“Icelanders are thrilled that Will Ferrell is making fun of them in his new movie Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga. That sounds strange, but there is an explanation for this.

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As you might know, Icelanders are crazy about Eurovision song contest. This annual European extravaganza is a massive television event which spans the whole of Europe, Israel and Australia. Eurovision is perhaps not the coolest event ever, but somehow it pulls you in every year.

Taking Eurovision song contest to the next level

The 2020 competition was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The cancellation is sad for Iceland since our contribution by Daði and the Gagnamagnið is a heartwarming fun tribute to his little daughter. It has won international acclaim, so it is worth checking out.

Nothing stops Icelanders from enjoying Eurovision song contest

Icelanders put on a Eurovision broadcast nevertheless. Nothing should stop those annual Eurovision parties. Iceland takes the enthusiasm for this event to the next level. The Eurovision party is a tradition as Icelandic as glaciers and hot springs.

When Iceland first participated

I remember when I was a teenager in 1986 when Iceland participated for the first time. Iceland was determined to win. An A-team of pop icons was assembled, and catchy tune Bank of Fun was composed. The song got an epic music video (ahem). 

But I was quite happy, my crush Sandra Kim won the contest. She later returned to Icelandic Eurovision semi-finals in 2016 where she appeared to drunkenly hit on the singer Selma (see below) on live TV. It was the perfect Eurovision moment. Anyway, Iceland fared better in 1999 when it was the runner up, losing narrowly to Sweden. The Icelandic singer who performed Iceland’s contribution is the aforementioned  Selma, and the song is aptly named All out of luck.

I remember being at a party in London with about 50 other drunk Icelanders. One Swedish guy, there was severely outnumbered. I don’t think he had a great time!

When Iceland truly shocked Eurovision

Back in 2019, Iceland thrilled and shocked by the excellent performance group Hatari. The band pulled out a mini Palestinian flag during the broadcast. Hatari shocked the Israelis and punishment was swift and severe. El-Al staff placed band members in worst seats on the flight home. But Hatari is one of the best of the acts to perform at Eurovision, and as you probably tell, I am a Hatari fan. They did not disappoint with their anthemic Hate will prevail.

Looking forward to Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga

So yes, we Icelanders are huge Eurovision fans. But we also recognise how tacky the competition is. So we welcome the Netflix film Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga. I just cannot wait to see how Will Ferrell tackles Iceland’s craziness about this legendary song contest.

If I understand things correctly, the film is about a couple of musicians from Húsavík, a town in the north-east of Iceland, who dream about representing Iceland in the Eurovision song contest. Their band is called Fire Saga, and the film documents their struggles, and I suppose their inevitable triumph. I can’t wait to see it on Netflix on the 26th of June. I will probably throw a Eurovision party when I can finally watch it on the 26th of June.

Just watch this music video of the epic song Volcano Man from the film. It is hilarious!