But again, the live show wasn’t held and a celebration show was broadcast instead. So once again I’ll give you my opinions that no one asked for, on the songs that should’ve competed in semi 2 tonight + 3 more of the direct qualifiers.
Greece – Stefania – SUPERG!RL
Greece is a… Fine song I guess. Not really the type of song I’d be too obsessed with. It has that Greek sound but it wouldn’t feel like too much for people that don’t like that kind of thing, so I think it works well.
Estonia – Uku Suviste – What Love Is
I feel like what I’m about to say here is a really controversial take but…
I like this song. Something in it makes me emotional. People say it’s very 2003 and honestly I get where that’s coming from and I agree. But if it’s done well, that doesn’t have to be a bad thing, and in this case for me it isn’t. I mean, Salvador won with a song that sounds quite 50s or 60s, didn’t he? Also, a part of why people hate this seems to be something that the singer did in the previous national final, and I haven’t watched that so I have no idea what it was. And I’m not sure if I even need to know…
Austria – Vincent Bueno – Alive
Austria sounded like the better song to open a semi final to be honest. But the third spot is early enough I guess. When I first heard this I thought it was very mediocre and my opinion hasn’t changed much, but I do kinda like it.
Moldova – Natalia Gordienko – Prison
The production in this song, or should I call it the chords to be more precise? Is that the right word for it? That’s definitely the best thing about this song for me. If it wasn’t for that, there wouldn’t really be anything memorable about this song.
San Marino – Senhit – Freaky!
Out of the two songs Senhit offered to go to Eurovision with, I think I slightly prefered Obsessed but thought Freaky! would’ve been a bit more memorable on the Eurovision stage. Depending on the staging, I do think this would have a chance to sneak through.
Czech Republic – Benny Cristo – Kemama
I saw someone say Kemama sounds like a FIFA game song. It does kinda give that football/game vibe. It’s a cool song, the revamp was done well in the end. Czech Republic knows how to deliver with stagings so I’m sure it would’ve been great on stage.
Serbia – Hurricane – Hasta La Vista
I like Hasta La Vista, it’s a fun entry. Beovizija was one of the not too many national finals I actually watched, and I livetweeted most of it in cyrillic. Fun way to practice it.
Poland – Alicja – Empires
Speaking of national finals, there is something I’m still bitter about. Poland could’ve sent my new favorite entry of theirs, Lake Malawi’s Lucy that would’ve been in my top 5 at the very least. Instead they went for this. Such a mediocre song, nothing about it stands out for me, other than how those YouTubers from tonight were saying how it would have a lot of fireworks on stage.
Iceland – Daði og Gagnamagnið – Think About Things
Truly a unique band with a unique energy, and I love it. Such a fun song and presentation. Those shirts are a brilliant way to make yourself more memorable and a great merchandise selling opportunity. Iceland would make a huge mistake if they don’t give them a chance for next year *glares at the Nordics*.
Switzerland – Gjon’s Tears – Répondez-moi
Well… It creates it’s own special atmosphere. And that’s usually what a Eurovision winner does. It’s loved a lot by many but not as much as me. And that’s also what the Eurovision winners often do these days (Toy, 1944). It just… Doesn’t do that much for me. But Gjon seems to have a good personality.
Denmark – Ben & Tan – YES
This is so much good, happy vibes and I’m all for it. Something about it just sounds so… Danish. And I say a big Yes to that. I sound so cringey but yeah, I love this song, and the mood it creates.
Albania – Arilena Ara – Fall From The Sky
I’m gonna agree with the many people who say Albania should trust their language more. This was better in Albanian. It was never anything amazing for me, but it sounded more powerful and authentic.
Finland – Aksel – Looking Back
Kinda controversial opinion again but I absolutely love this. I’m not the best at making tops but it would probably even be around my top 5? It’s a beautiful song, it sounds current, fresh, and the staging reflects that as well. I’m convinced it would’ve qualified this year, and rightly so.
Armenia – Athena Manoukian – Chains On You
There isn’t much I have to say on Armenia. Decent song but nothing I would decide to listen to out of the context of Eurovision.
Portugal – Elisa – Medo De Sentir
Until tonight I haven’t listened to Portugal a lot, but hearing it again was really enjoyable. Very sweet song.
Georgia – Tornike Kipiani – Take Me As I Am
Georgia is certainly a unique entry. I’m not entirely sure how I feel about the lyrics, I kinda find them to be a weird way to convey the message but I guess that was the point? Some parts feel like too much screaming, but I love the “I love youuuuuuu” parts.
Bulgaria – Victoria – Tears Getting Sober
Listening to Bulgaria and realizing we are really losing such a beautiful entry was the saddest moment for me tonight. It’s a song that takes me into it’s own zone, where I feel like I can slowly overcome whatever event has happened.
Latvia – Samanta Tina – Still Breathing
Latvia as well is certainly unique. A bit too much of a crazy mess for me but I have to admit it easily stays in my head, no matter if I want it or not.
France – Tom Leeb – Mon Alliée (The Best In Me)
It’s a nice song. The revamp was an improvement. But still nothing that would capture too much of the Eurovision audience.
United Kingdom – James Newman – My Last Breath
This lowkey made me emotional for some reason tonight. I remember how I first heard it when it was leaked and was impressed cause at the time it was the best song for me. I love the background sounds that appear in the verses, that’s possibly even my favorite thing about the song, even if it’s something so simple. The song actually aged quite well.
Spain – Blas Cantó – Universo
Universo is fine but I’m not sure it would stand out enough to threaten the Eurovision scoreboard too much. There’s not much else I could say about it really.
May 15, 2020
In Arilena’s song, the language wasn’t the only thing they changed. The melody in the verses was actually different. I don’t know why. They said they wanted to shape it into a radio ballad but it sounds like a typical eurovision ballad to me and the dark melody of the original version was gone. Was that an improvement?
May 15, 2020
Ah yes the “dark” element, that’s definitely what was gone, which was the thing I liked the most about it probably