Just A Little Bit - Gina G, way ahead of its time..?

barrcode88barrcode88 Posts: 6,849
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOqtDtUEpVM

Are there any pop producers as good as this around today? this was my first ESC (7 or 8 years old) and I remember my parents being pleasantly shocked by this number (and me dancing to it not very well of course)

Basically we should do something that nobody else is doing because Eurovision 96 was very folky until Gina came on and IMO changed everything.

Comments

  • Simon RodgersSimon Rodgers Posts: 4,693
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    If I'm honest I believe the whole song was a waste of time and an embarrasment.
  • AneechikAneechik Posts: 20,208
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    It was a strange year - clearly a great song that went top 10 in every European country (and 12 in the US), but when the contest came around, only got eighth place. I guess people were sick of it by then, it was literally everywhere as I recall.
  • phill363phill363 Posts: 24,311
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    Aneechik wrote: »
    It was a strange year - clearly a great song that went top 10 in every European country (and 12 in the US), but when the contest came around, only got eighth place. I guess people were sick of it by then, it was literally everywhere as I recall.

    Juries destroyed its chance's because it wasn't an Ethno Ballad or a ballad with Celtic influence
  • MARTYM8MARTYM8 Posts: 44,710
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    phill363 wrote: »
    Juries destroyed its chance's because it wasn't an Ethno Ballad or a ballad with Celtic influence

    It may have had more to do with the fact she sang it flat. The Irish winner was note perfect.

    Great song - but the performance didn't cut it.
  • carnivalistcarnivalist Posts: 4,565
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    Good song and a great pair of legs. I Don't mean to be sexist but she does bring back a lot of pleasant memories.

    I saw her on the District Line once. Like most celebs she seemed much smaller in real life.
  • sej17sej17 Posts: 377
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    I love the Gina G entry that was mixed by Motiv 8. I bought her album Fresh that has Ooh Ah Just A Little Bit on it and still play it regularly as it's a very good album. I do think that as an entry it was ahead of its' time and at the top end of the scale quality wise.
  • maninthequeuemaninthequeue Posts: 2,479
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    MARTYM8 wrote: »
    It may have had more to do with the fact she sang it flat. The Irish winner was note perfect.

    Great song - but the performance didn't cut it.

    Indeed, as the OP says it was ahead of its time, as the UK in 2003 perfected upon Gina G's flat nasally vocal performance which killed its chances of winning.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eu5kgSeZHfw
  • CreamteaCreamtea Posts: 14,682
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    I LOVED that song at the time! Still do now! :D
  • cantoscantos Posts: 7,368
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    Didn't Gina G end up being number 1 in several countries that gave her no votes on the night.
  • 21stCenturyBoy21stCenturyBoy Posts: 44,493
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    cantos wrote: »
    Didn't Gina G end up being number 1 in several countries that gave her no votes on the night.

    It was a completely different system back then. In the televoting era and might have gained a significant amount of votes but they were solely down to the national jury- which, as we know, we're firmly in ballad mode back in the mid-90s
  • DrifterDrifter Posts: 12,071
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    Ahead of its time? Clearly not, it was just a very good pop song is all. Would have probably won a public vote, but she wasn't the best live singer so I don't blame the juries ranking it lower.
  • sheepiefarmsheepiefarm Posts: 27,429
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    Her performance on the night was dreadful - having loved the song before the contest, we just sat there in silence at how bad the performance was.

    No surprise when it failed to get the points.

    Great song though :D
  • dwisemandwiseman Posts: 4,011
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    No , it was an ''ooh aah' euro thumper that was about 15 years too late.
  • sarahj1986sarahj1986 Posts: 11,305
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    It's hard to believe it only finished 8th, the song was massive I remember it so clearly
  • Vodka_DrinkaVodka_Drinka Posts: 28,740
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    The problem was, as others have said, that on the night she was appallingly bad live. She couldn't sing to save her life.
  • Dan100Dan100 Posts: 2,383
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    Didn't Ooh Ahh's poor performance in the voting pave the way for televoting (along with Ireland winning again, which caused a bit of a rumpus amongst the viewing audience)?
    The next year 5 countries introduced televoting.
  • barrcode88barrcode88 Posts: 6,849
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    cantos wrote: »
    Didn't Gina G end up being number 1 in several countries that gave her no votes on the night.

    Yes it did, its one of the few Eurovision songs that got nominated for a Grammy.
  • IWasBoredIWasBored Posts: 3,418
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    phill363 wrote: »
    Juries destroyed its chance's because it wasn't an Ethno Ballad or a ballad with Celtic influence

    No, it was a cheesy Euro dance number that was also sang out of tune on the night
  • barrcode88barrcode88 Posts: 6,849
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    IWasBored wrote: »
    No, it was a cheesy Euro dance number that was also sang out of tune on the night

    One of only three Eurovision songs to have success all over the world, I don't think people knew what to make of it personally, but this was the start of ditching the celtic/folky Eurovision, confirmed a few years later when they ditched the orchestra.
  • Billy HicksBilly Hicks Posts: 475
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    Absolutely one of the best songs we've ever entered and coming so low made a mockery of the contest's then-archaic rules, juries and format - no phone votes and to satisfy a rule that all 'musicians' had to be on stage with the singer, Gina had to perform with two computers either side of her.

    If anything it's both ahead and behind its times as during the phone-voting years it would have easily won the contest, but even today I can imagine the jury vote pushing it down the list a bit similar to what happened with Blue in 2011.
  • Absolute RotterAbsolute Rotter Posts: 787
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    It no longer matters whether the song is any good
  • MARTYM8MARTYM8 Posts: 44,710
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    Absolutely one of the best songs we've ever entered and coming so low made a mockery of the contest's then-archaic rules, juries and format - no phone votes and to satisfy a rule that all 'musicians' had to be on stage with the singer, Gina had to perform with two computers either side of her.

    If anything it's both ahead and behind its times as during the phone-voting years it would have easily won the contest, but even today I can imagine the jury vote pushing it down the list a bit similar to what happened with Blue in 2011.

    I never noticed those computer monitors before - perhaps it was Gina's performance that distracts you. The computers were great - the music only bits were wonderful.:D

    If only she would have been allowed to mime it - she might have won. But I think the old jury system counted against her too

    The jury voting made a big difference - Malta's jury always gave us next to no points (they gave Love Shine a light 1 point) but have always been generous to us since televoting.
  • Simon RodgersSimon Rodgers Posts: 4,693
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    I know the rules state that no-one is allowed to bring the contest into disrepute so how was this song allowed, since the lyrics are quite suggestive?
  • steeleuro_wolfsteeleuro_wolf Posts: 13,336
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    I do think Gina was unlucky that year. If widespread televoting had been introduced just a couple of years earlier than it was I have no doubt she'd have stormed to victory.
  • Joe_ZelJoe_Zel Posts: 20,832
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    I know the rules state that no-one is allowed to bring the contest into disrepute so how was this song allowed, since the lyrics are quite suggestive?

    After Poland's entry this year I'm not sure it's a problem. :D
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