From Russia With Love

Norway broke all previous voting records on Saturday night to win Europe’s favorite television event, the Eurovision Song Contest, by an astonishing 387 points. The winning song, “Fairytale,” was written, composed and sung by 23-year-old violinist Alexander Rybak who, with his cheeky grin and acrobatic eyebrows, wooed a TV audience of over 100 million viewers.

Iceland took a rather distant second place with 218 points for singer Yohanna’s ballad, “Is It True?”, while the third gong was won by the Azerbaijani pop duet AySel and Arash for their song “Always,” with 218 points. Turkey was fourth (177 points) and the UK fifth (173).

“Fairytale” is a gypsy love song that combines elements of Norwegian storytelling tradition with Rybak’s White Russian heritage. The singer’s family left that country when he was five and moved to Norway, where he swiftly followed his parents’ musical leanings (his mother is a pianist, his father also a violinist). The tale of romantic love told with such obvious glee by the young composer caught the fancy of European viewers, who voted for it in their droves.

Hours after the event, “Fairytale” was already in the iTunes Single Top 10 charts for Europe and is predicted to become a major European summer hit. According to the Eurovision website, “it is quickly turning into the most successful winner in years.” This is very satisfying for Norway, which famously scored nul points for their 1978 contest entry.

While the night may have belonged to Alexander Rybak and Norway, it also belonged to the host country, Russia. Usually a monument to bad taste, imperfect continuity and compeer bloopers, this year’s show was professional and slick. The stage at Moscow’s stunning Olyimpiyski Stadium glistened with 80 tons of glass, the hosts were witty and multilingual, and the live feeds from the finalist countries were executed with minimal glitches.

In 2008, the contest underwent a revamp, with the addition of juries (consisting of five music professionals from each country) to prevent block voting and the addition of another semi-final to pare down the 42 participating countries to a more digestible 25. As a result, Saturday night’s viewing was a neat three hours long. While it is now slicker and shorter, the Eurovision Song Contest is loved in Europe for its embrace of kitsch and sentiment, and in that regard, the 2009 show did not disappoint.

There were jolly folk songs from Portugal and Moldova, Denmark’s Brinck doing their best to look like Ronan Keating while singing a song written by Ronan Keating, and a political duet, “There Must be Another Way,” from the Israeli/Arab combo Noa and Mira Awad. Greek god Sakis Rouvas gyrated athwart a Grecian column, Bosnia & Herzegovnia’s performance appeared to have a pirate theme, and Albania baffled viewers with a backing dancer dressed in a sparkly green Spiderman outfit.

Germany’s song, “Miss Kiss Kiss Bang,” a boppy bit of swing from the duo Alex Swings Oscar Sings, failed to get the votes (it came 20th with 35 points). After spicing up the semi-finals by removing her top to reveal nipple caps, their co-performer, burlesque artiste Dita von Teese, was asked by the organizers to keep her top on for the finals. “What is this?” von Teese was heard to ask demurely. “America?”

But Germany’s song was too saucy for European tastes. Not in the mood for ersatz stripping and suggestiveness, Saturday’s contest revealed that, this summer, Europe is the mood for love.