EP 4: Eurovision’s Language Rule (National Identity, Cultural Exchange and the Quest for Global Pop Success)

Deep Dive - Eurovision's Language Rule - 1:19 Interview - Go_A (Ukraine, 2021) - 18:19 Tops and Bottoms - Soman Chainani (The School for Good and Evil) - 32:30    

In this week's episode we explore Eurovision's language rule-- which, during the eras' it's been in effect, has required that countries only submit songs in their own national languages. Defenders of the rule claim that it's necessary to preserve the diversity of language in Eurovision, while critics point out that it's unfair to require representatives from smaller nations to perform in languages unfamiliar to the televoting audience. We talk about how the on-and-off implementation of this rule tracks with larger issues at Eurovision, including the commercialization of the festival, the balance of power between larger and smaller nations, whether globalization necessarily means loss of national identity, and whether pop music is moving into a new phase of internationalism.

  Then we talk to 2021 Ukrainian Eurovision entrants Go_A. The band is steeped in Ukrainian folklore and, in the interview, they provide a unique perspective on the importance of language choice in songwriting, and how music can communicate cultural history. Something very important right now in the shadow of Putin's war.   Finally, we play a Eurovision game with New York Times Best Selling novelist Soman Chainani (The School for Good and Evil). As this is the language episode, we focus specifically on the lyrics, and Soman brings the experience of watching his novel adapted into a hit Netflix movie to bear on a discussion of how language choices affect staging.   GO_A's Shum: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCr0R8rbOAA   GAME CLIPS:   Fulenn - Alvan and Ahez (2022, France), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CO07xLUlK2g Hard Rock Hallelujah - Lordi (2006, Finland),  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAh9NRGNhUU Monsters - Sara Aalto (2018, Finland), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEeIeQ-j2zk Fallen Angel - Tix (2021, Norway), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJcE8G8J8VI Heroes - Mans Zelmerlow (2015, Sweden), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sGOwFVUU0I Fairytale - Alexander Ryback (2012, Norway), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXwgZL4zx9o