Top 50 2005

20-11

20. Unplugged Plug - Everything She'll Do

A very good indie pop song, which starts with a catchy riff. The opening verse is very slow and gentle, which then builds up to the catchy chorus. Simple enough, but very effective in it's simplicity. The singer's deep voice is unique, though near the end it threatens to start to grate. The even slower verse at the end, followed by a dramatic pause adds to the songs great appeal.

19. Katrina & The Nameless - As If Tomorrow Will Never Come

Rock and roll! Katrina sure has changed her style since her Love Shine A Light days! On first listen she seems to have gone through a much bigger change too, but don't worry, the first singer is one of her "Nameless" band. This is an infectious song, which starts off with a strong intro, and it is the closest to Wig Wam that there was in the NF season. Sounds dated at times, but it's blatant plagiarism that kicks in around the 1 minute 47 mark, as they sing "As if tomorrow will never come" to the exact same tune as "I would do anything for love", and this bit also has shades of Fame's "Give Me Your Love". Copying Meatloaf's wonderfully fantastic song is never bad though, and that helps to give the song a dated yet timeless feel.

18. Helena Paparizou - O.K.

2005's winner now also has the accolade of an entry in the top 20 of the Top 50 NF Songs of 2005. And not wanting to give too much away, this won't be the last time we see her. I actually feel that had Helena chose any of the other NF songs, she would have done even better than she did with "My Number One". "O.K." has slightly more of an ethnic feel, and a chorus which is much catchier on first listen. The song is much more interesting than "My Number One", and would probably be much higher on this list were it not for the apparent crazyman ramblings in the middle that just wrecks the whole thing! His "da-da-da..."ing adds absolutely nothing to the song, and screams of deperation to fill in a few seconds of the song. Shame!

17. I'Dees - Yeah, Yeah

Starts with a techno intro, which doesn't sound great, but then the verses and chorus and backing guitar create a great 'rock-chick' feel to the song. Sometimes the lyrics are difficult to understand, but the singer's English is much better than my Finnish! Builds up to a nice finish, and the song sticks in your head long after it's finished. This song with it's much more modern feel, would have done much better than "Why?" in Kyiv. Despite this songs greatness, it isn't the highest Finnish entry in the chart. The Finnish NF was one of the strongest of 2005.

16. Yurcash - Patriot

Yurcash were the closest song of 2005 to Athena. The 30 second intro gets your foot a-tappin', the the lyrics start, and are easy to sing along with despite the fact that they are in Ukrainian. This song is what the Poland song wishes it was! Comparing it to Athena is unfair though, as it is very unique itself. Song that is very difficult to describe, but really worth a listen. Fun music and very original.

15. Loredana Groza - Le Le

Le Le might have a title seemingly in the vain of typical Eurovision classics, but it is a lot different songwise. Inspired by Ruslana, but different enough to warrant it's top 15 placing. Kind of a dance version of Hungary's 2005 entry, with a great heavy beat and swelling music. Simple lyrics "le le le le le le"...., and nice tune combined with seemingly high production values. Riverdance meets Ruslana on speed.

14. Stand.up - Vidlitay

One of the earlest songs available, way back at the beginning of the Ukrainian NF, this was in the first of 15 semis. The great shame was that even had this song won, it would have had to be disqualified due to the release date being before EBU rules peritted. Simple song, which builds well for the powerful chorus. Difficult to describe what makes this song so good, but the instrumental bit is a particular highlight, and then it has a sweet calm verse before the even bigger swell to an even more powerful final chorus.

13. Nusa Derenda - Noe, Noe

Nusa returns to EMA, and has clearly not lost much of her 'energy'. (Bad joke, I know!) Noe, Noe (translates as Noah, Noah) shows few similarities with her 2001 entry, while she herself sounds similar, piano and guitar based rock is used in this song instead of Energy's dance. Still the powerful music and voice combine to great effect, and this song would have been in my top 3 in Kiev had it been chosen, incidentally Omar was my number 1 anyway. Amazingly powerful song, less campy than Energy, and yet again a powerful ending. Blows you away.

12. Nordman - Ödet Var Min Väg

Ethnic with a good tune, sang by a bunch of angry men. Has been described as a drinking song by some, perfect for pub closing time, and I could easily imagine staggering down the road shouting "ODET VAR MIN VAG!" in the same style. Happy song with an almost Celtic sounding melody. The catchy chorus, and cheery, drunken feel of the song make it relaxing and enjoyable, though the voice is an acquired taste, and the ending too sudden and not momentous enough for my liking.

11. Vilija Mataciunaite - Oh My God

*The* performance of 2005, and definitely worth watching, Vilija performed on stage at the Lithuanian NF wearing a dress clearly inspired by Linda Wagenmakers 2000 effort. Her dess covered the entire stage, and she only danced with her arms. She also had a backing singer lying underneath her dress, head only peering out. The lyrics are as unusal as the performance, check them out here!

We've come so far! At last it's the top 10!