Weekly Lists #180: Favourite Belgian Entries to the Eurovision Song Contest
Look, every year the Eurovision Song Contest comes by. And just about every year? I hate the Belgian entry. This year was definitely one of those seldom exceptions, but in general? The odds are bigger on me not liking the song Belgium has decided to send to wherever the ESC is taking place that year. However. There’s some exceptions. And these 5? Well, they’re the top of those exceptions for me: my favourite Belgian entries to the ESC!
1. Vanessa Chinitor – Like the Wind
This song was grossly undervalued. Sure, you have to ignore the hair and stuff, because, you know… The nineties.
But still, this song? Actually pretty good! Certainly way better than the appaling 38 points it received!
2. Loic Nottet – Rhythm Inside
This was one of the best ever entries for Belgium. There, I said it. His vocals are amazing, the song was great, he’s a dancer… There’s no way to overvalue this song.
3. Sergio – Sister
This song is… Something else. And it’s not even that I liked the song so much, it’s just that the act and the person as a whole are kind of amazing?
4. Ik heb Zorgen – Louis Neefs
There were always going to be some Dutch songs in this list, if only because the ESC only allowed countries to participate in one of their official languages until over halfway of their run. What’s more, Louis Neefs is one of my favourite “old school” artists – he has a great, almost honey-like quality to his voice, and it makes me like all of his songs a little, even if just for that!
Btw – another option for the “Dutch entry” for this list would’ve been Ann Christie’s “Gelukkig Zijn” (“Being Happy”) – yet another song that did not get the appreciation it should’ve!
5. The nonsense-songs
There’s two of these actually – because, apparently, Belgium has a bit of a (limited) *noble* tradition of making up languages just in honour of the ESC. And both of these? Well they’re just perfect to sing along – because absolutely no one (maybe not even the singers?) knows what you’re actually supposed to sing!
And there you have it! That’s some of my favourite Belgian entries to the ESC – if anything, I guess you could say Belgium has spent a long while trying to figure out what exactly will work for the ESC. And we still haven’t found it… But hey, at least we’re having a blast while looking for it, right? What are some of your favourite Belgian entries? Be sure to let me know below!
-Saar