Can you spot a winner from a first listen? Yes? Well, could you spot a candidate for last place at first listen too? It can be tough at the top, but equally tough at the bottom.
Imagine the scene. A certain broadcaster picks a safe pair of hands as their entrant. They get him and a pal to write and/or perform three songs in a primetime national final. The best of the three songs gets through, and the duo are dispatched to the host city. What happens? Said safe pair of hands finishes a distant last. What went wrong? Well nothing really. All of this befell today’s birthday boy Darude (né Toni-Ville Henrik Virtanen). He wasn’t alone of course, but maybe what he thought would work may have done several years ago. But in 2019, ballads win.
Darude is 47 today.
Hyvää syntymäpäivää, Monica!