Will Greece need to draw "One Last Breath" to keep its perfect final streak alive at the Eurovision Song Contest?
Country: Greece
Song Title: "One Last Breath"
Artist: Maria-Eleni Kyriakou
Semi-Final: First, Position 6
Last year's entry: "Rise Up" - Freaky Fortune featuring Riskykidd (20th Place)
It wouldn't be a story about Europe if you didn't mention how deep Greece's troubles are. Not only is the country on the brink of financial collapse, it could be at risk of ending its 35-year perfect run of appearing in Eurovision Song Contest finals. Not to get too inside baseball, but in our initial rankings of this year's entries, "One Last Breath" by Maria-Eleni Kyriakou was one of the few where my esteemed colleagues, Ben and Ryan, and I were in agreement.
We agreed that we did not like this entry. At all. I'm not entirely sure why Ben ranked it so low, as his point about the performance being technically proficient is spot-on. My problem with the song is the same issue I have with the entry from the Czech Republic: Eurovision is supposed to be a party and Greece is the couple having a very public breakup by the snack table before someone locks her/himself in the one bathroom. Also, Maria-Eleni Kyriakou's gasping for air throughout the song may be intentional, but it is not pleasant to listen to and makes the intensity at the end of the track feel unearned, as she should be lightheaded at that point.
But is Greece at risk for not making the final? It may depend on how the country's financial issues play out with other nations in the coming weeks. Yes, yes, Eurovision is not a political contest((Pause here for giggles.)), but the makeup of the first semi-final may play in Greece's favor. Quite a few neighbors are in the mix, and Russia may be making nice with the country to help disrupt the Eurozone. What's 12 points among new friends?
My own biases against this entry aside, I think Greece will be advancing based on diaspora and good relationships. However, I'm not sure this entry will do much better than last year's track, which tied for Greece's worst finish ever in the Contest.