LATER ADDED NOTE (May 22, 2019): EXCELLENT ADDED BACKGROUND MATERIAL AND LINKS are found at Caroline Westbrook's article What is Joik, as heard in Norway’s 2019 Eurovision entry Spirit In the Sky? at Metro.co.uk where Westbrook writes:
"What is Joik, as heard in Spirit In The Sky? Buljo’s mid-song chant (fast-forward to 2:02 to hear it) is a traditional type of song performed by the Sami people – otherwise known as Lapps or Laplanders – who inhabit the Sapmi region, encompassing large parts of Norway and Sweden as well as northern Finland and Murmansk Oblast in north-west Russia. The sound, which has been compared to the chanting of some Native American cultures, is often deeply personal in nature, with each joik meant to reflect or evoke a person, animal or place. Eurovision aside, it’s found its place in popular culture, serving as inspiration for the likes of Disney’s Frozen – with the opening song, Vuelie, heavily influenced by Sami culture."
Read more: https://metro.co.uk/2019/05/16/what-is-joik-as-heard-in-norways-2019-eurovision-entry-spirit-in-the-sky-9375648/?ito=cbshare
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MetroUK | Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MetroUK/"
__________
Now, to our original posting....
__________
For us, the top song of the 2019 Eurovision Song Sontest was Spirit in the Sky (Grand Final Version) by Norway's KEiiNO, a song which won the Europe-wide popular Eurovision televote. For the lyric version, see here.
As written at NewsInEnglish.no (make sure to read the whole article):
"No other country’s entry at the huge if hotly debated Eurovision Song Contest won as many votes from the public as Norway’s trio known as KEiiNO late Saturday night. Two of KEiiNO’s members are crediting their Sami colleague Fred Buljo for catapulting them from 15th- to 5th place in the finals....
KEiiNO singers Tom Hugo and Alexandra Rotan said on Sunday that they were “dedicating” what’s considered a respectable result at Eurovision to their fellow singer Fred Buljo, whose Sami heritage and Sami joik set them apart from all the other entries that often featured wailing vocalists and lots of pyrotechnics."
Fred Buljo is a star! Musically, on stage, he's got it. He sings
Joik viz. Sami joik, one of Europe's oldest song traditions!
As written at NewsInEnglish.no:
"“I’m very proud of my Sami background and culture,” said Buljo, who hails from Kautokeino in Norway’s northernmost county of Finnmark. “This shows that the joik, which is Europe’s oldest song tradition, touches people’s souls.” [emphasis added]
The United Nations is also honouring traditional languages of indigenous peoples this year, with Norway’s Sami Parliament (Sametinget) receiving NOK 1.1 million to boost exposure of the Sami language. “Now we can continue the work to strengthen languages under threat,” Buljo said, adding that he’s involved in production of a “concept album” featuring indigenous languages from around the world."
Norway had in fact already handily won the public vote in the 2nd semifinal sing-off prior to the grand final and could be viewed as the song which reflects the era of our life and times in our climate-change discussion age - an era of Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) caused by an active sun.
However, Spirit in the Sky was not greatly favored in the so-called jury vote of alleged professional "experts", whose vote in each country was counted as 50% of the "total vote", with the other 50% being comprised by the public vote.
Moreover, the foundation of the jury vote was not based on viewing the actual Grand Final performances of the 26 music participants, but rather on seeing the non-publicly available 2nd general viz. dress rehearsal prior to the Grand Final, which is not identical to the Grand Final, as changes are made. You can't make this kind of thing up. Basing 50% of the result of a finals race on a non-public evaluation of a preliminary heat? Not a good standard of judgment in our estimation. A final is always different than the prelims.
This strange system leads in each country to an extremely small not necessarily qualified group of people in a so-called "jury" picking their personal song favorites and, as in 2019, taking the win away from the most popular song in favor of some other song "technically" preferred as an individual matter of taste. Really, we could care less about a jury for music. The public buys music and listens to it. That should be the standard. The public vote, not a jury vote. Polls don't win elections, the actual VOTE OF THE PUBLIC does.
A good example of a jury in 2019 was Germany, consisting of only five persons - singers or people in the music business, with varying degrees of success.
NOTE:
The German public
in their Grand Final televote
picked Norway as the winner.
HOWEVER:
The German jury of five viewing the Dress Rehearsal
voted for Italy as the winner.
If the two are added, Italy then "won" the German vote, 18-17, as the jury did not vote well for Norway. Spirit in the Sky was a song that did not necessarily relate to the musical experiences of the German jury.
The net result of the Eurovision voting was that the Netherlands won the total vote, after winning neither the popular televote nor the jury vote overall.
Egad! What a potentially faulty system.
We repeat: For us, the top song of the 2019 Eurovision Song Sontest was Spirit in the Sky (Grand Final Version) by Norway's KEiiNO, a song which won the Europe-wide popular Eurovision televote. For the lyric version, see here.
There are several other versions available online at YouTube.
Wednesday, May 22, 2019
Sunday, May 14, 2017
Salvador Sobral Wins 2017 Eurovision Song Contest for Portugal
As reported at The Portugal News Online, Portugal's largest circulation English language newspaper,
Portugal's Salvador Sobral won the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest in Kiev with the song Amar pelos dois ("Loving for the two of us"), written by his sister Louisa Sobral.
The annual competition was televised live and also You-Tube streamed to hundreds of millions of viewers across the globe as the world's reigning most popular live non-sports entertainment show. Bulgaria came in second, Moldova third, our personal favorite Belgium fourth, and Sweden fifth.
It was Portugal's first ever win since entering the Eurovision Song Contest competition in 1964.
In 1956, the first year of the contest, there were seven participating countries -- in 2017 there were 42 participants. As written at the Wikipedia under Eurovision_Song_Contest:
"In the 1950s, as a war-torn Europe rebuilt itself, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU)—based in Switzerland—set up an ad hoc committee to search for ways of bringing together the countries of the EBU around a "light entertainment programme". At a committee meeting held in Monaco in January 1955 with Marcel Bezençon of the Swiss television as chairman, the committee conceived the idea (initially proposed by Sergio Pugliese of the Italian television RAI) of an international song contest where countries would participate in one television programme to be transmitted simultaneously to all countries of the union. The competition was based upon the existing Sanremo Music Festival held in Italy and was seen as a technological experiment in live television, as in those days it was a very ambitious project to join many countries together in a wide-area international network. Satellite television did not exist, and the Eurovision Network comprised a terrestrial microwave network. The concept, then known as "Eurovision Grand Prix", was approved by the EBU General Assembly in a meeting held in Rome on 19 October 1955, and it was decided that the first contest would take place in spring 1956 in Lugano, Switzerland. The name "Eurovision" was first used in relation to the EBU's network by British journalist George Campey in the London Evening Standard in 1951."
The Eurovision Song Contest has many supporters and viewers but also detractors, the latter of whom seem to expect a perfection of competition that is simply not realistic.
The Eurovision Song Contest may not be perfect -- surely everyone can agree on that point -- but it beats alternative forms of competition among nations -- need we mention wars -- by a long shot. Given a choice, we take ... MUSIC!
Portugal's Salvador Sobral won the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest in Kiev with the song Amar pelos dois ("Loving for the two of us"), written by his sister Louisa Sobral.
The annual competition was televised live and also You-Tube streamed to hundreds of millions of viewers across the globe as the world's reigning most popular live non-sports entertainment show. Bulgaria came in second, Moldova third, our personal favorite Belgium fourth, and Sweden fifth.
It was Portugal's first ever win since entering the Eurovision Song Contest competition in 1964.
In 1956, the first year of the contest, there were seven participating countries -- in 2017 there were 42 participants. As written at the Wikipedia under Eurovision_Song_Contest:
"In the 1950s, as a war-torn Europe rebuilt itself, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU)—based in Switzerland—set up an ad hoc committee to search for ways of bringing together the countries of the EBU around a "light entertainment programme". At a committee meeting held in Monaco in January 1955 with Marcel Bezençon of the Swiss television as chairman, the committee conceived the idea (initially proposed by Sergio Pugliese of the Italian television RAI) of an international song contest where countries would participate in one television programme to be transmitted simultaneously to all countries of the union. The competition was based upon the existing Sanremo Music Festival held in Italy and was seen as a technological experiment in live television, as in those days it was a very ambitious project to join many countries together in a wide-area international network. Satellite television did not exist, and the Eurovision Network comprised a terrestrial microwave network. The concept, then known as "Eurovision Grand Prix", was approved by the EBU General Assembly in a meeting held in Rome on 19 October 1955, and it was decided that the first contest would take place in spring 1956 in Lugano, Switzerland. The name "Eurovision" was first used in relation to the EBU's network by British journalist George Campey in the London Evening Standard in 1951."
The Eurovision Song Contest has many supporters and viewers but also detractors, the latter of whom seem to expect a perfection of competition that is simply not realistic.
The Eurovision Song Contest may not be perfect -- surely everyone can agree on that point -- but it beats alternative forms of competition among nations -- need we mention wars -- by a long shot. Given a choice, we take ... MUSIC!
Saturday, May 13, 2017
Ellie Delvaux -- "Blanche" -- Sings "City Lights" for Belgium in the Eurovision 2017 Song Contest Final - We Find It the Best Song This Year, But Can Blanche Win?
Our own personal favorite in the Eurovision 2017 Song Contest Final on May 13, 2017 in Kiev is the unique, world-class song "City Lights" as sung by Ellie Delvaux -- going here as "Blanche" -- for Belgium. "City Lights" is a listener's playlist delight. Do yourself a favor and listen to it twice .... it grows on you.
We find it to be the best song in the competition, but can Blanche win enough votes to win, as it will be hard to overcome traditional Eurovision Song Contest powerhouses from past years such as Sweden, which has won six times, lastly in 2012 and 2015, and goes into this final with one of the semifinal winners from the same semifinal in which Belgium was 4th place.
However, since "City Lights" is a song that grows on you, it should be more competitive in the final voting as voters will have had a chance to get familiar with the song in the interim -- which can only increase its chances of winning.
There are other fine entries in the competition as well of course, such as favorites from Italy, Portugal, Bulgaria and the United Kingdom, but we always look for a song with that extra "something". This year, "City Lights" has that "something" for us.
We find it to be the best song in the competition, but can Blanche win enough votes to win, as it will be hard to overcome traditional Eurovision Song Contest powerhouses from past years such as Sweden, which has won six times, lastly in 2012 and 2015, and goes into this final with one of the semifinal winners from the same semifinal in which Belgium was 4th place.
However, since "City Lights" is a song that grows on you, it should be more competitive in the final voting as voters will have had a chance to get familiar with the song in the interim -- which can only increase its chances of winning.
There are other fine entries in the competition as well of course, such as favorites from Italy, Portugal, Bulgaria and the United Kingdom, but we always look for a song with that extra "something". This year, "City Lights" has that "something" for us.
Saturday, May 6, 2017
Thursday, December 1, 2016
Stand Tall in The Grandeur of the Stars of YOUR Galaxy
Stand Tall in The Grandeur of the Stars of YOUR Galaxy
The closing song of the Galaxy album in the previous posting is:
Track 21 - Ode to the Stars - 4:28 21-Ode to the Stars-Andis Kaulins .mp3
That song is the galactic finale and designed to make the listener "stand tall".
Music is of course personal and emotional and everyone reacts differently to given music, nor can we make any guarentees, but Ode to the Stars can make a person stand up, tall and proud just to be a human being in our galaxy.
When the song is completed, you could have a smile on your face.
On the other hand, some people have been moved to tears.
Try it.
The closing song of the Galaxy album in the previous posting is:
Track 21 - Ode to the Stars - 4:28 21-Ode to the Stars-Andis Kaulins .mp3
That song is the galactic finale and designed to make the listener "stand tall".
Music is of course personal and emotional and everyone reacts differently to given music, nor can we make any guarentees, but Ode to the Stars can make a person stand up, tall and proud just to be a human being in our galaxy.
When the song is completed, you could have a smile on your face.
On the other hand, some people have been moved to tears.
Try it.
Galaxy : Music of the Stars and Planets : Indy Synthesizer Music by Kaulinsium
Galaxy: Music of the Stars and Planets
From Isandis, let the music about our Galaxy begin...
The label Isandis is combination of the artist's first name Andis with the first name of his first wife Isa, i.e. Isa+Andis. It seemed liked an obvious name, but we have found that many people read instead the term "Islandis", inserting the more familiar term "island". Everything has to be researched, even the giving of names.... Who could know?
THE ALBUM: Galaxy: Music of the Stars and Planets
Music of the Stars is Synthesizer Music of the Earth and the Sky by Kaulinsium.
The CD-ROM is 56.29 minutes. The Composer is Andis Kaulins who also does the Keyboards (yes, we know, the songs need professional mastering). These songs were all created in a home environment using basic consumer equipment.
The Genre is Indy (Independent) Alternative Music.
Copyright © 2004 by Andis Kaulins in Traben-Trarbach with all rights reserved.
Consumers can copy and play these songs for free for private non-commercial use. For terms of commercial use, please contact the copyright holder.
Classical Piano Music Lovers try Track 10.
Our own favorites are Tracks 1, 4, 11, 8 and 21, but some of the others can grow on you. Composing music is one of the most fun activities we have ever done and we like to think we have a few "catchy" tunes. Music is personal.
We claim this music can make you smarter. Such is their design. One critic wrote to us to tell us how we could improve the songs. Our answer, "See, smarter already!" Click on the link to hear that song on your media player.
Track 1 - Galactic Milk - 2:33 01-Galactic Milk-Andis Kaulins.mp3
Track 2 - Black Space - 2:27 02-Black Space-Andis Kaulins.mp3
Track 3 - Off to the Stars - 1:52 03-Off to the Stars-Andis Kaulins.mp3
Track 4 - On the Edge of Light - 2:19 04-On the Edge of Light-Andis Kaulins.mp3
Track 5 - The First Planet - 1:52 05-The First Planet-Andis Kaulins.mp3
Track 6 - 1st Planet More Cleary - 1:59 06-The First Planet More Clearly-Andis Kaulins.mp3
Track 7 - Earth - 2:23 07-Earth-Andis Kaulins.mp3
Track 8 - The Earth Song - 2:25 08-The Earth Song-Andis Kaulins.mp3
Track 9 - Jubilation & Ebulation - 3:36 09-Jubilation & Ebulation-Andis Kaulins.mp3
Track 10 - Mercury - 1:15 10-Mercury-Andis Kaulins.mp3
Track 11 - The Asteroids - 2:28 11-The Asteroids-Andis Kaulins.mp3
Track 12 - Jupiter - 3:38 12-Jupiter-Andis Kaulins.mp3
Track 13 - Jupiter 2 (faster) - 2:31 13-Jupiter 2-Andis Kaulins.mp3
Track 14 - Saturn - 2:23 14-Saturn-Andis Kaulins.mp3
Track 15 - Uranus - 2:14 15-Uranus-Andis Kaulins.mp3
Track 16 - Pluto - 2:47 16-Pluto-Andis Kaulins.mp3
Track 17 - Solar Symphony - 7:04 17-Solar Symphony-Andis Kaulins .mp3
Track 18 - Mars - 2:42 18-Mars-Andis Kaulins .mp3
Track 19 - Moody Moon - 2:13 19-Moody Moon-Andis Kaulins .mp3
Track 20 - Venus - 5:20 20-Venus-Andis Kaulins .mp3
Track 21 - Ode to the Stars - 4:28 21-Ode to the Stars-Andis Kaulins .mp3
There are a few more songs, also vocals, at Isandis:
If you like it, tell us. If not, switch channels.
From Isandis, let the music about our Galaxy begin...
The label Isandis is combination of the artist's first name Andis with the first name of his first wife Isa, i.e. Isa+Andis. It seemed liked an obvious name, but we have found that many people read instead the term "Islandis", inserting the more familiar term "island". Everything has to be researched, even the giving of names.... Who could know?
THE ALBUM: Galaxy: Music of the Stars and Planets
Music of the Stars is Synthesizer Music of the Earth and the Sky by Kaulinsium.
The CD-ROM is 56.29 minutes. The Composer is Andis Kaulins who also does the Keyboards (yes, we know, the songs need professional mastering). These songs were all created in a home environment using basic consumer equipment.
The Genre is Indy (Independent) Alternative Music.
Copyright © 2004 by Andis Kaulins in Traben-Trarbach with all rights reserved.
Consumers can copy and play these songs for free for private non-commercial use. For terms of commercial use, please contact the copyright holder.
Classical Piano Music Lovers try Track 10.
Our own favorites are Tracks 1, 4, 11, 8 and 21, but some of the others can grow on you. Composing music is one of the most fun activities we have ever done and we like to think we have a few "catchy" tunes. Music is personal.
We claim this music can make you smarter. Such is their design. One critic wrote to us to tell us how we could improve the songs. Our answer, "See, smarter already!" Click on the link to hear that song on your media player.
Track 1 - Galactic Milk - 2:33 01-Galactic Milk-Andis Kaulins.mp3
Track 2 - Black Space - 2:27 02-Black Space-Andis Kaulins.mp3
Track 3 - Off to the Stars - 1:52 03-Off to the Stars-Andis Kaulins.mp3
Track 4 - On the Edge of Light - 2:19 04-On the Edge of Light-Andis Kaulins.mp3
Track 5 - The First Planet - 1:52 05-The First Planet-Andis Kaulins.mp3
Track 6 - 1st Planet More Cleary - 1:59 06-The First Planet More Clearly-Andis Kaulins.mp3
Track 7 - Earth - 2:23 07-Earth-Andis Kaulins.mp3
Track 8 - The Earth Song - 2:25 08-The Earth Song-Andis Kaulins.mp3
Track 9 - Jubilation & Ebulation - 3:36 09-Jubilation & Ebulation-Andis Kaulins.mp3
Track 10 - Mercury - 1:15 10-Mercury-Andis Kaulins.mp3
Track 11 - The Asteroids - 2:28 11-The Asteroids-Andis Kaulins.mp3
Track 12 - Jupiter - 3:38 12-Jupiter-Andis Kaulins.mp3
Track 13 - Jupiter 2 (faster) - 2:31 13-Jupiter 2-Andis Kaulins.mp3
Track 14 - Saturn - 2:23 14-Saturn-Andis Kaulins.mp3
Track 15 - Uranus - 2:14 15-Uranus-Andis Kaulins.mp3
Track 16 - Pluto - 2:47 16-Pluto-Andis Kaulins.mp3
Track 17 - Solar Symphony - 7:04 17-Solar Symphony-Andis Kaulins .mp3
Track 18 - Mars - 2:42 18-Mars-Andis Kaulins .mp3
Track 19 - Moody Moon - 2:13 19-Moody Moon-Andis Kaulins .mp3
Track 20 - Venus - 5:20 20-Venus-Andis Kaulins .mp3
Track 21 - Ode to the Stars - 4:28 21-Ode to the Stars-Andis Kaulins .mp3
There are a few more songs, also vocals, at Isandis:
If you like it, tell us. If not, switch channels.
Thursday, February 7, 2013
74-Year Old Legendary Folk Singer HEINO Astounds German Music Scene with New Hard Rock Album "With Best Wishes" ("Mit Freundlichen Grüßen")
David Crossland at Spiegel Online reports on an astounded music scene in Germany in German Crooner Heino Makes Comeback With Hard Rock Album, which relates the story of 74-year old folk legend Heino's newest and completely unexpected ablum, "With Best Wishes" ("Mit Freundlichen Grüßen"), that is setting German online music download sales records.
Monday, October 29, 2012
PSY Gangnam Style and the Korean Wave at The Economist
As reported at the Huffington Post, Gangnam Style has even made NFL Football: see Dolphins' 'Gangnam Style' Dance: Miami Blocks Punt For Olivier Vernon Touchdown vs. Jets (VIDEO)
See The data behind Gangnam Style: The rise and rise of PSY | The Economist
I post this here because I collaborated with the late Kim Youn-Soo in Germany on numerous publications some years ago. Youn-Soo was a Professor in South Korea whose ancestors came from North Korea, as written in a previous LawPundit posting, so I view with interest developments in Korea:
Korea
Seoul - The LawPundit [owner of Make it Music] has edited and co-edited several books with Korean professors including: Prof. Kie-Taek Kim and Andis Kaulins, ed., The Foreign Policies and Foreign Trade of the German Democratic Republic and the Korean Democratic People's Republic. Kiel, West Germany: German Korea-Studies Group, 1979. The book was published by my good friend Prof. Dr. Youn-Soo Kim, who passed away some years ago, but about whom was recently written:
"In the 1980s the greatest activity in the study of the past and present of the Koryo saram was to be found amongst Western and American-Korean scholars. Kim Youn-Soo, a professor at Kiel University (Germany) and Daegu University (Korea), has published a book compiling his impressions, notes from his travels in the Soviet Union, a historiographical review of Korean ethnology in the former USSR and essays on the history and the culture of the soviet Koreans. His only book about soviet Koreans can only be tentatively included among the annals of scientific research, so it has languished out of the view of domestic and foreign Korean studies. Yet merit for publishing the three anthologies of lyric poetry and short novels including this book must undoubtedly go to Kim Youn-Soo."
See The data behind Gangnam Style: The rise and rise of PSY | The Economist
I post this here because I collaborated with the late Kim Youn-Soo in Germany on numerous publications some years ago. Youn-Soo was a Professor in South Korea whose ancestors came from North Korea, as written in a previous LawPundit posting, so I view with interest developments in Korea:
Korea
Seoul - The LawPundit [owner of Make it Music] has edited and co-edited several books with Korean professors including: Prof. Kie-Taek Kim and Andis Kaulins, ed., The Foreign Policies and Foreign Trade of the German Democratic Republic and the Korean Democratic People's Republic. Kiel, West Germany: German Korea-Studies Group, 1979. The book was published by my good friend Prof. Dr. Youn-Soo Kim, who passed away some years ago, but about whom was recently written:
"In the 1980s the greatest activity in the study of the past and present of the Koryo saram was to be found amongst Western and American-Korean scholars. Kim Youn-Soo, a professor at Kiel University (Germany) and Daegu University (Korea), has published a book compiling his impressions, notes from his travels in the Soviet Union, a historiographical review of Korean ethnology in the former USSR and essays on the history and the culture of the soviet Koreans. His only book about soviet Koreans can only be tentatively included among the annals of scientific research, so it has languished out of the view of domestic and foreign Korean studies. Yet merit for publishing the three anthologies of lyric poetry and short novels including this book must undoubtedly go to Kim Youn-Soo."
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Conductor Mariss Jansons and the Music Behind the Notes
At the Guardian, The Observer's Fiona Maddocks reports in an article headlined:
Mariss Jansons: 'The notes are just signs. You have to go behind them:
Mariss Jansons: 'The notes are just signs. You have to go behind them:
"Mariss Jansons is regarded by many as the best conductor in the world. On the eve of a visit to the UK with the Amsterdam Concertgebouw he talks about his Latvian roots, his heart attack on the podium, and why he's never satisfied with his performances"
Friday, June 1, 2012
Ivi Adamou - La La Love (Studio Video Clip - Promo of Cyprus Eurovision 2012 Song) - YouTube
Of all the versions, this is our favorite because this is more the real girl.
Ivi Adamou - La La Love (Studio Video Clip - Cyprus Eurovision 2012) - YouTube
Ivi Adamou - La La Love (Studio Video Clip - Cyprus Eurovision 2012) - YouTube
Digital Music Outsells CDs and Vinyl In The UK For The First Time...
The Daily Swarm has the story via Forbes at Digital Music Outsells Physical In The UK For The First Time...
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
The BOSS is Back! YouTube: We Take Care Of Our Own (With Lyrics) - Bruce Springsteen
Maybe better than just talking politics....
See Bruce Springsteen on YouTube and
We Take Care Of Our Own (With Lyrics)
See Bruce Springsteen on YouTube and
We Take Care Of Our Own (With Lyrics)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
