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Eurovision Song Context

Bradley Dalton-Oates

We start with expertise and end up in Eurovision. It’s kind of our thing. Eurovision Song Context is a monthly podcast that looks at the Eurovision Song Contest through an unexpected lens: expert insight. Each episode, a guest from a different field — psychology, fashion, politics, design, linguistics, and more — talk about their work and how it helps us understand 2–3 Eurovision entries in a whole new light. Are these songs genuinely good? So bad they’re good? Or just weirdly unforgettable? Longform episodes come out on the 12th of every month (the "douzeth"). We're where brilliant minds meet bad key changes.

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  • 89 episodes
  • Updated July 12

Episodes89

Newest first
  • Jul 12, 2025 · 1 hr 26 min

    Episode 69: (Part 1) Sending Strauss into Deep Space with Donato Lospalluto and the European Space Agency

    Bradley speaks with Donato Lospalluto, Ground Station Engineer and Operations Architect at the European Space Agency (ESA), about Waltz Into Space — an extraordinary project created with the Vienna Tourist Board to broadcast all 13,743 notes of Johann Strauss II’s “Blue Danube Waltz” into deep space. They discuss how ESA converted the music into electromagnetic signals, transmitted it via a 35-meter deep space antenna in Spain, and sent it across the solar system toward Voyager 1 — correcting w

  • Feb 12, 2025 · 47 min

    Episode 62: (Part 2) Inside the Rainbow Gulag with Tony De Luz

    I talk with former Lisa Frank illustrator Tony De Luz (featured in Amazon’s Glitter & Greed: The Lisa Frank Story) about the ultra-colorful, hyper-cute esthetic that Lisa Frank and Eurovision share. We watch acts like Sylvia Night, Natalia Gordienko, Brooke, Blanca, and Nemo and dig into world-building, kitsch, capitalism, and why so many of us still crave rainbow overload. 🎧✨

  • Feb 12, 2025 · 53 min

    Episode 61: (Part 1) Inside the Rainbow Gulag with Tony De Luz

    I talk with former Lisa Frank illustrator Tony De Luz (featured in Amazon’s Glitter & Greed: The Lisa Frank Story) about the ultra-colorful, hyper-cute esthetic that Lisa Frank and Eurovision share. We watch acts like Sylvia Night, Natalia Gordienko, Brooke, Blanca, and Nemo and dig into world-building, kitsch, capitalism, and why so many of us still crave rainbow overload. 🎧✨

  • Jan 12, 2025 · 50 min

    Episode 60: (Part 2) Happy Chords, Sad Chords with Ethan Hein

    NYU music theorist and producer Ethan Hein breaks down why “sad” chords aren’t inherently sad, using Beatles cadences, blues voice-leading, and Eurovision classics like “Euphoria” and “Fairytale” as case studies. We also talk Groove Pizza, his browser-based Accordion instrument, and what makes a chord progression feel tragic, wistful, or euphoric on the ESC stage.

  • Nov 28, 2024 · 57 min

    Episode 56: (Part 1) Sad Chords, Happy Chords with Ethan Hein

    NYU music theorist and producer Ethan Hein breaks down why “sad” chords aren’t inherently sad, using Beatles cadences, blues voice-leading, and Eurovision classics like “Euphoria” and “Fairytale” as case studies. We also talk Groove Pizza, his browser-based Accordion instrument, and what makes a chord progression feel tragic, wistful, or euphoric on the ESC stage.

  • Aug 12, 2024 · 49 min

    Episode 52: (Part 2) When Cultures Collide with Michael Gates

    Our guest is Michael Gates, he’s an expert in Cross Cultural Communications who regularly advises multi-cultural teams in improving understanding, negotiation, and conflict resolution. We’ll talk about Lewis Model of Cross-Cultural Communication, and the classic book When Cultures Collide. We’ll then talk about… what else… when Eurovision Cultures Collide, including The Netherlands and Sweden.

  • Aug 12, 2024 · 51 min

    Episode 51: (Part 1) When Cultures Collide with Michael Gates

    Our guest is Michael Gates, he’s an expert in Cross Cultural Communications who regularly advises multi-cultural teams in improving understanding, negotiation, and conflict resolution. We’ll talk about Lewis Model of Cross-Cultural Communication, and the classic book When Cultures Collide. We’ll then talk about… what else… when Eurovision Cultures Collide, including The Netherlands and Sweden.

  • Jul 12, 2024 · 57 min

    Episode 50: (Part 2) Milli Vanilli with Sheldon Rocha Leal

    Our guest is Sheldon Rocha Leal, he’s a Musicologist, Musician and Songwriter. He’s also the author of a fantastic article called Moments That Changed Music III: Milli Vanilli. We’ll talk about how the Milli Vanilli scandal changed the music industry, living in a pre-hip hop world, modern interpretations about what actually happened, the connection between Milli Vanilli’s producer Frank Farian and Eurovision superproducer Ralph Siegel, and Milli Vanilli’s Rob Pilatus singing real backup vocals

  • Jul 12, 2024 · 57 min

    Episode 49: (Part 1) Milli Vanilli with Sheldon Rocha Leal

    Our guest is Sheldon Rocha Leal, he’s a Musicologist, Musician and Songwriter. He’s also the author of a fantastic article called Moments That Changed Music III: Milli Vanilli. We’ll talk about how the Milli Vanilli scandal changed the music industry, living in a pre-hip hop world, modern interpretations about what actually happened, the connection between Milli Vanilli’s producer Frank Farian and Eurovision superproducer Ralph Siegel, and Milli Vanilli’s Rob Pilatus singing real backup vocals