# Anyone watching Eurovision? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 29, 2010, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watching-eurovision/541214 "2010-05-29T19:29:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2010, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watching-eurovision/541214/121 "2010-05-30T17:23:23Z")
> [@Lust4Life](#): > > Most Brits IME regard it as a bit of a joke, as someone once said, if Britain had entered the Beatles every year in their heyday then the U.K. would have won every year. > > The tunes seem to be very tacky for ordinary tastes and there appears to be a lot of politically motivated voting. > > E.European nations vote for each other, I have a recollection that there has never been an Irish vote registered for a British tune (may have changed now) and I doubt that the Greeks have ever voted for Turkeys entry. > > That said I think its a good institution because it brings nations together. > Its better to slag off a countrys song rather then start a war with them. > > That said I’d rather stab myself in the eyes with a matchstick rather then watch one. It’s a myth that people vote politically. What happens is that people vote for neighbouring countries for reasons of familiarity and cultural overlap. And there are lots of small countries in eastern Europe, hence a lot of voting for each other. But it happens across the board. Ireland and the UK have, in fact, regularly given high marks to each other’s songs going years back (Ireland was one of the few countries to give the UK any points this year). Greece and Turkey have actually voted for each other many times. The real problem, inasmuch as it is a problem considering that the whole thing is just a bit of fun, is that countries get the same voting weight regardless of population size. And I seriously doubt that the Beatles would have won every year, had they been so badly advised as to enter. The ESC has never been about the best song. It’s a useless way of picking a best song even if the songs were any good, which they aren’t. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2010, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watching-eurovision/541214/122 "2010-05-31T01:27:48Z")
Hello - me again. Remember way up on this thread I said don’t spoil the winner for me. Nevermind - MSNBC did it to me when I clicked to see the news. So, already heard Germany won. (Sucks, as it would have been a real kick to see it happen without knowing it!) Can’t wait to see the DVD my friend in Germany is sending - I was in Germany when Nicole sang “Ein Bisschen Frieden” and won. The Germans were in shock. Needless to say, that was the only song you heard in bars for weeks on end afterward. ---
**Author:** ![shantih](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f6c823/32.png) [@shantih](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shantih)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2010, 10:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watching-eurovision/541214/123 "2010-05-31T10:29:18Z")
Yeah, it’s pretty much all Satellite all the time here right now. I thought Lena was adorable after she sung the song after winning – when she switched from English to German she thanked everyone again, kept saying how crazy it all was, thanked her band and back-up singers, then said “I don’t really know what I’m supposed to do right now, so I’ll keep chatting for a while.” Then the show ended, saving the poor girl! ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2010, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watching-eurovision/541214/124 "2010-06-01T02:10:42Z")
Interesting result… Didn’t watch Eurovision (shame they don’t air it on PBS) but I did listen to the winning song and I found it slightly fun but Lena _does_ have a weird accent. It’ll be interesting if she takes up her predecessor as Germany’s representative (Lale Andersen) trademark song “Lili Marleen”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watching-eurovision/541214.md?page=6)