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Eurovision Insight Podcast: Juke Box Jury 2012 #3 Written by on April 6, 2012 | 6 Comments

Juke Box Jury continues, this week with six countries in front of the Judges instead of the regular five. Hey that’s just how the maths works out so we can cover the 42 songs!

Anyway, it’s time for discussion and debate before Donald, Andrew, and Ewan decide if the songs are a hit, a miss, or just a maybe.

Eurovision Insight Podcast: Juke Box Jury 2012 #3
with Andrew Main and Donald McNaughton.

Estonia: Kuula, by Ott Lepland.
Greece: Aphrodisiac, by Eleftheria Eleftheriou.
San Marino: The Social Network Song, by Valentina Monetta.
Ukraine: Be My Guest, by Gaitana.
Bulgaria: Love Unlimitied, by Sofi Marinova.
Ireland: Waterline, by Jedward.

Don’t miss an episode of this year’s 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.

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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Have Your Say

6 responses to “Eurovision Insight Podcast: Juke Box Jury 2012 #3”

  1. I think that Estonia this year has the possibility of doing as well as 2009, I know a fair few people that I have played it to, and they have been impressed. Greece is just typically Greek it’s okay but nothing brilliant. San Marino among myself and friends is a horrendous song, the lyrics make me cringe, it’s bound to be awful.

    The Ukranian entry is upbeat and bouncy, it has the possibility to do very well, yes it’s an advert for Euro 2012 but it’s a great song. Bulgaria does nothing for me, yeah it’s better than a few of their past entries, anything tops 2009. But it’s just not my taste, the voice annoys me.

    Jedward have sent a song which I think is where it goes wrong, Lipstick last year had a much better feel to it and it was far more memorable. Waterline is the wrong song for them, but their support in Europe will mean they will be in the final. I think that Ireland will wonder why they sent Jedward again, it will be in the mid table.

  2. Miss Purple says:

    Funnily enough I prefer Bulgaria’s song to the Ukraine’s. Although one thing you didn’t mention is that Ukraine and Bulgaria are back-to-back in the semi which could sadly do Bulgaria some harm.

    Greece have done this kind of thing before and much better. I agree that this has the potential to bomb in the semis, but knowing the Greeks I’ll probably be way off the mark.

    Estonia’s song will be my pee break song, it’s just terminally boring.

    And sadly Jedward will qualify because of their rabid fanbase, and I could say I’d love to see them flop in the final, but I’d imagine for Ireland getting through the semis would be enough, so it’s a lose-lose situation for me.

  3. Zolan says:

    Estonia: Demands close and sensitive listening to appreciate the quality of his performance, but the song is too tedious to get it.

    Greece: At least we can be sure that Universal didn’t mess with the formula. It’s not terrible, I just can’t believe they still go for this. One less slot in SF1.

    San Marino: In the jury’s desire to find some good in this, I think they have been a bit generous about the melody. I find it an irritating mashup of bad ’80s ephemera.

    Ukraine: No dithering about, let’s just go straight for the full body orgasm. From the opening chord to the end, it’s dripping with sensual sounds and tropes aimed squarely at the nervous system. I don’t think voters will have a problem with that.

    Bulgaria: I do like this, but the sparseness and simplicity that is part of it’s appeal counts against it in this context, especially following Ukraine; it’s basically chillout music. For me, it has a hint of Julee Cruise eerie-ness – or, the experience of recovering quietly from intoxication while dance music filters in and resonantes around the club toilets.

    Ireland: The song is okay…ish. But why is Jedward performing it with exactly the same schtick. I’m sure they could do better with it; their voices are adequate, and they have some stagecraft – but it’s like they refuse to learn anything new, or even master what they already know. (Yeah, I’m looking at it backwards – What’s the right Jedward for the song – at least that can be changed.)
    There’s competition for the pop vote in SF1; I don’t know if there’s enough to go around.

  4. Chad says:

    I agree with your comments on all the songs except for Estonia…. incredibly boring!

  5. Nicky says:

    Stunning guests. Although most stuff is a matter of opinion (I think “Waterline” is one of the greatest pop songs ever and San Marino is ace), I think you’ve dismissed the lyrics of these two songs too easily. “Waterline”, like most great pop, is a tremendously life-affirming song about falling in love, not breaking up. San Marino is a great fun tune, as you sort of acknowledge, but lyrically is fantastic – a cutting satire on social networks and the often futile nature of web based sex “So you wanna make love with me? Am I really your cup of tea? Are you really the one that you never really meet?”.

  6. Zolan says:

    Sorry to be slightly off-topic, but every time I revisit this page I get a laugh out of this typo from Anthony, so I thought it was worth highlighting for others’ amusement.

    “Jedward have sent a song which I think is where it goes wrong, …”

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