A Swede who lives in Finland and who is lost in Euroland - the wonderful world of Eurovision
There is always some matter to discuss or just a song I want to share
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Monday, January 31, 2011

Finland 1989: Goodbye, Europe

And now a bit of feelgood, Made in Finland. Gösta Sundqvist was a most prolific songwriter and performer, whose band Leevi and The Leavings belong to the Finnish popular cultural heritage. And very close to most people's hearts as well.

In 1989, he participated in Euroviisut with the following little song: serious, theatrical, with an air of Kraftwerk as well as impending doom.



Tanjalotta Räikkä - Huominen Eurooppaa (Finland NF 1989)

Of course this would have been a disastrous choice for Lausanne. The expert jury sensed this and placed it second last out of the ten entries on offer.

But I love it to bits for what it is. It is quite typical of Gösta Sundqvist's production and falls very well into the Finnish tradition of melancholic songs.

And the lyrics are, after all, echoing of some sort of hope: Maybe tomorrow there will be no Europe / Maybe there will be no world at all / But we can't let love die / If that happens, I would feel ashamed.

One of the best aspects of Eurovision, as I see it, is that there is room for other things than hit records too. Sleep tight, if you can!

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