gooddelta

RontBet odds: Winner contenders 3/1 FARC ✦ Sumner - Stranded 4/1 Kluminican Republic ✦ anamē - Anywhere (Road Trippin') 5/1 Ajanaeda ✦ Rebecca Black - Twist The Knife 7/1 Neliönoir ✦ Ninajirachi - All I Am 8/1 Mothertopia ✦ SASAMI - I'll Be Gone Top 10 contenders 9/1 Jadakissnia ✦ Kraftwerk - Europe Endless (100th Anniversary) 9/1 Cor Lupus ✦ CHUNG HA - STRESS (100th Anniversary) 9/1 Altyr Muunilinst ✦ flowerovlove - I've seen ur ex 12/1 Kathaldazia ✦ Nuxx Vomica - No Money (TRIGGER WARNING GUNS) 12/1 Danæviia ✦ Simian Mobile Disco - Hustler 12/1 Bøtanikkä ✦ Sam Quealy - Watch Me Now (Queen Of The Night) 12/1 POPHub ✦ Lu.Re - Take Me Up 14/1 FSR Rontvia ✦ PUNCHBAG - f*** It 14/1 Summericia ✦ David Holmes - It's Over, If We Run Out Of Love (feat. Raven Violet) 14/1 Aeroche ✦ ABSOLUTE. - Stuck In Love 16/1 Elëdan ✦ Ohota - Everything Is As It Should Be 16/1 Oslol ✦ Deane - Keep Dancing To The Music 20/1 Cumulonimbia ✦ Regularfantasy - So Sweet (Spriitzz Radio Edit) 22/1 Land of DW ✦ Greg Willen & M¥SS KETA - GUTEN MORGEN 25/1 Hendinia ✦ Nova May - BIG FAT MONSTA TRUCK 25/1 Jupiterdonia ✦ John Summit - Focus (feat. CLOVES) I'll leave it there but can't rule out big things for loads of others, like The Spodic Empire, Trifoski, Kylienips, Singerpurear...

Easily Sergio, this version is really annoying. I quite liked the Echobeatz top 10 dance version in 1998.

Max Graham now I think. A decent version though.

Sean Paul again, it used to be quite fun in a clubbing setting but I'd never put it on out of choice.

Some of the previously vastly overpriced Corrs records have dropped in price on Amazon if anybody is still looking. White Light and Home a steal at little over £13, Borrowed Heaven and Jupiter Calling around £20, In Blue £32 and Talk On Corners still over £50 for some reason.

Going for Eva, I really like her version of that, it's very tender. That's not the first cover of Dreams I would choose to listen to on the other hand.

The usual absences of Madonna, MJ, Depeche Mode etc but this is a very solid effort. A lot more cheese to fit on than usual so they've packed out the back end of a few of these discs. Interested at the lack of Jive Bunny, only re-records of their big hits are available now, but Now have traditionally used those on compilations anyway.

Out on 25th April apparently...

Vote for the siblings from FSR Rontvia, their mother would be so proud on such a momentous day!

Just for fun, I was just thinking how different the 1998-2008 era could have been with juries in the mix. It was a bit of a wild west era for Eurovision, with televote magnets being the name of the game for many years, loads of novelty entries and more elaborate staging and presentation with bigger and bigger hosting venues, turning the contest on its head and sowing the seeds for what it's like today. As an example, I've been listening to 2002 today and came up with the following possible revision if juries had been voting. But for anyone watching at the time (or who has watched any of these contest back), I'm interested in what you think could have changed in the televote era if it had always been a 50/50 split. Televote (we know how this turned out): Latvia: Marie N - I Wanna Malta: Ira Losco - 7th Wonder United Kingdom: Jessica Garlick - Come Back (joint 3rd) Estonia: Sahlene - Runaway (joint 3rd) France: Sandrine François - Il Faut Du Temps Cyprus: One - Gimme Spain: Rosa - Europe's Living A Celebration Sweden: Afro-dite - Never Let It Go Romania: Monica Anghel & Marcel Pavel - Monica Anghel & Marcel Pavel Russia: Prime minister - Northern Girl Croatia: Vesna Pisarovic - Everything I Want Israel: Sarit Hadad - Light A Candle Bosnia & Herzegovina: Maja - Na jastuku za dvoje Belgium: Sergio & the Ladies - Sister Slovenia: Sestre - Samo ljubezen Turkey: Buket Bengisu & Safir - Leylaklar soldu kalbinde Greece: Michalis Rakintzis - S.A.G.A.P.O. Austria: Manuel Ortega - Say A Word North Macedonia: Karolina - Od Nas Zavisi Finland: Laura - Addicted to You Germany: Corinna May - I Can't Live Without Music Switzerland: Francine Jordi - Dans le jardin de mon âme Lithuania: Aivaras - Happy You Denmark: Malene - Tell Me Who You Are Jury (rough assumption): France: Sandrine François - Il Faut Du Temps United Kingdom: Jessica Garlick - Come Back Sweden: Afro-dite - Never Let It Go Malta: Ira Losco - 7th Wonder Estonia: Sahlene - Runaway Germany: Corinna May - I Can't Live Without Music Israel: Sarit Hadad - Light A Candle Spain: Rosa - Europe's Living A Celebration Romania: Monica Anghel & Marcel Pavel - Tell Me Why Latvia: Marie N - I Wanna Austria: Manuel Ortega - Say A Word Switzerland: Francine Jordi - Dans le jardin de mon âme Finland: Laura - Addicted to You Croatia: Vesna Pisarovic - Everything I Want Turkey: Buket Bengisu & Safir - Leylaklar soldu kalbinde Lithuania: Aivaras - Happy You Denmark: Malene - Tell Me Who You Are North Macedonia: Karolina - Od Nas Zavisi Cyprus: One - Gimme Bosnia & Herzegovina: Maja - Na jastuku za dvoje Russia: Prime minister - Northern Girl Slovenia: Sestre - Samo ljubezen Belgium: Sergio & the Ladies - Sister Greece: Michalis Rakintzis - S.A.G.A.P.O. Overall: United Kingdom: Jessica Garlick - Come Back Malta: Ira Losco - 7th Wonder France: Sandrine François - Il Faut Du Temps Latvia: Marie N - I Wanna Estonia: Sahlene - Runaway Sweden: Afro-dite - Never Let It Go Spain: Rosa - Europe's Living A Celebration Israel: Sarit Hadad - Light A Candle Romania: Monica Anghel & Marcel Pavel - Tell Me Why Croatia: Vesna Pisarovic - Everything I Want Cyprus: One - Gimme Germany: Corinna May - I Can't Live Without Music Austria: Manuel Ortega - Say A Word Russia: Prime minister - Northern Girl Turkey: Buket Bengisu & Safir - Leylaklar soldu kalbinde Finland: Laura - Addicted to You Switzerland: Francine Jordi - Dans le jardin de mon âme Bosnia & Herzegovina: Maja - Na jastuku za dvoje Slovenia: Sestre - Samo ljubezen Belgium: Sergio & the Ladies - Sister Denmark: Malene - Tell Me Who You Are North Macedonia: Karolina - Od Nas Zavisi Greece: Michalis Rakintzis - S.A.G.A.P.O. Lithuania: Aivaras - Happy You Thoughts: UK and France did so well anyway on the public vote and clearly would have dominated a jury vote. Both were fanastic singers, Jessica with a belting voice and Sandrine in the Celine mould would likely have won the jury, with UK squeaking past overall due to the higher televote. I still think Malta would have been high in the mix for the jury, as it was a charming, well delivered song with a strong performance. Latvia wouldn't not have done hugely well on the jury, but probably fine enough for her televote win to only drop her to 4th overall. With Sweden and Estonia clearly being jury favourites too. Germany were the favourites going into 2002, even up to the night of the contest and I think juries would have listened to that hype enough to put them high, as they'd have no knowledge of the cool public reception to it. Personal ranking of 2002: Amazing: Malta: Ira Losco - 7th Wonder (still an all-time favourite, this was Malta's time to shine, robbed!) United Kingdom: Jessica Garlick - Come Back (One of the UK's best 21st century entries, Jessica sung the hell out of this and managed top three even despite performing 2nd, I always wonder where it would have been with a late draw like Latvia and Malta had!) Germany: Corinna May - I Can't Live Without Music (poor robbed Corinna, I was happy with its odds and couldn't believe how the public treated this fine schlager </3) Estonia: Sahlene - Runaway (I Believe I Can Fly part 2, but who can resist infectious Sahlene) Great: Croatia: Vesna Pisarovic - Everything I Want (loved this, Croatia had some great pop in the 90s and 00s) France: Sandrine François - Il Faut Du Temps (So classy, just like 2001 although not quite as good) Denmark: Malene - Tell Me Who You Are (last place? This was one of the few actually strong songs of the night, very slick track) Good: Spain: Rosa - Europe's Living A Celebration (good fun although Rosa deserved a more impressive song really) Sweden: Afro-dite - Never Let It Go (not a Sweden fave of mine to be quite honest, but still decent in a weak line-up overall) North Macedonia: Karolina - Od Nas Zavisi (I quite liked most of Macedonia's early-mid 00s entries) Switzerland: Francine Jordi - Dans le jardin de mon âme (quite a charming schlager ballad) Finland: Laura - Addicted to You Slovenia: Sestre - Samo ljubezen Average: Latvia: Marie N - I Wanna (one of the worst winners...fun performance and an early example of staging helping somebody to victory imo, the song doesn't have a lot going for it) Israel: Sarit Hadad - Light A Candle Cyprus: One - Gimme Lithuania: Aivaras - Happy You Austria: Manuel Ortega - Say A Word (All Right Now wants its melody back) Turkey: Buket Bengisu & Safir - Leylaklar soldu kalbinde Russia: Prime minister - Northern Girl Bosnia & Herzegovina: Maja - Na jastuku za dvoje Romania: Monica Anghel & Marcel Pavel - Tell Me Why (very dull, overwrought, dated ballad, surprised it went top ten on the televote) Awful: Greece: Michalis Rakintzis - S.A.G.A.P.O. (so awful) Belgium: Sergio & the Ladies - Sister (yet not as terminal as this, Belgium had some horrors in the 00s and 10s)

Sean Paul! I love all of the others, great round.

Aurora, I adored that version. On paper it could have been a mess but it worked really well.

I always preferred Love Story at the time, and still do now, but happy that Kelly got her No.1! I just wish it had been with something from Breakaway.

Cool and Remedy were both brilliant. I think with Hunter the album had just sold too much for any other singles to be huge, but it’s a great song.

The fourth batch, my absolute favourite is Close Cover, such a stirring version. I loved it so much that I got my keyboard tutor (I was learning at the time) to write the sheet music up for me, which they did. I loved learning that. I sent the original version by Wim Mertens to BJSC in 2019 and it came top ten, which was nice, as it’s such a lovely piece. I’ve not got a huge amount of other favourites from that group but I did enjoy Sexual Guarantee although it relied very heavily on a disco sample that I’ve heard in loads of other songs. Alcazar had far better to come, but their best songs weren’t released in the UK (apart from Crying At The Discotheque). Been There Done That is one of those ten-a-penny cheap sounding pop/R&B girlband songs that were absolutely everywhere in the early 00s, surprised labels were still funding this sort of thing for so long! And gosh, that Rik Waller cover was blander than bland. I didn’t even think he had a particularly nice to listen to voice, the hype around him was way too much. Good to see On The Run top the fifth batch, I bought this at the time and still really love it, sadly Tillmann passed away in 2011. It deserved to peak so much higher. I must admit, I actually loved That Day, but agree it was a weird choice of lead single for Natalie and derailed that campaign, a slightly breathless and wordy song. Wrong Impression is super catchy and a clear radio hit, glad she got a top ten from it. A New Day Has Come was a lovely track from Celine, particularly the uptempo radio mix moreso than the ballad album version for me. It’s cool that Celine still managed such a successful album in 2002 (I’m Alive being more popular now than it ever was then too) as I just relate her to the 90s really (and her 80s Eurovision win). That J.Lo remix project was a curious beast, they were basically new songs with the same titles. I thought the Ain’t It Funny mix was pretty good though. Me Julie was a dire number, but a bit of an earworm too. Glad it didn’t get to No.1 though, Shaggy kept that 2001 renaissance going for a lot longer than I thought he would! And the final batch, yes I completely agree about the wonderful Mindcircus being best. I love this underrated track so much that I sent it to BJSC in March 2020, just as we were going into the Covid lockdown, it was quite comforting for me during that period, the song is like a nostalgic musical hug. It came 18th in BJSC. I think Fly By II and Insatiable tie as my second favourite. That is definitely one of Blue’s best and still one radio regularly rinse now. And that was a really solid solo hit for Darren Hayes, with an interesting chart run, it seemed to linger around the top 20 for some time and that helped it to a solid position on the end of year chart above some No.1s. I thought Home and Dry was a bit weak as far as PSB leads go, certainly not one of my favourites, nor was the parent album. And Freeek! was a very weak George Michael track for me musically, although clearly quite interesting lyrically and the production seemed quite futuristic sounding, inspired by US R&B of the time. And finally, Gareth Gates…an extremely poor, sanitised cover just like Robson & Jerome’s version. But clearly this was coming out one way or another as it was so popular for Gareth on Pop Idol. If he had won the contest and released Evergreen/Anything Is Possible, then presumably this would have been the follow-up single in short order to capitalise.