gooddelta

Kaiser Chiefs. A great track but I really love the other two.

I guess Lucie Jones basically got that treatment in 2017 :(

Yeah, I think Eurovision always had an element of the fun or less serious entries, it's just that social media didn't exist before the mid-00s, so 'going viral' was just how much you were talked about on the news or in public, or if your song charted somewhere. I don't see that anything has really changed in that respect, apart from the outlets and ways that people share their opinions on things. I remember when I was at school everyone spoke about Marie N on the Monday after the contest, just because of her striptease routine, which looks so basic now but was clearly memorable at the time and would have gone viral on social media if it had been a thing then. Even despite the song being such a basic winner musically. Some of the winners of the 10s (plus 2008's Believe) really had me wondering if the spark had gone out a bit from Eurovision, and it was about to turn into who could come up with the glossiest and most polished performance. Måns then obviously upped the staging game too. I'm quite relieved that some of the personality has come back to the contest in the last 5/6 years.

Get ready @Tafty ... The (far superior) single version of Sober is finally on Spotify: @Jade This is the version that won BJSC, if you wouldn't mind updating the Spotify winners playlist ❤️

The Dark Is Rising is indeed a very nice track, I hadn't heard it for a long time before you used it in Bop Idol. Get The Party Started was a definite step up for P!nk in every respect although she outclassed it with other singles from the same (classic) album for me. AM To PM was decent too, Christina Milian had a very solid run of catchy singles. The Land Of Make Believe cover was very by numbers, but it got allSTARS* their only top ten hit so I guess they felt it was what they needed to boost their profile, and it worked in that respect. I probably would have built on the slight credibility boost of Things That Go Bump In The Night and tried to carve out a slightly edgier image rather than releasing something so cheesy (when pop in 2002 was moving away from the cheesiness of 1998-2000 particularly). Had forgotten about that Belinda Carlisle sampling track - it was just ok for me, as are much of the others from that week although Star Guitar is a nice, chilled listen. Of that next batch, Angel is definitely my favourite - unsurprisingly. It was pushed again in 2002 here because Westlife were circulating a cover of it on the music channels (it had a music video but it wasn't released as a single by them). Sarah's original was released in 1997 and was a global hit, and her signature song. Caught In The Middle is a fantastic track and agreed, easily A1's best. A very good example of a pop band moving with the times to continue to score big hits in a changing musical climate that valued more authenticity (surprising that reality TV pop shows were just coming in at this stage, that said). It's just so odd that they released only one more single and then it was all over as this felt like they had a lot of momentum behind them. I really dislike Cry Baby, it's pretty headache-inducing all round for me and it was such a major step down from Groovejet, I don't think its No.40 peak was much of a surprise. Always On Time was a good song, definitely the best Ja Rule and Ashanti pairing, and deserved to be a No.1 over the terrible 2004 song with R Kelly. I didn't remember the E'Voke remix, or know why they were pushing a 2001 remix in 2002, but I still like the original a lot. Hero is fine, a bit overwrought and overdramatic and not sure it deserved to be as huge as it was, but I can see the appeal I suppose, and it was released around Valentine's Day and people always used to latch onto one ballad or another around then (e.g. Whole Again the year before). Crazy Rap was really bad, he should have stayed a one-hit wonder! I didn't mind the Kaci cover, nice that she got a top ten out of it (and climbed into the top ten after debuting at No.11, which was rare in 2002). Overprotected was a srong Britney single for sure (and another that climbed to its peak!). I liked it more than the other singles from this album.

I sent Elsiane back in 2010 with the beautiful Vaporous. Voting for them because it's another really lovely track. The Jewel song is pretty well known, even despite not charting here, but it's a classic for a good reason, absolute beauty from one of the most underrated artists. Wasn't too taken by the Lene Marlin track on first listen.

Confirmed, ooh at the Hex colour, intriguing! Excited for a colourful contest in Kluminican Republic. I've gone for something more poppy and brash this month after three months of sending varying shades of niche to little fanfare.

Is that the only week ever that five British rock acts debuted in the top ten together? Seems like a super stacked week for the genre. Shame The Verve couldn't sneak in a week with that classic, I didn't realise Woolies had Puff Daddy as low as No.6, must have been something of a surprise chart-topper initially then? It's a period of songs that I don't care too much about currently. I used to listen to Coco Jamboo a lot, although it sounded very dated by 1997 as we were so late to it in the UK.

Daniel for sure...

Sounds very catchy with some Eastern influence. The low sales climate will certainly help him out. Although I guess Chappell might initially stand in the way of No.1 with one song or another.

Lady Gaga - MAYHEM Louis Dunford – Be Lucky Joost - Unity Sam Fender – People Watching Antony Szmierek – Service Station At The End Of The Universe Sabrina Carpenter – Short n’ Sweet Abor & Tynna - Bittersüß Tate McRae – So Close To What Nao – Jupiter IDER – Late To The World

There is very little jury bait this year - even less now Sweden and Portugal chose how they did - so don’t count this one out on that metric. I reckon after the first rehearsals UK odds will shorten as I expect the group to put on a great, theatrical performance and pull out a world class vocal, and that is not usually the kind of thing juries ignore. The televote has plenty of other, more instant party stuff to vote for this year so it’s really all up to the jury on this one I expect.

I did wonder if that might surprise, it had about six times the Spotify streams of the next nearest song when I checked so clearly the public were into it. Portugal definitely not a contender now like they might have been with Josh.

This is such a good album, my favourite from Gaga since Born This Way definitely, and that's just the first listen, which was on a drive back home after midnight Friday, so suitably atmospheric. I bought the CD today in HMV and it has a bonus track called Kill For Love which is decent/Michael Jackson vibes (and inserted into the tracklisting after Don't Call Tonight, not placed at the end). Will have to come back to review the other tracks once I've heard them a few more times but I instantly loved Garden Of Eden, Vanish Into You, Killah and How Bad Do U Want Me.

I just remembered the cover I made at the time for the much missed Buzzjack single cover competition 😆 It is a complete car crash of a lead single, a career derailing moment, but I never hated it.

I think this song will go top 40 in the UK! It's so infectious and catchy. John Lundvik rather overperformed in the end. Shame for Saga to come last, especially after she won her heat last week on the age voting thing (but most likely Scarlet had the most votes overall). Dolly Style did very well, I didn't expect the juries to rank them so high. Also Maja actually slayed the public vote a bit in 6th. The juries completely robbed her, she didn't deserve bottom two.

OMG! Yassss! Finally, a song in Swedish! Sweden back up to their rightful place of 1st in my rankings. So amazed the juries didn't kill it off, but also unmarked Måns - shame for him that he didn't bring a great song.

KAJ is the one if they want to stand a chance of winning the Eurovision televote this year, not Måns. Go on, I dare the international juries to back this. Think outside the box for once, fun is great.

Going with S Club 8. Sundown is ok, but I much preferred Fool No More.

Blue I think. I didn't really care for that single, it just always made me want to listen to Gangsta's Paradise instead.

John's is definitely the worst song by a mile, what a generic bore. The public vote could be in single figures for that. Greczula would have been a very credible (and successful) lane for the UK to go down post Sam Ryder. SCARLET really were great. Klara too although she looked lilke she had a few vocal struggles. I love Maja <3 This has been on repeat since the first heat. Hope she doesn't get a bottom two result. Still think it's cool that the lead singer of The Sounds is on here, I'd love to see Nina Persson do it one day (as if).

Major FOMO that I was too busy at work this year to be able to get over to Stockholm for the final Hoping for a KAJ win of the two only real contenders, but that's up to the juries if they wish to screw them over or not. Obsessed with that and Klara's song <3 But as usual, despite looking ropey at times, Sweden have pulled together a stellar line-up for the final.

Daniel for me, I really love Can’t Hold Us Down.

Glorious to win, by a mile!

U2 and Green Day for me.