Switzerland has long been one of the big favorites and “The code” is of course a more than worthy winner. The balancing act on what looks like a giant TV dish is impressive to say the least, especially when Nemo simultaneously manages to sing a nice uptempo opera with the queer positive message of daring to go your own way.
Still, I’m sad that Croatia’s funky bonnlurks techno metal that sounded like Rednex on speed (unless Rednex already sounded like they were on speed) didn’t get to win. That “Rim Tim Tagi Dim” was also said to be about Croatian brain drain made the contribution to the absolutely perfect Eurovision song.
Eurovision Song Contest 2024
Nemo from Switzerland wins Eurovision Song Contest 2024
Tense atmosphere in the Eurovision arena
Baby Lasagna’s victory had also been a small but nice revenge for Finland and Käärijä, who already last year saw the concept “fun and crazy” defeated by “nice and serious” when Loreen snuffed them out for the win.
A relief for the EBU
But above all, you could almost hear a sigh of relief from the EBU managers when Israel’s Eden Golan, who in the days before the final sailed up as an unexpected competitor for the victory, did not actually win.
Actually, there is nothing wrong with the song itself. “Hurricane” is a strong ballad of the kind that usually goes well in Eurovision and Eden Golan is a talented artist and singer.
But a win for “Hurricane” had inevitably raised suspicions of political votes. That had made Eurovision, which tried tooth and nail to defend its identity as a completely apolitical competition, a clear pawn in the game in the war between Israel and Hamas.
It would be far from the peace project that Eurovision was originally intended to be and could not have been described as anything other than a minor disaster for the EBU.
But despite the non-existent Israeli win, this year’s competition became the most politically conflicted in a long time. Rarely have so many cries been heard during the final and one thing is clear: 2024 will be the last year when it was possible to pretend that music has nothing to do with politics.