Spanish geography lesson

Now hang on a minute. Can Spain possibly enter the competition with something else than latino pop, feisty flamenco or a big-ass ballad? It’s a risky game messing with our stereotypes, and most Europeans across the continent probably won’t get the first thing about this entry. When you expect some brunette bimbo to enter the stage in a skimpy outfit and start wailing vamos ala playa a bailar alla fiesta, and you get bagpipes? Oh, stick a fork in us, we’re done.

But that’s the thing about stereotypes, it’s usually based on lack of knowledge and very simplified assumptions created to keep things easy and manageable. That’s why we’re kinda thrilled that the Spanish found it appropriate this year to remind us about what a diverse and multifaceted country Spain really is, so rich in culture, tradition, history and languages. Most Northern Europeans never get passed the fact that there’s more to it than charter resorts in Costa Brava with its multi language menus, pseudo paella and bucket loads of cerveza.

So by actually showing some interest in ESDM’s song, you’ll learn that the band originates from the autonomous community of Asturias, a region with a celtic heritage. Hence the gaita asturiana, a type of bagpipe. You’ll learn that this region has lovely landscapes with dramatic and rugged coastal cliffs, and get a flashback to the good old preview videos from back in the heydays, sponsored by the local tourist board. Perhaps you’ll start wondering if this is a good destination for your next holiday, why not rent a car and drive around and visit cider farms and munch on yummy seafood, or go hiking in the mountains and visit the Niemeyer Cultural Centre.

But what about the song? After all this is a Eurovision blog and we’re not sponsored by the Asturian tourist board (even though we’re open to suggestions, they can send us a proposal by email any day!). Nothing much to say about the song, really. It’s quite boring and won’t make much of an impact on the big night.

It starts out promising, but falls apart and becomes way too repetitive and goes nowhere. The band looks like a bunch of likable people and they might get a few points based on their sympathetic image alone. But if it hadn’t been for the juries we’d pick this one out as a likely candidate for the dreaded 0 points. Not because it doesn’t deserve to get any points, but because it will drown in a sea of way better as well as much worse entries. It reminds us a wee bit about Dervish in 2007. So there goes the prospect of spending a few days in Spain next May down the drain. We can hear the big RTVE-bosses’ sighs of relief.

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