For all my love for Eurovision and as important, all my love and respect for how Eurovision over the last twenty thirty ish years have grown to become one of the most important arenas to portray growth in our society, I've never been in a position to fully say what this acknowledgement of growth actually means. I've never been gay, or queer, and I never will be. That means I'll never be a representative person for acknowledging feelings portrayed in a song that will ring true to said group.
However, I am a fan of genuinity** in songs. I'm a fan when a song, even in its most simple state, can say something, cheesy as it may sound, and it will still hit home. Or, hit home might not be the right word - in context of stuff I know, I will know that this song actually says something that is of importance.
Her being the songs in Eurovision 2018 of Finland and Israel.
I'm not saying one song is generally more good than the other. I rather think Israel's song wears your brain out the more you hear it, because it is generally a bit annoying. What I do think is that the production is better. I think the song is slightly more complex. And I do think the singer has more to offer, that being due to the fact that she's simply fucking amazing. (I wrote "amazong" first. Fitting.)
Anyway I'm not saying Finland's singer is bad, quite the contrary, I think she's great. The song is just - it has more of that in-a-box tropical house ish tone to it, not that well produced, and it feels regurgitated, because it's quite European. Which means I've heard it a million times before. Also it sounds like the start of that J-Lo song.
But what is the thing about Finland's song is (and I need to wrap this up before I get any drunker) - "I'm not your toy" probably has some kind of message to it, that message is not its key point. The song is more a mash of fun lyrics smashed together to help paint the portrait of Netta as a give no shits just here for the fun artist. It's not saying anything in itself, although Netta, being plus size, with amazing talents, delivers the message entirely by herself, song not needed (she didn't write that song and I wish she'd write a song herself tbh.) Finlands, however, is talking about having underlying elements of shame in your life, and how you're done having those shadows clouding your life. She's not afraid of the monsters anymore, she's crept up to face them "with her army" that she found, and she's not going to let those monsters dictate her life anymore.
"Monsters" is my go-to song because that message of telling monsters to eff off is a message so direct, clean and still perfectly conveyable in a dance song that it adds a layer that makes me care for it and love it in a whole different level. It feels real. More intimate. It's making a statement and telling me something, and I am on board.
So yeah. Finland. Or, as Yop put it, Winland. Fucking Winland.
* nah not really
** I know that's not a word I don't really care
) watching semi 1 tonight?
