Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.It wasn't quite queues outside HMV for the release of Be Here Now, but for many Eurovision acolytes, the release of Engelbert Humperdinck's 2012 entry yesterday was more anticipated than Daz Sampson's "Teenage Life" or many of the UK's recent Euro flops.
Under the steady tutelage of a man with a star on Hollywood Boulevard, it was unlikely to preface the beginning of another "nil poi" disaster for the UK. (Unless we invade Armenia in the next eight weeks, provoking a Humperdinck-focused backlash.)
"Love Will Set You Free", written by Martin Terefe and Sacha Skarbek, combines the smooth-as-yoghurt vocals which are Humperdinck's trademark with a rather sinister-sounding Spanish guitar part plus – what else? – soaring strings. It's a tale of a lover lost to another man. And, it's actually rather nice.
(Skarbek, incidentally, was 33 per cent responsible for James Blunt's "You're Beautiful", so let's assume that co-writing the best UK Eurovision track in years is some kind of national service-based penance.) Yet, despite the prowess of the Hump, the most intriguing entry yet remains Montenegro's.
It's performed by Montenegrin "media manipulator" and performer Rambo Amadeus, whose video for "Euro Neuro" features Amadeus dressed as an Adriatic Rab C Nesbitt trotting through various Montenegrin glamour spots with a donkey. This is set to Amadeus grumbling over a mixture of funk basslines, Balkan strings and Slavic folk.
Which – we're sorry to say, Engelbert – has probably got our vote for now.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments