The Common Linnets Win UK Chart Race

The Netherlands : The Common Linnets

Conchita Wurst may have won the 59th Eurovision Song Contest, but there was a reversal of fortunes when the UK Top 40 was revealed yesterday. Runners-up The Common Linnets from The Netherlands calmly stormed into the Top 10 at Number 9, leaving Austria's entry something of a damp squib at Number 17.

The midweek chart update promised a different outcome, with three Eurovision songs figuring in the Top 10. However, sales began to decline later in the week and Molly's Children of the Universe suffered along with Rise Like A Phoenix. The good news, though, is that the Contest has produced thirteen chart entries on this week's Top 100:

• 9 Calm After The Storm 
• 17 Rise Like A Phoenix 
• 23 Children Of The Universe 
• 40 Undo 
• 46 Cliche Love Song 
• 70 No Prejudice 
• 73 Rainmaker 
• 82 Coming Home 
• 85 Hunter Of Stars 
• 88 Not Alone 
• 89 Moustache 
• 93 Something Better 
• 97 Silent Storm

The fact now is that The Common Linnets have become the highest placed non-winners on the British charts for many years - not including previous UK entries. Of course, this assumes that one of the other Eurovision tracks cannot better its current placing.

From memory, this is the first time that this has happened in exactly forty years. When ABBA took the Eurovision crown in 1974, it was also among four of the songs from that year's Contest that were popular enough with the British public to register within the Top 20.

Naturally, ABBA reigned supreme at Number 1 with Waterloo and the UK's Long Live Love managed a Number 11 peak, but more impressively, the songs that finished second and third both figured in the Top 10. Italy's Gigliola Cinquetti took the English language version of Si (Go) to Number 8 and, ironically, the Dutch entry called I See A Star by Mouth and MacNeal also reached a high position of Number 8.



It seems that Eurovision 2014 has turned out to be a more impressive year than I first thought it would be. 

Image by Albin Olsson (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Eurovision 2014: Sweden: Undo

Sweden: Sanna Nielsen

Melodifestivalen, the Swedish national Eurovision event, usually creates a buzz of anticipation and this year it was no different.

In a tough final battle with Ace Wilder and her (now) hit song, Busy Doin' Nothin', seven-time participant Sanna Nielsen finally took the crown by a slim two points and will represent Sweden in Copenhagen with Undo.

It's a testament to Sweden's commitment to Eurovision that (at least) two quality songs were in the running for the event. In the end, the ballad beat out the pop dance tune, but either could easily have been contenders at this year's event.

Rightly, Undo has become one of the favourites to win the competition, already topping the poll undertaken by OGAE, a network of 40 Eurovision Song Contest fan clubs. While this is organised by a group of committed fans, it can quite often become the barometer for the public vote.

So, it's all sounding good for Sanna Nielsen whose amazing voice pushes this superior ballad to places very few other ballads go this year. It's power is in its heartbreaking lyrics which, although tinged with sadness, give the impression that no-one should mess with Sanna.

Because of this, I anticipate a commanding performance from the Swedish singer. Finally, she has the perfect song to match her talent as an exceptional chanteuse. I have no doubt it will bring the house down in the B&W Hallerna.

Will she get votes, though? Of course. It will quite easily qualify from the first semi-final and there will be something very wrong if the public don't send this to the left hand side of the scoreboard on May 10.

Don't be surprised to see Sanna Nielsen in the Top 3 - or indeed enjoying another win for Sweden.