World of Chig   

8.5.03

16 Ukraine – Hasta La Vista - Olexandr
A great big welcoming bear hug to this year’s only debut country, and a huge sigh of relief all round on hearing this. I was worried we would be subjected to something a bit folky from Ukraine (don’t really know why – perhaps it’s because the word Ukraine always reminds me of ‘ukulele’), but we’re not. It does raise an interesting question though; what does it say about the music industry of Ukraine when they invite songwriters from other countries to submit songs, and have a secret selection process which results in one of those foreign songwriters being chosen? Not just any old non-Ukranian, mind. This is co-written by the Eurovision-winning Zvika Pick, who was half of the duo who wrote Diva for Dana International in 1998. Then again, he also wrote the screechy schmaltz that was Israel’s ‘Light A Candle’ last year, so you can’t win them all. Happily, Hasta La Vista (note another Spanish influence) is in another world, in terms of musical styles. Bide your time for the first thirty seconds, and then brace yourself, for the song is not what the intro would have you believe. Guaranteed a vote from all Arnold Schwarzenegger fans. (So that’s 12 points from Austria then.) This is now my second favourite. I think it’s a quirky masterpiece, and it’s dead catchy. I love the way it changes tempo at the start, and the way it 'echoes to fade' near the end, before kicking back in. It’s being completely ignored by ‘fans’, but I believe that, with a good performance, the right lighting, and the goodwill often afforded to new countries, this is sailing into the top three. The video’s really good too; quite wacky and very original.

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