2nd: Ivi Adamou - La La Love (206pts)
In a total Sophie's Choice of a top two, lovely Ivi Adamou takes a highly creditable trip to the gas chambers, while Moopy's sobbing Meryl Streep holds Eleni tight to their collective breast. This metaphor really got away from me, but what do you want, it's 11pm!
There's a great drinking game to this one built around how many times Ivi gets on or off that pile of books. She certainly makes a little go a long way - there's clearly no budget whatsoever for the stage show, and her choreography borders on playground freestyle, but damned if she isn't living every moment of it with utterly infectious enthusiasm. To risk another metaphor, if Eleni is Beyonce, Ivi is the moment at the Destiny's Child reunion gig where Michelle gets her long-awaited solo number and elects to give the gays everything they want.
The 2012 votes were very strange after Loreen, but 16th really feels particularly wrong for this one. It's easily one of the most beloved and remembered from that year's Contest, and it even made a few chart ripples after. I'm amazed she never came back. Sadly I believe she recently had a kid so that's basically the end of her life, unless she dons the fetish gear and does a Tamta a quarter century from now.
7 x 12 (Dark Carnival, wurst, Kevin7, Alla, Suomi, Ag, Ill Advised)
1 x 2 (dmlaw)
1st: Eleni Foureira - Fuego (230pts)
In fairness, this one really HAS IT ALL. A joyous example of everything you've always wanted a certain country to do, delivered to near perfection with additional MEMES and CORPORATE MANDATED BANANAS.
In retrospect would ANYBODY really have complained if this had beaten Netta? Israel were always going to stumble into another win at some point, whereas this really felt like a lightning in a bottle moment for Cyprus - as evidenced by its journey from "Oh, that's another one I guess" to "Wow that Cypriot girl can really dance" to "HOLY SHIT THIS IS GOING TO WIN" in a matter of weeks.
In the end, it didn't. But of this and Toy, I know which one I still have in rotation.
13 x 12 (VoR, Buttertart, superstyin', Jacques, sewerynsven, SDF, Penelope, Kevin, Raining on Me, Pingu, David_5000, Kalabaliken, Win The Game)
1 x 6 (dmlaw)