#HALLOWE’EN: Eurovision goes bump in the night

Hallowe’en and Eurovision. Does it scare you? Do you tremble on 31 October when you get a sinister knock at your door? Are you relieved when you find out it’s only the local kids going trick-or-treating? Or do you leave the door unanswered all night and hide behind the sofa or under that Carola-themed duvet?

Well fear not. Hallowe’en is a time for taking stock of the scary, just to prove that scary can be just a little bit fun instead.

We at Eurovision Ireland are doing the same, and have dug out a few of those scary songs that turn out to be just plain funny, and those funny songs that turn out to be just plain scary.

Where better to start than with an opening. In 2007 we were in Helsinki after Lordi’s win in Athens. The start of the Grand Final was most definitely scary. Ghouls, winged creatures, and a monstrous song.

The next video is one of our favourite singers to score a big fat zero. This is the late great Jahn Teigen singing ‘Voodoo’ with his cohort Inger-Lise Rypdal back in 1976. Does Jahn’s outfit send shivers down your spine?

In Turin, we were treated to one of those memorable stage shows. Some would consider it horrific. Some would consider it art. But whatever viewers think, it might just be enough to scare small children. Here’s ‘Stripper‘ by Achille Lauro.

In 2016, one song actually cut straight to the chase with the Hallowe’en theme. It’s called ‘Ghost‘, so there’s no ambiguity as to what it’s about. Young Jamie-Lee Kriewitz had high hopes in Stockholm. Now had the contest taken place in October, then she may have done better. But her finish would have scared the pants off some viewers.

Next, Switzerland tried the supernatural theme with a ‘mature’ performer called DJ Bobo. His motif was vampires, and Swiss Television thought it so scary that they didn’t even have a national final. Sadly, the voters of Europe seemed more scared off than scared witless, and he sadly languished in the semi-final. Here’s the official music video.

A compilation wouldn’t be a compilation without something Swedish. One of the stalwarts of Melodifestivalens in former times was Nanne Grönvall. In 1998 she adopted an “Elvira, Mistress of the dark” persona to sing ‘Avendsjuk‘. Jealousy makes you ugly, but how can Ms Grönvall possibly look ugly, even though she tries. She would have turned heads if she’d beaten Jill Johnson and won the ticket to Birmingham.

Staying Nordic, who can forget a certain musical combo who we saw in Tel Aviv in 2019? Three minutes of entertainment. The rest is history.

In an honourable mention, we journey to Moldova. In Rotterdam, Natalia Gordienko got the golden ticket from her TRM with a song put together by the Dream Team of svengali Philipp Kirkorov. It might not seem scary unless you recall her official video, and fast forward to 2.47. A creepy way to eat cake perhaps?

So if you’re truly scared this Hallowe’en, there’s no need to be alarmed. That sound of something going bump may just be Loreen trying to be scary.

What performances scare you? Tell us what you think.

Author/Editor John Stanton

Source : Eurovision Ireland