Eurovision Song Context - Episodes Tagged with “Salvador Sobral”

Episode 75: (Part 2) Eurovision: When Life Drops a Plot Twist

Bradley Dalton-Oates — Wed, 12 Nov 2025 21:00:00 -0500

Open When: Songs for Life’s Hard Moments — Episode Shownotes

Sheldon’s Journey Articles
The Journey (I) – Dec 2022:
https://shelrochaleal.medium.com/the-journey-decb793f390d

The Journey II – Dec 2023:
https://shelrochaleal.medium.com/the-journey-ii-b9c5a37b40cc

The Journey III – Jan 2025:
https://shelrochaleal.medium.com/the-journey-iii-b52fd3ed2fbc

PLAYLIST — YouTube Links (Plain Text)

A. When It’s Hard to Be with Yourself

The Roop – “On Fire” (Lithuania 2020)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EAUxuuu1w8

Diodato – “Fai Rumore” (Italy 2020)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fx3ksX7K-1A

Blanche – “City Lights” (Belgium 2017)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVZvz3j5AgE

KEiiNO – “Spirit in the Sky” (Norway 2019)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1fl60ypdLs

B. When It’s Hard to Be with Other People

Maraaya – “Here for You” (Slovenia 2015)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lWBDm7bm0M

Konstrakta – “In corpore sano” (Serbia 2022)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rr7E8zK5fF8

Loïc Nottet – “Rhythm Inside” (Belgium 2015)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JNxeraWCn8

Michael Schulte – “You Let Me Walk Alone” (Germany 2018)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kE2oS0NzVbg

C. When It’s Hard to Be with Your Feelings

Salvador Sobral – “Amar pelos dois” (Portugal 2017)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qotooj7ODCM

The Common Linnets – “Calm After the Storm” (Netherlands 2014)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYOC-wfE5pQ

S10 – “De Diepte” (Netherlands 2022)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0tRdbXVHVk

Zibbz – “Stones” (Switzerland 2018)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaI5T0io798

Aisel – “X My Heart” (Azerbaijan 2018)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZtG6bUtiE8

Bonus Songs Discussed

Brotherhood of Man – “Kisses for Me” (United Kingdom 1976)
https://youtu.be/6OW1JJwqVRQ?si=9CuhjWPps1zOjmbX

Cesár Sampson – “Nobody But You” (Austria 2018)
https://youtu.be/a8Yvzo1puoE?si=qvBly9XqIkc_CcsG

my email: eurovisionsongcontext@gmail.com

Episode 76: (Part 1) Eurovision: When Life Drops a Plot Twist

Bradley Dalton-Oates — Wed, 12 Nov 2025 11:00:00 -0500

Open When: Songs for Life’s Hard Moments — Episode Shownotes

Sheldon’s Journey Articles
The Journey (I) – Dec 2022:
https://shelrochaleal.medium.com/the-journey-decb793f390d

The Journey II – Dec 2023:
https://shelrochaleal.medium.com/the-journey-ii-b9c5a37b40cc

The Journey III – Jan 2025:
https://shelrochaleal.medium.com/the-journey-iii-b52fd3ed2fbc

PLAYLIST — YouTube Links (Plain Text)

A. When It’s Hard to Be with Yourself

The Roop – “On Fire” (Lithuania 2020)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EAUxuuu1w8

Diodato – “Fai Rumore” (Italy 2020)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fx3ksX7K-1A

Blanche – “City Lights” (Belgium 2017)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVZvz3j5AgE

KEiiNO – “Spirit in the Sky” (Norway 2019)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1fl60ypdLs

B. When It’s Hard to Be with Other People

Maraaya – “Here for You” (Slovenia 2015)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lWBDm7bm0M

Konstrakta – “In corpore sano” (Serbia 2022)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rr7E8zK5fF8

Loïc Nottet – “Rhythm Inside” (Belgium 2015)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JNxeraWCn8

Michael Schulte – “You Let Me Walk Alone” (Germany 2018)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kE2oS0NzVbg

C. When It’s Hard to Be with Your Feelings

Salvador Sobral – “Amar pelos dois” (Portugal 2017)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qotooj7ODCM

The Common Linnets – “Calm After the Storm” (Netherlands 2014)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYOC-wfE5pQ

S10 – “De Diepte” (Netherlands 2022)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0tRdbXVHVk

Zibbz – “Stones” (Switzerland 2018)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaI5T0io798

Aisel – “X My Heart” (Azerbaijan 2018)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZtG6bUtiE8

Bonus Songs Discussed

Brotherhood of Man – “Kisses for Me” (United Kingdom 1976)
https://youtu.be/6OW1JJwqVRQ?si=9CuhjWPps1zOjmbX

Cesár Sampson – “Nobody But You” (Austria 2018)
https://youtu.be/a8Yvzo1puoE?si=qvBly9XqIkc_CcsG

my email: eurovisionsongcontext@gmail.com

Episode 11: (Part 2) Exploring Your Musical Profile [with Prince's Audio Engineer Susan Rogers!]

Bradley Dalton-Oates — Sun, 12 Feb 2023 08:00:00 -0500

Do you prefer lyrics or melody? Intricate harmonies or driving rhythm? The digital tones of synthesizers or the “real” sounds of acoustic instruments? Drawing from her successful career as a music producer (engineering hits like Prince’s “Purple Rain” and Barenaked Ladies' "One Week"), professor of cognitive neuroscience Susan Rogers reveals why your favorite songs move you. Susan and I will also discuss some Eurovision "controversies", including Amar Pelos Dois, Toy, Fuego, Shum, Stefania, Out of the Embers, Spaceman... and some of the Nul Points from 2021.

Buy Susan Rogers' book, This Is What It Sounds Like is available at booksellers pretty much everywhere at the moment!

Susan's Record Pull + Interactive Tools-- Scroll here to find where your personal musical profile lies with melody, timbre, lyrics, realism, authenticity, lyrics, and rythm:

https://www.thisiswhatitsoundslike.com/

Appeal for York musician Don Jackson:
(share on your socials if you can ASAP)

https://www.gofundme.com/f/save-dons-life-urgent-liver-transplant-appeal?utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet&utm_content=undefined&utm_medium=copy_link_all&utm_source=customer&utm_term=undefined

Don's Story:

https://yorkmix.com/race-against-time-to-save-york-music-legend-who-needs-urgent-liver-transplant/

Links to the Eurovision Songs Discussed:
(It is difficult to find the Grand Final versions of some of these. Susan's opinions are based on the following videos)

CONTROVERSY 1:
2018 Toy vs Fuego (with a side dish of Amar Pelos Dois 2017).

Amar Pelos Dois, Portugal 2017:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tB9soZxLuUM

Toy, 2018:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JybKKUkcWiQ

Here’s the official video, but here you miss the staging and it’s missing the famous “chicken noises”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CziHrYYSyPc

Fuego, Cyprus, 2018. 

Here’s the official video, for sound:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDSgs6syrgg

Here’s the best I can find to show you the staging, which is iconic (“Hairography").

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17EVpC8a1-g


CONTROVERSY 2:
Shum vs Stafania

Shum, Ukraine, 2021

Shum staging:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5gMcd7bTco

Official ESC Shum video (for sound):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7-dxzp6Jvs&amp;list=RDU7-dxzp6Jvs&amp;index=1

Stefania 2022:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiEGVYOruLk


CONTROVERSY 3:
Embers vs Spaceman

Embers, staging:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDoUo7uJyIw

Embers, good audio:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMDGTsa_Qq0

Spaceman, staging:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fU5cJfaX3DI

Official Spaceman video (good audio):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udsMTb2NIak

Episode 10: (Part 1) Exploring Your Musical Profile [with Prince's Audio Engineer Susan Rogers!]

Bradley Dalton-Oates — Sun, 12 Feb 2023 07:00:00 -0500

Buy Susan Rogers' book, This Is What It Sounds Like is available at booksellers pretty much everywhere at the moment!

Susan's Record Pull + Interactive Tools-- Scroll here to find where your personal musical profile lies with melody, timbre, lyrics, realism, authenticity, lyrics, and rythm:

https://www.thisiswhatitsoundslike.com/

Appeal for York musician Don Jackson:
(share on your socials if you can ASAP)

https://www.gofundme.com/f/save-dons-life-urgent-liver-transplant-appeal?utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet&utm_content=undefined&utm_medium=copy_link_all&utm_source=customer&utm_term=undefined

Don's Story:

https://yorkmix.com/race-against-time-to-save-york-music-legend-who-needs-urgent-liver-transplant/

Links to the Eurovision Songs Discussed:
(It is difficult to find the Grand Final versions of some of these. Susan's opinions are based on the following videos)

CONTROVERSY 1:
2018 Toy vs Fuego (with a side dish of Amar Pelos Dois 2017).

Amar Pelos Dois, Portugal 2017:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tB9soZxLuUM

Toy, 2018:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JybKKUkcWiQ

Here’s the official video, but here you miss the staging and it’s missing the famous “chicken noises”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CziHrYYSyPc

Fuego, Cyprus, 2018. 

Here’s the official video, for sound:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDSgs6syrgg

Here’s the best I can find to show you the staging, which is iconic (“Hairography").

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17EVpC8a1-g


CONTROVERSY 2:
Shum vs Stafania

Shum, Ukraine, 2021

Shum staging:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5gMcd7bTco

Official ESC Shum video (for sound):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7-dxzp6Jvs&amp;list=RDU7-dxzp6Jvs&amp;index=1

Stefania 2022:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiEGVYOruLk


CONTROVERSY 3:
Embers vs Spaceman

Embers, staging:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDoUo7uJyIw

Embers, good audio:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMDGTsa_Qq0

Spaceman, staging:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fU5cJfaX3DI

Official Spaceman video (good audio):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udsMTb2NIak