The Eurovision song contest is full
of singers wanting to represent the country they were chosen for to the
fullest. One may analyze the lyrics, dancing, special effects, and many more to
understand the message the performer is trying to convey. Some but not all
performances reveal their stance on diversity, which can, in turn, say a lot
about the country’s position on it at the time.
In 2017, Finland entered a love
ballad into the mix of songs that year, titled “Blackbird” by Norma John. At
first, without seeing them perform, one may believe that Norma John is one
person, but it is actually made up of the pianist Lasse Piirainen and the
vocalist Leena Tirronen. Both are Finns who were selected at Uuden Musiikin
Kilpailu, the national contest for choosing who gets to represent Finland at
Eurovision. The music and lyrics for this ballad are both written by Leena and
Lasse themselves (Eurovision Song Contest).
When
looking at the lyrics, which are sung in English, it appears to be a typical
breakup ballad. The song begins with “Blackbird blackbird don’t sing to me... /
Don’t sing below my window” (Eurovision Song Contest, 2017). Leena is singing
about a blackbird who she does not want to remind her of her previous partner
evident in the chorus, “You sang when we was in my bed / You sang when my heart
sang, now / Now you remind me of something I’ll never have / So blackbird don’t
sing / Blackbird don’t sing”(Eurovision Song Contest, 2017). The song has two
verses and three repetitions of the chorus, emphasizing the grief she feels
from this blackbird reminding her of her past.
In
terms of staging, it remains the same for most of the performance. In the
beginning, the audience sees nothing, a dark stage. As soon as Saara starts
singing, the lights come up, and one can see Leena in a great black dress and a
moving blue pattern on the back LED screen. The camera pans out, and the viewer
can see dry ice (a Eurovision staple) swirling around Leena’s feet and the
piano of which Lasse is playing. Not many changes at this point, until she
sings the first chorus. The camera starts stage left and as she sings a visual
underneath her emerges to the audience, a whirlpool of the same pattern as the
back LED screen, all the while the camera circles in front of Leena once, possibly
portraying to the audience that they are in this whirlpool with her. As the
second verse starts, the camera is low and stage right, and as she sings the
chords, Lasse is playing in the song lights up four light bars, separated in
pairs at the back of the stage. Another chorus goes by with the camera swirling
around as Lasse plays a solo. Before the final chorus, the camera is set back
deep into the audience, and at least sixty-eight overhead lights move and bathe
the audience in white light. The camera is focused again in, and all the
background lights and visuals turn from blue to red while Leena sings with
great passion. Red is a very intense color, leading the audience to believe
that because this is her third repetition of the chorus, second in a row, that
she is angry and determined to tell this blackbird not to sing no more. The
song conveyed to the viewer exactly what I think Norma John intended, a song
about the pain of a breakup and how the blackbird (everything you do and see)
reminds you of the past. The song didn’t make it through to the grand final,
upsetting many Finns who saw it as a worthy entry for that year's competition.
In
2018 Finland came back with Saara Aalto’s “Monsters,” hoping to capture the
audience with its submission of an energetic self-described “epic love pop”
(Eurovision Song Contest, 2017). The music and lyrics are by Saara Aalto
herself, but also by Joy and Linnea Deb, Swedish songwriters and producers, and
Ki Fitzgerald, an English singer, and songwriter. Aalto is Finnish born and a
decorated singer, finishing second in The Voice of Finland in 2012. She married
Meri Sopanen, her personal trainer and life coach in 2016, identifying herself
as a lesbian in a DIVA Magazine interview that same year. DIVA Mag is “Europe’s
Leading Magazine for Lesbians & Bi Women.”
Analyzing
the lyrics, which are in English again, one can see that she is sending a clear
message with this song. The first verse sings, “Closed my eyes, so I couldn’t
see it / Felt so numb, but now I’m ready to feel it / So tonight I’m making
friends with all the creatures that are hiding / there under my bed”(Eurovision
Song Contest, 2018). If the viewer knows Saara’s personal life, they can hear
and infer that this song is about the strength of the LGBTQ community for
overcoming insecurities. This is visible with such lyrics like “Now I’m gonna
let in all the light, tear down the walls / At my worst I found my army strong,
all the demons are gone”(Eurovision Song Contest, 2018) found in the chorus.
The
staging for Finland's 2018 submission is immense and active, with each part
meaning something for the message of the song. At first, the viewer can see
Saara on a raised platform standing in a big wheel that begins to move with her
in it as she sings the first verse and chorus. As the hook plays and the song
picks upbeat, the camera pans out, and she exits the platform dancing with two
male background dancers. What’s most interesting is the way the dancers are
dressed. As she walks around the platform two more women in the same attire
emerge. They appear to have a paramilitary look with black combat boots, but if
one looks closer, it is almost fetishistic. The black leather harness around
the chest, black leather gloves, and boots, the revealing chest area of the men
and midriff of the women. They may represent the “army” she sings about but
instead of a traditional military, its made up of LGBTQ soldiers. All while
they are dancing in the foreground, the stage lighting is a familiar pink,
blue, and white strobing in the background with massive LED bars and panels. I
know when I first watched it I immediately connected the colors with the
Transgender Pride Flag, also pink, blue, and white. One can assume that with
the colors of that flag, the lyrics about overcoming insecurities, Saara is
performing this song for the people in the LGBTQ community who are struggling
with “demons” as she sings. She is very involved with the trans community, just
recently on February 3rd, 2019, she released a video teaming up with award-winning
trans rights charity Mermaids (Bourdillon, 2019). Sadly Monsters in the
Eurovision Contest came in 25th, second to the last place out of 26th
finalists.
In
conclusion, Finland's 2017 performance didn’t do much of anything for the
message of diversity and how Finland wants to present itself in that way.
Finland’s 2018 performance on the other hand, instead had a beautiful message
to those struggling in the LGBTQ community to overcome their fears and
insecurities and instead of fighting them become familiar or “friends” with
them to quell their anxiety.
Word Count: 1225
References
Norma John. (2017). Blackbird
(Finland). Eurovision Song Contest Kiev [DVD].
London, UK: EMI Finland.
Aalto, Saara. (2018).
Monsters (Finland). Eurovision Song
Contest Lisbon [DVD]. NYC, USA: Warner Music Finland.
Zeiher, C. (2017, May 10).
The artists of Eurovision 2017: Norma John – “Blackbird” (Finland). Retrieved
February 19, 2019, from
https://www.sbs.com.au/guide/article/2017/05/01/artists-eurovision-2017-norma-john-blackbird-finland
Windle, L. (2017, May 8). Who
is Finland’s Eurovision Song Contest 2017 entry? Norma John to perform
Blackbird – all you need to know. Retrieved February 19, 2019, from
https://www.thesun.co.uk/living/2880111/finland-eurovision-song-contest-2017-norma-john-singing-blackbird/
Butterworth, B. (2016,
December 23). Saara Alto opens up about her sexuality as she poses in stunning
new photo shoot. Retrieved February 19, 2019, from
https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2016/12/23/saara-alto-opens-up-about-her-sexuality-as-she-poses-in-stunning-new-photo-shoot/
Bourdillon, R. (2019,
February 3). Pop princess Saara Aalto has dropped her brand new video and it’s
breathtaking. Retrieved February 19, 2019, from https://divamag.co.uk/2019/02/03/pop-princess-saara-aalto-has-dropped-her-brand-new-video-and-its-breathtaking/
Escudero, V. M., & Zwart,
J. (2018, March 3). Saara Aalto's song for Lisbon is... Monsters! Retrieved
February 19, 2019, from https://eurovision.tv/story/saara-aalto-will-sing-monsters-at-eurovision-2018-in-lisbon
