Eurovision without vision

If your TV screen is showing half-dressed performers juggling fire clubs and singing “everybody move your body” to Armenian folklore beats, then you must be watching Eurovision.

Eurovision has been around since May 24, 1956 with ABBA as its most successful contest winner so far. The purpose of this international show is to celebrate diverse cultures and talents. Yet, by the end of the show, spectacular special effects and exotic costumes seem to be the only things celebrated. Aside from recent kitsch trends, through Eurovision viewers can't learn much about the musical heritage of the represented countries.

On May 17 Norway's Alexander Rybak became this year's winner at Eurovision with his song Fairytale. Rybak sang "She is a fairytale even though it hurts," while dancers around him performed a traditional Norwegian halling dance. This song perfectly exemplifies the unwritten rules of Eurovision--to win artists need to combine upbeat music, English pop lyrics and some native folk elements.

"You make me feel so special," sang Turkey's Hadise, "no one can kiss like you do." Her song Düm Tek Tek ranked 4th and incorporated sexual belly dancing moves accompanied by fire effects. Similarly enough, Azerbaijan's Always performed by AySel & Arash ranked 3rd in the contest. "Always on my mind, always in my heart," repeated the fast pace chorus of their song. The performance included a short instrumental segment busy with folklore rhythms as if to compensate for the sugar-coated lyrics.

The one country that presented a simple and catchy tune, Georgia, wasn't allowed to participate in this year's Eurovision. Artists Stephane & 3G performed "We don't want to put in" which was interpreted as a protest against the Russian government of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. The word play in the song title and Russia's former President's name was not welcome in a politically correct show like Eurovision. According to the European Broadcasting Union's terms no political lyrics or gestures are allowed at the Eurovision Song Contest. As a result, Georgia did not partake in the show.

As the world's most watched singing contest, Eurovision aims at celebrating the diverse cultural mosaic of Europe. What its structure ends up producing, however, are homogeneous and cliched performances.