#esc 1996

Noel Kelehan, one of the conductors of the former Eurovision orchestra, conducted the songs of five winners. He conducted the winning songs in 1980, 1987, 1992, 1993 and 1996.

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Kdam 1996 keeps doing what Kdam does well. A range of mostly high-tempo numbers with a strong focus on choreography and presentation. This choice is no exception. This year there were clouds in the background. Dana International was supposed to have taken part, but there was a dispute over the song she was to have sung. There was also a terror attack on a bus on the day of the competition knocking it onto a smaller TV channel. Nevertheless, Kdam kept on dancing and singing.

Meet Tamir Tzaidi and his backing ensemble (some of whom I think I recognise from previous years of Kdam). There's a lot going on during this performance. There's a lot of turquoise. A lot performance lyrca. Cheek mics. The second incarnation I think I've found of the lining up behind the singer and making it look like they've got lots of arms, as well as a skirt reveal. There's also a weird asymmetry between the backing singers/dancers on the right and the more pure dancers on the left.

Tamir himself was and is a gigging musician touring and performing all over Israel. This is his only entry to Kdam and he didn't do badly. He finished joint third in a selection of twelve songs scoring points from all of the regional juries, with his peak of popularity coming from the Tel Aviv jury.

Besinçi Mevsim, Şebnem Paker | Turkey, Eurovision Song Contest 1996 Eurosong '96

#42: Eimear Quinn -- The Voice (Ireland 1996)

“Bring me your peace and my wounds, they will heal”

Ireland’s last winner was unexpected, as the country probably tried to not win again! It also showed in how a number of fans left the arena when it the result was clear, because it clearly misaligned with the music trends of the time.

Compared with most 1990s music, featuring dance music (later this year, we are introduced to the Spice Girls), alternative rock, and hip hop, The Voice is a Celtic-influenced ballad, with a low-key atmosphere and somewhat repetitive lyrics. While Enya found fame across the world through this style, it still mulls onto the Eurovision mold, which at that point is its own musical universe.

But I think it’s Ireland’s greatest winner, as it’s grounded in the traditions of the country and has a beautiful melody. It begins quite somberly, before a single drum and a lute come along, and a violin chimes in. While it does change from major to minor, it's done so cleanly I didn't really notice it. The whole song itself is great, though my favorite part was when the drumming increases and the strings darken. The climax after that is just so liberating and bright.

It tells a compelling story, one which sounds like it could fit in a fantasy novel. However, take a closer look, and it's about the nation of Ireland, which is tied to what’s going on at the time. (Hence making it surprisingly political) The Troubles still festered on, in terms of what Ireland could become (united as a Catholic nation, or divided with Northern Ireland as part of the United Kingdom). There was a ceasefire three months before this song took to the stage in Eurovision, only for the Manchester bombing to take place a month later. Yet hope comes along through peace (the Good Friday Agreement coming two years later), which led to Ireland strengthening what it could be--like joining the EU. Hence the lyric "bring me your peace" carries so much power in this context.

Eimear sounded breathy at times on stage, but she has the voice of an angel. (Twenty-five years later, her voice matured nicely, and the song remains as eternal as ever). She carries the song with poise yet a sense of innocence in it, because of the lightness of her voice. And while the song is seen as outdated in 1996, it has only aged as a fine wine since. With a sense of strength and grace also, The Voice is beautiful winner, and it deserved it too. (That being said, the televote would've probably knocked this a few notches--the battle between the top three would be quite tough because they are all new-agey songs, and may cancel each other out.)

Personal and actual ranking: 1st/23 in Oslo

Final Impressions on:

--1996: The one without Germany, but with a lot of filters. Despite having a solid production which is thanks to NRK's oil money (Ingvild also was a fantastic host!), the last year of the 100% jury era gets a mixed reception. There are people who like it lots because of the quality, and others less so because the slow songs do start blurring together. I'm in the middle of it--this was the first vintage year which I watched in its entirety (the first years I only focused on the songs, rather than sit through the entire 2-3 hours), and thought it was quite good, though I could understand why it might not be to everybody's taste. (Though it would make a good #Eurovisionagain) for that alone)

--Ireland: Somehow, they're still the country with the most wins, haha. That said, most of them were deserved, except for "Why Me?" (you'll find out who's my favorite of 1992 soon enough!), as the song felt a bit dull. They had a penchant for ballads which worked, but with the televote era, they withered just like the United Kingdom. But they sent some solid songs over the years, even with their non-winners.