Tim: Sweden has chosen, and together with various international juries has come to the conclusion that this song is best placed to represent them in Malmö; out of the options we were given, I’m hard pressed to disagree with them.
Tom: Right. For the readers’ benefit: I was watching the Melodifestivalen final along with Tim, and after the last song I said something along the lines of “well, they’re not hosting it next year”.
Tom: I also mentioned “he looks like Jake Humphrey”. Because he does.
Tim: He does rather, yes.
The weird thing about this song is that when it first started I thought it was horribly dull. I’ve found I can judge an entry based on how much port I get through whilst it’s being played, and at twenty seconds in I was reaching to refill my glass. Five seconds later, I put the bottle straight back down and tweeted: “UNEXPECTED DROP”; that was shortly followed by “This chorus is at least 17 times better than I first thought it would be.”
I stand by that, because it was my favourite of the songs in the final (even if it did have to go via Andra Chansen to get there) and I’m glad it won.
Tom: Yep. Sweden made the right choice. And I’ve finally realised what it reminds me of: a more poppy, male version of Florence and the Machine. You’ve got the full-on instrumentation behind a soaring voice that switches between notes as part of a long, soaring vocal line.
Tim: Actually, that’s right – I’d not thought to make that comparison but it’s a pretty good one.
Builders often don’t work at Eurovision, Melodifestivalen and the like – with only three minutes and one performance, they have to either be very noticeable once they arrive or very quick to build. This one isn’t so much of the latter, but it certains meets all the requirements for the former. There’s no doubting that he gives it all he’s got, the fireworks in the background create a proper moment, and the chorus line is infectious enough that you’re able to sing along by the end of it. This is a good entrant, and while it’s almost certainly not a Eurovision winner I reckon it’ll still do well.
Tom: Top third, maybe top quarter of the table.
Tim: Final note: I don’t think we can let this go without mentioning his reaction to the result, because the expression on his face as he discovers he’s won (and the subsequent very obvious expletive) is a joy to behold.