Voting for the annual ESC 250 celebration closed on the 10th of December 2023, and now we have a nervous wait to find out the results! The event is hosted by songfestival.be, with the results revealed on the 31st December 2023 on EFR12 Radio to close out the year. Find out more about it here!
While we wait to find out the official results, members of the TES team will be sharing their votes for this year and explaining the reason for their picks. This time it’s Jonathan’s turn to reveal how he voted.
This is the third year I’ve voted for ESC250, and the first time I’ve deigned to go public with such sensitive and private information. There is no distinct theme to these choices, so feel free to judge these choices and condemn my taste; you are only rallying against the inherent chaos of the universe and its expression through my enjoyment of Eurovision. I also then looked at everyone else’s and remembered that there are so many amazing songs I neglected to consider, but that’s life hey. And finally, my opinions do not represent those of the website as a whole, all lukewarm takes are my own responsibility.
1 point: “Með hækkandi sól” – Systur (Iceland, 2022)
This song really surprised me; it’s the one song from 2022 that remained in my rotation the longest, despite not being an entry that initially stood out to me. But when they came onstage in that first semi-final their musicianship, style, class, and active support of trans rights just won me over. Beautifully ethereal, well performed, and simple.
2 points: “Horehronie” – Kristina (Slovakia, 2010)
2010 was my first ever Eurovision, and because it was 2010 I bought the album on iTunes and listened to it nonstop for about a year. Only two songs from this year have really really stuck with me, and both NQ’ed! I think this is such a pretty song, so delicate and evocative, which perhaps didn’t strike the right chord in what was a competitive 2010 contest. Nevertheless, it remains popular today, and has a real staying power.
3 points: “Angel si ti” – Miro (Bulgaria, 2010)
My second NQ from 2010. I think the string part is amazing, the video is simple and effective, and very typical of that era. This is another song that’s had a real grip on me for years, despite maybe not even being my favourite song from the year itself. But every year, this song finds its way onto my list.
4 points: “Ding-a-dong” – Teach-In (Netherlands, 1975)
This is one of those songs that represent what Eurovision is to music, and how useful it is in tracking tastes and the evolution of pop over the decades. When this came out, it would have considered quite cheesy and simplistic, but to our modern ears it’s a revelation. So much harmonic movement, grand orchestration, and its super fun. A well thought out pop song works in every decade.
5 points: “Fai Rumore” – Diodato (Italy, 2020)
Got emotional when he performed it during the semi-final in 2022. Got emotional when he released this particular video. In a sense it’s a blessing for this song that the contest was cancelled; it allowed it to become than just a powerful ballad, it turned into something bigger than itself, and never had to suffer the indignity of it being edited down to 3 minutes.
6 points: “Heroes” – Måns Zelmerlöw (Sweden, 2015)
The first time I had an adult Eurovision party was in 2015, and I have fond memories of dancing around the kitchen in my university halls to this. Having drifted away from the contest a bit, my love of this song allowed my love of Eurovision to work its way back into my life. And again, there’s a Covid link, watching this song being played in acknowledgment of essential workers in such an unfortunate context was quite profound.
7 points: “A Million in One, Two, Three” – Dream Express (Belgium, 1977)
That’s enough misery for the moment. This one’s fun! And has some wonderful and cute 70s choreography. That’s one of the great things about Eurovision, it allows all of its songs the chance at timelessness. I would never know about these singers or this song, and it could be just another song released in 1977 and forgotten in a year, but no. I’m listening to it 45 years later and loving it.
8 points: “Die Together” – Amanda Tenfjord (Greece, 2022)
Sadboi hours return. Such a powerful song that really packs a lyrical punch, with great poetry to the text. Also, Amanda coming on stage and starting her vocals in tune with a vocoder is a remarkable feat of performance. Spent a lot of time belting this badly in my kitchen, hence its high ranking.
10 points: “Aijā” – Sudden Lights (Latvia, 2023)
I remember the first time I heard this, at the end of the full playlist of Eurovision entries for 2023 after a bottle of wine. It hit me like a ton of bricks, its beauty astounded me. Its video is a great part of that power too, I thought the staging was good but it lacked the emotional power that the video brought.
Special mentions
Before I reveal my 12 points, I would like to give a special shout-out to a few entries that came so close to making my top ten. They are:
- “Moustache” – Twin Twin (France, 2014) – #Justice4TwinTwin
- “Tout l’Univers” – Gjon’s Tears (Switzerland, 2021) – Gosh I really like sad ballads more than I realised
- “Russian Woman” – Manizha (Russia, 2021) – This is mostly an ideological choice, it’s one of the best “political statement” songs we’ve had this century.
And Jonathan’s 12 points go to…. “Hard Rock Hallelujah” – Lordi (Finland, 2006)
Lordi! You know, masks and fire and ridiculousness. It’s Lordi! Why not? How could it not be? They’re Lordi! It’s fun and the song is great, and it’s the first Eurovision thing I was ever aware of. Of course it’s Lordi. Everyone loves Lordi! And it’s not a soft song about suffering, so it proves there is still joy in my life.
Listen to our collective ESC 250 playlist on Spotify
Enjoy our collective ESC 250 playlist on YouTube
Now that Jonathan has revealed his votes for ESC 250 this year, what do you think of his picks? Who received 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, Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Bluesky for all of the latest Eurovision news.
News Source: That Eurovision Site
Photo Credit: Discogs
Euan T