Eurovision 2016: Austria

Austria
Previous Entries: 48
Wins: 2 1966 Udo Jürgens - Merci, Chérie
             2014 Conchita Wurst - Rise Like a Phoenix
First Entry: 1957 Bob Martin - Wohin, kleines Pony?
Most recent Entry: 2015 The Makemakes - I Am Yours
National Anthem: Land der Berge, Land am Strome

2016

ZOË - Loin d’ici

German is an awesome language that gave us words like Schadenfreude, Fremdschämen, Backpfeifengesicht and Handschuhschneeballwerfer. Why, when you have all this awesome German to use would you sing in French. I just don’t get it. Why!

Austria had the most interesting national selection. There were ten songs that competed in “Wer singt für Österreich?”, the show to determine who would go to Eurovision. The show had a Jury element and a public televote. This song finished equal 4th with the jury but first with the public. When the totals were put together, ZOË finished equal second with Bella Wagner. For reasons that I do not understand Bella was considered to have come third. The top two songs by ZOË and Elly V (who came first with the jury, second with the public and first overall in the final) went to a super-final play off which ZOË won. I don’t think either of the other performances were better overall, but I don’t agree that the superfinal was the best way to determine the winner in this scenario.

This song is a fair way back with the bookies. Controversy in the national selections often has a slight impact on the final results and so this song really doesn’t hav a chance. Even if it makes the final, it will just be making the numbers.

You know it doesn’t have to be German German. It can be a dialect like Viennese German like in 1971