Tim: Picture the scene: you’re a Danish voter, three songs to choose from (previously whittled down from ten by a mixture of televotes and jury).
One is a pretty good song sung by a very competent lady, one’s a very good song sung by three remarkably good looking men, and one’s an incredible song. GUESS WHICH ONE 42% PICKED.
In second place, with 36% of the vote, was the last of those three. Denmark, you screwed up.
Tom: Are you sure about that? Because this isn’t a bad song, but it’s not incredible.
Tim: Well okay, not incredible, but it’s certainly a hell of a lot better than “not bad”. Anja’s credentials are decent enough: half-Danish and half-Australian, she won the 2014 Australian series of The Voice and has since had, well, more success than your average winner of The Voice has had.
Tom: But her vocals aren’t flawless here. Don’t get me wrong, they’re good, and those soaring notes at the end are just spectacular — but there are some dodgy bits, particularly in the opening verse, and a televote is going to punish you for that.
Tim: You know, watching it back those weaknesses so become more apparent, but in the heat of the moment, and when everything’s finished off with the catchiness of the melody, the strength of the vocals, the wings effect shamelessly lifted from Conchita and ALL THOSE DAMN SPARKS, I was sure it was a shoe-in for the entry.
Tom: That’s because it’s basically “Only Teardrops”.
Tim: Can’t deny there are similarities, admittedly, and it was up against some tough competition. But OH WELL.
It’s not as if I’ve never voted for a weaker entry because of a singer’s looks (OH HI BEN HAENOW), so I can’t exactly cast much admonishment in that area. Guess we’ll just wait and see.