultural song, I chose a Greek book that also touches on family drama.

Thracian Tales by Georgios Vizyinos collects three short stories set in Thrace, the northeastern part of Greece where the country shares borders with Turkey and Bulgaria, in the 1880s. The stories are heavily autobiographical narrations of family drama against the background of the Greek life and culture of the era. The One and Only Journey of His Life is a tale of tales about Greek life in different eras. My Mother’s Sin, the second story in the collection, is a family drama about a mother who focuses on raising her adopted daughters and neglects her sons. Finally, Who Was My Brother’s Murderer? narrates the events around the death of the author’s brother and the efforts of his mother to find the murderer. Family bonds are at the centre of all three stories.

Italy- Marco Mengoni- Due Vite

As I said before, I am not immune to hot Italian men singing in Italian. I can’t help but fall a little bit in love with all these Italian ballads they sent every other year, they tug at my heartstrings in a very persistent way. This year specifically, I knew I was doomed from the start because I already loved Marco Mengoni since his previous participation in Eurovision ten years ago. Though, I have to admit that as much as I liked Due Vite, I love L’Essenziale a little more. Still, when he fell on his knees at the end and we could see how moved he was I teared up a little, I’m not gonna lie.

Italy’s song is about how the lives of two lovers drift apart after a breakup. There’s rich imagery in the lyrics and a lot of emotions ranging from pain to regret and nostalgia. It really paints a portrait of the life the pair shared before the split. Trying to think of a book to match I came to the unfortunate realisation that I haven’t read any books dealing with that topic. Thankfully, I have friends who have been constantly talking about a TV show I “absolutely must see”, which to my relief I found a way to use here, too.

Scenes from a Marriage by Ingmar Bergman is actually the screenplay of the series of the same name which aired on Swedish television in 1973. It explores the disintegration of a marriage between a man and a woman in the span of ten years as the couple moves towards divorce. It is a story about exactly what the title suggests; love, hate, marriage, divorce, and monogamy. And since we follow the lives and POVs of both protagonists, I think Due Vite is a nice fit.

Australia- Voyager- Promise

HELL YEAH AUSTRALIA, YOU GET IT!

This song is such a banger! I love how it starts with an electronic sound and strong drums and then it hits you with a solid rock/metal sound. It’s so great for headbanging! They have great voices, it’s surprise after surprise musically, and there’s a guitar solo. What more could one possibly want?

Promise invites the listener to an adventure, to try things they’ve never done before, recognising the fears of embarking on such a journey. I decided to pair the song with a book about a character who leaves her reserved life and moves to another city.

In Britt-Marie Was Here Backman narrates the story of a middle-aged woman who decides to leave her cheating husband and build a new life in a small town. Every step she takes, every choice she makes is new to her. She steps into a way of life that is uncharted territory for her despite being scared and nervous about it. In a way, her journey is like an answer to all the questions Voyager ask in their song.

Moldova- Pasha Parfeni- Soarele şi Luna

THE. FLUTE.

You can never go wrong with a sick flute solo and I love that more and more countries seem to be realising that. A flute with a drum in the background is the ultimate Eurovision sound.

Moldova is my most trusted country in the contest. Hit after hit, year in, year out. They never disappoint. Voting and final table results might not always agree, but in my eyes, they’re a powerhouse. And they make me so very happy! Pasha Parfeni was the true iconic comeback artist of the night, sorry Sweden.

This absolute folk bop talks about a wedding, but the staging adds a strong mystical forest vibe, making it all very fairytalesque. From the first time I saw the performance, only one book came to mind.

Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream is set in the forest where the King and Queen of faeries dwell. The plot revolves around four young Athenians who are enchanted by a flower that causes fall in love with the first thing they see upon waking. All the while, Oberon and Titania (the aforementioned royals) are having a fight over a servant boy. In the end, there’s a wedding. The plot of the play may not be very similar to Moldova’s song but the mystical forest vibes are strong in both and love is at the centre. Also, I could totally see Soarele şi Luna as a soundtrack to the play.

Norway- Alessandra- Queen of Kings

This song is so epic and empowering, it makes me want to go conquer foreign lands or something.

HER NAME IS SHE QUEEN OF THE KINGS RUNNING SO FAST BEATING THE WIND

I love the beat and the lalalailala’s and how deep her voice is. My type of girl-pop. The whistle note is a nice surprise and I’m happy she managed it in the final because it’s hard and could’ve messed up her performance. The song is pretty straightforward in its lyrics. It talks about female power, about a Nordic queen who spreads her wings and conquers the world.

“She will be the warrior of North and Southern seas” Alessandra sings and naturally I have to pair her song with Asha Greyjoy from George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series. She first appears in the second book in the series and she gets her own POV chapters in book four. She is the daughter of the lord of the Iron Islands, she captains her own ship, and she personally leads her men into battle. She is a warrior, a leader and a force of nature. Queen of Kings could be her personal theme song.

Croatia- Let 3- Mama ŠČ!

Listen. I know. I see it. I get it. But it’s so fun😂. Guilty pleasure material, but in this house, we do not burden pleasure with guilt.

They said that it’s not a political song, but an anti-war one. Still, we all saw that Croatia sent a song to make fun of Putin and Lukashenko for 3 minutes, and I respect it so much. It’s punk, it’s rock opera, it’s satire and it’s annoyingly catchy. The sound reminds me of something from the Greek music industry, but I still haven’t put my finger on it. Perhaps this is why I like it and it’s made its way into my top ten— there is something familiar about it.

Basically, the lyrics are a play on how Lukashenko gifted Putin a tractor for his birthday right before the invasion of Ukraine. The group makes fun of that action by painting the Belarusian leader as a mom who grants her war-mongering child’s every wish, the child in question being Putin. The song talks about an “evil little psychopath” and I have just the right book character to pair it with.

I haven’t read the Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins yet, so I don’t know if it would be a better fit to talk about Coriolanus Snow. Still, the Hunger Games trilogy paints a good enough picture of his “evil little psychopath” personality to make him a perfect match for this song. As president of Panem, Snow appears to be a cruel and manipulative dictator who will stop at nothing to pursue his agenda. He says his goal is to maintain peace and stability, but isn’t this what all war criminals use to justify their actions? I could totally see the citizens of Panem singing Croatia’s Eurovision entry about him. Given the ridiculous outfits Let 3 wore on stage, I could even see the people of the Capitol joining in at a rare moment of epiphany.

Slovenia- Joker Out- Carpe Diem

MY BOYS!! I’ve had them for like a week, but I love them! I have no idea what their songs are about but their sound is amazing. They’re so funky, and their on-stage chemistry is wonderful! I love seeing them and listening to them and just—

_{^{(I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again)}}

Ok, enough fangirling. Let’s focus on the song. It is such a feel-good track. It’s indie rock, the 80s vibes are strong and THAT BASS… Delicious! All instruments go extremely hard, the different solos are so well done, and it’s so funky and danceable. Their staging was criticised for being too empty, but I love when bands are just themselves on stage. It’s the only occasion in Eurovision where I don’t mind the lack of props. Bottom line: THEY WERE ROBBED. They deserved more points, and to be on the right side of the table.

As the title suggests, Carpe Diem is about seizing the day and living life to the fullest, about living in the present and worrying less about the future. There’s emphasis on dancing and loving life, and while it was a struggle to find a book to pair because I apparently don’t read fun things, I think there’s a character who fits this vibe.

In Jojo Moyes’ Me Before You, Louisa Clarke begins the story as a person who rarely takes risks and settles for safe choices in her life. Still, she remains cheerful and optimistic. But, when she becomes the caregiver of a disabled man, not only does she learn to grab every opportunity to live, but she also teaches that to the people around her. She embraces adventure and by the end of the story she decides to follow her dreams. Thinking back on this novel, this is the main message I have kept from Lou, to seize life, to not ignore opportunities, to live. And that’s the message Carpe Diem is all about, too.

Finland- Käärijä- Cha Cha Cha

IT’S CRAZY! IT’S PARTY! SO TRUE, KING.

THE PEOPLE’S CHAMPION! MY WINNER! The fact that he didn’t win with the second highest televote number ever is criminal. He came with a PERFORMANCE. This song is pure Eurovision. It’s a bit crazy, it’s in Finnish (singing in the country’s native language is the best and the public loves it every year), and it’s so damn catchy. Käärijä and his dancers truly sell it on stage. Speaking of the dancers, they are a bit terrifying, but in a good way.

Cha Cha Cha shows the progression of a man’s night out— he starts stiff and hesitant to relax and after a few drinks he feels more free and hits the dance floor. From what I’ve read, the song is a critique of the Finnish drinking culture. This was the most difficult topic to pair books with because, again, I don’t think I’ve read anything remotely related to it. So, I focused on another aspect of the song. Apart from the drinking culture, Käärijä also sings about the Finnish introvert nature and tearing down the cold self. Taking a few liberties in interpretation, I think I found a book that can match if you squint your eyes a little.

Ebenezer Scrooge’s night out in Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is quite different from the one Käärijä sings about. Still, we could say that the outcome is similar. Scrooge begins his night grumpy and not wanting to mingle with people despite it being Christmas. During the night, however, and through the help not of piña coladas but of three ghosts, he learns to let go of his cold nature, become more friendly and actually enjoy life and become happier. Granted, it wasn’t Finnish introversion keeping him closed up but his innate stinginess, yet in my head this pairing makes sense. Why shouldn’t Scrooge get to cha cha cha?

HONOURABLE MENTIONS…

_{(because ten is a small number and I loved so many entries)}

• Portugal: Ai Coração by Mimicat. Shoutout to Portugal for leaving depressing songs on the side for a year and embracing their Iberian self. Their budget might have been three potato chips and a juice box, but Mimicat filled that stage with her presence and catchy song.
• Cyprus: Break a Broken Heart by Andrew Lambrou. Did you think our delegation’s drama ended with the selection process? Think again! In the case of our beloved Cyprus, our juries messed up big time. But, let’s take things from the top. The Greek public generally supports this whole point exchange we have going on with our Cypriot kin whatever their dong might be. But, this year, we had taken it even more for granted because in the majority we generally enjoyed Andrew’s song (and Andrew in general— he is so handsome). It wasn’t the best song lyric-wise, but the vocals and the staging could carry it far. We were all ready to hear “twelve points from Greece go to Cyprus”, we were fully prepared to complain about the booing once again. And then, our presenter decided to speak French and give 12 points to Belgium and only 4 to Cyprus. You cannot imagine the chaos this unleashed. Everyone, from TV shows to social media in both countries was furious, it was seen as treason, the jury members were accused of robbing Cyprus’s place in the top ten out of spite, it was madness. And then it got political. Because we’re currently having elections and politicians will use anything to gain votes. Even the former minister of foreign affairs of the previous government spoke up about the issue, saying that the 4 points we gave to Cyprus reflect the relationship the current government wants to establish with the island and their stance in the Cyprus dispute. And that’s how jury voting almost caused a diplomatic episode 😀.
• Germany: Blood & Glitter by Lord of the Lost. Blood and Glitter, exactly, exactly, Eurovision in a nutshell. This song did NOT deserve last place. My friend from Germany told me that this song was chosen by the German public and German public, if you are by any chance reading this, congrats on the immaculate taste! I do hope the result doesn’t discourage them from sending similar things in the future because this is Germany’s best entry in recent years by far. The stage presence, the song, the lead singer talking in interviews about how he collects Disney mugs. This is exactly what I want to see in Eurovision. Also, “blood and glitter, sweet and bitter” is the ultimate summary of the contest.
• Malta: Dance (Our Own Party) by The Busker. Malta was ROBBED. Their not going through to the final is the only disappointing result of the semis. They had it all! A funky bop, an anthem for socially anxious people, the most relatable lyrics of the night. They had a saxophone, the most fun staging, and sweaters! Perfect all around and we paid them dust.
• Spain: Eaea by Blanca Paloma. LAST IN THE TELEVOTE?? EUROPE, ARE YOU INSANE?? Spain sent a wonderfully ethnic and very emotional song, a tribute to the singer’s grandmother and reminiscent of traditional Spanish lullabies. And what did we collectively decide as a continent? That it deserved 5 points total. And did the juries award it enough according to their supposed criteria to balance out the injustice? No.✨Disappointed but not surprised ✨

…AND OTHER THINGS

• Switzerland somehow managed to bring both the most tone-deaf and the most unintentionally funny song of the evening. I mean, whose bright idea was it to have a Swiss boy sing about not wanting to be a soldier and go to war? Like, what are the chances of that happening? “I don’t want to be a soldier.” My good boy, you’re Swiss. This was supposed to be emotional and I couldn’t take it seriously at all.
• France saw Europe’s absolutely criminal behaviour against the Breton banger last year and reverted back to their typically annoying French ways of putting the Eiffel Tower on stage. Every time I say they can’t be more French than that on stage, they find ways to prove me wrong.
• I have to mention Romania because our entries were accidental twins. From the absolute messes of the staging to the suit shorts to dooming good vocals with strange performance choices to the people wondering where the hell all our budgets went because they definitely didn’t go into those graphics, seeing both countries’ entries felt like Greece and Romania were in some kind of contest of their own. Upon reading some things Theodor said in an interview, though, I believe that what the Romanian delegation did to him is way worse. They completely ignored his vision for his own song, they literally left him alone in Liverpool. At least our guy seemed happy, Theodor’s experience was ruined. I feel so bad for him, no artist deserves such treatment, especially in the context of Eurovision.
• Georgia had incredible vocals and the staging was dramatic enough, but the lyrics were a whole mess. I think if it made a bit more sense, it would’ve gone through to the final. But then again, it was in the strong semi.
• Shout out to the UK for earning back their bottom-of-the-table place! Honestly, they and Germany fighting for the bottom two— undeserved as it may have been— are the true winners of the night.
• And, finally, can someone please get the special effects out of Poland‘s hands? They get crazier every year.

FINAL NOTES

Alright, this is it. Eurovision 2023 through my eyes summed up. In short: I loved most of the songs, the jury vote made me furious, and I hated the result. But, that’s Eurovision. Blood and Glitter. Crazy. Party. And it’s my favourite thing in the world even when my favourites don’t win or entries I dislike win.

On an unrelated note, Eurovision Saturday may have ended in disappointment, but the post-Eurovision Sunday was one of the best days of my life football-wise. WE WON THE LEAGUE!! It was such a fun day, with incredible moments at the stadium. On Wednesday we also WON THE CUP!! AEK ATHENS GREEK DOUBLE WINNERS 2023!! 🥳💛🖤

LOOK AT MY BOYS 🥹

THEY BRING ME SO MUCH JOY 🥰

And thus concluded the most exciting weekend of the year so far. How I managed to collect my brain and make it through the week during our most busy workdays is a mystery!😂

If you watched Eurovision, please do share your thoughts on everything!

If your first introduction to this year’s songs was this post, tell me your favourites!

Do my book-song pairings make any sense?

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