Everyone has a guilty pleasure…it could be bad food, trashy paperbacks, an unswerving devotion to a Canadian powertrio (no, not Triumph…or Mahogany Rush) or even needlepoint. Mine is guiltier than most, however. Mine is…(whisper it..) Eurovision. Not in that cheesy, kitsch, ‘It’s so bad it’s good’ way, but in a sad, musical critique way. I genuinely love it. Don’t hate me.
As any scholar of Eurovision will tell you, the heyday was the 70’s and the apex of the heyday was the mighty triumvirate which bestrode the middle of the decade like a mighty colossus*. 1974: Abba -‘Waterloo
(There's a bit of a preamble - the good stuff starts at about a minute in)
I have no idea who Teach-In are or were really. I’ve had a quick look at that catalogue of inaccuracy that is Wikipedia and it has just the bare bones of a story. But that’s OK as all good Eurotunes are really only designed to burn and shine for a moment. Apart from Abba.
Right, you’ve got this far without laughing too hard, lets analyse why ‘Ding Dinge Dong’ is a brilliant piece of Pop:
The melody. It burns its way into your brain and will never leave.
That lovely, simple Guitar lick that punctuates the tune.
The amazing harmonies…such close intervals.
And probably the greatest middle eight ever written.
Yep, the lyrics are complete and utter bobbins, but they’re no worse than ‘Come And Get It’ or ‘September Gurls’.
If this was recorded by The Cardigans, Saint Etienne or Belle and Sebastian (especially Belle and Sebastian) we’d all be wetting ourselves over it’s ‘pure, unvarnished post modern Pop styling’ or something equally pseudo. But it was recorded by some happy looking Dutch guys and a charming young lady called Hilda.
Still got a problem with Eurovision? May I just gently direct you to the writer of the winning entry in 1997 for the UK Kimberley
There are only two types of music: Music you like and music you don’t like. I really like ‘Ding Dinge Dong’. Give it a whirl. I dare you to leave me a comment.
*That’s one HELL of a sentence. Lester Bangs…pah!
