Eurovision was once an actual song contest, but its evolution into tragedy-farce is now complete

The Eurovision Song Contest was once an essentially pure, straightforward, what-it-says-on-the-tin entity.

Those days are long gone. It has become something completely different – something it never set out to become.

Back in the day, a song was just that – an actual song. A performance was delivered live. It combined vocals and instrumentals. Staging was a minor production appendage.

It was an international song contest offering an appraisal of a varied range of songs and vocal performances.

The odd unusual costume aside, there was a modest level of adventurism on show. The national orchestra of the host nation played the music and the singers really vocalised the lyrics.

The lighting was fixed, not transfixing, and stage movement was restricted to little more than a wobble and a bobble.

The Eurovision of today is a flashlighting barrage, crisply collated with pre-recorded backing-tracks, lip-synching and circus acrobatics. Some of the costumes on display defy description.

It is all cobbled together and a tragedy-farce unfolds. Any notion of an actual song contest has been hijacked.

But, hey, this is the adorable age of artificial intelligence, Donald Trump and cyber-erotica, so what’s the problem?

Well, for one, let’s take “Song” out of the title, just for a bit of clarity. Otherwise, we’re all confused from the off.

Perhaps a maudlin moniker such as “The show that makes a show of itself ” could rescue it from any notions of itself. Even “Vacuity the Victor” might pass the title test.

How has it all gone so wrong? To top it all off, it looks like RTÉ would be enthused about bringing it here next year.

That really would empty the coffers once and for all.

Jim Cosgrove Lismore, Co Waterford