Switzerland

Era Stupendo Paolo Meneguzzi

Try as they might, there are some countries in Eurovision that rank among no one's friends. Like the gawky boy in the class who spends his entire school life staring out of the window, only occasionally on the same planet as his peers, they are outsiders, forming part of no definable group. Interaction is random, and even if they do sometimes show favour to a particular group or individual it is rarely returned. They are not quick to learn, and what they contribute often bears little relation to what everyone is doing. The fact that they turn up at all seems a matter of routine and is largely overlooked. They may show occasional flashes of brilliance, but these are seen as the exception to the rule and generally met with scepticism. At the same time, as the object of condescension, any attempts they make to apply themselves will usually be championed even if expectations are not high. And of the countries in the 2008 edition of the contest, none of them fits this bill quite as completely as Switzerland.

To say that the Swiss have had a chequered history in the contest since the introduction of televoting would be an understatement; prior to the introduction of the semi-final system they failed to end any higher than fourth last, and on its inauguration scored their biggest ever failure, earning a total of zero points from 32 countries for the ironically titled Celebrate! It would also overlook the fact that they have only made the top ten three times in the past twenty years whoever was voting for them. To an extent they only have themselves to blame, as they have chosen a number of dated and/or lacklustre songs over the years, but this in itself may be the result of constantly having to find a happy medium in a country where three major European languages and the people who speak them come together. Upsetting this balance is the fact that all but a handful of their top 5 results since the introduction of the douze system in 1975 have come from songs in French, making their choice of an entry in Italian this year - a language with which they last made the top ten 17 years ago - somewhat surprising.

That this could even come across as a bold move says a lot about the reputation Switzerland has in the contest, as does the incredulity among people regarding the support Paolo Meneguzzi and Era Stupendo continue to enjoy. The first of this year's entries to be announced and one of the earliest to be unveiled, it took no one by surprise for being old-school Eurovision, but rather for how solidly and pleasantly nostalgic the whole thing is - and while no one really expected it to be making much of an impression once the other 42 entries for Belgrade were known, it is still doing well for itself in fan polls. This, needless to say, is a double-edged sword: on the one hand, it suggests that there is something comfortable and inoffensive about the song, lending it a broad popularity across the continent which may translate to the contest itself; on the other, it is receiving more or less the same level of endorsement as the 2007 Swiss entry, Vampires Are Alive, which in the circumstances could be considered the kiss of death.

But then what do fans know? It's the mobile-wielding televoters of Europe who count, and whether or not Era Stupendo seems quite as wonderful to them as it does to many contest aficionados remains to be seen. In fact it may be those to whom mobile technology remains a mystery who decide the song's fate: not the most modern of entries among this year's bunch, there is something timeless and sincere about it, and very 1970s Eurovision for its childhood reminiscence and general sentiment. Then again, the efficiency of its arrangement, which makes the song very easy to listen to, may earn it kudos among those who like their music straightforward but still involving. What allows the song to be both - and what represents its greatest advantage over its nearest rival in the second semi-final, the equally dated but much more prim Hungarian entry - is its transformation from piano-led ballad to uptempo pop rock, which is well-timed and effected without any fuss.

Key to the success of the Swiss entry in Serbia will be Paolo Meneguzzi. Though far from the daydreaming dweeb everyone shuns, with smouldering and yet still boyish good looks that should provide three minutes of attractive television, he is nevertheless something of an unknown in terms of the performance he is likely to turn in. In Era Stupendo I feel he has a song that could easily take him places provided he gets it right, but by the same token its naive charms aren't likely to rub off on anyone if he gets it even slightly wrong. On the assumption that he earns his country a ticket to Saturday night's final I would expect the song to receive virtually unanimous backing among fans. I doubt he's in with much of a chance of being crowned head boy, but he may shake off Switzerland's well-worn image and find himself being voted most popular boy in the class.