Cast your mind back to 2008, where the televote ruled all. While there were some incredible songs during this era of Eurovision, the contest always featured what can only be described as ‘joke’ entries. Most of those songs remained in the semi-finals, but occasionally one would slip through the gaps. Not only did today’s throwback song reach the final, but it almost cracked the Top 10…
The offender? Latvia. Are we surprised? Not really. Coming off the more serious entry from the previous year, the Latvian public decided that what was really missing from Eurovision was Pirates. Talk about niche, but the song clearly appealed enough to first of all, win the national selection, and then, qualify at Eurovision and ultimately place 12th.
The most offensive part of this entry is that it’s annoyingly catchy. I haven’t listened to this song in a long time, yet I can recall the chorus with ease. As a Eurovision nerd, it makes me laugh knowing that Roberto Meloni was one of the singers in Bonaparti.lv, and just one year later is the chief pirate. Dare I say, his vocals suited ‘Questa Notte’ better, but interestingly, I remembered this to be vocally strong. The reality is actually quite different, with sketchy vocals for the entire three minutes. I guess it makes you think, how did this make it to the final? It all comes back to the novelty factor and televote. If this competed in the current format of Eurovision, it would struggle to get even close to qualifying.
I usually don’t like using the word kitsch, but it adequately describes this song. It’s the type of song you don’t usually want to admit to liking, but a small part of you enjoys the cheesiness of the cheap pirate costumes. Ironically, in the context of Latvia’s history, this definitely isn’t the worst act they’ve sent, and sadly, some of the serious acts sent by the nation are far worse. Overall, this isn’t a song I would actively seek out to listen to, but if it started playing on shuffle, I would probably sing along. For me, it’s a 5/10.
Profile
Year: 2008
Country: Latvia
Artist: Pirates of the Sea
Song: Wolves of the Sea
Final Ranking: 12th in the Final