2016 is here everyone! And we can finally start saying “last year” when referring to the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest (I know you all. You have been clearly referring to it as “last year” since July.).
We compiled a list of our editors’ favourite songs from the year. Turns out: there are two songs that scored big between our editors – and this part 1 is all about it. This afternoon we’ll look into a few others, but let’s start enjoying this 2016!
Nathan and Simon: Latvia – Love Injected – Aminata
Nathan: The best song from 2015, for me, was definitely “Love Injected”. Aminata’s entry was something you could easily have heard played on BBC Radio 1. It’s a contemporary track and very radio friendly but then the whole performance was encapsulating. There was absolutely nothing better to be performed on the stage in Vienna this year. It’s completely clear that this entry exceeded all expectations. What an astounding vocal and enthralling performance. I cannot wait to hear future music from Aminata and let’s see how long her points record for Latvia lasts!
Simon: 2015 was not a vintage year. A dearth of variety and quality left songs that were passable rather than exceptional rising to the top. Amidst the drudgery, it was a song that ended in sixth place that unexpectedly caught my attention.
Aminata’s effort was perhaps not the finest of the year by most criteria, but as a wonderful antidote to mid-tempo ballad fatigue, ‘Love Injected’ stands out in my mind, not because of any gimmick, but because it stood alone as a contemporary song and performance that could comfortably exist outside of the contest.
My other contender for best song was Belgium’s ‘Rhythm inside’ and for very similar reasons, but I’ll give Aminata the nod over Loïc by dint of her live performance.
What a pity that songs with such qualities are the exceptions rather than the rule.
Nick, Yassia and Matteo: Sweden – Måns Zelmerlöw – Heroes
Nick: It’s the first time since Lena that I actually agree with the winner, so you can imagine how happy I was when Måns took the crown in May. The Eurovision world knew him, but did we expect him to win Eurovision? I expected a Sanna Nielsen result: 3rd. But fact is: I just love Heroes. I loved it from the first seconds in Melodifestivalen and that didn’t change anymore. It was and is my #1 of the year and therefore the only song worthy of getting my ‘Best Song of 2015’. Everything just works for me as I really like the intro and the chorus (which does get stuck in your head). His voice works perfectly with this and I think it’s the best entry of the year even without the visuals. Those visuals made the package complete for the television event that is Eurovision. It is for me the only justified winner of the Eurovision Song Contest.
Yassia: Sorry for not being original, but I truly believe that “Heroes” deserves to hold the title of “The best song from 2015”. This song got 365 points in total, which is the third-highest score in the contest. Some people may say that this song was the first in 2015 only thanks to the catching performance with 3D animation and thanks to a handsome singer, and certainly it helped a great deal, but not only this. As a matter of fact, the song itself is melodic, rhythmic, sticking to one’s memory and inspiring on the whole. All the things mentioned above together with Måns’s amazing vocal performance made this song be number one not only on the Eurovision 2015 stage, but also a top hit all over the globe. That’s the way to go, Måns!
Matteo: When I was 17 I started following Melodifestivalen. I wasn’t that much of a fan of Eurovision yet (Italy didn’t even consider the thing and I came across, only by chance, to Helena Paparizou’s song), but I was already learning by heart the songs from 2006. Clearly it was a sign that I was destined to become a homesexual hardcore Eurovision fan. By April 2007, though, my love for a particular song turned almost into obsession: “Cara mia” didn’t even win in Melodifestivalen, but basically started my love for Sweden, my Swedish language course (and I can now say that I’m pretty fluent), my Italian Eurovision blog, my international Eurovision blogging interest and so on. So yes. Seeing Måns win this year was the best thing ever for me.
