#esc 1990

Helga Vlahović had a rich history with the Eurovision Song Contest. Her English language skills allowed her to be the jury spokesperson for Yugoslavia in 1974 and 1981. In 1994, she was the spokesperson for Croatia. She also hosted the 1990 contest.

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#76: Maywood -- Ik wil alles met je delen (the Netherlands 1990)

“Ik wil alles met je delen, Wil alles voor je zijn, En als jij me wilt vertrouwen, Dan delen we de pijn...”

“I want to share everything with you, Want to be everything for you And if you want to trust me Then we'll share the pain”

From one sister act to another, we shift genres entirely towards something more classical, but without any less bite. Unlike with Azucar Moreno though, Maywood were at a crest in their career in 1990 and would later split up five years later because they both wanted to use the name "Maywood" in their solo careers.

Despite being better known for their uptempo songs, this ballad really cuts well. Alice May (the blonde's) songwriting shows here, as she composes a song about someone wants to share their life with their loved one. It's really endearing and sincere how the lyrics flow; I especially like the second chorus. What also makes this awesome is that it shows a Dutch language song could not only beautiful, but also grand! (The English version, "No More Winds to Guide Me", strangely has different lyrical content)

I like how it builds; the introduction gives way to a beautiful string section, which carries on through the rest of the song (Except for that muted trumpet near the end...hehe. Re-mastered versions will including what it is supposed to sound like). The performance at the national final has a cleaner arrangement, with the brass given more room to show off, but the one in Zagreb was just as good. Caren Wood's (the brunette’s) vocals were on-point, and the backing vocalists did their job well in the chorus. It's absolutely great!

Personal ranking: 5th/22 Actual ranking: 15th/22 in Zagreb

#75: Måneskin -- Zitti e Buoni (Italy 2021)

"Troppe notti stavo chiuso fuori Mo’ li prendo a calci, ‘sti portoni"

"I spent too many nights outdoors, Now I'm going around kicking on these doors."

One thing which stands out about our most recent winner is that it's an affirmation for themselves, and a statement of intent for the world.

While the song was initially written as a ballad, the lyrics do not hold back on what they set to achieve. They will mock those who tell them to "shut up and be quiet", ignore those who gossip about them (looking at you, people who still think they did coke--they're innocent, go home), and work hard to get to the top. Their journey to eventual worldwide superstardom essentially followed this prophecy--going from acting as buskers to the X Factor to Sanremo to winning Eurovision, ending the "Italy was robbed" chain which started since their comeback in 2011.

(That said, I find it quite weird how it took 71 editions for a rock group to take the crown in Sanremo. Considering the diverse realm of Italian music, was rock just not popular there?)

In accelerating the tempo, what we get is a powerful piece to accompany the lyrics. The glam-rock production of Zitti e Buoni has a simple structure, but it's enough to give each of the four their own little spot in the limelight: Damiano sings the song with gusto and a sense of urgency; Thomas' guitar solos are enough to get the blood running; Victoria's bass is cool and collected, but she stomps like mad; and Ethan's drumming just adds the touches of the cake.

I linked the Sanremo performance here, however, because Enrico Melozzi's orchestration is absolutely sublime. While both of Maneskin's performances in Sanremo and Eurovision are fantastic, Sanremo's with live music just adds a bit more depth to the composition. The strings at the bridge stand out the most, but those in the verses and choruses are just as good. I'm happy they found their way back to Youtube, so I can listen to them over and over.

While I have two more favorites from this year (which stretch back to the beginning of this season), Maneskin's win is quite important to Eurovision post-pandemic. Not only is it the first rock song in 15 years to win, but it also has seen significant amount of success for the group. They've garnered more notoriety for their English-language songs (and covers) than their Italian ones, but the latter has more depth and sincerity, with some thoughtful stories in them. Though I have faith with time, they'll write English lyrics just as poetically.

Along with lifelong success, I hope that they appear on Saturday Night Live sometime this season--that stage is calling them!