Allow me to begin by saying that although many Americans may not have heard of the Eurovision Song Contest (at least, as compared to the Australian and South African fans, from what I’ve seen), the few, the proud does in fact extend beyond myself and my co-author (and, of course, you, our lovely reader).  While respected local and national US news (ie Washington Post and New York Times ), media commentary, and entertainment industry sources alike commit the egregious error of framing the contest as a “European” version of American Idol to their readership, we the enlightened ones, however, know that to be utterly preposterous!  It’s actually a Europeanized version of Italian Idol.

Same stylist, different contest. (Sources: Wikimedia Commons and http://www.flickr.com/photos/rayzphotoz/2520021340/)

This may come as a surprise, but several members of our select circle have taken it upon themselves to venture into uncharted pseudo-celebrity waters as North American performers in the ESC.  Yes, you’ve heard me right – people originating from our dear continent have actually traversed a fairly large ocean to represent countries competing in a European song contest!

Now, you may be asking: who are the honorable members of this exclusive club, and what the heck were they doing at Eurovision?   Tricky questions, indeed, but nothing we here at Eurovision America can’t answer.  Let us proceed in a chronological order, from the start of the contest to the start of the current century.

Luxembourg 1979, 1985, 1986

The word says it all: Luxembourg.  Due to the apparent dearth of Luxembourgish pop performers (or perhaps just a preference for other means of expressing Luxembourgishness, which may at least partially explain why they are no longer in the contest, the Grand Duchy of a half-million denizens selected not one, not two, but THREE North American acts to represent them during their 38-year Eurovision tenure.

1979’s entry was Jeane Manson.  Manson brought the true American success story to Eurovision –from being born in Ohio, growing up in Mexico and becoming a Playboy bunny to (naturally) moving to France to obtain a singing career, reality TV show, and YouTube channel.  It was thus only fitting that she represent Luxembourg with “J’ai Déjà Vu Ça Dans Tes Yeux” (“I’ve Already Seen That In Your Eyes”).  Déjà vu indeed…..I could’ve sworn I’ve seen those knights at Spamalot.

In an act representing nearly as many countries as those in the contest, 1985 saw American Diane Solomon represent the Duchy alongside a Dutchwoman, a German, a Briton, a German-Briton and (surprisingly) an actual Luxembourgian as 1/6^th of a group mysteriously known as “The Internationals.”  She had previously hosted a BBC show entitled The Diane Solomon Show and is currently a homeopathy/natural foods specialist.  Though an admirable trilingual cacophony, “Children, Kinder, Enfants” came in an unadmirable 13^th out of 19 entries; Diane is featured on the far right.  Perhaps she should’ve stuck to a solo act.

In 1986, Sherisse Stevens (neé Laurence) became Luxembourg’s third North American and Canada’s first representative at the Eurovision Song Contest.  Unfortunately for Sherisse, that distinction was partially overshadowed/robbed of her by her fellow countrywoman two years later (see below).  Like Diane Solomon before her, she was previously a TV host, and finished a commendable third place as the inaugural ESC Canadian with “L’amour De Ma Vie” (“The Love Of My Life”).  Which nobody other than the Huntsville Community Choir seems to remember….

Switzerland 1988 and 1993

There’s not much I can say about this act.  Celine Dion, a then-rising star in her native Canada, was approached and asked if she would represent Switzerland at Eurovision 1988 (at least, according to the story: for a more visual representation, skip to 5:00).  Though crossing the Atlantic to compete in a foreign country’s singing competition in a tutu may have seemed an unorthodox career-launching move, one can only respond thusly: when the Helvetic Confederation calls, you answer.  It can even be said that choosing Ms. Dion was the first time the Swiss actually took a stand on something.  And it paid off for everyone: Celine won the contest with her entry “Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi” (“Don’t  Leave Without Me”), earning herself and her tutu cross-continental recognition and Switzerland its long-overdue quadrilingual place in the Eurovision sun.

Speaking of Quebec, Switzerland’s next North American selection, Annie Cotton, was Eurovision’s third Canadian in a contest in which Canada, I reiterate, is not a participating country.  Her 1993 entry, “Moi, Tout Simplement” (“Quite Simply Myself”) came in third place that year with 148 points.  From 1991-2000 she appeared in a TV show called “Watatatow”, which lasted for 15 seasons.  Though with a name like that, it’d have probably been a successful title at Eurovision as well.

United Kingdom 1997

Despite the oft-quoted “special relationship” between the UK and US (though for reasons why I have yet to understand, seeing as it’s basically an issue of phonology), the United States has only represented its transatlantic brethren once (as opposed to twice for Luxembourg….yeah, I know).  But we can’t blame perfidious Albion; on the contrary, you could say they were biding their time for a truly compelling American act (by featuring obscure Aussies in between).  In 1997, that act was Katrina Leskanich and her band, Katrina and the Waves, best known Stateside for their hit, “Walking On Sunshine”.  Across the pond, their ESC entry “Love Shine a Light” gave the UK its fifth (and latest) Eurovision win, America’s first (and only) one thus far, and the band its second hit before breaking up in 1998.  After bashing the contest in ‘03, she later returned to Eurovision as a participant in Melodifestivalen 2005, presenter in “Congratulations”, and judge of Belgium’s Eurosong 2008.  Regardless, whether you’re a fan of Katrina or modernist critiques of narrative fiction, there’s something in this ’97 entry for everyone.

I’ll save the past decade’s participants for the next post.  (Phew!  Who would have thought there’d be so much to say?)

O, Julissi! (source: commons.wikipedia.org)

As a matter of fact, such people do exist!  If you’re in the year 2010 and living in Turkey, just head to the local branch of your country’s MHP.  Though I’m sure there are other examples out there, I’d like to focus on two specific ones which caught my attention in recent years:

1)  Seeing as Israel won three times previously with lyrics solely in Hebrew, there was no ostensible reason why Shiri Maimon needed to sing any part of her 2005 song in English.  Nonetheless, in the “post-1999” era, pressure was placed on her to change the lyrics so that at least half the song was in English, thus guaranteeing a more “successful” entry.  Shiri initially reacted against singing in English, but eventually reversed her position, saying recently in an interview that singing in English is important because “the audience watching Eurovision…wants to understand something”:

Now, I ask you, Europe:  is it really so hard to just look up the lyrics themselves? (though in some cases, I’m not so sure you’d want to).  It is interesting to note that, in the years since Maimon’s performance, every Israeli song has had English components and not fared any better.

2)  To illustrate an opposing example of the influence of popular opinion, take the slightly more notorious case of Sebastien Tellier and his, um, preferred song choice of 2008.  I’m sure some of you heard the story – Tellier himself wanted his song entirely in English, while French government officials had other ideas of what a French song should sound like, leading a few notable MP’s to demand an explanation from the Culture Minister.  Like Maimon, Tellier listened to the outcry and altered his lyrics, adding a couple lines in French, (noticeably, one which stated, “love sings in French”).  Interestingly enough, an entirely French song was sung the following year and landed in the Top Ten.  Go figure.

Here’s a member of France’s UMP party voicing his opposition to Tellier.  And of course, here’s Tellier’s memorable video.  Do you feel he effectively conveyed his message en anglais?  You be the judge.

Which leads me to my Eurovision pop quiz of the week:  Whose verbal performance is the most incomprehensible?

a)      Sebastien Tellier

b)      O Julissi

c)       Polina Smolova

d)      Miss Teen South Carolina

So, to wrap up: what lessons can we take from all this?  That, short of becoming a right-wing nationalist, there must be another way for fans of  pro-language diversity in the ESC to make our preferences heard, rather than succumbing to the popular notion that users of Queen’s tongue are necessarily more “successful” at Eurovision.   Though I could devote pages more to this topic, I’ll leave it at this and revisit the English-language issue on the day Eurovision is broadcast nationally in the US….should it ever occur.

Finally, a first post! (better late than never, right?)   Being that this is Eurovision America, with Michael and I both one of the few, the proud American Eurovision fans, I feel that this first post should be devoted to discussing an ESC issue relevant to both sides of the Atlantic.

Now as you all know, a specter is haunting Europe….the specter of English-language songs!   Barring the occasional Latvian singing in Italian, or bizarre exception, most of the winning acts (22 -24, depending on how strict you are with interpretation) have been sung in English.  Naturally, this phenomenon has multiplied ever since the ESC changed the rule permitting countries to sing in whatever language they liked.  Crafting English lyrics has even become an unofficial rule for any lyricist seeking a “successful” Eurovision tune.

The exception. (source: commons.wikipedia.org)

Yet, this all begs the question:  on a continent where the majority of people’s first language isn’t English, must the majority of Eurovision songs be sung (or partially sung) in the native language of those whose countries don’t even reside under the European Broadcasting Union’s domain?  It should be duly, though ironically, noted that ESC stands for both Eurovision Song Contest and English-speaking countries, amongst other things.

Let’s observe the following map:

(source: bab.la)

With English clearly trailing behind German, Russian, and Turkish in percentage of European speakers, let’s explore some possible explanations for this seemingly perplexing conundrum:

1)  English and French are the two official languages of the EBU and ESC.  With that said, why aren’t more songs being sung in French?  We’ve all witnessed past Eurovision hosts attempting (and, sadly, at times miserably failing) to speak both English and French.  Hmm.  Well, if anything, they serve to the further the fact that, like cash, English is King.  Sacre bleu!

2)  Which leads me to the underlying reason here: that despite the map above, English is an ‘international’ language, a lingua franca of sorts that people all over Europe – yes, even Eastern Europe! – can semi-understand.  Actually, maybe we want to rethink that one about Eastern Europe (see below).  Oops.  Well, you can’t blame Miss ESC Belarus 2006 for trying, I suppose.  Indeed, it can be argued that singing in English at the ESC gives you a platform for honing your language skills. (or at least, extra practice for the TOEFL)   But, nonetheless, why this language in particular?

3)  Which leads me to what is most possibly the supreme underlying reason of all: the cultural and linguistic hegemony of the USA, ubiquitous and lurking even in benign singing contests with which she has little to do because 1) she has better ways to occupy her time,  2) is not technically part of that exclusive international broadcasting conglomerate known as “Europe”  (though the entry of other ESC countries is thus debatable.  For the sake of continuity with the next post, perhaps I’ll save that discussion for another time…)