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Eurovision Insight Podcast: Juke Box Jury #1 Written by on March 14, 2017 | 29 Comments

You can listen to Juke Box Jury and the ESC Insight podcast online, add the RSS Feed to your favourite podcast application, or click here to follow us in iTunes and never miss an episode.

Following last year’s experiment, Juke Box Jury starts earlier in the year so we can finish the run of eight episodes before we leave for Kyiv and set up cam backstage in the International Exhibition Centre. As we have done for many years, the ESC Insight team and some specially invited guest judges are going to sit and listen to every song that will be going to this year’s Song Contest, discuss them, and call each song as a Hit, a Miss, or a Maybe.

Eurovision Insight Podcast: Juke Box Jury #1
with David Elder and Donald McNaughton

Slovenia: On My Way, by Omar Naber.
Denmark: Where I Am, by Anja Nissen.
Hungary: Origó, by Joci Papai.
Malta: Breathlessly, by Claudia Faniello.
Finland: Blackbird, by Norma John.

Don’t miss an episode of the Eurovision Insight podcast by subscribing to the RSS feed dedicated to the podcasts. iTunes users can find us in the iTunes Store and get the show automatically downloaded to your computer.

About The Author: Ewan Spence

British Academy (BAFTA) nominated broadcaster and writer Ewan Spence is the voice behind The Unofficial Eurovision Song Contest Podcast and one of the driving forces behind ESC Insight. Having had an online presence since 1994, he is a noted commentator around the intersection of the media, internet, technology, mobility and how it affects us all. Based in Edinburgh, Scotland, his work has appeared on the BBC, The Stage, STV, and The Times. You can follow Ewan on Twitter (@ewan) and Facebook (facebook.com/ewanspence).

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29 responses to “Eurovision Insight Podcast: Juke Box Jury #1”

  1. Mio says:

    The guests seemed very closed minded.
    I love the Hungarian song. There is real feeling and meaning in the lyrics- about coping with racism and rejection. This song has more substance than the others in this batch (imo).

  2. Nigel says:

    I agree with Mio, it’s a shame the guests were so closed off to this song but maybe it’s due to the ‘western ear’.

    Initially I couldn’t get my head around Hungary sending this but its become a massive ear worm for me and I love the sound.

    It’s not a winner but it’s a good, solid, Eurovision song, maybe top 10.

  3. mk says:

    OK, So I just listened to 3 angry men…(more like 2.5)

    Finland – HIT – it’s the only ballad that stands out for me. I would not call it original, but memorable

    The rest – MAYBE or MISS – have no clue how to classify them. Don’t really care for them, but I don’t hate them. So, I think the order will decide their qualification.

    Notes:
    1. Hungary is not that bad
    2. Maybe at least Donald needs 1 session of therapy (no insult intended)

    Looking forward for the next podcast.

  4. Emily says:

    I personally *love* the Hungarian song, (and usually have a western ear) It feels very evocative and rich and just transports and transfixes me more than any other song

  5. Ben says:

    Forgot how Slovenia’s song went after the second listen. MISS
    Denmark is Dami Im-lite. HIT
    Hungary isn’t nearly as bad as it’s being made out to me. Not “disgusting” at all, but not that great either. A low MAYBE from me.
    Malta- dated, will probably finish 13th or 14th due to a good jury score. Nice climax though?
    Finland- superior in every way to Malta’s ballad. It could be a borderline if it doesn’t connect with the viewers and gets outshined by big vocals.

  6. John Egan says:

    Slovenia: Maybe
    Denmark: Hit
    Hungary: Hit
    Malta: Maybe
    Finland: Maybe

    Hungary will be top 10, perhaps top 5, on Saturday night.

  7. Donald says:

    Thanks MK for your feedback.

  8. John Lucas says:

    Slovenia: This is very dated, but much in the same way Poland’s entry was last year. There’s definitely an audience for well-sung ballads like this, and if Naber performs as well in Kyiv as he did in his national final, he might just attract enough of it to get over the line. That said, it’s very much borderline, and unlikely to do anything in the finals should it get there – MAYBE.

    Denmark: So I really like this one. It reminds me of a late 00s power-ballad by somebody like Jordin Sparks or Demi Lovato. That said, I do fear that it falls into the same category of ’empowerment ballad’ as entries like Malta 2015, and they tend to fall just short of qualification. A strong three minutes, but no particular reason to pick up the phones for it. MAYBE.

    Hungary: Yikes, this got a drubbing. I can see the comparison to Bosnia 2016, but I feel like this hangs together much better, and has far more of an emotional pull. This has the potential to resonate with a lot of people and in a semi packed with English language ‘chart’ songs, it could really stand out. With Hungary’s strong qualification record, I see no reason to doubt this will be in the top ten on Thursday, though I agree with Ewan that it’ll be mid-table at best on the Saturday. HIT

    Malta: Oh Malta. I’m a sucker for an underdog story, and this is the kind of entry that breaks my heart a little. What I will say is that, while the song is very run-of-the-mill, Claudia absolutely sells the emotion behind it. Even without knowing her back-story, that commitment really resonates on TV. She’s definitely an outsider for qualification on record, but if she can squeeze out a tear or two on Thursday and get a reasonable jury mark, I don’t think she’s totally chanceless. A low, and possibly optimistic, MAYBE.

    Finland: I feel like the song this has the most in common with is Norway 2014. Not that they sound terribly similar, but they both have a very slow, almost dirgey quality about them. There’s also a strong musical theatre vibe to this one. To be honest I’m with Ewan, it’s a grower, but on the first couple of listens it bored me silly. In a run of songs that includes Portugal, Belgium and Australia, this might be one slow song too far. Should it qualify, it has to contend with the United Kingdom and… whisper it… I think Lucie has the more contest-friendly song. MAYBE.

  9. Alex C says:

    Great to have this back guys, long time listener first time all season commenter!

    Slovenia – MISS. They’re always unfortunate in the sense that they have to be a bit better than everyone else just to be able to compete on the same level because they’re structurally disadvantaged and, nicest way possible, this isn’t that kind of song

    Denmark – HIT. The “Sound of Silence” connection works as well on a composition/lyrics level too. Both songs were about the singer’s internal conflict over being able to make an emotional connection, both have clear changes in beat/mood between the verses and the chorus including the soft middle eight before they tear it apart with their vocals at the end. Not saying it’s gonna do as well as Dami Im but it shouldn’t be counted out. Compared to the other ballads in the same section (Malta, Russia, Ireland and The Netherlands) it blows the rest of them out of the water so shouldn’t have too much difficulty qualifying. I imagine the Danes will consider that mission accomplished.

    Hungary – MISS. Someone made the comparison to “Ljubav Je” from Bosnia last year and iirc that qualified on the televote but got pulled down by the juries and I think something similar is going to happen with this. As much as this is the “celebrate diversity” year, this is the kind of genre of song where it’s easy – especially in the west – to just not get it and rank it last/near the bottom so at best the jury scores are going to be pretty marmite, ergo unspectacular. Add in to that the fact that Hungary is kind of unique in that they don’t really have any diaspora/neighbor votes to call upon in a big way (like, in this Semi, Serbia’s got Croatia, Macedonia, Bulgaria and Romania ahead of Hungary in the queue for those automatic televoting points just as a starting point).

    Malta – MISS. bleh. They probably blew the budget on Ira last year so are just doing it on the cheap this year by saving two nights of hotel room money. This is my current tip for the semi 2 death slot.

    Finland – MAYBE. Ya see, this is the kind of thing that could very easily sneak in without anybody noticing by virtue of going down a storm with the juries to the point where it just needs a small kick from the televote to get it over the line (which, idk, is probably about 110 points to be completely safe). The problem is, that strategy is also being used by Iceland, Czechia, Portugal, Slovenia, Albania and probably even Australia as well to some degree. And since there is a finite amount of points to go round as it were, that means that either they’ll only properly swing behind one or two or that they’ll all cancel each other out, get middling jury scores and then it becomes all about the margins. It’s not impossible that this qualifies but I think they need everything to go right for them AND probably for someone else to get it wrong too.

  10. Alex C says:

    And Ewan, I look forward to the Italy episode where I can outline in detail why Italy is not winning this year and the fact that most of the commentators/predictors have been blinded by their adoration for that song to the point where they can’t see the wood for the trees but that’s for another day!

  11. Dicksbits says:

    Everyone hates the Maltese entry but I love it! It’s totally diva-ish. I would love to see it in the final!

    Hungary is a definite qualifier. Distinctive in sound and interestingly staged (national final), this will be there on Saturday night!

    Finland: Didn’t impress me on first hearing, but in the grand final it could score well if the producers give it a good slot between two different sounding tunes. It’ll either light up the scoreboard or sit at the bottom forgotten.

    Slovenia: MISS

    Denmark: MISS

  12. Shai says:

    Slovenia – One of this year’s many ballads. it could have been coming from a musical. It could have been coming from a different era in Eurovision when this kind of song was very popular(and not always successful). And there is also the obvious key change.To his credit he sings it with passion and as far as I can hear, he sings it in tune. Not a song that stays long with you – MISS/MAYBE

    Denmark – The chorus is quite catchy, the rest of the song not so much. And why on earth is she shouting at me. She has a charisma but she deserve a better song-MAYBE

    Hungary – To its credit, it does sound different from anything in this year contest and at least part of the song is actually better than what I have perceived at first listen. But when the rap comes in, it loose me. I don’t like rap, not getting connected with it and somehow it sounds disjointed to the whole song. I also think that adding the rap section is a risk-rap doesn’t do well in this contest-MISS(for me)/MAYBE(for the contest)

    Finland – it’s a classy and complex song. Sung beautifully and draw you in with its atmosphere. It is dark, but dark songs can do well in Eurovision. It has a different sound to it than, which is good. I quite like this one and regardless how it does in the contest, for me it’s a HIT

    Malta – This sounds like a manufactured song. Someone sat down with a list of things he thought are good for a Eurovision entry and than he mixed all the ingredients and said ‘voilla’. Well, it’s not working. It’s not interesting enough to keep me with the song. the most recent reference I have is Greece 2015, which qualify to the final, only to end at 19th place. The thing is that Reece had diaspora to help pass the semi. Who is going to vote for Malta with this song – MISS

  13. Ben Pitchers says:

    Slovenia – MAYBE. I was so disappointed watching this year’s EMA and BQL not winning that I forgot that I liked Omar’s song and that it was my second favourite of the selection. I think it builds nicely and he seems a very dependable singer. It’s not breaking any new ground, but is enjoyable and could qualify to the final if it gets enough jury love and he knocks it out the park. I do think it’ll come in the bottom half if it does get to Saturday night. It amuses me how little his styling has changed from the 2005 contest!

    Denmark – HIT. I think she’s a good and engaging performer and I like the RnB elements to the song that make it not just another female led ballad. I think it’ll get Denmark back to the final and just into the left side of the scoreboard.

    Hungary – MAYBE. I personally really like this – the music is great and the clapping helps drive the song along. It’s nice to see something folk-orientated with a modern production at the contest again. The Roma language parts of the song repeated throughout are very nice and he has a great quality to his voice. The lyrics about him dealing with discrimination from being part of the Roma community are effective and probably why he won the superfinal at A Dal. I like his interaction with the dancer in his A Dal performance too and hope he repeats it in Kyiv. Raps always risk being impenetrable if it’s in a language you don’t speak. I think it may just qualify (every time I’m not sure whether Hungary will qualify they always seem to) but would probably get a similar result to the last two years and come somewhere around 20th.

    Malta: MISS. This is just too old-fashioned and predictable although very capably performed by Claudia. Some of the lyrics and quite clunky (“knowing there’s a vacancy within your heart) and some feature predictable rhymes (“I’ve got the will I’ve learned the skill” – reminds me of My Time from 2009). It’s also in the first half of the bigger semi-final with lots more successful countries and far more modern and memorable songs so I don’t think it will qualify.

    Finland: MAYBE. I think it’s a beautiful song that struck me very positively when I first heard it performed. I hope they keep the staging like it was at UMK. This will help the audience be mesmerised by the story, the vocal performance and the poetic lyrics. Having said this, being in the first half of SF1 that already has a lot of ballads won’t help. It isn’t like any of the ballads which makes it stand out, but songs about emotional anguish aren’t an easy sell and Finland doesn’t have the best qualification track record. I’d love to see it in the final.

  14. Seattlesque says:

    Welcome back, JBJ! And you started so contentiously…

    Slovenia: Hopefully a MISS. It’s not just musical theatre stuff, it’s the filler song in a musical whose peak was a pokey venue above a pub in Kings Lynn. (But those comparisons with Poland 2016 worry me…)

    Denmark: MAYBE. Those top notes are worryingly screechy (as were Wiktoria’s in the Mello final, but that’s another story), so I could see this losing jury points. At the same time, the chorus has a good hook, so if she can keep her vocals in check, she could be through to Saturday and mid-table.

    Hungary: Wow, that was harsh. I first heard this along with a hold raft of other songs for this year, and it’s the only one that stuck in my head. I’ve no idea what he’s singing, but the simple and repetitive chorus is a complete earworm. Agreed, though, that the rap is a risk. Fingers cross that this is not only a HIT, but that it does well on Saturday.

    Malta: Miss. I’ve yet to make it through the full three minutes.

    Finland: Like Ewan, I see this as a grower, albeit a well-sung one. It’s not until I paid attention to the lyrics in the chorus that it grabbed me, so I hope they come up with a striking, but classy, visual hook to grab people in the first 20 seconds. HIT.

  15. Catriona Colville says:

    Donald came across as very bitter, especially towards Norma John (or Jean as he said).

    Slovenia – Miss
    Denmark – Miss
    Hungary – Maybe
    Malta – Miss
    Finland – Maybe

    I see Ewan is leaving the good songs until later.

  16. Blimey, Donald wasn’t wrong when he said that he wasn’t up with modern music nowadays…Hot Eyes? Talking about Norma JEAN? Marilyn Monroe’s been gone for a while now, Donald! Was he dosed up on coffee at the start of this recording or had someone offended him as he went in all guns blazing…

    Either my tastes are changing or I’m mellowing with age as I am now agreeing with David’s comments almost wholeheartedly! Loving some of his comments too…

    My thoughts on the list:

    Slovenia : MISS.
    As a male vocalist in Kyiv, Omar should stand out a mile with whatever he was singing but this uninspiring slow paced ballad, despite being sung really well, is totally forgettable almost bar by bar as this entry crawls towards the three minute mark. A definite early exit this year.

    Denmark : HIT.
    Anja has paid her dues after last year’s disappointment and now looks comfortable powering out this love song, the lyrics of which she seems to have a passionate connection with. Unquestionably a singer with a huge vocal range who, with “Where I Am”, has an entry she can control emotionally and visually. I agree with David that this could be one of the highlights this year and an unexpected vocal wow..

    Hungary : MAYBE.
    The perfect entry for this year’s official slogan, Joci brings Hungarian, Romani, ethnic sounds and hip hop all together in “Origo”. The majority of this is very melodic, wonderfully sung and stylishly delivered – hopefully the Eurovision jinx of “Non-English Rap” will not leave Hungary with a rare Final DNQ.

    Malta : MISS.
    “Breathlessly” does exactly what it says on the tin – Claudia sings this flawlessly and it is a classic example of a “gentle” power ballad. Unfortunately this level of passion and power will not make this entry stand out in Kyiv, unless the rest of her staging draws the eye. Pleasant but not spectacular.

    Finland : HIT.
    I’ve not had goose bumps for years from an ESC entry but ‘Blackbird’ gives me them every time I listen to this haunting and yet powerfully evocative piece. Subtle but intense vocals, a beautiful piano solo and lyrics so personal that it feels like you are really sharing Leena’s grief – WOW!

    My positions for these so far (pre-Armenia)…

    Slovenia 42
    Denmark 11
    Hungary 15
    Malta 29
    Finland 1 (my current tip to win).

    Looking forward to the next set of opinions from the USA – you doing one of these in London, Ewan?

  17. Eurojock says:

    JBJ is back. Yay!!!

    Slovenia – A very old-fashioned Eurovision style song. Too dated to do well. Omar’s appearance doesn’t fit the song. Slovenia is up against countries with stronger songs or more diaspora. As Ewan says it doesn’t even challenge for qualification. MISS.

    Denmark – The song itself is pretty safe and unremarkable and has some trite lyrics. That said, the last minute really lifts it. Some minor vocal issues aside, as David says, Anja really sells this live. Every gesture, pose, glance to camera is done with conviction (compare Emma’s Circle of Light Performance in the Finnish National Final). For that reason I see ‘Where I am’ doing well. Mid-table in the final, maybe even top 10. HIT

    Hungary – This is arguably the best of the 5 songs in this JBJ. I agree with many of Ewan’s comments on the merits and drawbacks of this song. Apparently the song is about the persecution of the Roma people, but from the live performance I thought it was about domestic abuse, with Joci cast in the role of the abuser. And that isn’t a vote winner!. Touch and go whether it qualifies. MAYBE

    Malta – Nice song, earnestly sung but very dated with a very dated arrangement. Also, the song doesn’t properly climax. (This rather than Denmark needed an extra 30 seconds). A nailed on non-qualifier. MISS (By the way Ewan, my favourite line was ‘I learned the skill of a true acrobat for love’.)

    Finland – This has the advantage that it works as an overall package. Decent song, well sung by Leena, and the staging fits the song. The song itself is rather basic. It will stand and fall on two things. The ‘You sang when he was in my bed refrain’ and the musical bridge grabbing the emotions. In the national final it didn’t quite get there for me. The key maybe is the camerawork in the bridge evoking a bird taking flight and soaring above the arena. It’s in a tough ballad heavy semi so I don’t think it’s a certain qualifier. And like Ewan I think a left hand side final finish is unlikely. There are more accessible ballads. MAYBE

  18. Donald says:

    Ha ha Martin – pleased to see someone noticed my deliberate error with Norma Jean – I was hoping Ewan or David would notice it when we recorded the show. I used it as sense of irony – Norma Jean aka Marilyn Monroe had a troubled life and maybe the lady in the song did also. As for Hot Eyes, I do have a yearning for days gone by but I thought I’d drop it in for the lovely Dean Asker’s benefit. Still you’re right, I’m not up with modern tastes – afraid Adele leaves me cold and it seems Finland are channelling their Adele. But I do like their song, much as I don’t want to. As for coffee, actually we had tea and fab scones from Ewan’s wife whilst recording the show and I’d just been swimming so maybe my head was full of chlorine.

  19. Respect due Donald for putting yourself up as a juror and for replying to my comment – I think that you might be the first one to have done that?

    I’m no spring chicken myself – I recognised the ‘Norma Jean’ comment after all! Each to his or her own comment wise – I personally love ‘Blackbird’ (as you can see from my comment) as it is the only one this year to absolutely move me and give me goosebumps. You and David gave us a great start to the season… 🙂

  20. Philip N says:

    Brilliant – so glad JBJ is back. The Eurovision Season officially starts here.
    Can’t wait for the next episode with the studio audience!
    Is it possible to get the countries of next weeks episode in advance?
    Thank you!

  21. dimitris esc says:

    I don’t agree with many of the things the 2 guests said.
    Slovenia: A MISS by a Mile.
    Denmark: A HIT.It’s conventional by effective
    Hungary: I really like it.It’s passionate,it’s distinctive,it’s true folk.A HIT.
    Malta: A MISS.
    Finland: A HIT.A really good Nordic ballad.

  22. Donald says:

    Hi Catriona, sorry if you felt I came across as bitter. Certainly not intended but I do like to get carried away in my comments especially about certain styles. The lovely thing about music though is that we all have our own tastes and ESC has a broad church of fans. JBJ is great fun to do so there is a bit of tongue in cheek with some comments.

  23. Ben Gonzalez says:

    Hello from Mexico!! Faithful listener of JBJ since 2011😉

    This share is from my personal liking of the songs, and not about how will they do in the contest, probably some of my “Hits” will not go to the final and some of my “Miss” will be top 5, it’s the same from me every year…although the last couple of years I’ve done it pretty good actually 🙂

    Ok here I go:

    SLOVENIA – MAYBE
    Seems to me I am the only one not hating this one, yes, it’s dated…but elegant melody, vocally well presented.

    DENMARK – MISS
    Nothing that stands up for me, just regular contemporary pop, good singer, but not memorable.

    HUNGARY – MISS
    I’m all for the eastern sound in ESC, but I don’t think they got it right in this one, I can’t find a melodic aspect that catches my attention…I guess this is an entry that will rely heavily on visuals…

    Malta – MAYBE
    Another elegant, well presented ballad, the problem it’s the lack of a distinctive element, in a year of too many ballads…

    Finland – HIT
    Ok, this is elegant as well, but it also has emotion all over it, yes, the emotion it’s sadness, and sadness it’s not something we relate to Eurovision, but I find in this sing a beautiful element of loss that most human beings experience at least in one moment of our lives…yes agreed…it’s a grower, but I have “Blackbird” as number 4 in my personal ranking this year.

  24. James Triggs says:

    Decided to put out my thoughts, for what its worth. I’ll be catching up with the other juke-box jury entries soon.

    Slovenia: Very good diction indeed. The lyrics come through very clearly, which is good for any song. Don’t see it qualifying. In terms of what this does have with vocals and instrumentation and a sense of atmosphere, I think other songs have this simply outclassed.

    A nice song, but in a competition, I don’t seeing it having what it takes. A miss for me.

    Denmark: A provisional hit for me. If Anja can improve how she attacks the notes and consistently give it more shape (so far, she’s been patchy with this), then this will be a definite hit. I remember hearing Dami Im during her earliest performances, and like Anja at the national final, Dami was still working out how she wanted to approach the song. I suspect this is where Anja is at present.

    I think that the overall package (her model-quality looks and great stage presence, her powerful vocals and a safe song with some catchy hooks) is enough for her to qualify comfortably. It may even make it into the top ten if, like Dami Im, the song is sufficiently elevated by solid, engaging staging and contoured, textured vocals.

    Hungary: Will it surprise you that I find this a hit? I think this will surprise at Eurovision because I think on the bigger stage, the visual performance elements will be lifted. This is a song where there is a strong sense of place to it, Add in all the lighting and other visual components available at Eurovision and this may end up a little bit like Aminata’s Love Injected, being a piece where the blend of what is seen and what is heard creates a result bigger and better than the sum of its parts.

    I think it’ll qualify easily and will likely end up in the top 10. Its polarising for people who find this hard to access, but with the televote, whether people hate a song or simply dislike it doesn’t matter. Its all about how many people vote for it. This’ll stand out enough for the people who love this from first listen to be able to vote for this. This is distinctive enough that unlike other songs which have appeal shared with other songs, there is less risk of the vote being split. I think for the European cultures that have similar folk traditions (unlike the UK), this song will find a sizeable amount of support.

    Personally, this is a favourite of mine and in my top five. I don’t find the rap to be a problem, because it feels a more intimate part of the same piece and not an invasion by a different piece (most markedly with Bosnia and Herzegovina from last year but true to varying extents of every other past song at Eurovision involving a sudden rap).

    Malta: A miss for me. I agree that this is overdone. From a composer’s perspective, the vocal delivery just doesn’t fit with the song, in my opinion. It would be a lot stronger if she was, wasn’t belting it out with enthusiasm but was more breathy and measured. Kind of like Iveta Mukuchyan during the verses of last year’s LoveWave.

    This has some very interesting lyrics in it, but the power ballad-style is a bad fit for it. This would have had potential at least to qualify if it was a stripped-down ballad throughout, with tender vocals. The wasted potential is a pity. This isn’t the worst in terms of people hating it, but in terms of just about everyone needing to be reminded that its there.

    Finland: Running order will make or break this. Its atmospheric and evocative, so with good staging it can be powerful, as we’ve already seen in the national final… but guess what is in its semi-final? Both Portugal and Belgium, of which these same things can also be said. I suspect there’s a risk that depending on where Finland is placed, it may end up being directly compared with Portugal and/or Belgium in listener’s ears. How each of these are staged will also be important.

    I favour Finland qualifying at present, but I’m not certain it will. I’m not calling it a borderline qualifier, as I instead see this as having fairly equal chances to rising towards the top in the semifinal or sinking to the bottom. I think, for now, it’ll only be on the right-hand side if it makes it to the final. A maybe for me.

  25. BB says:

    Jesus this ,,british” judges are big haters of Hungary…because it is sang the song from a gypsy and we know british hate gypsy’s and generalize. THIS SONG IS A BIG HIT. It will sale trough it isn’t a MISS at all. It will get a lot of votes

  26. Nicky says:

    It’s great fun to be back listening to these.

    However, I think you’ve done Russia 2016 a lyrical disservice. I like Finland (on the 10th listen), but just cos a song is slow, it doesn’t make the lyrics automatically superior. It’s the tempo of the song that gives them meaning, as they look a bit comical and like a school pupil trying to rhyme when written down “Blackbird, blackbird, I am now alone.
    Somewhere else go make your home”

    “Thinking of making this showdown when love is found. Thinking of waiting ’til you’re around” are however two of the greatest lines in history.

  27. These are the scores of the 1st Jukebox Jury ;-). I attributed points to each personal outcome.:

    0,00 points — “MISS”
    1,25 points — “MISS/MAYBE”
    2,50 points — “MAYBE”
    3,75 points — “MAYBE/HIT”
    5,00 points — “HIT !!”

    So far, when we include Ewan Spence, David Elder, Donald McNaughton, and all other 15 people who posted their results in the comments section, then this is where we stand:

    70,00 POINTS –> Finland
    56,25 POINTS –> Denmark
    51,25 POINTS –> Hungary
    20,00 POINTS –> Slovenia
    16,25 POINTS –> Malta

  28. Edmund says:

    I listened to #2 first, and I thought that not being Americans, these guests might might make this be a better episode. And yes it’s better, but I still disagreed with many of these opinions, but at least these guests actually knew what they were talking about in terms of Eurovision knowledge.

    Slovenia: MISS – It’s a nice ballad, he’s a good singer, but there’s nothing special about it to quality and it’s old fashioned. I don’t dislike it, but I just don’t think it does enough to make it through.

    Denmark: HIT – I’m shocked that many of you dislike this so much! This song is great! She’s a fantastic singer and the song has a great beat and hook. Yeah she might not be perfect on the really high notes, but she’s not screechy. She’s just belting and NEVER off pitch. There’s a big difference between screeching and not having a pure tone. And I felt personally attacked (I’m exaggerating) when David said “these young singers think they can just go to big build and be good” (though I’m glad he said he knows he’s not down with the youth). Excuse me but that’s what good music does! It builds to big moments! I think this already has big moments, it doesn’t need any more than 3 minutes! This is gonna be top half of the final for sure.

    Hungary: MAYBE – Wow David I thought I liked you after your defense of Denmark but you are WAY too harsh on this. Calling this “quirky” is also really disrespectful to Romani culture and people who are already so oppressed. Donald you also need to learn what the word “screechy” means. Albania 2012 was screechy, neither this nor Denmark are screechy. I also didn’t like this song much on first listen, but the folk aspect and the song in general have really grown on me. It may be repetitive but it still builds in the instrumentals. Ewan I really agree with everything you say on this one, I think most Western ears won’t like this, but I think he has a good voice and it’s an interesting song, but for me it’s a maybe because a lot of people won’t like it.

    Malta: MISS – This is a fine ballad and she’s a fine singer, but it doesn’t do anything for me. And her timbre/accent is just so weird to me (not her fault so I feel bad about saying it but it still bugs me). This is one of the rare times I actually agreed with all of you! It plods along and seems desperate. It just does nothing for me and I don’t think it’ll go anywhere. I hope Claudia gets to come back with a better song in the future. Malta will probably have to wait for Destiny to get old enough to have a good shot of winning. (Also the fact that Donald gives this a Maybe just because he thinks he’s been harsh tonight makes me discount his opinions all night.)

    Finland: HIT – This is definitely one of the best ballads of the contest. It’s just SO beautiful and the production is less conventional than the other ballads making this much more memorable. The piano solo is such a nice touch. I can see why some might call this a maybe because of the “first time listen” thing, but I still think it’ll do extremely well with the juries and well enough with the viewers to get top half. Once again, I agree with you for the most part!

    Keep it up with jukebox jurors who actually know what they’re talking about in terms of Eurovision knowledge.

  29. Donald says:

    And so I think I may have been right in my thoughts on Finland. Maybe the juries and tele voters found it too angst ridden and depressing.

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