The Final

Welcome to the final of The Eurovision That Never Was 2013!

Congratulations to all of the qualifiers and thanks to everyone else who has taken part so far - there's a list of you all below! Everyone should read the information about voting before doing so.

Here's the list of entries in this year's final (courtesy random.org).

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01 Monaco 1972 - C'est ma prière (Mike Brant)
02 The Netherlands 1980 - Pierrot (Bonnie St. Claire)
03 Finland 1977 - Verushka (Hanne)
04 United Kingdom 1975 - My Little Lady (The Tremeloes)
05 Greece 1997 - Ley ley ley (Giannis Kotsiras)
06 The Netherlands 1976 - Rock'n'Roll Star (Champagne)
07 United Kingdom 1961 - Walkin' Back To Happiness (Helen Shapiro)
08 Spain 1978 - Cara de gitana (Daniel Magal)
09 Norway 2010 - Scared Of Heights (Espen Lind)
10 Germany 1968 - Du mußt mit den Wimpern klimpern (Renate Kern)
11 Estonia 2012 - Melyse (Iiris)
12 Italy 1960 - Il cielo in una stanza (Mina)
13 Armenia 2012 - Haya haya (Kristina Shahiryan)
14 Bosnia and Herzegovina 1973 - Zbogom ili doviđenja (Kemal Monteno)
15 Yugoslavia 1988 - Kakva noć (Svi na ples) (Neki To Vole Vruće)
16 Germany 1972 - Willst du mit mir geh'n (Daliah Lavi)
17 Czechoslovakia 1969 - Hrom aby do tě, lásko má (Eva Pilarová)

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And here's the links to download them if you want to again separately...

General link: http://www.multiupload.nl/LG1ZRDVILR
Noah's link: www.eurobosniamp3.com/etnw/ETNW_2013_Final.zip

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Voting

1. If your entry is in the final, you must vote. If you don't, your entry will be disqualified, regardless of what it's result would have been. (It'll also be disqualified if you tell anyone which entry is yours prior to the revelations!)

2. Voting is also open to sponsors whose entries didn't qualify from the semis, and non-participants.

3. Voting is in Eurovision style: 1-8, 10 & 12 points. And you can't vote for your own entry, obviously.

4. The email address to send your votes to is the same as ever: etnw2013@gmail.com.

5. The deadline for voting in the final is next Wednesday 6 February.

6. Remember that you are not simply voting for your favourite entries: your main criteria should still be how authentic you feel the entries are (i.e. how good a match they are for the year + country combination). But if you find 10 entries you think are all good matches, it then basically comes down to taste :)

7. The results show next Thursday 7 February will probably be 'live' again, like last year - which means that everyone who votes in the final should make the effort to be available to give their votes themselves on the night. More info on this in due course.

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Good luck to all of the sponsors...

Adonis
Arvid
Bobbo
Boris
Costas
FestiFan
Frank
Haris
Jaymakk
Jonas
Juan
Julie
Lobo
Nikke
Thomas
Stefan
...and, er, me :)

...and commiserations to the sponsors of the non-qualifiers:

Albania 1988 - Nuk e harroj (Irma & Eranda) – Harrow
Austria 2002 - This Is My Time (Sasha) – PaulieB
Belgium 2002 - Real Life (Pascale Feront) – Tricoloricity
Belgium 2004 - I've Only Begun To Fight (Natalia) – Geert
Estonia 2006 - Why (Zandra) – danniiboy
France 1978 - Je suis toutes les femmes (Dalida) – Egle
France 1989 - Hélène (Roch Voisine) – DimiSpice
France 2007 - Aime-moi (Perle Lama) – KevinFrance
Greece 1998 - Fila me (Rififi) – Anthi
Israel 2000 - Zikukim (Moshe Perez) – Harri
Malta 2009 - Feeling Better (Malika Ayane) – Nikosextra
Monaco 1969 - 69... Année érotique (Gainsbourg & Birkin) – PeteD
Sweden 2001 - Higher (Peter Jöback) – BenUK
UK 1990 - There's Got To Be A Way (Mariah Carey) – Maoz (DISQUALIFIED)
UK 2001 - I Like The Idea (Di-Mico) – Roger
UK 2012 - What Makes You Beautiful (One Direction) – ThomNL
Yugoslavia 1984 - Jabuke i vino (Zana & Željko Bebek) – Noah

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I hope you'll all still vote - and that everyone enjoys the final!

Semi 2

Welcome to the  2nd semi-final of ETNW 2013!

Below you will find a list of the entries in this semi and a link to the multi-upload site to download them. The songs should also go up on Noah's site shortly - I'll add that link ASAP. (Thanks again, Noah!)

If anyone has any grievances, please contact me directly at the email address you submitted your entries to instead of (or at least before) raising them on the MB.

Before we start, though, a reminder again about voting...

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Voting

1. If your entry is in this semi, you must vote. If you don't, your entry will be disqualified, regardless of whether it would have qualified or not.

2. Voting is also open to sponsors whose entries are in the other semi and non-participants.

3. Voting is in Eurovision style: 1-8, 10 & 12 points. You can't vote for your own entry.

4. The email address to send your votes to is the same as the one you submitted your entry to: etnw2013@gmail.com. Please make your subject line something like "Frank's Semi 2 votes".

5. The deadline for voting in Semi 2 is next Tuesday 29 January.

6. Remember that you are not simply voting for your favourite entries: your main criteria should still be how authentic you feel the entries are (i.e. how good a match they are for the year + country combination). For example, if you listen to one song and think "yep, that sounds exactly like what a Montenegrin entry in 1958 would have been like" and then another and think "I like that more than the Montenegro 1958 entry, but it's not as good a match", Montenegro 1958 - or whatever it is - should still get higher points. Then again, you might find 10 entries that you think are all good matches, in which case it then more or less comes down to taste ;) Take a look at the bios below for further details on each entry and why their sponsors think they make good matches.

The top 8 entries from each semi will qualify for the final plus the highest-scoring 9th placed song, to make a final - just like the semis - of 17 songs. Symmetry, symmetry... all is symmetry!

Did I miss anything? Let me know/ask if I have. Enjoy listening and voting, and good luck to all of the sponsors!

Oh, and remember that voting is still open for Semi 1 :)

Now, onto the songs...

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SEMI 2

01 Germany 1972 - Willst du mit mir geh'n (Daliah Lavi)
02 Monaco 1969 - 69... Année érotique (Serge Gainsbourg & Jane Birkin)
03 The Netherlands 1976 - Rock'n'Roll Star (Champagne)
04 France 1989 - Hélène (Roch Voisine)
05 Belgium 2002 - Real Life (Pascale Feront)
06 Spain 1978 - Cara de gitana (Daniel Magal)
07 Yugoslavia 1984 - Jabuke i vino (Zana & Željko Bebek)
08 France 2007 - Aime-moi (Perle Lama)
09 United Kingdom 2012 - What Makes You Beautiful (One Direction)
10 Greece 1997 - Ley ley ley (Giannis Kotsiras)
11 Albania 1988 - Nuk e harroj (Irma & Eranda)
12 Estonia 2006 - Why (Zandra)
13 Norway 2010 - Scared Of Heights (Espen Lind)
14 United Kingdom 2001 - I Like The Idea (Di-Mico)
15 Finland 1977 - Verushka (Hanne)
16 United Kingdom 1975 - My Little Lady (The Tremeloes)
17 Italy 1960 - Il cielo in una stanza (Mina)

Download link: http://www.multiupload.nl/SDL4KKT1W3

And Noah's link: www.eurobosniamp3.com/etnw/ETNW_2013_Semi_2.zip

And here are the bios...

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Germany 1972

Willst du mit mir geh'n - Daliah Lavi

Willst du mit mir geh'n was released by Israeli-born singer Daliah Lavi in 1971. Of Russian and German Jewish heritage, she was the most successful Jew in the German charts in the '70s and could easily have joined the likes of Katja Ebstein and Conny Froboess (and fellow foreigners such as Siw Malmkvist and Ireen Sheer) in the Eurovision Hall of Fame for the country. This song is one of her biggest schlagers and fits the style of German entries at the time.

Monaco 1969

69... Année érotique - Serge Gainsbourg & Jane Birkin

69... Année érotique was released by French/British duo Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin in (you guessed it) 1969. After his previous successes, Gainsbourg was again approached by TMC for an entry – which initially faced disqualification by the EBU for its sexually-charged nature. However, the powers that be soon relented when TMC threatened to replace the duo with a ghastly child in a blue suit singing about his mother.

 

The Netherlands 1976

Rock'n'Roll Star - Champagne

Rock'n'Roll Star was released by the Dutch band Champagne in 1976. They themselves have no Eurovision affiliation, but the composer would go on to take part in the Dutch national final. The Netherlands were on a wave of entering commercial, chart-oriented pop by successful artists at this time, and had a keen eye for trends (like ABBA, Champagne consists of two couples), so this top 3 hit in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany would have fitted in nicely.

 

France 1989

Hélène - Roch Voisine

Hélène was released by Canadian singer Roch Voisine in 1989 and became a huge hit in France and around the world. That year the French actually imported their entrant from Belgium, so if they'd looked a little further afield they might have found this singer and song. With its proper '80s melody and arrangement it would arguably have been a lot better than what they did send, too!

 

Belgium 2002

Real Life - Pascale Feront

Real Life was released by little-known Flemish singer Pascale Feront in 2002 – an unknown name being nothing unusual for ESC artists in Belgium. She is (or at least was) known on the dance scene, having been the vocalist with '90s dance act Absolom, and once made a record with Kate Ryan.

 

Spain 1978

Cara de gitana - Daniel Magal

Cara de gitana was released by Argentinean singer Daniel Magal in 1978. What's that you say ? A South American artist representing Spain? Well, it wouldn't be the first time (1964), and it wouldn't be the last (1979). And if you require any more convincing, scroll to 00:26. Can't beat that Eurovision sound!

 

Yugoslavia 1984

Jabuke i vino - Zana & Željko Bebek

Jabuke i vino was released by the band Zana featuring Željko Bebek in 1983. A slightly new-wave pop song with festival sound overtones, it fits snugly into the mid-'80s Yugoslav attempts to bring to the stage something contemporary but which could also be considered classic in its sound. Zana would make a couple of appearances in Yugoslav finals during the decade.

 

France 2007

Aime-moi - Perle Lama

Aime-moi was released by Martinique-born singer Perle Lama in 2007. She started singing at the age of 14 and soon made a name for herself in the musical style known as Zouk, which is typical of the Caribbean island. With many hit singles and four albums under her belt, she could well have been a likely choice by France TV, given their love of diversity.

 

United Kingdom 2012

What Makes You Beautiful - One Direction

What Makes You Beautiful was released by English/Irish boyband One Direction in 2011. When pondering their approach for 2012 the BBC considered a performer with years of stage experience (“We could send Engelbert Humperdinck – Europe loves him!”), but upon advice from the target audience (“Dear BBC, Please send One Direction, Love, Random teenager”) they thought: “Oh, OK. Why not.”

 

Greece 1997

Ley ley ley - Giannis Kotsiras

Ley ley ley was released by Greek singer Giannis Kotsiras in 1996. Greece was not sending well-known artists to ESC during this period, but while Kostiras is quite big in the country now, he was only just starting his career at the time of this song's release, which came from his first album. It has very strong ethnic elements, just like the songs Greece sent to the contest in the mid-'90s.

 

Albania 1988

Nuk e harroj - Irma & Eranda

Nuk e harroj was released by Albanian sisters Irma and Eranda Libohova in 1987 and was the winning entry in Festival i Këngës 26. Since Albania has always used this show to select their Eurovision entry, it stands to reason that had they been able to enter earlier, they would have done the same then.

 

Estonia 2006

Why - Zandra

Why was released by Swedish singer Zandra in 2006. Although she has no Eurovision connection bar having performed on stage with Charlotte Perrelli and Pernilla Wahlgren and having joined an ABBA tribute band since abandoning her short-lived solo career, the chances of Estonia choosing her and this song – given their track record at the time – are pretty good. Reminiscent as it is of Vanilla Ninja. And not being that far away from Gerli Padar.

 

Norway 2010

Scared Of Heights - Espen Lind

Scared Of Heights was released by Norwegian singer Espen Lind in 2008. Although he has no connection to Eurovision, his song somehow feels like a natural (and better) successor to Rybak's shenanigans from 2009. It may be slightly long, but being as repetitive as it is it could easily be cut down to fit the three-minute rule.

 

United Kingdom 2001

I Like The Idea - Di-Mico

I Like The Idea was released by Norwegian band Di-Mico in 2001. True, it's unlikely the UK would have chosen a group from Norway, but listen to it – it doesn't sound Norwegian, does it? It might possibly sound a bit Danish, but more than anything it's what the UK thinks sounds Eurovision. Besides, it's not like there's no precedent for Scandinavian acts in Song For Europe finals...

 

Finland 1977

Verushka - Hanne

Verushka was released by Finnish singer Hanne in 1977. It actually won the Finnish national final inn 1977, narrowly beating the big favourite Lapponia. It would go on to end 9^th in London, largely thanks to the 12 points it received from Norway and Czechoslovakia. In Finland Verushka is considered one of the country's best Eurovision entries, although many feel that Lapponia would have fared better.

 

United Kingdom 1975

My Little Lady - The Tremeloes

My Little Lady was released by UK band The Tremeloes in 1968. Like The Shadows, the Tremeloes were still together and releasing records in the mid-'70s, were a household name in the UK and would have been known in Europe. While they have no connection to Eurovision, I feel their song is a plausible bridge between Long Live Love and Save Your Kisses For Me – it has a simple, upbeat tune and lyrics, typical of UK entries of the time, and even a 'lalalal' bit!

 

Italy 1960

Il cielo in una stanza - Mina

Il cielo in una stanza was released by Italian singer Mina in 1960. Although neither she nor the song had any connection to Eurovision, its success eclipsed that of the San Remo winner and Italian entry from that year, Romantica, and it would go on to become the biggest hit in Italy of 1960. Could it have inspired the songwriters behind later Italian winner Non ho l'eta?

Semi 1

Welcome to the 1st semi-final of ETNW 2013!

Below you will find a list of the entries in this semi and a link to the multi-upload site to download them. The songs should also go up on Noah's site shortly - I'll add that link ASAP. (Thanks as ever, Noah!)

If anyone has any grievances, please contact me directly at the email address you submitted your entries to instead of (or at least before) raising them on the MB. Oh, and if your entry isn't in this semi, it's obviously in the other one ;)

Before we start, though, a reminder about voting...

----------

Voting

1. If your entry is in this semi, you must vote. If you don't, your entry will be disqualified, regardless of whether it would have qualified or not.

2. Voting is also open to sponsors whose entries are in the other semi and non-participants.

3. Voting is in Eurovision style: 1-8, 10 & 12 points. You can't vote for your own entry.

4. The email address to send your votes to is the same as the one you submitted your entry to: etnw2013@gmail.com. Please make your subject line something like "Anthi's Semi 1 votes".

5. The deadline for voting in Semi 1 is next Sunday 27 January.

6. Remember that you are not simply voting for your favourite entries: your main criteria should still be how authentic you feel the entries are (i.e. how good a match they are for the year + country combination). For example, if you listen to one song and think "yep, that sounds exactly like what a Portuguese entry in 1999 would have been like" and then another and think "I like that more than the Portugal 1999 entry, but it's not as good a match", Portugal 1999 - or whatever it is - should still get higher points. Then again, you might find 10 entries that you think are all good matches, in which case it then more or less comes down to taste ;) Take a look at the bios below for further details on each entry and why their sponsors think they make good matches.

The top 8 entries from each semi will qualify for the final plus the highest-scoring 9th placed song, to make a final - just like the semis - of 17 songs. I'm nothing if not symmetrical!

Did I miss anything? Let me know/ask if I have. Enjoy listening and voting, and good luck to all of the sponsors!

Now, onto the songs...

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SEMI 1

01 Israel 2000 - Zikukim (Moshe Perez)
02 France 1978 - Je suis toutes les femmes (Dalida)
03 The Netherlands 1980 - Pierrot (Bonnie St. Claire)
04 Czechoslovakia 1969 - Hrom aby do tě, lásko má (Eva Pilarová)
05 Malta 2009 - Feeling Better (Malika Ayane)
06 Sweden 2001 - Higher (Peter Jöback)
07 United Kingdom 1990 - There's Got To Be A Way (Mariah Carey)
08 Estonia 2012 - Melyse (Iiris)
09 Germany 1968 - Du mußt mit den Wimpern klimpern (Renate Kern)
10 Yugoslavia 1988 - Kakva noć (Svi na ples) (Neki To Vole Vruće)
11 Monaco 1972 - C'est ma prière (Mike Brant)
12 Austria 2002 - This Is My Time (Sasha)
13 United Kingdom 1961 - Walkin' Back To Happiness (Helen Shapiro)
14 Belgium 2004 - I've Only Begun To Fight (Natalia)
15 Armenia 2012 - Haya haya (Kristina Shahiryan)
16 Greece 1998 - Fila me (Rififi)
17 Bosnia and Herzegovina 1973 - Zbogom ili doviđenja (Kemal Monteno)

Download link: http://www.multiupload.nl/ZHFESGA6VD

And Noah's link: www.eurobosniamp3.com/etnw/ETNW_2013_Semi_1.zip

And here are the bios...

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Israel 2000
Zikukim - Moshe Perez
Zikukim was released by Israeli singer Moshe Perez in 2011. While it has no connection to Eurovision, it is a very Israel-at-Eurovision song and could suit just about any year from 1970 onwards – but especially 2000. Though Same'ach wasn't a joke entry as such, I'd forgotten how bad Ping Pong really were (even worse than Scooch!), and I wish they'd sent something like Zikukim to match the level of quality of the other songs that year.

France 1978
Je suis toutes les femmes - Dalida

Je suis toutes les femmes was released by Egyptian-born Italian singer Dalida in 1978. Having lived most of her adult life in France, and singing almost all of her songs in French, Dalida would undoubtedly have sung for the country if she'd entered Eurovision. She may well have challenged for a successive title for France in 1978, snapping up 12 points from Italy (whose 1959 entry Ciao, ciao bambina was a regular feature of her repertoire) and other countries.
 

 

The Netherlands 1980

Pierrot - Bonnie St. Claire

Pierrot was released by Dutch singer Bonnie St. Claire in1980, two years before the last of her three national final appearances. People in the Netherlands were unhappy with the internal selection of Amsterdam and didn't rate it as a song, while Pierrot was ten times the hit that year's ESC entry proved to be. To me it also sounds like a worthy successor to Mallemolen and a prelude to Het is een wonder.

 

Czechoslovakia 1969

Hrom aby do tě, lásko má - Eva Pilarová 

Hrom aby do tě, lásko má was released by Czech singer Eva Pilarová in 1969. Czechoslovakia showed a couple of ESCs back in the '60s and, had politics allowed it, would surely have taken part. They regularly sent artists to international festivals, as they did with Eva Pilarová and this song, to the 'Golden Cock' in Rio de Janeiro. And if it could be sent there, it could just as easily have been sent to Madrid.

 

Malta 2009

Feeling Better - Malika Ayane

Feeling Better was released by Moroccan-Italian singer Malika Ayane in 2008. After another disappointing result the previous year, she was poached by Malta while taking part in San Remo. However, they favoured this song over her San Remo entry, feeling its happy-clappy sound was better suited to Eurovision and more in line with their own more successful entries of the early 2000s.

 

Sweden 2001

Higher - Peter Jöback

Higher was released by Swedish singer Peter Jöback in 2000, ten years before he would appear in the line-up of Melodifestivalen. The song is a strong example of the ABBA-tinged Scandipop that the Nordic countries were entering in the early noughties, and I feel that it would have scored a top 5 finish for Sweden in Copenhagen.

 

United Kingdom 1990

There's Got To Be A Way - Mariah Carey

There's Got To Be A Way was released by American singer Mariah Carey in 1990. She obviously has no connection to Eurovision, but with lyrics like “...maybe then the future will be a time without war, destitution and sorrow and the hungry children won't have to die”, how could it not fit? The melody, key changes and big finish don't hurt either.

 

Estonia 2012

Melyse - Iiris

Melyse was released by two-time Eesti laul entrant Iiris in 2012. It feels really Estonian.

 

Germany 1968

Du mußt mit den Wimpern klimpern - Renate Kern

Du mußt mit den Wimpern klimpern was released by German singer Renate Kern in 1968 – eight years before she sought to revive her flagging career by attempting (unsuccessfully) to enter the national final for Eurovision. But as one of the rising stars of schlager that year, riding high on a top ten hit, she would have been a logical and for that matter home-grown alternative to Wencke's Ein Hoch der Liebe.

 

Yugoslavia 1988

Kakva noć (Svi na ples) - Neki To Vole Vruće

Kakva noć was released by Croatian band Neki To Vole Vruće in 1988, five years before they would take part in Dora. The song is a perfect example of late '80s Yugo pop-rock, very similar to what the country sent to Eurovision between 1987 and 1990, and the band are from Croatia – just like the actual Yugoslav entrants from 1987 to 1989.

 

Monaco 1972

C'est ma prière - Mike Brant

C'est ma prière was released by Cypriot-born, Israeli-raised singer Mike Brant in 1972. He began singing English and French songs in resort restaurants, hotels and night clubs as a teenager and would eventually go on to record a French cover version of a San Remo entry that would prove more popular than the original. His musical roots and less than perfect French pronunciation and the cheesy message of this song would have made it perfect for Monaco at ESC!

 

Austria 2002

This Is My Time - Sasha

This Is My Time was released by German singer Sasha in 2002 and would go on to become the FIFA World Cup television theme. Like the Austrian entry it's standing in for, it's a catchy if slightly dated German-sounding pop song with a repetitive but memorable chorus sung in English by a male artist.

 

United Kingdom 1961

Walkin' Back To Happiness - Helen Shapiro

Walkin' Back To Happiness was released by English singer Helen Shapiro in 1961. Given that Shapiro was the UK's undisputed queen of pop at the time and that this song is typical of the sort of light, fluffy pop the country was sending to Eurovision in the early '60s, it's amazing the BBC never apprached her to do the contest. She may well have become Essex's first ESC winner six years before it actually happened!

 

Belgium 2004

I've Only Begun To Fight - Natalia

I've Only Begun To Fight was released by Belgian singer Natalia in 2003. When she entered the national final in 2004 people expected her song to be as good as this, a number one and her biggest hit. Needless to say it wasn't, and people felt this song should have been saved for Eurovision instead. She was the most popular singer in Flanders at the time and would almost certainly have beaten Xandee.

 

Armenia 2012

Haya haya - Kristina Shahiryan

Haya haya was released by Armenian newcomer Kristina Shahiryan in 2011. It's an ethno-pop dance song with a chorus in which the singer repeats a word twice – just like three other Armenian entries. Ms Shahiryan also matches the trend of the country sending new, young female artists to Eurovision. The song is all in Armenian, which they would undoubtedly have gone for in Baku just to stir up controversy.

 

Greece 1998

Fila me - Rififi

Fila me was re-released by Greek band Rififi in 1999 after originally seeing the light of day in 1991. The group have no connection to Eurovision, but their rock stylings make the song a good match for the country's actual entry that year.

 

Bosnia and Herzegovina 1973

Zbogom ili doviđenja - Kemal Monteno

Zbogom ili doviđenja was released by Bosnian singer Kemal Monteno in 1973. He would go on to take part in the Yugoslav semi-finals for Eurovision in 1974 before enjoying widespread success throughout Yugoslavia. The song has a sound typical of Yugoslav entries from this era, and it seems likely that an artist of Monteno's calibre would have sought to represent the federation early in his career.