Eurovision From A To Z podcast

1:59:42

Welcome back to Eurovision A to Z! We begin a new season with new look, new logo and a new jingle! Many thanks to Marco for creating this great jingle, thanks to Didrik for the design of the new logo, and also many thanks to Joy for designing the blog for this podcast. This episode is about 1970 edition, but there are a lot of news about the festival. At the moment of the recording, we have the first selected artist like Theo Evan and some entries like Albania or Montenegro got the ticket to Basel. As we know this is the time where national finals and internal selections are under way. Our trip lands in Amsterdam 1970, a crucial edition. Dutch television had to face the controversies aroun the four-way tie in Spain and the boycott of several countries. Eurovision decided to achieve a great makeover with great success, setting the standards of the show that we know now, as you will listen in the episode. Some of the trademarks of the festival begin here, like the intervals with dancing and, above all, the postcards. Didirk, Javier and Robert will analyse this festival with only 12 countries but full of great and iconic songs. This is the festival Dana won with the iconic "All Kinds of Everything", but also this is the festival where Mary Hopkin sang "Knock, Knock, Who's There" and Katja Ebstein's first appearance. The three of us will also praise a Spanish singer in his first international appearance and now he is the most famous Spanish singer: Julio Iglesias.…

Eurovision from A to Z

1
S02 Ep10 Madrid1969 1:58:25

29 weeks ago1:58:25

1:58:25

Hello dear listeners! We're happy to be back with a new episode of Eurovision from A to Z. Holidays are coming to their end, and an new year is about to begin, so Eurovision New Year! We conclude our second season with a visit to Teatro Real in Madrid. This is the only festival held in Javier's country, Spain, so it is a festival full of siginificances, not only in the personal matter. The dictatorship took Eurovision as an opportunity to show a modern and attractive country as well as to appeat as a more "open" country. We have some of the most iconic singers of Eurovision like Iva Zanicchi from Italy, Tommy Körberg from Sweden, the Norwegian Kirsti Saprsboe, the British Lulu, the Spanish Salomé or the Monegasque boy Jean-Jacques singing to her mom. At the same time, this festival is famous for its controvesrsial ending, with the only tie in the ESC history. Four winners were declared ex aequo: Spain, United Kingdom, Netherlans and France. Do you want to know who is our winner? Will we break the tie? Do you agree with us? Listen this episode full of music and history. You can also listen our 1969 playlist and enjoy most of the songs of this edition. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3Qi2GnDpGdx4QSIvo29Zlx?si=b9338f9dfe464859 Deezer: https://deezer.page.link/1G5MitvWfeB7pmBC6 The snippets used for this episode (apart from the Eurovision 1969 songs) are the following: Rodolfo Chikilicuatre: Baila el Chiki Chiki Mustii: Before the party's over Los Stop: El turista 1.999.999 Olof Palme criticises on US atrocities in Vietnam Joe Cocker: With little help of my friends (Live at Woodstock 1969) The Archies; Sugar Sugat Margaret Williams: Y Cwilt Cymreig (Can i Gymru 1969) Vetty: Un beau matin You can watch the full show at Youtube, where some snippets have been taken to illustrate this episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DkU6ckTUBM&t=5149s…

Eurovision from A to Z

1
S02 Ep09 London 1968 1:54:47

36 weeks ago1:54:47

1:54:47

Hello dear listeners! We're glad to be back with a new episode of Eurovision from A to Z. Holidays are here and Eurovision New Year hasn't begun yet, so it's time for few news about the festival or the national finals. This time we travel to the Royal Albert Hall in London, to the first festival held under the current name Eurovision Song Contest and the first one produced in colour. Also, it is a festival full of significance for Didrik and Javier, the hosts of this podcast. It is the first victory of Spain with Massiel (also with dramas and controversies) and the first Swedish Eurovision hit with Claes-Göran Hederström. And of course, it is the first appearance of a British iconic singer: Cliff Richard. Do you want to know who is our winner? Do you agree with us? Listen this episode full of music and history. You can also listen our 1968 playlist and enjoy most of the songs of this edition. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1kB4DEzmKJrkbUKle8NKEi?si=32c7f5dd5d014773 Deezer: https://deezer.page.link/5tnMmziqQ31mbRWD9 The snippets used for this episode (apart from the Eurovision 1968 songs) are the following: Joost Klein: The Bird Song Joost Klein: Europapa Claude Channes: Mao-Mao The Doors: Hello I Love You The Rolling Stones: Sympathy for the Devil You can watch the full show at Youtube, where some snippets have been taken to illustrate this episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRgOsgGwW8Q&t=3777s…

Eurovision from A to Z

1
The 2024 Series - The Eurovision Aftermath 2:27:55

44 weeks ago2:27:55

2:27:55

Welcome to our show again! This is our final chapter of The 2024 Series where we analyse the recently finished Eurovision 2024 edition. Believe us, there has been a lot to analyse. It's been intense, stressing and exhausting. You will listen our opinions about this year, which are not the best or the worst but ir's our personal and own opinions. Didrik and Javier plus Lukas and Joy are here again to talk about everything or almost everything that happened at Malmö. We express our happyness for Nemo's victory, the first non binary person to achieve it (Yes! We guessed it!), but also we talk about both semifinals and their NQ countries and the analysis of the entries from the grand final. What about all the extra music controversies? Of course, we haven't escaped to them, and we didn't want. Many polemics have floated around this edition and there's space to this: the presence of that country, uncomfortableness of many delegations about the use of the contest as a political and whitewashing display, press of certain country harassing and bullying artists and journalists who were against their presence, boos to this artist and Martin Österdahl, etc. And of course, Joost Klein's disqualification. Joy tells us how her country lived one of the most extreme eurodramas of all times. And because this is a matter of music (and of politics), we have discussed about the future edition: the role of the EBU about what happened and what will happen to this group of references, future partnerships, the next host country, possible returnings and withdrawals, and of course our overall impressions of the show, the songs and many more things. Listen and enjoy!…

Eurovision from A to Z

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The 2024 Series Malmö - Our Predictions for ESC 2024 1:44:34

46 weeks ago1:44:34

1:44:34

Hello and welcome back to a new episode of these special series about Eurovision 2024! After ranking our the songs competing at Malmö 2024 with our friends, now it's time for Didrik and Javier to make our predictions and other issues about this edition. At the time of the recording, we had only pictures and one-camera shoot snippets of the first rehearsals excluding Big 5 and Sweden. Who will get the ticket to the final? What will be their positions? Can we expect shocking qualifiers as well as shocking non qualifiers? Who is going to win Eurovision 2024? What about the elephant in the room? We try to answer this and many other questions and issues.…

Eurovision from A to Z

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The 2024 Series Malmö - Big 5, Sweden and Final Ranking 1:17:28

47 weeks ago1:17:28

1:17:28

Hello and welcome to our third episode of The 2024 Series! Together with Joy and Lukas, we keep on ranking the songs of this edition held at the Swedish city of Malmö. Now it's time to analyse the entries from Big 5 and the host country: France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden and United Kingdom. As usual, there will be time for analysis, debate and laughs, but at the same time there is time for other issues. Also, this is the time where Didrik and Javier will introuduce thier own country's and they will talk more deeply about the Spanish and Swedish songs and the reactions they have caused. Finally, the general supervisor Didrik Gustafsson will make you know our final ranking through our combined points. Do you agree with us? Eurovision from A to Z team and the hosts will talk about the songs in order of appearance and rank them in our habitual top system: We will rank all the songs (37) from top to bottom attributing a maximum 37 points to our winners, then going downwards until the last place, which is null points. Remember: it's fun to give zero points. The songs during the interval act are: Nightwish - Sleepwalker (Finnish National Final 2000) Therion - Poupée de cire poupée de son (Live in Chile) Disclaimer: Sometimes sound is not the best. We are amateur podcasters but always anthusiastic and feeling like recording episodes and spreading Eurovision and music culture. Our apologies if our words are not clear enough at some moments.…

Eurovision from A to Z

1
The 2024 Series Malmö - Semifinal 2 1:48:30

48 weeks ago1:48:30

1:48:30

Hello again and welcome to our second episode of The 2024 Series! Together with Joy and Lukas, we keep on ranking the songs of this edition held at the Swedish city of Malmö. In episode, it's time to analyse the entries of the Second Semifinal of Eurovision 2024: Malta, Albania, Greece, Switzerland, Czechia, Austria, Denmark, Armenia, Latvia, San Marino, Georgia, Belgium, Estonia, Israel, Norway and The Netherlands. As usual, There will be time for analysis, debate and laughs, but at the same time there is time for other issues. Our hosts introduce their own countries' entries. Javier gives again his support to Megara as he did in person during Madrid Preparty. You'll find again the crazyness of our votes provoking our laughs continously. And of course, we haven't avoided the most contoversial topic of this edition: the presence of Israel. Each one of us has our own opinion about the song and Israel's participation and all of them are legitimate. It is a hot potato and an elephant in the room of EBU and the debate can last hours and hours, but the best thing you can do is to listen our opinions. Eurovision from A to Z team and the hosts will talk about the songs in order of appearance and rank them in our habitual top system: We will rank all the songs (37) from top to bottom attributing a maximum 37 points to our winners, then going downwards until the last place, which is null points. Remember: it's fun to give zero points. Disclaimer: Sometimes sound is not the best. We are amateur podcasters but always anthusiastic and feeling like recording episodes and spreading Eurovision and music culture. Our apologies if our words are not clear enough at some moments.…

Eurovision from A to Z

1
The 2024 Series Malmö - Semifinal 1 1:46:52

49 weeks ago1:46:52

1:46:52

We're back again! As every year, we make special programs revising the songs of the current edition, and 2024 is not an expception. For this year, we count again with Lukas from Austria and Joy from The Netherlands. In this first episode, we will analyse the entries of the First Semifinal of Eurovision 2024: Cyprus, Serbia, Lithuania, Ireland, Ukraine, Poland, Croatia, Iceland, Slovenia, Finland, Moldova, Azerbaijan, Australia, Portugal and Luxembourg. Also, Didrik and Javier will talk about their experiences at Melodifestivalen Grand Final and Madrid Preparty, which will be very present during these episodes. There will be time for analysis, debate and laughs. Eurovision from A to Z team and the hosts will talk about the songs in order of appearance and rank them in our habitual top system: We will rank all the songs (37) from top to bottom attributing a maximum 37 points to our winners, then going downwards until the last place, which is null points. Remember: it's fun to give zero points. Disclaimer: Sometimes sound is not the best. We are amateur podcasters but always anthusiastic and feeling like recording episodes and spreading Eurovision and music culture. Our apologies if our words are not clear enough at some moments.…

Eurovision from A to Z

1
S02 Ep08 - Vienna1967 2:44:59

1 year ago2:44:59

2:44:59

Hello dear listeners! After a long time we go back with a new episode. Real life issues sometimes surpass you and it's been really difficult to have this episode edited after the recording some months, so apologies to our listeners for not enjoying a fresh episode for such a long time. In fact, when we recorded this episode only we knew Mustii and Silia Kapsis as representatives of Belgium and Cyprus. This time we go to Vienna's Hofburg to enjoy the 1967 edition, a year where the European Union began to have the shape we more or less know now. The Großer Festsaal der Wiener Hofburg hosted this edition with the return of great names like Claudio Villa, Raphael and Kirsty Sparsboe, and the presence of a legend named Vicky Leandros. But at the same time, this is the year of one of the conerstones of Eurovision: Sandy Shaw had a sweeping victory with the hit "Puppet on a String", a timeless classic and a song everyone knows. Please, enjoy a listen who is our winner.…

Eurovision from A to Z

1
S02 Ep07 - Luxembourg 1966 2:36:04

2 years ago2:36:04

2:36:04

Hello again, dear listeners! We are back with another episode of Eurovision history. This time we have a special guest, Robert, from Norway, with whom we have had a really great time recording this episode. We give our opinions about Malmö as the host city of Eurovision 2024 and who are the host we would like to see. Javier will talk about "Euroblack" (the first fiction set in Eurovision) and the forthcoming interview with its author Luis Miguel Sargento. This time we analyse 1966 edition, celebrated at Villa Louvigny in Luxembourg, one of the best editions of that time and perhaps of ESC ever. We will review and rank the songs, and specially the songs of our respective countries, three living nationals myths of the music: Åse Kleveland, Lill Lindfords and Raphael.…

Eurovision from A to Z

1
The 2023 Series - Eurovision Aftermath: Grand Final Top 10 48:24

2 years ago48:24

48:24

Hello again. Last but not least, the countriesc artists and songs which makes the top ten of this edition: Vesna, Voyager, Alika, Gustaph, Tvorchi, Alessandra, Marco Mengoni, Noa Kirel, Käärijä and, of course the winner Loreen. We will try to deduct if this is a well-deserved top 10 and what are the factors these are the chosen ones. And of course, Sweden's victory and the firs time a woman, Loreen, wins twice Eurovision! Is it a good winner? Were there other entries which deserved the crystal microphone? These and other questions would be treated in this last part. Thank you very much for listening us and we hope you have enjoyed these 2023 series as much as us.…

Eurovision from A to Z

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The 2023 Series - Eurovision Aftermath: Grand Final, Positions 25-11 1:31:50

2 years ago1:31:50

1:31:50

We continue our analysis of the songs ranked from bottom to position 11. We will try to discern how favourites like United Kingdom finished at bottom or why Germany scores another last position. At the same time we will deal with entries like "Carpe Diem" or "Eaea", songs which were high in the bets and finished lower than expected. Are these positions fair or not?…

Eurovision from A to Z

1
The 2023 Series - Eurovision Aftermath: Non-Qualified Countries 1:04:06

2 years ago1:04:06

1:04:06

Hello again and welcome to a new episode! The habitual team of Didrik and Javier plus Joy and Lukas welcomes Josh from Scotland (maybe a future EBU new member? Eurovision 2023 has ended and after the hangover it's time to recover and analyse this edition as we usually do. This first part is dedicated to the countries which did not have succeeded to qualify. Some of them were expectable, but some others have been surprises. What can they do to improve their results?…

Eurovision from A to Z

1
The 2023 Series - Our Predictions for ESC 2023 1:40:20

2 years ago1:40:20

1:40:20

Hello again! After acting like juries diring the last episodes, now we are going to talk about our predictions for Eurovision Song Contest 2023. Javier, Didrik and Lukas will talk about who can qualify for the finals, who can give the surprise qualifying or not or who will win the semis. And of course, we will try to foretell who is going to win the Crystal Microphone and the top 5. This episode was recorded just when the rehearsals began, so we did not have any clue about how the vocals or the the stagings were. In any case, as we usually see, don't take us too seriously.…

Eurovision from A to Z

1
The 2023 Series - Big 5 and Host and Final Score 1:07:06

2 years ago1:07:06