Moves between the Eurovision stage to the political stage ... Never has it been placed in its international context as in this truly inventive new book.
EuropeNow
Vuletic goes beneath the bubblegum to reveal surprising machinations.
Foreign Affairs
As a scholarly study in international cooperation and competition, this book is exemplary.
Times Higher Education
... Read moreDean Vuletic's book is an important intervention ... Comprehensive in its coverage, it will become a go-to book for any scholar who is interested in the song contest and its history.
H-Soz-Kult
It is the recognition of such value in song-no less in Eurovision song-that makes Dean Vuletic's rich history of the Eurovision Song Contest very important reading indeed.
German Studies Review
Vuletic ascribes the Eurovision Song Contest an important role in the history of post-war Europe ... Comprehensive in its coverage, it will become a go-to book for any scholar who is interested in the song contest and its history.
H-Net
The book presents a well-researched and exhaustive historical account of organisational and political matters in relation to the Eurovision Song contest, as well as an in-depth analysis of its cultural significance in a European perspective ... The book as a whole constitutes a significant and valuable contribution to the understanding the interplay of popular music, media and cultural policy in post-World War II Europe.
Popular Music
[A] survey of the ESC, and a well-researched one. Vuletic makes extensive use of archival materials of the Council of Europe, International Telecommunications Union, EBU and OIRT ... [An] important and essential book.
Music Reference Services Quarterly
A fascinating insight into the history of Eurovision. It is accessibly written, draws on a wealth of archival material, and adds much to our understanding of European culture in the postwar period.
Robert James, Senior Lecturer in History, University of Portsmouth, UK
This is a terrific addition to the literature on music and international relations. Analyzing the history of what has become the biggest forum of collective voting in Europe, Dean Vuletic shows the janus-headed nature of the Eurovision Song Contest - a competition both apolitical and political at the same time. A must-read addition for students of musicology, international relations and history, and, really, anyone trying to understand the confusing attraction of Europe's largest music show.
Jessica Gienow-Hecht, Chair of the Department of History, John F. Kennedy Institute for North American Studies, Freie Universitat Berlin, Germany
Overturning familiar assumptions about this apolitical celebration of pan-European values, Vuletic brings us a much-needed serious and thorough historical account of the Eurovision Song Contest from its founding in the mid-1950s to the present-day paradox of this international event with national limitations . A crucial read for anyone interested in the song contest's deeper history and significance.
Ivan Raykoff, Associate Professor of Music, The New School, USA
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