🗳️ Our ESC 250 Votes: Angus

The voting for the annual ESC 250 celebration closed on 5th December 2021, and now we have a nervous wait to find out the results!

The event is hosted by songfestival.be, with the results revealed throughout the day on 31st December 2021 on ESC Radio to close out the year. Find out more about it here!

While we wait to find our the official results, members of the TES team will be sharing their votes for this year and explaining why they have voted the way they have. This time, it is Angus’ turn to reveal his votes.

Why I voted how I voted

Making a top 10 list was very, very hard. Over 180 songs made my “short”list. From these songs, I picked the songs I liked listening to the most, leaving me with a much more manageable 25 or so songs. To help reduce the list down further, I decided to only allow one song per year, and one song per country. This means a bunch of personal favorites missed out on this list, but at least it somewhat reflects the musical diversity and history of the contest.

I’ll give an honorable mentions to all the songs that lost due to one-per-year and one-per-country rule when mentioning the entry that beat them to the list. I also want to mention Midnight Gold, Taken By A Stranger, and Playing With Numbers, all of which nearly made it as well. So many others also nearly did though, and who knows, I might put them in my top 10 next year!

Now, without further ado, here are my votes for this year’s ESC 250!

1 Point: Vivo Cantando – Salomé (Spain 1969)

Fun, upbeat, and one of the winners in an obviously very competitive year. Salomé sings and performs this song with great energy. This is one of those songs that you can’t say much about, it’s just really good. Fellow winner “De Troubadour” almost took this spot, but “Vivo Cantando” is able to get me to dance like few other ESC songs can.

2 Points: I anixi – Sofia Vossou (Greece 1991)

I surprised myself a little by putting this song on the list, even if it was my favorite that year as podcast listeners already know. Always love a power ballad though, so maybe it isn’t too surprising. Honorable mention goes to “Oneiro Mou,” a stunning song that didn’t make the list because of this (and another 2018 entry that you’ll see later). Sofia Voussou’s voice is stunning, and is beautifully accentuated by the great brass and string composition that powers the melody. A timeless song that I find new things to enjoy about every time I hear it.

3 Points: Amsterdam – Maggie MacNeal (The Netherlands 1980)

This is one of the songs I went back and forth on the most, as it had to go head-to-head with Katja Ebstein’s amazing “Theater.” “Amsterdam” won out by a hair in the end. The buildup of this song is just stunning. I don’t love the city of Amsterdam nearly as much as Maggie does, but she sure does make it sound like the best place on earth.

4 Points: Toi, la musique et moi – Mary Cristy (Monaco 1976)

“Simply you, the music and me” indeed. When I hear this, I immediately imagine a beautiful old car driving around the streets of Monaco on a warm summer evening. This song just exudes a certain classy charm to me, and I can’t get enough of it.

5 Points: Aven Romale – Gypsy.cz (Czech Republic 2009)

Probably a very controversial choice. I really love this song though. “If you really want to understand just sing it with me: AVEN ROMALE!” The anarchic, punky chaotic fun of this song is yet to be rivaled on the Eurovision stage, and I can’t get enough of it. Of course this song never would have won, and even it not qualifying I get. But 0 points? In the semi-final? That’s just rude.

6 Points: Story Of My Life – Naviband (Belarus 2017)

If you ask me, 2017 was a very strong year for Eurovision. Two other songs, Requiem and Origo, barely lost out to Story Of My Life. I am always down for a folkpop number, and if it is as upbeat and sweet as this one it usually is a slam dunk for me. This song makes me want to sing and dance next to a lake in a forest. Naviband are also incredibly charismatic performers who seem to be having a great time on stage.

7 Points: Ktheju Tokës – Jonida Maliqi (Albania 2019)

Albania has been sending in amazing singers for quite a few years now, and Jonida is their best one yet. That voice can transport me anywhere. The song is a truly stunning power ballad. Musically, the National Final performance is even better, although that might just be my appreciation for the electric guitar talking. That being said, Jonida Maliqi gave one of the best performances I have seen on the Eurovision stage.

8 Points: Tu te reconnaîtras – Anne-Marie David (Luxembourg 1973)

Between this and Monaco, I fear my small country bias is showing! “Tu te reconnaîtras” is my favourite ESC winner of all time, and I don’t expect that to change anytime soon. Anne-Marie David’s voice is perfect for this song. This song makes me both happy and wistful, and I love every second of it. A few times a year I will have a moment where I just listen to this song on repeat.

10 Points: Solovey – Go_A (Ukraine 2020)

The contest that never was saw some great entries. But nothing stood out quite like “Solovey.” Folk music meets modern electronica or rock is a surefire hit with me, and Go_A do it pretty much perfectly. A Eurovision song so good that I dove into their back catalog the moment I heard it. I love this band, and I love this song. If SHUM could’ve been performed in its original version, it might have given this song competition, but Solovey blows the (still amazing) revamp of SHUM out of the water. Musically, this song is a vibe. Lyrically, sad yet sweet. And that ending, where the guitar kicks in? Goosebumps.

And Angus’ 12 points go to… O Jardim – Cláudia Pascoal (Portugal 2018)

My favourite ever Eurovision entry the second I heard it. This was the only song I knew would be on this list. Pure “saudade” that can bring a smile to my face and tear to my eye every time I listen to it. The song goes from one perfect moment to the next. Songwriter Isaura joining in towards the end, singing together with Cláudia as the drums kick in? Magical. Overlooked by the televote and straight-up robbed by juries, but forever my favorite Eurovision song.

Now that Angus revealed their votes for ESC 250, what do you think of them? Who has gotten your 12 points this year? As always, please let us know what you think by commenting below. Be sure to follow ‘THAT Eurovision Site’ on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

News Source: That Eurovision Site

Photo Credit: EBU / Thomas Hanses