As the Thoroughly Good Eurovision bus makes its long and windy journey through the myriad of offerings, there are one or two things are slowly becoming clear to me. I am beginning to enjoy this massive process rather more than I thought I would. And I'm beginning to remember useless facts, useless scores and random song titles. I am, at last, embracing the inner geek.
Take Albania's efforts, for example. I know little about Albania and can recall even less about the last few years output from the Eurovision machine. That's why listening to some of the songs from the Thoroughly Good thirties I've found myself pleasantly reacquainted with some forgotten joys. Sure, they probably won't meet the exacting standards of some who read and consume this (there's only a handful - don't be misled) but some of these numbers do strike up some interesting memories.
Not so with this one. I don't really recall Albania's entry from 2005, quite possibly because it was lost in what I imagine I regarded back then as a sea of quite similar sounding tracks.
Whilst "Tomorrow I Go" starts off pretty well (in my book at least), it's not long before my attention is waning. The melody doesn't hold up against the whistling criteria I tested it against this afternoon (it just sounds crap when I whistle it - even the builders on the second floor of the office gave me funny looks when I passed them) and it's clear that gorgeous singer Ledina Celo struggles to deliver a strong enough performance.
But there's one thing which sticks in my mind the most about this little parade and that is the inexplicably dull and ultimately pointless choreography. I can forgive the balloon pants passing as ethnic dress but why on earth have six dancers on stage leaping around with fake violins ? It just don't work love. Sorry.
Ultimately however, every time I listen to the song (don't get me wrong, I have watched this video a few times as well) it's also painfully close to My Number One from Helena Paparizou which as we all know now won for Greece the same year.
Poor old Ledina never stood a chance. No surprises she came 16th with a grand total of 53 points. Still, she could have done worse. She could have come lower than the UK that year. But let's not go there. At least, not yet.
Final place: 16/24
Final score: 53
4 comments:
Now, I've always thought that this one was underrated by just about everybody. In a year awash with songs full of heavy drum sounds, this was one of the best by quite a margin.
Unfortunately, it was nobbled by two very unfortunate things. Firstly, the English lyrics are terrible, failing to rhyme and making almost zero sense (how on earth does getting married inspire one to "lift the drum" or "celebrate the dance within"?!?)
But as you rightly point out, this had some of the worst choreography ever seen at Eurovision, and that's saying something. The opening is pretty good - but whoever it was who thought four girls in balloon pants not even attempting to look like playing violins ultimately being wrapped in red fabric was a good idea should be committed.
For all that, it's still in the lower reaches of my top 10 for 2005. And I think Ledina gives a fine vocal performance.
Ah yes...the di-di-da, di-di-da song. I think the combination of the tune and her slightly shrill voice has always just got on my nerves. At the end of it I find myself reaching for the ibuprofen. It's the archetypal pain in the Balkans.
Another one to gloss over really. I'm looking forward to you getting past the letter A. (Actually there are lot better As coming up!!)
"It's the archetypal pain in the Balkans."
This corny joke demands you be shot between the eyes.
No blindfold thank you, I'll take it like a man.
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