It has been a big week in the United Kingdom.
A King was coronated, Ed Sheeran was cleared of plagiarism and Manchester City put one hand on the Premier League Trophy.
All of that though was nothing more than a curtain raiser to the Main Event – the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest!
Attention from all over Europe and beyond is firmly locked on Liverpool, where a new tune will join the likes of Waterloo, Euphoria and Rise Like A Phoenix on the long list on Eurovision Song Contest winners.
How Australia qualifies for a European competition, who knows… but also, who bloody cares!
It adds further intrigue to what I consider one of the most exhilarating weeks in world entertainment every year, and better still, we can bet on it!
In 2023, Perth-based progressive metal band Voyager are flying the Australian flag, and I think that it’s fair to say their song ‘Promise’ fits the Eurovision billing:
At publish, Australia sits on the ninth line of outright 2023 Eurovision Contest betting at a cool $91, and that’s because we’ve opened with a clear odds-on favourite.
From my perspective, Sweden is known for three things: Flatpack furniture, mystery meatballs and Eurovision Song Contest winners. Perhaps therefore unsurprisingly, Sweden have opened $1.50 favourites to bag a seventh title in 2023, which would tie them with Ireland as the competition’s most successful nation.
Loreen tasted dominant success in 2012 with subsequent commercial hit ‘Euphoria’, and she has returned a decade later with ‘Tattoo’.
A relatable pop song with dance beats are enormous ticks at Eurovision, while an interesting onstage performance that is reminiscent of Edward Scissorhands adds the quirky weirdness of a winning entry.
Finland have won the Eurovision Song Contest only once, with Lordi’s 2006 hit ‘Hard Rock Hallelujah’ (see below), but they represent an excellent chance of a second in 2023 with ‘Cha Cha Cha’ but Kaarija.
If someone can explain to me what that was, I’m all ears.
For that reason, I think it’ll win.
The only other nation up at single figures in outright Eurovision Song Contest 2023 betting at publish is host nation and reigning champions, the Ukraine.
Obviously, the contest cannot currently be held in the Ukraine and that is why we’re in Liverpool instead.
The love shown to the Ukraine at last year’s contest was something to behold, and they could be worth consideration again this year at Eurovision odds of $7.50.
‘Heart Of Steel’ by Tvorchi combines pop/R’n’B vocals with something of a dubstep beat, and it’s sure to garner plenty of admirers at Eurovision.
2023 Eurovision Song Contest Tips
Back Finland to Win @ $3.88
Back Australia to finish in the Top 10 @ $4.50
Personally, the best part of Eurovision each year is going back through the archives and reliving all of the weird and wonderful produced throughout the competition’s storied existence.
With that in my, enjoy some of the best of the Eurovision Song Contest!
Toy – Netta (2018)
Not since Ed Sheeran first toured has a loop pedal been used so effectively.
This song won in 2018!
Occidentali’s Karma – Francesco Gabbani (2017)
This started a short favourite in the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest, and with a bloke prancing around in a monkey suit on stage, it’s not hard to see why.
Historically, it has been very hard for songs performed in languages other than English to win at Eurovision and unfortunately for Francesco Gabbani, this absolute tune suffered that fate.
They kept flashing to his booth during the vote count that year and as I recall, Francesco was not too pleased at all.
You Are The Only One – Sergey Lazarev (2016)
You Are The Only One opened favourite in betting for the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest, for Russian entry Sergey Lazarev.
At the time of the competition, tensions were high between Russia and several other nations, namely the Ukraine, whom the public instead voted into the winner’s stall.
There is absolutely no denying how much of a banger this song is – real shame for Sergey that he didn’t salute!
Space – Slavko Kalezic (2017)
This is one of the best performances, songs and enigmas to ever grace a Eurovision stage.
Most entries into the Eurovision Song Contest take colour, visuals and sexuality to new levels, but Montenegro’s Slavko Kalezic (complete with six-foot top knot) took it a step further in 2017.
The song opens with the lyrics “Linen is covered with feathers, wet dreams, wild nightmares, I surrender!” and boasts a double-entendre chorus of “I have my suit on, no need to worry, Give me you body, let’s write a story. Our body language, Rocket to the stars.”
Absolute travesty that Space didn’t even make through to the GF!
Rise Like A Phoenix – Conchita Wurst (2014)
Conchita Wurst recorded a dominant win for Austria at the 2014 Eurovision Song Contest with her song ‘Rise Like A Phoenix’.
The song would not have sounded out of place at the beginning of a Daniel Craig Bond film, and remains one of the highest scoring songs in the contest’s history.
Run Away – Sunstroke Project (2010)
One of the most recognisable instrumental breaks in Eurovision history, 2010’s competition gave birth to Epic Sax Guy!
Something clearly lost in translation with the band name, ‘Sunstroke Project,’ sidenote.
Hard Rock Hallelujah – Lordi (2006)
Pop isn’t the only genre explored at the Eurovision Song Contest – there’s even space for Nordic Death Metal, played by god-knows whatever these blokes are supposed to be.
Another enigmatic winning entry, and it’s really not hard to see why!
Waterloo – Abba (1974)
Let’s not forget that Eurovision launched one of the world’s most successful ever pop bands onto the global stage in 1974.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8F5vKJcxCQ
Jaja Ding Dong – Fire Saga (2020)
They ended up playing some other heartfelt garbage in the final, but I’m confident in saying that Iceland’s Fire Saga would have swept the votes in 2020 if they’d instead played Jaja Ding Dong 😉