Switzerland and Eurovision

Eurovision Song Contest

            For those who don’t know what the Eurovision song contest is exactly what it sounds like; a song contest between European countries who choose to participate. The song contest is broadcasted across Europe and for the first time in 2016, the Song Contest was broadcasted live in the United States and China (Eurovision.tv). Participating  countries would take part in a two day semi-final. Judges will then decide what countries are advancing to the finals and which countries are not. According to the Eurovision website, an estimated “180 million people” watch the Eurovision Song Contest every year (Eurovision.tv). The winner of Eurovision is picked by jurors who represent every country that is in the Eurovision Song Contest final and by the people in Europe who send in televotes.

Eurovision and Switzerland

            Switzerland has done okay through the years of Eurovision but they have not been as successful as other countries. Since the year 2000, Switzerland has made the Eurovision Song Contest final a total of four times, and won Eurovision two times. Their first victory was in 1956 with a performance by Lys Assia. This was the first ever Eurovision Song Contest. Switzerland’s second victory was in 1988 with a performance by Céline Dion. This blog will analyze five of Switzerland’s performances in the Eurovision Song Contest.

Switzerland’s 2011 Finals Performance

            In 2011 Switzerland advanced to the Eurovision’s final for the first time since 2006. In the Eurovision final, Swiss singer and songwriter named Anna Rossinelli and her band performed. Anna Rossinelli is part of a Swiss pop trio band who are named Anna Rossinelli. The title of the song was “In love For A While,” (2011). When looking at the lyrics, it is clear that the song is a love song. The first verse of the song describes the pulling effect the person had on the singer. In the next verse, she sings about how her relationship is more than just a romance with the lines “Romance comes and goes, but a love like ours is here to stay,” (Eurovision.tv). This further emphasizes the idea that this song is about the singer’s deep love for someone that goes beyond a small romance. This idea is seen throughout the song. Now listening to her band’s Eurovision finals performance, the song is joyful, and an upbeat song. One member of the band, Manuel Meisel is playing the guitar while the other man, Georg Dillier is playing the cello.  While Rossinelli is singing, the background is much more simple compared to other Eurovision performances. The background is filled with cartoon stars and clouds that are bright in color. This could be a metaphor for how Rossinelli is feeling at that moment as she is feeling out of this world. In a red carpet interview with the independent website Eurosong, Rossinelli and her band mate revealed that he has been in a relationship with Rossinelli for eight years so this further emphasizes the idea that the song is about someone Rossinelli loved (EurosongBe). What does this suggest about Switzerland’s views towards diversity? Switzerland choose a musical group that was from the canton Basel (www.annarossinellimusic.com). Basel is the third most populous canton behind Zurich and Geneva. Basel is also located in the middle where Germany and France border Switzerland.  This shows that the Swiss government wanted to send someone who was aware of both the French and German cultures in an effort to get votes from them. In addition, these singers are also fluent in German, and Italian, as well as English so that could also appeal to the jurors.

Switzerland’s Semi-Final Performance 2012

            In 2012, Sinplus was the duo that had the chance to represent Switzerland in the Eurovision semifinals in Azerbaijan. Sinplus is an alternative rock duo made up of brothers Ivan and Gabriel Broggini. The title of the song they sung was “Unbreakable,” (2012) and the music and lyrics were written by the group. When reading the lyrics, one can see that it was a motivational song. One can see this by reading the first verse where the brothers sing lines such as “You can do anything you want it doesn’t matter how hard it is,” (Eurovision.tv). Further on in the song, there are more lines of encouragement such as “swim against the stream following your wildest dream, your wildest dream,” (Eurovision.tv). When watching the official Eurovision semi-final performance of this song, there is a different feeling than what one might expect. The song is sung at a much faster tempo which was not expected from reading the lyrics. The background is just lines that change from red to green whenever the chorus is sung. This could be a metaphor for stopping and going as the chorus is encouraging people to pursue their wildest dreams.  Compared to Switzerland’s performance the previous year, this one has a similar upbeat and positive message. By choosing this song to represent Switzerland in the semi- finals, it shows that the Swiss government wants to push a positive message towards the rest of Europe during a time when the European Union was suffering from a massive debt crisis (Traynor, The Guardian). Switzerland is not part of the European Union but they have several trade partnerships with the EU and the debt crisis would have negatively affected them. This song can be seen as a token of encouragement towards the European Union from the outside.

Switzerland’s Semi Final Performance 2013

            The Swiss band Takasa performed for Switzerland in 2013. The band consisted six Salvation Army soldiers and their performance did not advance to the finals. What made this band special was that the age difference between the members. The oldest member, is 95 years old and the youngest member is 22 years old. The title of the song is “You and Me,” (2013). When reading the lyrics, there is evidence that the song is about family being there for someone in times of need. The song starts out by saying “When times are getting rough,” (Eurovision.tv). and continues into the next verse where the lyrics say “but there’s one thing that could never separate us,” (Eurovision.tv). When watching the performance live, there is a similar feeling. The camera at the beginning shows all six members of the band but then quickly focuses on the middle two who are two younger members. Throughout the performance, the camera focuses on the eldest member of the band and the two young members. This further implies the idea of family being there for someone especially in their hardest times. What does this performance show about Switzerland’s views toward diversity? It shows that Switzerland wants to showcase the diversity of talent they have in their country. Unlike other countries, Switzerland picked a group that had generational talent. This group did not look the best but they fit message Switzerland was trying to send about family being there for one another.

Switzerland’s Finals Performance 2014

            The title of the song is “Hunter Of Stars,” (2014) and the song is sung by Sebalter. When first reading the lyrics, there is evidence that this song is about a significant other who did not feel the same way about the singer as the singer did. In the beginning of the song, he presents himself as an outsider in the significant other’s life. This is seen in the chorus with lines such as “Want me to go, want me to go,” (euroision.tv), and “No, open the door,” (Eurovision.tv). Throughout the song, the singer portrays himself as someone from the outside looking in. When watching the live performance, it begins with a lot of sparks that fly up at the same time. In the background, there are 12 spotlights that shine at the same angle for the entire performance. In the background, there are gold lines that move rapidly and form hearts. While watching the performance, there is evidence that the singer is mocking a traditional love song in a light-hearted manner. Watching the official music video for the song portrays the song as a light-hearted love song. The music video takes place in a hotel and throughout the entire music video, Sebalter is mocking “traditional” love songs. The entire music video is more of a comedy rather than a love song. By choosing this song, it shows Switzerland’s light hearted view towards love. Singing love songs is a trope in Eurovision but this take on a love song shows Switzerland’s light hearted attitude towards love.

Switzerland’s Semi Final Performance 2015

            The title of this song is “Time to Shine,” (2015) and the singer is Mélanie René. When reading the lyrics, there is this feeling that the singer, removed something negative from her life and is now having the best time of her life. She begins the song by singing “I’ve been walking in the darkness,” (Eurovision.tv). Then, further on in the song she sings “Cause I’m living my dreams, I’ve never been so alive,” (Eurovision.tv). When watching the live performance, the René, begins the song wearing a dark black dress with a dark forest in the background giving the song an ominous feeling. Then, as soon as the chorus starts, she sheds the black part of her dress, revealing a bright white dress. In addition, the lighting brightens up. This symbolizes the change the singer made in her life which brightened up her life and made her life better. In a Eurovision interview  with the independent website Wiwibloggs, she says she was inspired to write the song after she moved to England to get a higher education leaving her friends and family behind at home (wiwibloggs). What makes René unique is that she is of Mauritian decent (melanierene.eu). Mauritians are an ethnic minority in Switzerland which shows a lot about Switzerland’s views towards diversity. By choosing a performer who is part of the minority population in Switzerland, it shows that Switzerland has a desire to highlight the talents of their minority artists.

Word Count: 1635

Works Cited

"Band." Anna Rossinelli - Band. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2017. <http://www.annarossinellimusic.com/de/band.html>.

"Biography." Mélanie René. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2017. <http://melanierene.eu/biography/>.

EurosongBe. "Interview Anna Rossinelli Switzerland Eurovision 2011 on the Red Carpet in Düsseldorf." YouTube. YouTube, 10 May 2011. Web. 14 Feb. 2017. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZjywf234B8>.

"Original Lyrics." Original Lyrics | Anna Rossinelli - In Love For A While - Switzerland 2011 | Eurovision.TV. Eurovision, n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2017. <https://www.eurovision.tv/event/lyrics?event=1533&song=26003>.

"Original Lyrics." Original Lyrics | Mélanie René - Time To Shine - Switzerland 2015 | Eurovision.TV. Eurovision, n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2017. <https://www.eurovision.tv/event/lyrics?event=2063&song=32703>.

"Original Lyrics." Original Lyrics | Sebalter - Hunter Of Stars - Switzerland 2014 | Eurovision.TV. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2017. <https://www.eurovision.tv/event/lyrics?event=1873&song=31503>.

"Original Lyrics." Original Lyrics | Sinplus - Unbreakable - Switzerland 2012 | Eurovision.TV. Eurovision, n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2017. <https://www.eurovision.tv/event/lyrics?event=1573&song=27073>.

"Original Lyrics." Original Lyrics | Takasa - You And Me - Switzerland 2013 | Eurovision.TV. Eurovision, n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2017. <http://www.eurovision.tv/event/lyrics?song=29623>.

Sieg, K. "Cosmopolitan Empire: Central and Eastern Europeans at the Eurovision Song Contest." European Journal of Cultural Studies 16.2 (2012): 244-63. Web.

"Sinplus About Us." Sinplus About Us. Sinplus, n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2017. <http://www.sinplus.net/about.html>.

Traynor, Ian. "EU Leaders Set for Showdown on Fate of Euro as Crisis Deepens." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 13 May 2012. Web. 14 Feb. 2017. <https://www.theguardian.com/business/2012/may/13/eu-leaders-showdown-eurozone-crisis>.

Wiwibloggs. "Interview: Mélanie René (Switzerland) @ Eurovision 2015 | Wiwibloggs." YouTube. YouTube, 20 May 2015. Web. 14 Feb. 2017. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILbHs-Q3bro>.

Performances Cited

René, Mélanie. “Time to Shine.” Music and lyrics by Mélanie René. Switzerland

            Eurovision Song Contest, 2015.

            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ya1r_nFHiCQ Accessed 13 Feb 2017.

Rossinelli, Anna. “In Love for a While.” Music and Lyrics by David Klein. Switzerland

            Eurovision Song Contest, 2011.

            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxLE5FmNJow Accessed 7 Feb 2017.

Sebalter. “Hunter of Stars.” Music and lyrics by Sebastiano Paù-Lessi. Switzerland

            Eurovision Song Contest, 2014.

            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqjoM8ZlyMc Accessed 10 Feb 2017.

Sinplus. “Unbreakable.” Music and lyrics by Gabriel Broggini, Ivan Broggini. Switzerland

            Eurovision Song Contest, 2012.

            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkMSptuVqHQ Accessed 7 Feb 2017.

Takasa. “You and Me.” Music and lyrics by Georg Schlunegger, Roman Camenzind,

            Fred Herman. Switzerland Eurovision Song Contest, 2013.

            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nH34iARVI-s Accessed 10 Feb 2017.