Can you heat the drums Fernando?
This is quite easy and simple. Lets turn our attention to Euro entries with drums – which song in Eurovision you love because of the drums?
Can you heat the drums Fernando?
This is quite easy and simple. Lets turn our attention to Euro entries with drums – which song in Eurovision you love because of the drums?
Do electronic drums count? If so I put forward Belgium’s epic entry “Rendezvous” by Pas de Deux which has the most dramatic, strongest and original drum beat perhaps in the Eurovision ever. I loved it how Belgium was very unique and out there with this entry, so controversial some of the audience walked out when it won the national final. The song is mainly an instrumental with the same short sentences sung throughout and the drums just stand out! I just think it was a song ahead of its’ time and totally fun!
At Eurovision in 1983: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRfve3wHYUY
Here’s a video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2UVS0-YL0E to show how important the drums are to the song.
Lukman this illustrates the beauty of EUROVISION – RENDEZVOUS is among the top 5 of ALL TIME HATES for me. In fact 1983 contains two of my top 5 hates of all time (Spain is the other). But 1983 also contains many songs in my all time top 100 and this is what makes a good EUROVISION – when there is something for EVERY music lover
Hey Roy, it’s not at the top of my fave ESC songs ever 🙂 but when I read “drums” it was this song that came to my head first! hahaha 😀 Hahaha I love Spain in 1983, I think I’m a bit unique when it comes to musical tastes!
Lukman, my friend Morten from Norway has SPAIN 1983 also inside his top 10 of all time favourite euro songs – he always say to me, your top fac could be my top hate and visa versa and that is what makes EUROVISION special.
I’m really sorry this question, because I expected this song and wanted to mention some way Fernando en Filippo, the dutch entry of 1966… I really like that song, as in its age, it was a really unusual performance.
I really liked the drums in 2009, first semi’s interval act. That was the biggest drum-moment for me in Eurovision, when the Red Army Choir was on stage and once a group of drummers owned their minute before t.A.T.u. It was an amazing show for me.
Maybe you say, it’s not a real ESC-entry (and you’re right), but since River Dance, interval acts also count, I think. And this interval is my favourite with a head-to-head position of Swedish Smörgasbord and the life of Lynda Woodruff.
Tamas,I have to try to bring in a variety of questions. I myself wanted FERNANDO to be done on my favourite male name for a song (Romeo) but I could not find anything in the lyric to introduce such a question. Personally I am not into drums so you saw I did not even give my own opinion. But this is the beauty of ABBA songs, there is something in them and the lyrics for everybody
Oh Roy, I’m really not angry. As you see, I answer all the posts, so I enjoy this. I just guessed wrong about this song’s question. It’s my fault that I make expectations 🙂
For me it’s definitely Ruslana’s Wild Dances! The beat and drums are infectious, it was my pick that year and I was so happy with the result!
RUSLANA came to SOUTH AFRICA about 2 months after winning and was a judge at a contest here – one of the very few EURO winners to come to SOUTH AFRICA. And I was lucky to be in ISTANBUL when she won.
For me it would be Emmelie de Forest’s drummers. The drums were an integral part of the melody of Only Teardrops, starting off slow and steady and then erupting into a drumming frenzy towards the end of the song.
The drums were also an important part of the stage performance with the 2 drummer boys switching from the big drums to marching around the stage with the smaller drums behind Emmelie. They really made the performance stand out !
Ahhhh, so many drums, so little time!! The drums are an integral part of Eurovision!! So many wonderful drumming entrants. I’ll name but a few, although I am sure Luc has also picked my favourite in ‘let me try’ from Romania in 2005. It’s hard to go past emmelie in 2013, or Ireland’s muscle leather clad drummers of 2013. Then there’s beloved Suzy and her big drummer in 2014.I could probably go on all day, Ukraine 2004.,.i will tell you of a frightful time the drums just did not work for me. It was the ear shattering vocals teamed with the Bulgarian drums of samo shampioni. Just… No!
Oh yes, agree! And don’t forget 2013’s UK song, where the drum was a real important part of the music! (I think you said previously you liked that song :P)
Thanks for the reminder tamas 😉
When I think of drums, the most obvious choice isBulgaria’s Elitsa and Stoyan, especially “Water” from 2007. The drums were the centerpiece, and without them, there wouldn’t really have been a song.
I really hope for an entry with a drum every year at Eurovision. BTW I’m not, nor have ever been a drummer! I think drums add something great in a live performance. They make people look free, expressive and slightly crazy all at the same time! They bring that little bit extra.
The first performance that came to my mind was Let Me Try by Luminita Anghel & Sistem (Romania 2005). What a voice. Hmmm, but I think we need more, more drums! It just shows any object can become a drum! It had such a great build up to create a finish that made you want to jump out of your seat and start whacking things.
Another memorable performance is Elitsa Todorova & Stoyan Yankoulov (Bulgaria 2007) with Water. To go from singing to drumming to dancing and swinging your hair around the stage is just fantastic. They sold me those drums.
I think most people would agree it is almost impossible to pick just one!
Ryan Dolan’s drummer boys in Only Love Survives (Ireland 2013), they really gave it their all. And the obvious winner Emmelie De Forest who I don’t think would have won without those drums and that flute. She embraced the freedom and spirits of the drums with a hippie dress and bare feet. GO DRUMS.
Side note: Has everyone seen Sirusho’s music video for Qele Qele (Armenia 2008). She dances on a massive drum that lights up and has a posse of men with drums. Pretty fancy but unfortunately she didn’t bring the drums with her to Belgrade.
Ok my favourite is simply because we were trying to guess why on earth they put a sleigh with a doll on stage but no it was granny with a drum! Roll on 2005 and it is Moldova’s Zdob Si Zdub with Boonika bate Doba , it actually is not a bad tune on ESC radio or CD. There certainly were lots of drums.
When I think of Eurovision and drums, what comes to mind for me is Ireland.
If we cast our minds back just to 2013 in Malmö and while the Danish drummers found complete success.
My own favourite was Ireland’s ‘Only Love Survives’ I already liked this song from the Irish national final and I was so impressed with the way the song was changed around when Ryan Dolan sang for Ireland.
Then SVT gave Ryan pole position in the running order for the grand final and the song came last with only 5 points. Another Eurovision scoreboard mystery for me – great song
The song that jumped (came pounding) to my mind when reading the question was WILD DANCES by Ruslana. Between the drums and the call of the trumpets (?) and the energetic stomping, there was no escaping the power of the song, which seemed to presage the tumultuous events of the Orange Revolution that would shake Ukraine later that year!
Third attempt to post. Eek!
Firstly, this is one of my all time favourite songs in ABBAs catalogue.
Drums? It has to be our 2005 eurovision winner Luminta with Let Me Try. Banging 40 gallon drums, banging beats and a banging vocal over the top! Just a total banger!
Its finally here so I can approve.
I have to go with the 2009 Ukraine performer, Svetlana Loboda. During her performance of Be my Valentine! (Anti-crisis Girl), she not only played the drums, but she did it while being pulled across the stage by scantily clad Roman soldiers. It was fantastic.
Ryan Dolan, “Only Love Survives,” is the first song that comes to mind. I’m not sure if that’s because of the drums or drummers. I really thought it would do better. At least better than the caterwauling Cezar!
I have come to expect excellent drum work from Ukraine (Ruslana, Svetlana Loboda), and Bulgaria (Elitsa Todorova & Stoyan Yankoulov twice). Seemed like Ireland stepped up the game by having a bodybuilding drum player.
I’m surprised nobody has mentioned the interval act from this year in Vienna. I think they had MORE drums in that percussion performance than all of the acts mentioned above! 😉
I enjoyed the performance of the percussionists during Bulgaria’s 2013 entry. They definitely incorporated a wide variety of drums, even if the overall song’s vocals were…a little off?
I like FYRM Martin Vucic Make my day as it was a great middle to the song form him to play the drums but 2005 was a great year for drums and the douze points for drums would have to go to Moldva for Grandma Boonika as it is again eurovision showing great diversity to have Grandmamma beat da drum-a.
2013 was such a great year for drums, Emmelie de Forest’s Tear drops and of course Ryan Dolan’s Only love survives. Both brilliant songs, great performances only further enhanced from the drums as a central focus. Love love loved them. I now have a penchant for any songs with drums.
The best drum song… “Let Me Try” from Romania, 2005! Also with bonus angle grinders!
I feel in love with Eurovision in 2004 because of the percussion of Ukraine’s “Wild Dances.”
Since then, drums are my weakness. I fall for every song that knows how to incorporate drums (except for Bulgaria’s “Samo Shampioni” which I completely dislike).
I particularly love when drums are used in the bridges or introductions, as in Cyprus’ “La La Love,” Greece’s “Opa!” and Ireland’s “Only Love Survives”