Salvation for Portugal as Salvador Sobral wins the Eurovision Song Contest in Kiev with a slow sentimental sound

Looking at and listening to ESC – up in Hofbräu Berlin. © 2016, Münzenberg Medien, Photo: Stefan Pribnow

Berlin, Germany (Weltexpress). This time, the contest was even queerer than the years before, and it seemed to drag on and on – even with the best of beers pouring steadily out of the tap, or the drag queen Nina Queer trying to raise the spirits from the stage. We from Weltexpress voted for Italy, for a swell singer that gave an audience worldwide a great show – and on top of it showed a sense of humour rare within these fire-and-light demonstrations. The bookmakers had Italy top of the list as well. Nobody thought the winners – his sister wrote the lyrics – would come from out of such a sad ‘Saudade’ State. However, 27-year-old, pitiful, shaggy-haired Salvador, a delicate boy, languished and slouched Portugal to victory with his song “Amar Pelos Dois”, acclaimed by nearly every Eurovision country. (The content of Eurovision, by the way, has nothing to do with either the continent of Europe or the vision of another EU). After 49 participations without being among the best ten now, at last, with a gentle jazz-waltz a great triumph for the faint land of fading ‘Fado’. In the end, this ardent opponent of what he aptly calls “fast food music”, came to 758 points with his melancholic tune, almost full marks then by both jury members and the audience that voted. Sobral, called “Fado-Kiffer” by some of his colleagues, got 752 points more than Levina, a 26-year-old German who lives in London. She sang “Perfect Life” dressed in a garment and with make-up that made her look as if she wanted to put up a concentration camp appearance. But the crowd up there in Hofbräu Berlin cheered her on all the same. A red haired Welsh lady with a good, loud voice accompanied by facial gimmicks sang Great Britain to somewhere middle of the road. Well Spain, going by geography next to Portugal, came last this time, not Germany. Thanks to Ireland, giving Levina three points. “We wont do it next round”, they told me next day while horse racing at Hoppegarten, “if you’re that bad again”. Should we step dance and play spoons, or better not take part? Hear it here 2018 at Hofbräu!

The ESC-results in detail:

1. Portugal 758
2. Bulgaria 615
3. Moldova 374
4. Belgium 363
5. Sweden 344
6. Italy 334
7. Romania 282
8. Hungary 200
9. Australia 173
10. Norway 158
11. Netherlands 150
12. France 135
13. Croatia 128
14. Azerbaijan 120
15. Great Britain 111
16. Austria 93
17. Belarus 83
18. Armenia 79
19. Greece 77
20. Denmark 77
21. Cyprus 68
22. Poland 64
23. Israel 39
24. Ukraine 36
25. Germany 6
26. Spain 5

Previous articleA Curious National Home
Next articleSolar Restaurant and Sky Lounge soars above Berlin

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

seventeen − eleven =