06 March 2015

Review: Hungary: Eurovision 2015 | Boggie

Boggie will battle it out in Vienna with Wars For Nothing (Image: Instagram)
For the past several editions, A Dal, the Hungarian Eurovision national final, has thrown up some potent contenders at the Contest. 2015 appears to be another year in which Hungary could score well, this time with its entry Wars For Nothing, sung by Boggie.

The anti-war song is nothing new at the Eurovision Song Contest. Over the decades, the message has been presented in many, many ways - some banal, some solemn and some hopeful. Probably the most successful of them was Germany's ode to world harmony, Ein bißchen Frieden (A Litte Peace) by Nicole, winning the Contest in 1982 during the height of the Cold War.

Wars For Nothing is a completely different kettle of fish, though. While Nicole offered an upbeat and hopeful interpretation of prospective global goodwill between East and West, Boggie's somewhat understated and melancholy rendition reflects the uncompromising nature of today's still-localised conflicts.

Ultimately, the song doesn't say anything new or truly inspiring, particularly with dour lyrics such as, "Do you know our earth is a mess, All the wars for nothing, it never ends".

What steers the entry away from the notion of impending doom is the simple presentation by Boggie and her cohorts. In some ways, the staging at A Dal was very old-fashioned, but it certainly complemented the subject matter of the song. In Vienna, I feel that it's the visual interpretation that will either help this entry pull in the points or condemn it to the ranks of an also-ran.

It's unlikely to be the winner, but in a year when female ballads currently prevail, this twist on the genre may place the song as highly as Hungary 2014.

What are your thoughts?

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