2012: The best top ten for languages

In 2012, despite Sweden's English language-win the year''s top ten was one of the best in recent years for foreign language entries, with 5/12 of the songs being in their own language, counting Russia's entry as a Russian language entry ("Party for Everybody, Dance" is not the most stunning use of English.)

Serbia have continued to be the most successful country in their own language, while Albania scored their best result. Estonia also seem to be scoring better with their own language than English.

Ott Lepland. Nothing to look at here...

Does this mean anything though? Not really? After all, 2007's Serbian win is still an oddity in the current trend. But we can dream and hope ESCToday don't steal this observation for an article topic on their site in a couple of months. 

National Finals and national singers

In this article on Ell and Nikki from Azerbaijan, someone in the comments wonders the following:

maybe it would have been better for them to sing an Azeri song in the ceremony because it's a bit strange that the people who won azerbaijans people of tge year award is doing a performance in English! Don't they ever sing any other songs together? Preferably in Azeri? 

Remember of course that Ell and Nikki don't spend any other time together (I'm not convinced they even like each other). They were only put together for that song, and have other careers going on, so naturally, they only ever sing that song. By this point, they must be glad that their victory lap is almost over and they can stop singing that song. 

But it raises an interesting question in the current eurovision climate. Where swedish songwriters are everywhere, where everyone sings in english, where the producers are big American hotshots, how 'national' is your nation's entry? 

It seems that for most nations the nationality of the performer matters. Ell and Nikki sang an English language song written by a Swedish/American team, but they still represented Azerbaijan, because they are from Azerbaijan. (Even if Nikki lives in London.)

If you're in the UK and you were a hardcore geek you might have watched that abysmal channel 5 documentary in2010 where Justin Lee Collins wanted to sing in the Eurovision, but not for the UK. Not surprisingly, he never got to. He tried his chances with Estonia, Andorra, and Ireland. Estonia would only allow an estonian citizen to enter. Andorra just didn't want to enter. 

It was his chance with Ireland where it got most interesting. It was suggested to Justin that he'd have a better chance with Ireland because they were closest to the UK, and they always had lots of singers from the UK. 

Technically, that's true. Dana was Ireland's first winner in the Eurovision, and she's from Derry, in Northern Ireland, which is part of the UK. HOWEVER, someone in Channel 5's production needed a lesson in politics and geography. Northern Ireland, and being Irish or English is a bloody minefield. They're not called The Troubles for nothing!  The only UK people to represent Ireland at the Eurovision are Northern-Irish people, who presumably define themselves as Irish. Justin was on a hiding to nothing, since he's not remotely Irish.  I always thought the runner-up in Ireland's 2009 national, the Latvian Kristina Zaharova did quite well to come second. In the current form of the Eurovision where performers are the only symbol for the nation, it so matters what it says on their birth certificate. (Hence, it concerns me that Jedward represent Ireland!)

With the announcement of Željko Joksimović for Serbia, it seems fairly certain that once again they are retaining a very specific national sound, with a Serbian performer of ethno ballads. If you look at the rest of former Yugoslavia, all have chosen a  performer who is specifically born in their country, or in one of those tetchy disputed regions like Kosovo, as Rona Nishliu is. 

In fact, so far the only country that doesn't have a singer who was born in their country is the country that's usually very sensitive about their nationality is France, who have Anggun, who lived in Indonesia till she was twenty. Of course it's still very French. 

More languages please!

I may be alone in saying this, and I realise the irony considering the language this is in, but I'd really like to see less English in the Eurovision this year. Here is a picture of last years linguistic spread in the ESC:

It's very yellow, isn't it. Doesn't everyone else want to see more red?

Watching Albania and Iceland's national finals, you hear songs that will later, most likely, be changed into English. But WHY!!!!!!!! We fans already like the songs, you don't have to change it for us. It's so disappointing. Denmark's final suggested very much that they think the way to a win is an English language song, with only one Danish finalist. Is it really though? Serbia managed it, surely it can happen again?

More languages please!

ETA: Yeah, Turkey's border is in the wrong place, because I coloured the map wrong, and that bit off Sicily should be in red. Let's just assume that's San Marino, for the sake of this conversation.