I'm kickstarting my Eurovision Song Contest 2017 Special today! This has proved popular every single year on my blog and I'm happy to bring it back once again. As per usual, I will start with my home country, the United Kingdom, who was represented by Lucie Jones with her song "Never Give Up On You". She totally nailed it on the night, just a shame the public didn't give her more points, so I'd like to thank the juries (didn't think I'd ever be saying that), for giving us much-needed points. The UK scored 111 points, placing Lucie Jones 15th; most of which came from the jury who gave 99 points, whereas the voting public only gave 12 points. Once again, Lucie Jones stuns in this performance-based music video for the UK's entry into the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 with "Never Give Up On You".
Lucie Jones first came onto the scene when she competed in the sixth series of The X Factor, where she came eighth overall, after losing the sing-off against Jedward - who went on the represent Ireland twice, in Eurovision 2011 and Eurovision 2012. Afterwards, she took on some films and TV roles, and then, later, went into stage productions and performed in the West End. She, finally, returned to music and became the UK's entrant to the Eurovision Song Contest 2017. The song will most-likely chart in the UK come Friday. The song was written by Emmelie de Forest (Eurovision 2013 winner), Daniel Salcedo, and Lawrie Martin.
The music video is completely performance-based, which isn't needed for a Eurovision music video since we get a performance visual on the stage. Regardless this isn't too dissimilar to the staging of her song this year, including the certain stage scene and making it the main focus point on stage.
There are a few scenes throughout. One sees Lucie Jones classy and beautiful with her hair in waves, styled in a red dress. Another sees her with messy hair but still looking pretty, yet it's just a headshot. Then there's the silver dress, her looking very classy again with her hair properly curled.
No one can deny she gave it her all on the night, and she does the exact same in this music video. But I can see why some people find the song 'boring', but she does perform it amazingly. This should've got more points, and it's disappointing that it didn't. Regardless, the UK is behind you Lucie Jones, and you will chart this Friday. There's not a lot to this music video, and I'd rather watch the Grand Final performance than this music video if I'm honest, which can be found at the bottom of this post.
On to the Eurovision Song Contest 2015. This was a year I wasn't so fond of, and I only have a few favourites from this year. This is certainly not one of them, but this is my home country. I am not sure what they were thinking when they chose this song, it certainly wasn't a public decision, and we knew we wouldn't do well as soon as it was announced. The United Kingdom and Electro Velvet came 24th with five points. Electro Velvet perform in front of dancers in this jazz/dance music video that looks like it was made for the 20's, I'm totally not "Still In Love With You".
Electro Velvet were a duo consisting of Alex Larke and Bianca Nicholas. None of the artists were known as soloists, although Alex Larke had been in the music industry for a short while, whilst Bianca Nicholas had appeared on The Voice UK. She never got past the coaches auditions. They were planning on releasing an album through Pledge Music, but it was cancelled. They have now parted ways. They were chosen through internal selection, but it's hard to believe this was the best song that was entered to The BBC for Eurovision 2015. This song was written by David Mindel and Adrian Bax White.
The music video is just as dire as the song. Really taking the concept of the song being a modern twist on 1920's swing music, they have made the video feel really old fashioned.
No modern twist on the video, unless you count the UV paint, which doesn't even belong in the video in the first place.
A pure performance music video, Alex Larke is in his element, he is loving this song and it's video, but he's that sort of guy who would like this music. As for Bianca Nicholas, she's trying to look like she's enjoying it just as much, but it's not really her style of music, and that is clear.
The dancing relates more to the swing side of the musical composition, and any scenes of a possible narration aren't developed enough to fully include the audience. It just doesn't work.
Time for my home country for the Eurovision Song Contest 2014, and an act I have supported for some time now, and I shall continue to support Molly because she a vocal powerhouse of a talent that deserves to be out there living her dream. This didn't do as well as we all thought it would, but we've done worse and 17th with 40 points is actually not too bad! The song is catchy, but it turns slightly bland the more you hear it. "Children of the Universe" has a great visual concept, but Molly doesn't look like she's all that into it, and it doesn't relate, but it's an okay performance visual.
Molly, full name Molly Smitten-Downes, hasn't done much since releasing this song; as far as I can tell, she's trying to make a name for herself, by featuring on new songs as she gains more fans and some great reputation. She released a free download (that I totally missed out on, unfortunately). She was chosen for the Eurovision Song Contest 2014, after she was discovered by BBC Introducing, via internal selection. She has had hits previously under the name Stunt, where she collaborated with Sash for "Raindrops (Encore Une Fois)" as well as releasing "I'll Be There" and "Fade Like The Sun". The song was written by Molly Smitten-Downes and Anders Hansson.
The music video hasn't got a lot going for it, just Molly performing in the visual as they play around with the camera and actually bring out a good concept regardless of the how unrelated it is to the song.
The song is extremely powerful and meaningful, a narrative may not have worked but it would've been so much better than the conceptual visual performance based video we have got instead.
Molly's heart is clearly not into this as she sings the song whilst drums are being played and she starts to blend in with the couch. In her previous videos she stuns in her performance pieces, just watch her videos as Stunt and you can tell she's not into this whatsoever.
Beautiful regardless, she gives all she can and although the song may mean a lot to her, this video doesn't and it's such a shame to see her like this. She's composed and interested, but she doesn't look like a singer, she doesn't look like the star we all know she is destined to be. So Molly, make the comeback we all know you can do, and we'll be supporting you all the way!
Well I thought Joe and Jake hadn't released a video, but guess I was wrong. I always review the UK entrant to the Eurovision Song Contest for my Eurovision Special so that I am not just choosing my country over other countries. Honestly, this is a grower of a song, but on the night, the nerves clearly got the better of them, failing to capture the audience the way we all expected them to do. Performing in front of '200 million people' (according to Måns Zelmerlöw), clearly got the better of them. As for the music video... Joe and Jake perform You're Not Alone whilst a wall of lights change colour. Jake Shakeshaft is stiff and unrelaxed as Joe Woolford totally out performs the song. This duo look more alone than together.
These two formed a duo after competing in the fourth series of The Voice UK. Joe Woolford was on Team Rita Ora and got to week two of the live shows. As for Jake Shakeshaft, he was on Team will.i.am, where he was eliminated during the knockouts. They paired up and entered Eurovision: You Decide, where they won the UK national final, not that there was much of a choice. They were a clear favourite, but this song is a total grower, not for Eurovision unless you are going to promote it and give a brilliant visual performance, which didn't happen on the night. The song was written by Matt Schwartz, Justin J. Benson and S. Kanes.
The music video is a pure performance piece. They don't work that well as a duo, their on-stage presence is either too much from Joe Woolford or not enough in the case of Jake Shakeshaft. They don't mesh at all, and the ending looks completely awkward.
Joe Woolford is a natural performer, however he totally is trying too hard. He's loving every minute of the music video and everything that goes with being part of Eurovision.
Jake Shakeshaft just looks like he's embarrassed, he's not sure he wants to be here, let alone sing this song for Eurovision. He hides behind his guitar in the opening of the video, and even when he puts the guitar on his back, he's not as involved as he should be.
Overall this is a slight improvement on the Grand Final performance they did last Saturday, but this wouldn't have helped them get a better result. It's an all right effort, but considering what the rest of the world is sending for Eurovision, with great promotion, the UK needs to pull something out of the bag.
Bonnie Tyler, international songstress from Wales, full of power, and full of life. She's bubbly, she can hold her own in a power ballad, and has just released her new album 'Rocks and Honey'. Her real name is Gaynor Hopkins. She is well known for her number one UK single "Total Eclipse Of The Heart", and the song that was on the Footloose Soundtrack "Holding Out For A Hero", which missed out on the top spot and settled at number two. Bonnie Tyler has been touring over the last couple of years, and has been performing this song. However on the night, I don't think she performed it that well, I feel that she's performed it better in the past, and her gravelly powerful voice was missing in her performance (video can be found at the bottom).
"Believe In Me" was written by Desmond Child, Lauren Christy and Christopher Braide. The song is a ballad, but doesn't key into Bonnie Tyler's powerful side. The song doesn't help all that much, and doesn't give her a chance to power it out. It's a nice simple song, and we did pretty well considering, I was expecting the worst.
At the Eurovision Song Contest 2013, the UK got a total of 23 points, placing us 19th out of 26, up six places from last year. We got 4 points from Spain, 5 points from Malta, 3 points from Romania, 1 point from Sweden, 7 points from Ireland, 1 point from Slovenia and 2 points from Switzerland.
The music video looks low budget, although I doubt that was true with how professional Bonnie Tyler is. It's a simple video with very little going on. This is usually a focusing technique so that Bonnie Tyler is central to the video. And she is that.
The problem with her being the main feature of the video is that she fails to entice us. She doesn't do a lot, and she's either sitting down or leaning against the wall, or just normally standing. The song is about believing in her, that she's there for that guy, the one who she truly loves. She sings about not lying to him, that she'll always stand beside him. But where is this guy in this video?
The beach scene shows her independence, and her strong powerful side. She may just be standing on the beach to most people, but to me, I can feel energy vibes coming from her, something she lacked in the performance last Saturday. This is the Bonnie I would like to see live.
Overall a song that doesn't give the range Bonnie Tyler is capable of. And a music video that follows suit. Missing things that could possibly engage the audience. The beach scene should have been extended, that is the most alluring bit of the video. Bonnie Tyler gets the same rating as I gave Engelbert Humperdinck last year for "Love Will Set You Free".
Engelbert Humperdinck was a big star in the 60's and 70's along with the legend that is Sir Tom Jones. But lately he hasn't been doing that well, and when we all heard that he was going to be our UK entry into the Eurovision, most of us, of the younger generation, went "who?" Last year, the UK tried to appeal Eurovision to the younger generation with Blue's "I Can" and it worked, but for some reason that people have no clue as to why, they picked this person. I had to research a lot about him before I really knew who he was. But before he had been selected I wouldn't have had a clue who it was. I give him ten out of ten for doing perfectly well at the Eurovision with this song, he has an amazing voice that you can't help but like, and with this catchy song, you could tell we might grab a few points, but unlucky for us, he had to sing first, so most people forgot this song since all the amazing acts had followed. We grabbed 12 points, and placed 25th, just ahead of Norway. I just hope that next year in 2013, we get to either have our say, or we get a upbeat song as for the last 5 years we've had ballads, that really aren't for the Eurovision, in my opinion.
"Love Will Set You Free" was written by Martin Terefe and Sacha Skarbek. I'm sure I've wrote Martin Terefe's name before. Sacha Skarbek has produced and wrote quite a few well known songs and albums, I can see him appearing on my blog a few more times in the future. This song kind of reminds me of the sort of song a boy band would sing, such as One Direction. It's the sort of song you could sway to, but also understand all the lyrics. I loved what Engelbert Humperdinck has done with it, and he makes it really catchy, but it is missing this spark, that was apparent in quite a few other entries.
The music video is a pure performance piece. There's not much going on, so I don't see me commenting much, although I loved the lighting and it was really clever how they recorded it. It's quite laid-back which works well with the song.
I like the fact that there is a guitarist that we can see and it allows the camera to focus on him as well. There was more going on in the performance on the stage. There were two dancers who was choreographed by Arlene Phillips. I would have liked to have seen them appear in this music video.
Overall, I think it's a pretty good song, it's something nice and relaxing, however the music video is lacking a lot, and I think the staging was in Baku, Azerbaijan. I have my fingers crossed that next year we shall do well, but I'm not holding my breath.
