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Eurovision Insight Podcast: Ultimate Juke Box Jury Heat 14 Written by on August 17, 2011 | 6 Comments

Let’s be honest, this heat of Ultimate Juke Box Jury has presented me with a bit of a headache. I’ve always tried to keep judges away from the songs that they absolutely adore (Paul Jordan and Celine Dion being the obvious example). But how can you do that with Waterloo? Everyone loves Abba and that’s going to cloud any judge’s mind – especially as they’ll likely have to show their face in Baku next year!

So I decided to recuse the whole bench, and bring in some musical superstars who could rise above that. Please welcome to the Juke Box Jury team, Frisky and Mannish!

Laura and Tom are up in Edinburgh performing their Pop Centre Plus show at the Fringe, and I caught up with them to go over this week’s foursome. As usual, comments are welcome….

Eurovision Insight Podcast: Ultimate Juke Box Jury Heat 14
…with Laura Corcoran and Matthew Jones.

Sweden 1974: Waterloo, by Abba.
Luxembourg 1983: Si La Vie Est Cadeau, by Corrine Hermes.
Yugoslavia 1989: Rock Me, by Riva.
United Kingdom 1968: Congratulations, by Cliff Richard.

Don’t miss an episode Ultimate Juke Box Jury (or any of The Unofficial Eurovision Podcast episodes) by subscribing to the RSS feed dedicated to the podcasts. iTunes users can find us in the iTunes Store and get the show automatically downloaded to your computer. Want to support the site? Why not consider buying the The Official History of the Eurovision Song Contest book from Amazon.

About The Author: Ewan Spence

British Academy (BAFTA) nominated broadcaster and writer Ewan Spence is the voice behind The Unofficial Eurovision Song Contest Podcast and one of the driving forces behind ESC Insight. Having had an online presence since 1994, he is a noted commentator around the intersection of the media, internet, technology, mobility and how it affects us all. Based in Edinburgh, Scotland, his work has appeared on the BBC, The Stage, STV, and The Times. You can follow Ewan on Twitter (@ewan) and Facebook (facebook.com/ewanspence).

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6 responses to “Eurovision Insight Podcast: Ultimate Juke Box Jury Heat 14”

  1. LEMills says:

    Didn’t think it were possible, but now I feel even *worse* about missing Frisky and Mannish at the Fringe this year. “Inverse pyrrhic victory,” indeed… Thanks, Laura and Matthew, for the amazing musical dissection (modal progressions! backing singer strategies!), and congratulations, Ewan. Well done, everyone. More next year, please.

  2. Chris K says:

    I rate these this way:
    1. Luxembourg 1983: Si La Vie Est Cadeau, by Corrine Hermes. : It has substance, where the others are just love-y muck

    2. Sweden 1974: Waterloo, by Abba: Classic ESC song – I think I’m the only ESC fan that doesn’t love it like no tomorrow

    3. United Kingdom 1968: Congratulations, by Cliff Richard. – Cliff keep telling yourself Franco paid for it – you lost out. It’s almost girly in it’s presentation – there were better songs.

    4. Yugoslavia 1989: Rock Me, by Riva. – I dont know how this won. Pleasant enough – performed well.

  3. Phil says:

    Brilliant edition of Ultimate Juke Box Jury!

    But putting Cliff and Abba together in the same heat – tough one…

  4. Ewan Spence says:

    Arguably Cliff was a Wild Card, which means it needs to be really proven, and Abba are a heavy weight – this seemed the best way to make both songs work to try and qualify.

  5. Moose ;) says:

    OK, I’ve been listening to the podcast for ages, but this is the first time I’m gonna join in!

    Sweden 1974: erm… yeah. For all it is a good song, I like it more because it gives Eurovision some credibility -“oh yeah, well, it must be good because Abba were in it” . In reality though, Abba have done better and Eurovision has done better – MAYBE.

    Luxembourg 1983: For me it’s instantly forgettable, far too dramatic, and how this won over “Hi” and “Framling” is a mystery. MISS.

    Yugoslavia 1989: YES!! Eurovision 80s cheese at its absolute best (well – not quite as good as Bobbysocks, but still…) I don’t see why so many people regard this as one of the worst winners, I think its really catchy and upbeat, and like Ewan said: a real guilty pleasure. HIT.

    United Kingdom 1968: Words cannot describe how much I loathe this song. Not even the words “C’est Ma Vie”. It’s worse than that. Cliff sings as if he’s got a blocked nose,and the sentiment of the song is sickly. I could go on ranting, but I’ll just leave it with MISS. BIG MISS.

    Woop. I’ll go back and share my opinions on all the other ones in the near future 🙂

  6. Pete L says:

    Hello Ewan,

    I can`t find the final heats of UJBJ. Did it ever get past Heat 14? I’ve so enjoyed discovering them all so far. WOuld be wonderful to hear the final rounds. Or if they don’t exist, would be wonderful to hear you guys finish it off someday.

    Thanks!!

    Pete

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