Scooch Open A Pandora’s Box of Eurovision Evil
LET’S give it up for SCOOCH, the UK’s entry in the Eurovision song contest.
For those of unfamiliar with the band’s offering, voices suggest listening to a song written by Elin Magnusson.
Singing under the name Pandora, Magnusson failed in 2003 and 2004 to represent Sweden in the continent’s premier pop contest.
Says she: “Scooch’s entry is more than similar to my No Regrets that I released on an album back in 1999.”
This is your captain speaking; I’d like to welcome you aboard this Eurovision flight
The duration will be 3 minutes exactly – now sit back, relax and enjoy the flight
“I want the Scooch entry to be disqualified,” says she in the Sun.
Readers learn that the singer is “very big in Finland”, or Finland nil points as the country is known to Eurovision fans.
Of course, the UK should not be so smug. We were UK nil points back in the days of Jemini and now our representatives stand accused of plagarism. How did the land of Sonia, Samantha Janus and Cliff Richard (twice) come to this?
Per Herry, who advises the Swedish Musician’s Union on matters legal, tells us: “Eurovision rules clearly state they cannot use a song that has been released before and the melody of the chorus is the same as Pandora’s.”
We of no great musical bent may well believe 99 per cent of Eurovision songs sound identical. But to the expert ear there are subtle differences. How many of these nuances can be attributed for foreign accents singing in English is a moot point.
So are Scooch cheats? Will they be Flying The Flag in Helsinki, Finland, under a false pretext. Will the locals recognise the song?
London to Berlin
All the way from Paris to Tallinn
Helsinki on to Prague
Don’t matter where we are – yeah yeah ye-ah
A BBC spokesman says the Scooch song is an original work. They band has never heard of Pandora’s work.
But the Sun looks at Scooch member Morten Scjolin and notes that his name “sounds Scandinavian enough to have heard Pandora albums”.
Point made. But what the point is we are unsure. Are British children called Raj expected to know the tunes and words to all Bollywood-inspired tunes? Does the Sun expect all of Britain’s West Indian community to know the words to Lord Shorty’s soca hits?
The Sun’s jury is out on Schjolin. But we remain oblivious to it all.
The charts are full of sub-standard and average singers singing direct copies of other people’s songs.
The shock here is that Scooch should be bothered by the allegations…
If you want to hear Pandora click here
If you want to hear Scooch, go here
And for a shock result, see here
Posted: 30th, March 2007 | In: Tabloids Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
