Tim: The Dolly Rockers, for those that don’t know, are a girl band that have been around about seven years now, first appearing in the audition stages of X Factor 2006. A mere three years later, they came out with Je Suis Une Dolly, a lovely track with lines like “we flash our pants when we Can Can” and “I’ll voulez vous you by the Chardonnay”.
Tom: Blimey. I dislike them already.
Tim: Yep, figured. That was quickly followed by Boys Will Be Boys, and four years later, here’s another track.
Tom: Ooh. Okay, perhaps they’re forgiven.
Tim: I know, right?
Tom: That, Tim, sounds like a Vengaboys album track. Listen to it. The woah-oh-ohs, the occasional creak in the main vocals, the theme being about love and alcohol. The odd first half of that middle eight doesn’t match, I’ll grant you, but other than that it’d sit quite nicely next to “Uncle John from Jamaica”.
Tim: Hmm, you’re not far wrong there. But you know what I really reckon? Replace the first half of the middle eight with a copy of the second half, cut the final couple of choruses, maybe stick a key change in there, and you’ve got yourself a bloody fantastic Eurovision song. I don’t know what it is that provides that quality, but I press play, and I start smiling. That’s it.
Tom: Hmm. I don’t think it’d be popular at Eurovision — I’d be surprised if it survived the semi-finals — but I agree with you about the feelgood factor.
Tim: It might be the way it kicks off with a bit of the chorus, Wings-style, which immediately lifts the mood; possibly it’s the contrast between the pre-chorus and the chorus; may also be the intense short and repetitive melody of the chorus. It’s probably all of those things added together, really. It’s great girlband pop. I love it.