2024 was a strong year for Songvakeppnin. There was the cool Scandi electropop of Blankifur, the sing-songy rap of Sunny, and the TikTok antics of VÆB. All of the Eurofandom was chanting “GO TIFFANY” to Sigga Ozk’s Icelandic girl bop, and Hatari fans were rooting hard for Bashar Murad and his sexy cowboys to prevail with the minimal and melancholy Wild Wild West.
So Eurofans (including me) were extremely shocked when, out of this strong field, Icelandic balladeer and Eurovision veteran Hera Bjork emerged triumphant with the song Scared of Heights.
I mean, Scared of Heights was a pleasant song, but hardly memorable, right? It was a middling uptempo song that sounded like it was written as television intro music.
And yet.
And yet.
It’s now April, and I find myself – a person who demands songs with at least 140 BPM – absolutely caping for Hera Bjork and Scared of Heights. I like it so much, I’ve even put it in my top 10 for the year.
When did I fall in love with this song?
It might have been when I found myself unconsciously singing “I FEEL IT COMING” at dumb moments – like when I was crossing the street, or making a coffee.
Or it might have been when I was watching Hera Bjork at all the pre-parties, just spreading her chaotic wine aunt energy through the crowds before delivering a pitch perfect performance every time.
And maybe it’s not the song that I love, but the experience that Hera Bjork delivers to me – three minutes of communal love, where everyone can be screaming along to all the (very simple) lyrics and doing the (very simple) choreography and just basking in the glow of it all. There’s no staging to pay attention to; no messages that we might miss if we close our eyes while belting out a particularly big note. It’s just a moment for the collective us, with Hera as the conductor.
Now, this is the point where I step in to remind myself that Eurovision is a television show, not a live concert, and the millions of people watching won’t be having the collective meltdown we’ll be experiencing in the OGAE fan section. Hera’s coming on after fan favorite Baby Lasagna, and people may still be experiencing the aftershocks to pay much attention to her. But there’s just something about the warmth she radiates that makes viewers feel safe. So what if Scared of Heights sounds familiar? Maybe that will work in its favor – having a song that sounds vaguely like an ITV interstitial, sung by a woman who looks like she’s having the brunch of her life.
And if that sounds farfetched, I’d remind you all that Hera won Songvakeppnin with that exact combination of familiar and fun.
dudepoints.fun 