Eurovision Insight Podcast: Juke Box Jury #2 Written by
Ewan Spence on
March 23, 2019 | 6 Comments
Our second episode of Juke Box Jury is here, as we take the next five songs rom our playlist of 41 songs looking to win this year’s Eurovision Song Contest and ask “hit, miss, or maybe?” 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.
Back in the studio for our second round of Juke Box Jury episodes as the ESC insight teams sits down to discuss another five songs entering this year’s Eurovision Song Contest.
Eurovision Insight Podcast: Juke Box Jury #2 with Ellie Chalkley and Scott Reid
Malta: Chameleon, by Michaela Poland: Fire Of Love (Pall Sie), by Tulia.
Italy: Soldi, by Mahmood.
Moldova: Stay, by Anna Odobescu.
Spain: La Venda, by Miki Núñez.
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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Malta: HIT. A great, contemporary choice and an improvement from what they’ve sent the last few years. It feels like there’s a real confidence behind this and in Michela herself. I think the drop and the chameleon part is the weakest element, but it mostly gets ignored for the later part of the song. This allows a more traditional chorus to take over. Assuming Michela can pull this off live and with the confidence she displays in the video, Malta should sail into the final and hopefully straight into the top 10 or even the top 5.
Poland: MAYBE. The more I listen to this the more I like it. I agree that it’s very catchy. I appreciate Poland introducing a part of Slavic music culture to the contest and of course it means Tulia are being authentically themselves. I’m sure, like me, this will be the first encounter with white voice singing for a lot of the audience. I also have no idea how they’ll stage it. Poland need to find something as striking visually as it is musically striking. However, I’m not sure if they’ll qualify and if they did I don’t think this would get much higher than 20th.
Italy: HIT. A fantastic song and lyrics. It’s pretty different from all the other songs so that’ll help it stand out. Yet another quality entry from Italy. I don’t have to much to add apart from to say I think Italy should have another top 10 entry on their hands. I hope the juries appreciate this song as much as the public will.
Moldova: MISS. It’s nothing we haven’t heard before, but it is competent if a bit lacklustre and Ana has a pretty good voice. It’s in the stronger SF and, despite having quite a few friends in the same semi, will probably get lost and not qualify. There’s a good chance this could be given the 2nd place death slot in the running order.
Spain: HIT. I watched the NF and was very happy when it won. I like how upbeat it is and it sounds Spanish. It also has something to say unlike some of the other high tempo songs this year. I was disappointed with the revamp. I think they’ve sanded too many edges off. I’m glad it still has the claps and the drums after the ‘lo que ere” part. I really dislike the change to the end of the song. Now it just ends out of the blue, whereas it had a definite ending before and Miki got to do the little dance which rounded it off nicely. It also gave the last shot to his grinning face which was a nice touch. It’s a song that really comes to life live, mostly thanks to Miki himself. Spain could get into the top half and possibly even into the top 10, assuming Spain don’t score an own goal like they have done many times this decade.
Malta:
Yeah, alright, this isn’t half bad. Not a song I’ll play much when the season is over, but of the 41 this year, it’s good enough and it does stick in my ear. But nowhere near a contender for the victory. MAYBE
Poland:
First time I heard this, I though “if only they left of the singing (read: shouting), I’d love it” – the bass line for one is really great. But already by the second listen I started loving it anyway, despite the singing – but am I the only one who hears “I Am the Walrus” in the verses? What bothers me, like the juke box jurors, is the picture Poland is painting of itself with the selection of this act. It makes me a little uncomfortable. The song itself is a clear HIT for me, for the contest I think I’ll settle for MAYBE.
Italy:
When this was chosen and everyone (at least in Germany) was shouting “Winner!”, I was, like, huh? Maybe it’s just that it’s not quite my cup of tea, but I cannot see “Soldi” winning. There’s nothing wrong with the song though and the fact that the likes of Salvini aren’t thrilled that it won Sanremo gives it a little bonus, but for me it’s still only a strong MAYBE.
Moldova:
I don’t hate it, but it’s soooo boring. I’m not big on power ballads anyway and this isn’t even a particularly strong one. Moving on … MISS
Spain:
Ahh, this is fun and enjoyable! It is very Spanish without being too sterotypical and there’s so much energy here that I can’t help being drawn in. The juries might hurt Miki, but I expect a very respectable televoting result for Spain. HIT
Malta-
This is an interesting entry. It’s accessible and yet not so simple song. It is also quite modern.
In the sea of male voices this sounds different just because it is sung by a women.
The questions are: how this is going to be staged and how this will sound live?
If they get everything right, Malta should have a good result with this one – HIT
Poland-
While there are 4 female singers here, it sounds flat. I can’t hear any difference in tone or in voices. It seems that this is done deliberately so the singers don’t have their own identity. They also sound a bit shouty and I can not see any charm in this that can attract a mass voters from Europe – MISS
Italy-
Once a while there comes the song that everyone have high regards for and I simply don’t get it. Italy is such an example. I may get it later but at the moment I just don’t understand what the fuss about it. There are red flags about this: 1. it did n’t even won the televote during San Remo. In fact it wasn’t in the top 3 of the televote. 2. Like in 2017, it has some minor orchestra/crowd participation, and here it’s even more delicate that the effort in 2017. I am also not completely sold on his charisma. It’s there but I am not sure it’s enough to lift the song above the rest of the pack.-MAYBE
Moldova-
I have nothing good to say about this. It’s old fashioned ballad, made many time before and not adding anything new to the genre-MISS
Spain-
It’s irrelevant to talk bout the changes they made to the song because the average audience at home will hear this for the first time on Saturday night and what the audience will hear is a happy song, that make you smile and make you grab the phone and vote for it. Not sure how the juries wil take it,though.
I read that Fokas Evangelinos is going to be the stage director for this entry and I hope he will not come with some elaborate stage show that will take the song away from its simplicity and the happiness that it projects-HIT(alltough it can go either way)
Malta – Stronger entry from them this year, but could it suffer from comparisons with Fuego. The juries were reluctant supporters of Fuego, so I ‘m not sure they’ll go for this in a big way. It should qualify safely but how high it goes in the final will depend on how it fares in the contest within a contest with Cyprus and Switzerland. Strong MAYBE
Poland – It is in the wrong semi final for diaspora support which may make qualification tricky. Weak MAYBE
Italy – After last year, you wouldn’t bet against this getting a decent televote. And Soldi is a modern, classy song that juries should go for. Top ten and maybe top 5. HIT
Moldova – Old fashioned (i.e. ‘2009’), cliched Eurovision, semi-final NQ-style ballad. MISS
Spain – ‘Come on do the Conga’ Iberian style. I hate this with a vengeance and the juries probably will too but I’m increasingly becoming convinced we will see this soaring up the board when the televotes come in. With Spain’s record one needs to be cautious with predictions, but I wouldn’t be surprised if this ends up on the left hand side of the scoreboard. MAYBE
Malta: Miss.
It does feel manufactured to me. Is it a bad sign that Michaela has cancelled appearances? Perhaps she is struggling to deliver a convincing live performance. Perhaps this genre is out of her comfort zone and not authentic to who she is.
Poland: Maybe.
Most interesting discussion. I like the verses. I wish there was some variation and progression.
Italy: Hit.
The emotions resonate, even without knowing the words. It has qualities that lift a good song to a potential winner: authentic, personal, and meaningful. I think it will have a big impact and possibly win the jury score.
Moldova: Miss.
Spain: Hit.
Charismatic singer delivering pure joy and meaningful lyrics with conviction. I love it.
Malta – I just have to say this now before it drives me insane, uptempo post-dancehall pop songs didn’t begin and end with Fuego and even then if you’re going to levy that charge at any of the songs this year there’s others that are more of a beat-for-beat remake than Chameleon. This is probably the song that would be most at home in the charts in 2019 of the 41 and Malta always throw big money at their staging so I think this will be a HIT for them
Poland – Ellie put exactly what I was thinking into words, this feels very “what Polish Nationalists think should be Poland’s representative on the world stage” and I can’t shake the feeling that this will end up just being four unemotional ladies in polish national dress standing still and wailing on stage. MAYBE/MISS
Italy – Obvious HIT but the staging/performance will be the difference between a solid top 10 and being in the mix to win and that will all centre around conveying the story of the song to an audience that won’t pick that up through the lyrics. If they can do that then Italy will be dangerous.
Moldova – This winning the juries in the national final and the culling of the weird and whacky at the audition round reads to me like Moldova just didn’t want to push for it this year and just went for this “ballad on autopilot”. Suspect this will be “accidentally last” in the Semi Final. MISS
Spain – If they can bring the joy and energy onto the stage then this’ll be the best Spanish result in years! I can see this either being the opener or the closer of the final in Tel Aviv and if it is then this could be on the periphery of the top 10 so HIT!
Malta: HIT. A great, contemporary choice and an improvement from what they’ve sent the last few years. It feels like there’s a real confidence behind this and in Michela herself. I think the drop and the chameleon part is the weakest element, but it mostly gets ignored for the later part of the song. This allows a more traditional chorus to take over. Assuming Michela can pull this off live and with the confidence she displays in the video, Malta should sail into the final and hopefully straight into the top 10 or even the top 5.
Poland: MAYBE. The more I listen to this the more I like it. I agree that it’s very catchy. I appreciate Poland introducing a part of Slavic music culture to the contest and of course it means Tulia are being authentically themselves. I’m sure, like me, this will be the first encounter with white voice singing for a lot of the audience. I also have no idea how they’ll stage it. Poland need to find something as striking visually as it is musically striking. However, I’m not sure if they’ll qualify and if they did I don’t think this would get much higher than 20th.
Italy: HIT. A fantastic song and lyrics. It’s pretty different from all the other songs so that’ll help it stand out. Yet another quality entry from Italy. I don’t have to much to add apart from to say I think Italy should have another top 10 entry on their hands. I hope the juries appreciate this song as much as the public will.
Moldova: MISS. It’s nothing we haven’t heard before, but it is competent if a bit lacklustre and Ana has a pretty good voice. It’s in the stronger SF and, despite having quite a few friends in the same semi, will probably get lost and not qualify. There’s a good chance this could be given the 2nd place death slot in the running order.
Spain: HIT. I watched the NF and was very happy when it won. I like how upbeat it is and it sounds Spanish. It also has something to say unlike some of the other high tempo songs this year. I was disappointed with the revamp. I think they’ve sanded too many edges off. I’m glad it still has the claps and the drums after the ‘lo que ere” part. I really dislike the change to the end of the song. Now it just ends out of the blue, whereas it had a definite ending before and Miki got to do the little dance which rounded it off nicely. It also gave the last shot to his grinning face which was a nice touch. It’s a song that really comes to life live, mostly thanks to Miki himself. Spain could get into the top half and possibly even into the top 10, assuming Spain don’t score an own goal like they have done many times this decade.
Malta:
Yeah, alright, this isn’t half bad. Not a song I’ll play much when the season is over, but of the 41 this year, it’s good enough and it does stick in my ear. But nowhere near a contender for the victory. MAYBE
Poland:
First time I heard this, I though “if only they left of the singing (read: shouting), I’d love it” – the bass line for one is really great. But already by the second listen I started loving it anyway, despite the singing – but am I the only one who hears “I Am the Walrus” in the verses? What bothers me, like the juke box jurors, is the picture Poland is painting of itself with the selection of this act. It makes me a little uncomfortable. The song itself is a clear HIT for me, for the contest I think I’ll settle for MAYBE.
Italy:
When this was chosen and everyone (at least in Germany) was shouting “Winner!”, I was, like, huh? Maybe it’s just that it’s not quite my cup of tea, but I cannot see “Soldi” winning. There’s nothing wrong with the song though and the fact that the likes of Salvini aren’t thrilled that it won Sanremo gives it a little bonus, but for me it’s still only a strong MAYBE.
Moldova:
I don’t hate it, but it’s soooo boring. I’m not big on power ballads anyway and this isn’t even a particularly strong one. Moving on … MISS
Spain:
Ahh, this is fun and enjoyable! It is very Spanish without being too sterotypical and there’s so much energy here that I can’t help being drawn in. The juries might hurt Miki, but I expect a very respectable televoting result for Spain. HIT
Malta-
This is an interesting entry. It’s accessible and yet not so simple song. It is also quite modern.
In the sea of male voices this sounds different just because it is sung by a women.
The questions are: how this is going to be staged and how this will sound live?
If they get everything right, Malta should have a good result with this one – HIT
Poland-
While there are 4 female singers here, it sounds flat. I can’t hear any difference in tone or in voices. It seems that this is done deliberately so the singers don’t have their own identity. They also sound a bit shouty and I can not see any charm in this that can attract a mass voters from Europe – MISS
Italy-
Once a while there comes the song that everyone have high regards for and I simply don’t get it. Italy is such an example. I may get it later but at the moment I just don’t understand what the fuss about it. There are red flags about this: 1. it did n’t even won the televote during San Remo. In fact it wasn’t in the top 3 of the televote. 2. Like in 2017, it has some minor orchestra/crowd participation, and here it’s even more delicate that the effort in 2017. I am also not completely sold on his charisma. It’s there but I am not sure it’s enough to lift the song above the rest of the pack.-MAYBE
Moldova-
I have nothing good to say about this. It’s old fashioned ballad, made many time before and not adding anything new to the genre-MISS
Spain-
It’s irrelevant to talk bout the changes they made to the song because the average audience at home will hear this for the first time on Saturday night and what the audience will hear is a happy song, that make you smile and make you grab the phone and vote for it. Not sure how the juries wil take it,though.
I read that Fokas Evangelinos is going to be the stage director for this entry and I hope he will not come with some elaborate stage show that will take the song away from its simplicity and the happiness that it projects-HIT(alltough it can go either way)
Malta – Stronger entry from them this year, but could it suffer from comparisons with Fuego. The juries were reluctant supporters of Fuego, so I ‘m not sure they’ll go for this in a big way. It should qualify safely but how high it goes in the final will depend on how it fares in the contest within a contest with Cyprus and Switzerland. Strong MAYBE
Poland – It is in the wrong semi final for diaspora support which may make qualification tricky. Weak MAYBE
Italy – After last year, you wouldn’t bet against this getting a decent televote. And Soldi is a modern, classy song that juries should go for. Top ten and maybe top 5. HIT
Moldova – Old fashioned (i.e. ‘2009’), cliched Eurovision, semi-final NQ-style ballad. MISS
Spain – ‘Come on do the Conga’ Iberian style. I hate this with a vengeance and the juries probably will too but I’m increasingly becoming convinced we will see this soaring up the board when the televotes come in. With Spain’s record one needs to be cautious with predictions, but I wouldn’t be surprised if this ends up on the left hand side of the scoreboard. MAYBE
Malta: Miss.
It does feel manufactured to me. Is it a bad sign that Michaela has cancelled appearances? Perhaps she is struggling to deliver a convincing live performance. Perhaps this genre is out of her comfort zone and not authentic to who she is.
Poland: Maybe.
Most interesting discussion. I like the verses. I wish there was some variation and progression.
Italy: Hit.
The emotions resonate, even without knowing the words. It has qualities that lift a good song to a potential winner: authentic, personal, and meaningful. I think it will have a big impact and possibly win the jury score.
Moldova: Miss.
Spain: Hit.
Charismatic singer delivering pure joy and meaningful lyrics with conviction. I love it.
Malta – I just have to say this now before it drives me insane, uptempo post-dancehall pop songs didn’t begin and end with Fuego and even then if you’re going to levy that charge at any of the songs this year there’s others that are more of a beat-for-beat remake than Chameleon. This is probably the song that would be most at home in the charts in 2019 of the 41 and Malta always throw big money at their staging so I think this will be a HIT for them
Poland – Ellie put exactly what I was thinking into words, this feels very “what Polish Nationalists think should be Poland’s representative on the world stage” and I can’t shake the feeling that this will end up just being four unemotional ladies in polish national dress standing still and wailing on stage. MAYBE/MISS
Italy – Obvious HIT but the staging/performance will be the difference between a solid top 10 and being in the mix to win and that will all centre around conveying the story of the song to an audience that won’t pick that up through the lyrics. If they can do that then Italy will be dangerous.
Moldova – This winning the juries in the national final and the culling of the weird and whacky at the audition round reads to me like Moldova just didn’t want to push for it this year and just went for this “ballad on autopilot”. Suspect this will be “accidentally last” in the Semi Final. MISS
Spain – If they can bring the joy and energy onto the stage then this’ll be the best Spanish result in years! I can see this either being the opener or the closer of the final in Tel Aviv and if it is then this could be on the periphery of the top 10 so HIT!