I'm approaching this as an unbiased outsider who hasn't heard most of these songs and is unfamiliar with many of the artists. I'll make the effort whenever possible to understand the context behind the choices each year, e.g. who was favoured going in and why, how musical or political trends may have affected the voting, etc. But mainly I'm looking for a gut, first impressions kind of reaction. A song doesn't necessarily have to stand the test of time, because after all, many of them were written with the express purpose of winning a competition and were looking to capture the moods and tastes of the moment. Crafting a creative tour de force wasn't intended, or expected a lot of the time. But good songs are good songs, period. That said, I'll have to figure out some kind of sliding scale for grading the parade of shlocky power ballads, especially in the non English-language early years.
1956. Lys Assia, "Refrain" (Switzerland)
On first listen, I thought this was a fairly standard mid-tempo ballad. Then I delved into the lyrics (French being a language I can partly comprehend) and the heartstrings were dutifully pulled. Upon further listens, it grew on me even more. For some reason I was reminded of Bobby Vee's "Take Good Care of My Baby" (which was released years later -- this is purely a mental connection in the present day). The longing for loves of yesterday, dreaming about getting a second chance, it's a brilliant mixture of hopelessness with that small flash of hopefulness. So much for the sliding scale. 8/10.
1957. Corry Brokken, "Net als toen" (Netherlands)
Technically speaking, "Refrain" wasn't about teenage love -- there's a lyric referring to those (long ago?) loves of her 20's. But remove that line and it's a song that could have been sung by an idealist in their early 20's who frequently fell in love, and far too easily. On the other hand, "Net als toen" is from the perspective of an older couple. Lines such as (in translation), "you're getting fat and your hair is turning grey/but you can still flirt, believe me" are likely meant to be in good humour, but they leave behind the most unflattering imagery imaginable for a supposed love song. Is she playfully making fun of her husband, speaking about their younger days like 80's sitcom parents used to? Or is she spurned and insulted by his lack of affection for her? Perhaps I'm not picking up on the composer's sense of humour. Perhaps there's something there musically that wasn't recycled from the 1930's. But I won't be returning to this song any time soon. 3/10.
1956. Lys Assia, "Refrain" (Switzerland)
On first listen, I thought this was a fairly standard mid-tempo ballad. Then I delved into the lyrics (French being a language I can partly comprehend) and the heartstrings were dutifully pulled. Upon further listens, it grew on me even more. For some reason I was reminded of Bobby Vee's "Take Good Care of My Baby" (which was released years later -- this is purely a mental connection in the present day). The longing for loves of yesterday, dreaming about getting a second chance, it's a brilliant mixture of hopelessness with that small flash of hopefulness. So much for the sliding scale. 8/10.
1957. Corry Brokken, "Net als toen" (Netherlands)
Technically speaking, "Refrain" wasn't about teenage love -- there's a lyric referring to those (long ago?) loves of her 20's. But remove that line and it's a song that could have been sung by an idealist in their early 20's who frequently fell in love, and far too easily. On the other hand, "Net als toen" is from the perspective of an older couple. Lines such as (in translation), "you're getting fat and your hair is turning grey/but you can still flirt, believe me" are likely meant to be in good humour, but they leave behind the most unflattering imagery imaginable for a supposed love song. Is she playfully making fun of her husband, speaking about their younger days like 80's sitcom parents used to? Or is she spurned and insulted by his lack of affection for her? Perhaps I'm not picking up on the composer's sense of humour. Perhaps there's something there musically that wasn't recycled from the 1930's. But I won't be returning to this song any time soon. 3/10.
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