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The Eurowhat? Podcast launched in 2018 and features two Americans (Ben Smith and Mike McComb) attempting to make sense of the Eurovision Song Contest. The show tracks national selections and artist announcements, breaks down each year’s songs with a diverse array of guests, and dives into the 65+ years of contest history using Eurovision as a lens to analyze what’s happening in pop culture and the world.
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We welcome back @dudepoints, who recently completed their Master's thesis which included discussion of the intersection of the Yugoslavian Art Practice and recent Eurovision entries from Serbia and Croatia. More simply: let's talk about performance art at Eurovision! Yugonostalgia Summary What is the Yugoslavian Art Practice? (2:39) How does Eurovi…
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The Reference Group is one of the governing bodies for the Eurovision Song Contest. Who sits on this board and what experience do they bring to the table? We go through the dossiers in this episode. Verily Summary What are the Eurovision Heads of Delegation and Reference Group? (1:29) Who is currently in the Eurovision Reference Group? (8:05) Who i…
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Dr. Zoë Jay returns to discuss Eurovisionaries, an academic research project investigating the ways Eurovision fans think about and practice forms of cultural diplomacy. Eurovisionaries Summary What was the inspiration for the Eurovisionaries project? (3:16) How to define "political" (5:56) Eurovision's shift from "political" (2023) to "Political" …
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Our 8th season begins with news about Eurovision 2025 host city Basel, our first artist announcement, and a look at the history of Switzerland at the Contest. Exotic Switzerland Summary Basel, Switzerland will host Eurovision 2025 (0:54) Theo Evan will represent Cyprus in Basel (4:05) Is everyone/the Netherlands still mad at the EBU? (7:53) Montene…
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We say farewell to Eurovision 2024 host nation Sweden by examining the facts and figures of its long-running song selection method: Melodifestivalen. We also make our picks of who we would like to see make an appearance in Melfest 2025. How to Win Melfest Summary Who has written the most songs for Melfest? (2:38) Do non-English songs do well at Mel…
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Elisabeth Vincentelli examined the 1992 greatest hits collection ABBA Gold for the music criticism book series 33 1/3. We discuss the book, our respective relationships with ABBA, and marvel at the band's influence on pop music 50 years after their Eurovision win. ABBA Gold Summary What is your relationship with ABBA? (2:53) ABBA Gold (1992) (7:30)…
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It's the Geneva Convention vs Basel Exposition for the chance to host Eurovision in 2025. Meanwhile, the production team has been announced and a new job for ESC Director is available if you wanna work with Martin. We go over July 2024 Eurovision headlines in this episode. Vacay Summary Geneva vs Basel (1:22) Eurovision 2025 Staff Updates (6:22) Pa…
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Oh, Denmark. What are we going to do with you? Ellie Chalkley joins us to assess what's rotten in the state of DMGP and what changes could be made to get the Nordic nation back into the Eurovision Grand Final. Ellie Lifelong lover of flags, spreadsheets and the outer reaches of the pop universe. Designer of the infamous Every Eurovision Result Ever…
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On April 24, 1974, Portugal's Eurovision entry was used as a signal that would dismantle a dictatorship in Europe. In this episode, look back on the Carnation Revolution and Portugal's history both outside and inside the Eurovision Song Contest. "It's 5 to 11..." Summary Portugal at Eurovision (2:58) A Brief History of Portugal's Politics (11:05) A…
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We check in on Eurovision headlines from June 2024 including budget discussions, host city where/when, and which countries have already expressed interest in the 2025 Contest. Calm Summary Eurovision Ratings Omnibus 2024 (1:04) Host City When? Host City Where? (3:26) Is Everyone Still Mad at the EBU? (6:11) Patreon: "I Am: Celine Dion" (8:47) 2025 …
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Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan from the celebrity fashion blog Go Fug Yourself join us to discuss fashion, stagewear, and all the lewks from Eurovision 2024. What designs worked, which were less successful, and will 2025 be an all-denim affair? A Lotta Look Summary Welcome, Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan! (1:16) The Turquoise Carpet (6:38) Favo…
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As the EBU works through a litany of complaints about Eurovision 2024, Dr Jess Carniel from the University of Southern Queensland joins us to discuss the issues facing the competition. Along with examining what should be a rebuilding year for the Contest, we chat about Australia's presence at the ESC and reconsider the balance of the jury and telev…
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Somehow we made it through the other side of the 2024 Eurovision Grand Final in one piece. Things that didn't: the Netherlands, Nemo's trophy, and possibly the EBU? We examine the immediate aftermath of Saturday's show from Malmö. Broke Summary Netherlands Disqualified from Eurovision (0:59) The Actual Grand Final (6:53) Eurovision Results Data Div…
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In our Eurovision 2024 Grand Final Preview, we discuss the results of the two semi-finals in Malmö, make some predictions on what may happen on Saturday, and scratch why Sweden's hosting has been itching us this week. This episode was recorded at 7pm US Eastern Time on Thursday, May 9. Poop Chaos Summary Corrections: Robyn Edition (0:52) Eurovision…
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It's Eurovision Week! After we get caught up on Contest news, we make our predictions on which acts will advance to Saturday's Grand Final. Will there be heartbreak in Malmö? Designated Perceived Nudity Corner Summary Eurovision News: Peacock, Producer's Choice, Flags (1:19) Eurovision Semi-Final 1 Predictions (13:01) Eurovision Semi-Final 2 Predic…
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Chris Molanphy from Slate's Hit Parade joins us to discuss the Big 5 and Sweden's entries for Eurovision 2024. How do the entries from France, Spain, Italy, Germany, the UK, and Sweden stack up to current US Billboard chart sensibilities? Are there any bangers in the mix? About Chris Molanphy Chris Molanphy is a chart analyst and pop critic who wri…
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Ned Raggett returns to helps us wrap up our coverage of the second semi-final for Eurovision 2024. Which entries are legit snacks? Which songs left us hungry for more? How did we manage to bring food into every discussion? Pulling Focus Summary Welcome back, Ned Raggett! (0:47) 🇳🇱 Netherlands - Joost Klein - "Europapa" 🇪🇺 (2:18) 🇦🇹 Austria - Kaleen…
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Audio engineer and Never Post host Mike Rugnetta joins us for a Eurovision crash course. We discuss this year's entries from Estonia, Denmark, Belgium, San Marino, and Switzerland, as well as the overwhelming schedule for Eurovision rehearsals and the finer points of grocery store playlists. CVS Bangerz Summary Welcome, Mike Rugnetta! (0:43) 🇪🇪 Est…
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First-time guest Katie Proctor joins us to kick off our coverage of Eurovision 2024 Semi Final 2! We explore the full range of revamps with this week's set, including lyrics tweaks, remastering, and translation. Were the changes made by Czechia, Albania, Norway, Malta, and Latvia successful? Oops! All Revamps Summary Welcome, Katie Proctor! (0:42) …
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Meredith Clark from Light Treason News joins us to chat about our last set of songs for Eurovision Semi Final 1: Serbia, Iceland, Australia, Portugal, and Azerbaijan. Topics include: Memes popular in Bangladesh, Whose Line is It Anyway, didgeridoos, three-minute world building, and arms appreciation. Optimistic Summary Welcome back, Meredith Clark!…
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Eurovision superfan dudepoints joins us to delight in the bleeps and bloops of five more entries from this year's first semi-final. We discuss the songs from Moldova, Lithuania, Poland, Croatia, and Cyprus, as well as dude's experience at the Eurovizija.lt Grand Final. SFX Appeal Summary Welcome back, dudepoints! (0:52) 🇲🇩 Moldova - Natalia Barbu -…
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We kick off Eurovision 2024 Review Season with our special guest Sam Gavin! We discuss the entries from Slovenia, Ireland, Luxembourg, Ukraine, and Finland as well as reminisce about My Neighbor Totoro, pre-internet software, and cringe content from back in the day. Encarta Summary Welcome, Sam Gavin! (0:46) 🇸🇮 Slovenia - Raiven - "Veronika" 🧝♀️ (…
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We're at the end of Eurovision Selection Season and get caught up with internal selections from Australia and Greece plus the conclusion of Sweden's Melodifestivalen and Portugal's Festival da Canção. ... what do you mean there are still some unknown tracks?! Scrunchy Face Sounds Summary Electric Fields to represent Australia with "One Milkali (One…
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Several internal selections join the Eurovision 2024 field this week and exactly zero of them are holding back. Serbia's national final goes harder than necessary while Iceland... also made a selection this week. We're in the homestretch! Maximal Summary Nemo breaks "The Code" for Switzerland (0:47) Joost Klein is the Netherlands' "Europapa" (3:51)…
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In a relatively quiet week in Eurovision land we check out Belgium's selection from Mustii, recap Una Voce per San Marino, and say meow to Baby Lasagna. We also check in with Sweden's Melodifestivalen, Iceland's Songvakeppnin, and the first semi for Portugal's Festival da Canção. Go Tiffany Summary Belgium releases Mustii's "Before the Party's Over…
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5 Eurovision national finals took place this past weekend with mixed results. Well, results that were mixed weirdly due to jury/televote score conversions. We discuss Germany, Estonia, Moldova, Lithuania, and Denmark, plus Poland's internal selection. Conversion Summary Isaak is "Always on the Run" for Germany (1:00) Eesti Laul Grand Final (5:44) N…
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With Ben traveling back from Finland's UMK, guest Trip Payne taps in to discuss that national final, Latvia's Supernova, and Italy's Sanremo Festival. Then we prepare for the biggest Super Saturday of the Eurovision season coming up next weekend. Imaginary Beef Summary Petra Mede and Malin Åkerman will host Eurovision 2024 (2:27) Windows95Man wins …
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It was a Saturday so Super it stretched into Sunday... not by choice, but Ukraine loves drama. Norway, Spain, and Malta also made their Eurovision picks, Latvia and Sweden kicked off their processes, and Lithuania is almost done with their heats. Oh, and The Draw added some structure to the 2024 Contest. Technical Difficulties Summary The Draw hand…
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Eurovision season clicks into second gear this week with Ireland and Luxembourg making selections, Norway setting its final field, Lithuania's holding its third heat, and Malta, Spain, and Ukraine getting ready to decide. How will The Draw shake up things in Malmö? Squiggle Line Mouth Face Summary Romania won't be part of The Draw (1:15) Ireland ch…
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Eurovision calmed down a bit this week with qualifying heats from Lithuania and Norway plus the semi-final for Estonia's Eesti Laul. Slovenia turned up the drama with Raiven's "Veronika" and Austria announced their artist for Malmö. Be warned: this is the last bit of calm until March... That's SLO Raiven Summary Raiven's "Veronika" debuts for Slove…
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The search for the next Eurovision winner began officially this week, with Moldova holding auditions, Norway kicking off NRK MGP, and Lithuania launching its new process Eurovizija.lt. Georgia announced their artist, and everybody had to issue a press release the week that Mike is home alone 😱 Floodgates Summary Georgia announces Nutsa for Malmö (1…
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Eurovision 2024 barely took a break for the holidays! We get caught up on Albania's Festivali i Këngës, the results of the ESC 250 Countdown, and look forward to Moldova, Norway, and Lithuania this coming weekend. Trickle Summary Albania chooses Besa and "Zemren n'dore" (0:46) The Eurovision 2024 Stage Concept (5:31) Eurovision announces The Draw a…
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We finally have a (tentative) roster for next year's Eurovision Song Contest! Czechia has selected their entry, artists have been announced for the Netherlands, Slovenia, and the UK, and national final season details are coming into focus. What a way to wrap 2023! 37ish Summary 37 countries confirmed for Malmö (so far) (1:03) New color scheme! (6:3…
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FRANCE has jumped the gun and released their song for Eurovision 2024. Greece has announced their artist, a handful of countries have named their contestants for their national finals, and tickets were already on sale... it's barely December? Join us as we peruse Eurovision Song Contest headlines. Allons-y! Summary 🇫🇷 France surprise announces Slim…
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Ireland Gut Rehab We welcome back Alex McMillan to discuss the state of Ireland's Eurovision Song Contest selections and reflect on the nation's historical successes and recent failures. Is Eurosong on the Late Late Show the best selection method? Is Ireland stuck in the nostalgia for their dominance in the 90s? What risks can the delegation take t…
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It's been 30 years since a small town in Ireland took on the challenge of hosting Eurovision while the concept of Europe was undergoing a transformation. We look back at Millstreet 1993, the accommodation of several new countries wanting to join the party, and... the Bartman? Millstreet Summary The Journey to the 1993 Eurovision Song Contest (1:14)…
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As we continue to wait for the full guest list for Eurovision 2024,: Cyprus announces their artist, a bunch of selection processes release start dates (FRIDAY?!), end dates, and a few name changes (EEK!), plus we start filling out this winter's TV calendar. Calendaring Summary Cyprus internally selects Silia Kapsis for Malmo (1:22) 35 Countries Con…
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Discussing Valérie Lemercier's "freely-inspired" Celine Dion biopic — What do you do if your pop culture idol doesn't sign off on you making a biopic about them? Change their name, tweak some of the facts, and play all the roles so you can make a movie like Aline! We have A LOT of questions about the film: Aline! Summary EuroWhat AV Club: Aline! (3…
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Greece and Turkey have had a tense relationship and Cyprus is often in the center of disputes. We take a look at these dynamics and how they may have shifted over the last 50 years at Eurovision. Obvious Points Klaxon Summary Greece debuts at Eurovision (1:43) Greek Politics (5:40) Cyprus (8:11) Greece, Cyprus, and Turkiye at Eurovision (13:33) Do …
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We get caught up on September 2023 Eurovision Headlines, of which there are a surprising amount. We already have an artist, details on multiple selection processes, and more than 2 dozen countries ready to party in Malmö, Sweden. Efficiency Summary Belgium selects Mustii (1:02) Christer Bjorkman and Per Blankens join the production team (3:07) The …
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From "Waterloo" to "Tattoo", Sweden has been a dominant force in the Eurovision Song Contest for more than 50 years, winning the competition seven times. We dive into the ESC history of next year's host country. Welcome to Sweden Summary Sweden: A Land of Contrasts (2:23) Sweden's Overall Record at Eurovision (4:19) The "Waterloo" Era (8:13) The "D…
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We say farewell to our host nations by discussing one area where Ukraine and the United Kingdom overlap: iconic runner-up entries. But what does "iconic" mean for Eurovision entries? Using data from the annual ESC Top 250 countdown, we construct a rubric to identify songs from across the decades that could be part of a Eurovision Hall of Fame. In t…
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With one month to go until Eurovision New Year and next year's host city and dates announced, it's been a fairly quiet month for the Contest. We check in with some of the national selection processes that are already casting for the upcoming season. Drought Summary Malmö, Sweden will host Eurovision 2024 (1:03) Norway Suggests Jury Changes (6:09) P…
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Finland went all out in supporting their Eurovision entry "Cha Cha Cha" in ways that continue to reverberate weeks after the contest. We spoke with University of Helsinki researcher Zoë Jay and UMK associate producer/"Cha Cha Cha" dancer Matti Myllyaho about Finland's Eurovision 2023 experience. Zoë Jay Dr Zoë Jay is a post-doctoral researcher at t…
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2020 was a dark time for live music. It also marked the first time in the Eurovision Song Contest’s 65-year history where the competition was canceled. Rather than letting the lights go down in Rotterdam, Eurovision’s fan community and the European Broadcasting Union found new ways to celebrate the contest’s artists with at-home concerts, fan-drive…
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Sweden's host city selection process for Eurovision 2024 has been bopping along while everyone is out of office for summer vacation. We get caught up with our mailbag and some of the headlines from the last month. News Cruise Summary Mailbag: Jemini v Gemini Edition (1:10) Sweden Closes Bids for Eurovision Host City (2:43) Eurowhat AV Club (7:48) 2…
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How does a songwriter interface with the Eurovision experience? "Blood and Glitter" co-writer Anthony J. Brown joins us to discuss his involvement with Lord of the Lost and Germany's 2023 Eurovision entry. Lyrical Vocabulary Summary How did "Blood and Glitter" come about? (1:23) On the Way to Eurovision (10:01) What was your Grand Final experience?…
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Ben has returned from his Eurovision debut in Liverpool, both as an audience member and as part of the in-person press team. He shares stories from his jam-packed trip. Debut Summary Eurovision Expectations (1:19) The Turquoise Carpet and National Lottery Show (4:55) Eurovision Dress Rehearsals and Semi Finals (8:35) The Eurovision Grand Final (18:…
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While Ben recovers from Liverpool's Party of the Century, special guest Trip Payne stops by to chat about the 2023 Eurovision Grand Final and the battle between Sweden and Finland. Stockholm Syndrome Summary Eurovision Listening Project (2:35) How was the Grand Final as a show? (5:22) Diving into the Grand Final results (7:06) Semi-Finals Data Drop…
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Will Finland "Cha Cha Cha" to victory? Will Sweden's Loreen get a "Tattoo" to celebrate a win? Could Ukraine's "Heart of Steel" beat the competition? We recap the Eurovision 2023 Semi-Finals and make our picks for what we think will happen at the Grand Final in Liverpool. Eurovision 2023 Grand Final Preview Summary Semi-Final 1 Recap (2:11) Semi-Fi…
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