Marijonas spells it out.

What I didn't emphasize enough was the performance component of the song. A blind mp3 passed around is nowhere near as powerful or evoking as a video performance, and that, I'm certain, explains why LT United left the rest of their semi-final competition (save the Finns and Russians) in the dust. To be a fan of the song, you have to see the six men perform it. It's as simple as that.

My main concern leading up to last night's performance was whether the delicate balance between cocky and uplifting could be maintained. Marijonas, with his hand gestures, strikes a didactic tone; every syllable of "We are the winners / Of Eurovision" is presented as a component of a truth that must be learned. But there is an explosive energy to the product as a whole. Will the song, now, beat the powerhouses that got byes for the semi-final? I remain skeptical—it's very easy to vote for the novelty act when your country is already guaranteed a position in the same competition. Yet LT United's winning the most votes last night could give them momentum.

On the flip, I'll include articles and quotes about LT United's performance.

First, Eurovision itself praised the performance, though that's to be expected. Still, their capsule review gives a good idea of what the show was like:

Six middle-aged, serious-looking men from Lithuania stand on stage dressed in suits, looking like bank managers refusing a loan application. Then, as the song – half nursery rhyme, half football chant – begins, five of the men come to life and throw themselves into the performance, singing, shouting and, in one case, bellowing into a megaphone. “We are the winners of Eurovision!” they say. The sixth man stands motionless for two minutes before springing into action with a frantic dance that has to be seen to be believed. If this was the Eurovision Dance Contest, we’d have the winner right here.

Mamontovas su trispalve. oikotimes.com

Ir čia, Atėnuose, po mūsų pasirodymo nulipęs nuo scenos, nemaniau, kad pateksime į finalą. Juk publikos reakcija salėje buvo įvairi, buvo ir žiūrovų, kurie per mūsų pasirodymą švilpė.

Then the band managed a few cogent remarks:

"Tai mūsų visų pergalė. Visi esame laimėtojai. Nes laimi vieninga Europa - puikiausia vieta mums visiems" (A.Mamontovas).

"Žinau, kad Eurovizijoje visi labai mandagūs, bet nesusilaikysiu. Aš negaliu patikėti šiuo šūdu - mes esame finale" (M.Mikutavičius).

Po šių žodžių Andrius pasakė, kad norėtų užtraukti vieną natą, ir plėšė ją kone minutę, sulaukdamas garsių žurnalistų plojimų.

V.Diawara ir E.Belickas išskleidė Lietuvos vėliavą, o S.Urbonavičius per megafoną nuolat kartojo žodį "winners".

M.Mikutavičius nepamiršo ir skeptikų: "Tai daliai žmonių, kurie mus laikė visiškais idiotais, dabar galiu ramiai pažvelgti į akis".

Marijono comments are taken up in another LR article that now wonders about the extremely vocal skeptics and takes the opportunity to advance a schema of anti-intellectualism. I say don't get too excited yet. Last night's result is huge, but be wary of novelty ballot stuffing:

Ketvirtadienio Eurovizijos pusfinalis yra puikus pavyzdys apmąstymams. Prieš “LT United” vykstant į Atėnus, mūsų išsilavinę muzikos “šviesuoliai”, vienas už kitą garsiau dejavo “apsijuoksime”, “banalybė” ir pan.

Dabar tikrai bus įdomu išgirsti jų “autoritetingus” paaiškinimus - kodėl vis dėlto pusfinalis įveiktas.

Doteurovision, on the other hand, just remarks that:

Booing was heard for LT United both as they prepared to perform and when their place in the final was confirmed.

Delfi had two op/eds comparing the success of LT United to Lithuania's being rejected from the Eurozone. First, acerbically writes Saulius Stoma:

Į finalą patekome. Būsim pirmi, ar ne – nėra svarbiausia. Juk visi pamatys - Lietuvos šoumenai bent jau turi sveikos ironijos.

Daug nykesnį spektaklį tuo pat metu demonstruoja mūsų išrinktieji politikai. Visiškai susimovę dėl euro, jie teisinasi tarsi maži vaikai ir kaltina visus aplinkui. Arba ieško užtarimo pas Europos galinguosius – dėdės ir tetos padėkit, mes juk taip labai norim būti tokie kaip jūs.

Second, Kazimieras Šiaulys writes:

Ketvirtadienio vakarą Lietuvos televizijos „Spaudos klubas“ pasibaigė taip liūdnai, kad atrodė, jog laidos vedėjas ir finansų ministras nepasikels nuo kėdės ir prasmegs žemėn. Lietuva nepriimta į euro zoną. Kas būtų buvę, jeigu ir „LT United“ būtų nepatekusi į „Eurovizijos“ dainų konkurso Atėnuose finalą? Visiems tikriausiai būtų buvę dar liūdniau.Matyti, kad lietuvių tautai „Eurovizija“ rūpi labiau nei euras. Man taip pat.

Konkurse, kaip ir politikoje, daug kas priklauso nuo situacijos ir aplinkybių. Samas, sakydamas, kad roko muzikoje svarbiausia ne gitaros, o iššūkis stagnacijai, buvo teisus. Šis „Eurovizijos“ pusfinalis – gerokai prastesnis nei ankstesnieji. „LT United“ vyrai, pasirodę tarp mėgėjiškų Nyderlandų ir baisiai kičinių Portugalijos merginų grupių, išties atrodė savo vietoje, charakteringi ir ekscentriški.

That line from Samas is fantastic.

As for myself, again, I'm still rather skeptical. It's obviously great that LT United made it through, but I'll be truly astounded if they can turn enough minds to win the final also. Still, I'm with Mamontovas on the importance of unity:

LT United's song, brash and cocky, does the same. It doesn't make any nationalist-seeming claims other than in asserting that Vilnius should be seen as a European capital on the same level of Paris—a reality that is a function of accession, not nationalism...

And what that, then, does, is rearrange the cockiness into, instead, an effort at integration like that accomplished by basketball. The goal of LT United, seemingly, is obviously to win, but winning doesn't mean Lithuania makes great pop; it means more simply that Lithuania is a functioning member of the European community, contributing and competing in everything, on a par along with the rest of the EU nations. The nationalism of LT United takes a step back (in comparison to "Welcome"), and what remains important is unity. Mamontovo and Marijono words at the start of their video, "Our strength lies in unity," recall Marxist slogans that emphasize the power of the collective, of class action. But that unity is very importantly limited not just to the form of the nation. LT United glorifies unity as such, either the unity of a team, of a group, of a nation, of a class, or of the world in and of itself. Here Vee's words are especially valuable: "Chantons la même chanson." We are all singing the same song. This is a much more palatable politics, then, which makes "We Are the Winners," aesthetic concerns aside, a better candidate for Eurovision, and a better reflection of Lithuania.