Update: Monday morning
Before the show started (3pm US Eastern time, 13 May 2023), I had predicted the following:
1. Sweden
2. Finland
3. Ukraine
Spain, Norway and Israel to place in the top 10.
Actual top 10 results [prediction]:
- Sweden – Tattoo [1]
- Finland – Cha Cha Cha [2]
- Israel – Unicorn [top 10]
- Italy – Due Vite
- Norway – Queen of Kings [top 10]
- Ukraine – TVORCHI [3]
- Belgium – Because of You
- Estonia, Alika – Bridges [my judging nominee for Estonia]
- Australia – Promise
- Czechia – My Sister’s Crown
OK, so pretty happy with that. 2 out of the top 3 spot on, and missed Ukraine by 3 places. I just didn’t believe hard enough in The Power Of The Unicorn…
—-
Original live* songwriting analysis blog
Welcome to the Eurovision live musicology blog, now in its 12th year. For context, here’s the 2020 10-year corpus research summary, and the archive of all the posts in reverse order.
Tonight I’m pleased to welcome co-researcher (and current Berklee student) Rafi Waters, who has done a terrific job working on the BPMs, chord loops, and contextual research.
As always, I’ve provided commentary on each song, so you can follow along with the show, or (later) watch the embedded videos. And I’m going to try to predict the winner, before voting begins, then leave the prediction up here for posterity when the votes are in.
- Americans – the show goes out live at 3pm Eastern time on Saturday May 13, 2023. You can watch live with a free Peacock TV account.
- Europeans – you know the drill.
* I have actually pre-blogged everything ‘as live’ based on the Spotify Eurovision finalists playlist, so you don’t need to hit refresh every time – just scroll down. Basic chord loops for each section, and lyrics with translations, are included with my commentary.
My predictions for 2023 (made at 3pm US Eastern time, just as the show starts in Liverpool):
- Sweden
- Finland
- Ukraine
Spain, Norway and Israel to place in the top 10.
For each song, the format is:
- Country • Artist • Title • BPM • Key
- Chord progressions for relevant sections (verse, pre, chorus, bridge)
- Commentary
- My % score
- Lyric
- Translated lyric
Let’s do this!
—-
The Songs
01🇦🇹 Austria • Teya & Salena • Who The Hell Is Edgar? • 146 BPM • Bm
VERSE: Bm (x8)
PRE: Bm
CHORUS: G | G | Bm | A | G | G | Bm | Bm |
BRIDGE: Bm | A/B | G | Em | (variations)
[Please read the following in the voice of Vincent Price]
<vincent>
Deep into the night, as the stars glimmered in the sky, the artist was visited by an unexpected guest. “Oh my God,” they cried, “you’re such a good writer!” But the artist replied, “Oh, it’s not me, it’s Edgar.” Bewildered, their companion inquired, “Who the hell is Edgar?” And thus began a haunting tale of possession.
For there was a ghost within the artist’s body, and that ghost was none other than the famed lyricist Edgar Allan Poe. The artist marvelled as Poe’s brilliant mind worked through them, crafting a song that promised to make them rich and famous. But as the words flowed forth, the artist began to fear that they were losing control. Who was this ghost that had taken up residence within them, and how could they be rid of it?
Desperate, the artist considered calling a doctor or an exorcist, but they soon realised that there was no escaping Poe’s grasp. As they struggled to comprehend their strange new reality, they could only repeat the ghost’s name over and over again: “Poe, Poe, Poe, Poe, Poe.”
And yet, even as they were consumed by fear and uncertainty, the artist could not help but feel a glimmer of hope. For despite the chaos that Poe had wrought in their life, there was a sense that something special was happening. “Oh, mio padre,” they sang, “there’s a ghost in my body,” and in that moment, they knew that they were on the cusp of greatness.
For though they could not explain the mystery of Edgar Allan Poe, they knew that his presence within them was a gift. And as they sang his words and felt the power of his genius coursing through their veins, they could not help but wonder what other wonders lay ahead.
“Who the hell is Edgar?” the artist’s companion had asked. And now, as the artist gazed out at the moonlit world, they knew the answer. Edgar Allan Poe was a ghost, a legend, a master of words. And in that moment, the artist knew that they would never be the same again.
</vincent>
I love this lyric more than words can say – it should have Cliffs Notes. It’s a ghost story, a tale of ambition (the narrator’s desire to succeed), a lament of philistinism (the title, spoken in a California-vocal-fry style by a less literate character), a joke about Eurovision multi-lingual pandering (“Oh, mio padre”) a satire on music industry administrative meddling (“what’s your IPI? Where’s the A&R?”), a critique of streaming services’ payments to artists (“Zero dot zero zero three” is the approximate amount per stream a songwriter receives from Spotify, which buys you “Gas station champagne”). Bravo. Far too weird to win Eurovision, but my personal favourite of the 26 finalists.
70%
LYRIC
Oh my God, you’re such a good writer
Oh, it’s not me, it’s Edgar
Who the hell is Edgar?
There’s a ghost in my body and he is a lyricist
It is Edgar Allan Poe and I think he can’t resist
Yeah, his brain is in my hand and it’s moving really fast
Mhm
Don’t know how he possessed me but I’m happy that he did
‘Cause this song is feeling special and it’s gonna make me rich
Yeah, the words are spilling out, what the heck is this about?
Mhm
Oh, mio padre, there’s a ghost in my body
Poe, Poe, Poe, Poe, Poe x3
Edgar Allan, Edgar Allan Poe, Poе, Poe, Poe, Poe
Poe, Poe, Poe, Poe, Poe x2 / Edgar Allan Poe
Maybe I should call a doctor or an exorcist
Maybe someone out there knows where Shakespeare is so I can get a taste
What’s your IPI? Where’s the A&R?
Girl, call Universal, you’re about to be a star
Poe, Poe, Poe, Poe, Poe
Poe, Poe, Poe, Poe, Poe
Poe, Poe, Poe, Poe, Poe
Edgar Allan, Edgar Allan Poe, Poe, Poe, Poe, Poe
Poe, Poe, Poe, Poe, Poe
Poe, Poe, Poe, Poe, Poe
Edgar Allan
Who the hell is Edgar?
Oh, mio padre
(Poe, Poe, Poe, Poe, Poe)
There’s a ghost in my body
(Edgar Allan, Edgar Allan Poe, Poe, Poe, Poe, Poe)
Oh, mio padre
(Poe, Poe, Poe, Poe, Poe)
There’s a ghost in my body
(Edgar Allan Poe)
Zero dot zero zero three
Give me two years and your dinner will be free
Gas station champagne is on me
Edgar cannot pay rent for me
Zero dot zero zero
Zero dot zero zero
Zero dot zero zero three
At least it pays to be funny
Ugh!
Oh, mio padre
(Poe, Poe, Poe, Poe, Poe)
There’s a ghost in my body
(Edgar Allan, Edgar Allan Poe, Poe, Poe, Poe, Poe)
Oh, mio padre
(Poe, Poe, Poe, Poe, Poe)
There’s a ghost in my body
(Edgar Allan, Edgar Allan Poe, Poe, Poe, Poe, Poe)
Oh, mio padre
(Poe, Poe, Poe, Poe, Poe)
There’s a ghost in my body
(Edgar Allan, Edgar Allan Poe, Poe, Poe, Poe, Poe)
Oh, mio padre
(Poe, Poe, Poe, Poe, Poe)
There’s a ghost in my body
(Edgar Allan, Edgar Allan)
Oh, mio padre, there’s a ghost in my body
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Who the hell is Edgar?
—
02 🇵🇹 Portugal • Mimicat • Ai Coração • 145 • F#m
F#m | % | % | % | D | Bm | D | C# | C# (9 bars)
C# | F#m | C# | F#m | D | Bm | C# | C# | C# | C# | (10 bars!)
F#m | % | % | % | D | Bm | D | C# |
Portugal’s Mimicat provides this polka/klezmer/cossack song of heartbreak and longing. It starts off relatively stable with an attention-grabbing C#7 (V7) rippling piano arpeggio, perhaps setting up the I-Will-Survive-in-reverse lyric sentiment that is to come. The ‘Ai Coração’ title (“Oh, heart!”) adds one more repeat each time into the intro of each chorus, as the arrangement gets busier, louder, and more chaotic, while the narrator becomes ever more frantic. Just in case you were unconvinced of the sincerity of the Cossack influence, at 2 minutes in you get a balalaika breakdown – two words that rarely appear adjacently in popular musicology, still less Portuguese popular musicology. Feels like it has an accel, but that’s just the oom-pah of the root-5th bassline combined with the full-on 145 BPM tempo. Mimitcat is a spirited performer, and she inhabits the character and the song brilliantly. I loved it, but it’s not poppy enough to place in the top five.
62%
LYRIC
When we were boys, we played pretend
Army tanks and army men
Hide and seek
Grow to be the kings we dream
Where do we go?
We′re standin’ on the frontline
Where do we go, we go?
I don′t wanna be a soldier, soldier
I don’t wanna have to play with real blood
We ain’t playin′ now
Can′t turn and run
No waterguns
No, no, I don’t wanna be a soldier, soldier
I don′t wanna have to play with real blood
‘Cause we ain′t playin’ now
Can′t turn and run, no waterguns
Just body bags that we’ve become
Adolescence, breaking rules
Nothin’ hurts when you′re bulletproof
I remember, yes, I do, I do
Where do we go?
We′re standin’ on the frontline
Where do we go, we go?
I don′t wanna be a soldier, soldier
I don’t wanna have to play with real blood
We ain′t playin’ now
Can′t turn and run, no waterguns
No, no, I don’t wanna be a soldier, soldier
I don’t wanna have to play with real blood
′Cause we ain′t playin’ now
Can′t turn and run, no waterguns
Just body bags that we’ve become
Oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh
What we′ve become
Oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh
What we’ve become (oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh)
What we′ve become (oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh)
Playin’ with waterguns
Not playin’ with waterguns
—
03🇨🇭 Switzerland • Remo Forrer • Watergun • 138 • G#m
| G#m | C#m | F# | % | (x2)
| E F# | G#m | B | F# | E F# | G#m | F# | % |
| E | E F# | G#m | G#m F# | E | F# | [1] B | D# :|| [2] B F# | G#m F# |
| E | E | G#m | F# |
| G#m (x4)
An earnest anti-war song, in the character of the universal soldier. Debatably 138 or 69 BPM, depending on how you feel the beat. The chorus melody owes a lot to Passenger’s Let Her Go. It’s arguably in B major, but spends most of its time avoiding landing on that home chord, starting each pre-chorus and chorus on the IV chord of E, and preferring the more tragic G#m vi chord for the start of the verses and the dynamic peak of the chorus. There’s a lovely D# V chord at 2:40, implying harmonic minor and giving us an oh-so-brief break from Eurovision’s relentless use of the Aeolian mode to denote ethnic authenticity or emotional depth as required. A deserved finalist, but not a winner.
49%
WATERGUN (Switzerland)
When we were boys, we played pretend
Army tanks and army men
Hide and seek
Grow to be the kings we dream
Where do we go?
We′re standin’ on the frontline
Where do we go, we go?
I don′t wanna be a soldier, soldier
I don’t wanna have to play with real blood
We ain’t playin′ now
Can′t turn and run
No waterguns
No, no, I don’t wanna be a soldier, soldier
I don′t wanna have to play with real blood
‘Cause we ain′t playin’ now
Can′t turn and run, no waterguns
Just body bags that we’ve become
Adolescence, breaking rules
Nothin’ hurts when you′re bulletproof
I remember, yes, I do, I do
Where do we go?
We′re standin’ on the frontline
Where do we go, we go?
I don′t wanna be a soldier, soldier
I don’t wanna have to play with real blood
We ain′t playin’ now
Can′t turn and run, no waterguns
No, no, I don’t wanna be a soldier, soldier
I don’t wanna have to play with real blood
′Cause we ain′t playin’ now
Can′t turn and run, no waterguns
Just body bags that we’ve become
Oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh
What we′ve become
Oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh
What we’ve become (oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh)
What we′ve become (oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh)
Playin’ with waterguns
Not playin’ with waterguns
04 🇵🇱 Poland Blanka Solo 99 Bm
Bm | Em | A | D F# | (x2)
Bm | Em | A | D F# | Bm
Bm | Em | A | D F# |
The Animals’ Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood meets Rixton’s Me and My Broken Heart, as arranged by Ace of Base. This is the kind of song that mid-2010s Eurovision was adding a reggaeton/dembow beat to, and it looks like the fashion is drifting back to 90s pop-reggae (it was a simpler time). The rising-5th hook “Solo, solo” works well, and probably wins tonight’s prize for most titles in three minutes (17). It’s ridiculously catchy, not least because its 4-chord loop never varies – although it does, interestingly, switch between Aeolian mode and harmonic minor every time, thanks to that major V F# chord at the end of bar 4. Fun!
64%
LYRIC
Baby
It’s kind of crazy
How else to phrase it?
With you I’ve lost my senses
Baby
What happened to ya?
I thought I knew ya
But now it’s time to face it
You’re hot and cold
High and you’re low
Messin’ with my mind
No, oh-oh, that’s not how it goes
So, let me spell it out
Now I’m better solo, solo
I never let me down, didi-down-down-down
Now I’m gonna show ya, show ya
Show you what it is you’re missing out
Now I’m better solo, solo
I never let me down, didi-down-down-down
Now I’m gonna show ya, show ya
How I be getting down, solo
Tell me
Now, was it worth it
Playin’ me dirty
But now who’s laughing, baby
Watch me
All eyes on me now
Bet you regret how
What goes around comes around
You’re hot and cold
High and you’re low
Messin’ with my mind
No, oh-oh, that’s not how it goes
So, let me spell it out
Now I’m better solo, solo
I never let me down, didi-down-down-down
Now I’m gonna show ya, show ya
Show you what it is you’re missing out
Now I’m better solo, solo
I never let me down, didi-down-down-down
Now I’m gonna show ya, show ya
How I be getting down, solo
No, no, I’m going solo
Yeah, ya better, better, watch me now
‘Cause I know how to let go
Gonna make it, make it on my own, whoa
Oh, no, I’m going solo
Yeah, ya better, better, watch me now
‘Cause I know how to let go
So, it’s clear to see I’m
Now I’m better solo, solo
I never let me down, didi-down-down-down
Now I’m gonna show ya, show ya
Show you what it is you’re missing out
Now I’m better solo, solo
I never let me down, didi-down-down-down
Now I’m gonna show ya, show ya
How I be getting down, solo”
—
05 🇷🇸 Serbia • Luke Black • Samo Mi Se Spava • 103 • E
E | C | Amaj7 | Amaj7(+5) [E vamp]
E | C | Amaj7 | Amaj7(+5)
Ouch. That intro hook melody actually hurts. What’s your favourite other song that goes E-C-Amaj7 and leans on the major third throughout? Thought not. The F natural in bar 4 is sort of Spanish Phrygian (there’s a lot of it about this year), and I guess it conjures the emo-vampire-transformers vibe they are going for, but in the chorus, with that big drone and the relentless major 3rd G#, it just feels like dissonance for no reason. I suspect the producer might have agreed, because the electro-pop verses and outro stay away from the clashing notes, giving us a perfectly serviceable loop that carries the second half of the song. The lyric is purportedly about video games, but in this apocalyptic arrangement comes across as deep and meaningless. Co-researcher Rafi fears that “the dark lyrics may be preventing it from appearing on EA’s FIFA 24 soundtrack”. I agree – can’t see anyone chanting this one from the stands (or the couch).
23% (ugh)
LYRIC
Original text (Serbian and English)
Baby, watch the world on fire
It is all a game to me
Oh, I don’t wanna choose my fighter
Who’s taking control of me?
Halo?
Samo mi se spava
Spavaj
I just wanna sleep forever (S-spavam)
I like it better when I dream
Želim zauvek da spavam (S-spavam)
Dok svet gori
I just wanna close my eyes (S-spavam)
And just get it over with
Želim zauvek da spavam (S-spavam)
Dok svet gori
A noć je, beskonačni sati (Tik-tik-tak)
Na ramenu đavoli
Želim samo večno spati
Tako da ih pobedim
Halo?
Game over
(Spavaj)
I just wanna sleep forever (S-spavam)
I like it better when I dream
Želim zauvek da spavam (S-spavam)
Dok svet gori
I just wanna close my eyes (S-spavam)
And just get it over with
Želim zauvek da spavam (S-spavam)
Dok svet gori (This ends now)
War, glad je, bez nade
Savest spava (S-spava) dok svet gori
Gori, kraj je, mrak traje
Razum spava (S-spava) dok svet gori
S-spavaj
Samo mi se spava
Samo mi se spava
English translation
Baby watch the world on fire
It is all a game to me
I don’t wanna choose my fighter
Who’s taking control of me?
Hello?
I just want to sleep
Go to sleep
I just wanna sleep forever (Go to sleep)
Like it better when I dream
I want to sleep forever (Go to sleep)
As the world burns
I just wanna close my eyes (Go to sleep)
And just get it over with
I want to sleep forever (Go to sleep)
As the world burns
It’s night-time, countless hours (Tick-tick-tock)
Devils on my shoulder
I just want to sleep forever
That’s the way to beat them
Hello?
Game over
(Go to sleep)
I just wanna sleep forever (Go to sleep)
Like it better when I dream
I want to sleep forever (Go to sleep)
As the world burns
I just wanna close my eyes (Go to sleep)
And just get it over with
I want to sleep forever (Go to sleep)
As the world burns (this ends now)
War, there’s a famine, no hope
I’m just sleeping as the world burns
It burns, it’s the end, darkness goes on
The reason is sleeping as the world burns
Go to sleep
I just want to sleep
I just want to sleep”
06 🇫🇷 France La Zarra Évidemment 120 G#m
G#m | B | C#m | D#(sus) | x2
| E | D# | C#m | D# | G#m | B | C#m | D#sus | D# | D# |
G#m | B | E | D#/G | (loop)
Emaj7 | D#/G | G#m | B | C#m | D# | D#/G | D# | D# | D# |
Piaf plays Chic! The French love to throw chanson at Eurovision, and if you take away the Bernie Edwards popping bassline and Stars-on-45 generic disco beat, this is pure tragedy all the way. You gotta feel for the poor woman: “Le temps est assassin / Je cherche l’amour / Je n’trouve rien / Comme dans mon sac à main” (Time is a killer / I look for love / I find none / [just as I find no love] in my purse). The C#m and E chords are structurally interchangeable, but they usefully give the bassline extra interest, and stop the song from sounding too disco-loop boring. The bridge’s rise to Emaj7 and then D#/G (yeah yeah, key-signature hairsplitters, D#/F##, but what guitarist wants to read that?) gives us a wonderful ascent to the dynamic peak of “À chanter la Grande France” (“to sing to the great France”). It’s bold, confident, brilliantly done, and probably doomed. Eurovision hardly ever buys chanson, even when it’s wearing sequins.
59%
LYRICS
“Mon cœur, mes mains,
Mes yeux, mes reins,
Plus rien ne m’appartient
J’me fais du mal pour faire du bien
J’oublie comme si c’n’était rien
Dans mon jardin d’enfer, poussent des fleurs
Que j’arrose de mes rêves, de mes pleurs
On a beau être sur le toit du monde
On ne peut toucher le ciel du doigt
Évidemment
Toutes ces belles promesses que j’entends
C’n’est que du vent
Évidemment
Car après l’beau temps vient la pluie
C’est c’qu’on oublie
C’est toujours trop beau pour être vrai
Mais c’n’est jamais trop laid pour être faux
Évidemment
Elle ne sera plus jamais la même
Cette fille d’avant
Je vends demain, j’rachète hier
Le temps est assassin
Je cherche l’amour
Je n’trouve rien
Comme dans mon sac à main
Dans ma tête c’n’est pas tant évident
Je recherche la vérité tout en l’évitant
On a beau être sur le toit du monde
On ne peut toucher le ciel du doigt
Évidemment
Toutes ces belles promesses que j’entends
C’n’est que du vent
Évidemment
Elle ne sera plus jamais la même
Cette fille d’avant
Car moi je chante
Ma vie, la vôtre
Et un peu de romance
Je suis nue devant vous
Donnez-moi donc une chance
De vous à moi,
De moi à vous
Ai-je réussi à chanter,
À chanter la Grande France
C’est toujours trop beau pour être vrai
Mais c’n’est jamais trop laid pour être faux
Évidemment
Elle ne s’ra plus jamais la même
Cette fille d’avant
Évidemment
English translation
My heart, my hands
My eyes, my kidneys
Don’t belong to me anymore
I hurt myself to do some good
I forget like it’s nothing
In my infernal garden, flowers grow
That I water with my dreams, with my cries
Even if we were on top of the world
We couldn’t touch the sky with a finger
Evidently
All of these beautiful promises that I hear
They’re nothing but wind
Evidently
That before the sun comes the rain
That’s what we forget
It is always too good to be true
But it is never too ugly to be false
Evidently
She will never be the same again
This girl from before
I sell tomorrow, I buy yesterday
Time is a killer
I look for love
I find none
Like in my purse
In my head it’s not that clear
I look for truth while avoiding it
Even if we were on top of the world
We couldn’t touch the sky with a finger
Evidently
All of these beautiful promises that I hear
They’re nothing but wind
Evidently
She will never be the same again
This girl from before
Because I sing
My life, yours
And a bit of romance
I am naked in front of you
Therefore, give me a chance
From you to me
From me to you
Have I managed to sing
To sing the great France
It is always too good to be true but
It is never too ugly to be false
Evidently
She will never be the same again
This girl from before
Evidently
07 🇨🇾 Cyprus • Andrew Lambrou • Break A Broken Heart • 130 • D#m
| D#m | G#m | C# | B | x4
| B | C# | D#m | C# | B | C# | D#m | [tacet] |
| B | C# | D#m | C# | B | G# | G# | (1st time)
| B | C# | D#m | C# | B | C# | [tacet]
The Cypriots successfully pass off this tragic ballad as danceable anthem-pop by adding a cunning 24-beat shuffle groove. The harmony and melody make a subtle nod to Netherlands’ 2019 Eurovision winner Arcade. Lyrically, it’s a classic recovery-with-dignity theme that perhaps stays the ride side of giving stalker vibes (in the promo video he seems to be keeping his heartbreak to himself in an abandoned greenhouse). I love the triplet scansion at the end of verse 1 “I miss your kiss, gasoline and a matchstick / Red lights, flashes, rising out of the ashes”. Big fat synth and string pads in the production provide great texture for the falsetto hook on the outro. It’ll do great in the arena if he can keep it in tune all the way up there.
68%
LYRIC
Woo-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
The lights went out
I hit the ground
You didn’t mind that I was bleeding out
You filled my life
With minor songs
I loved you but you loved to do me wrong
I miss your kiss, gasoline and a matchstick
Red lights, flashes, rising out of the ashes
Oh, I see you
For who you are
But you can’t break, a broken heart
You lift me up and leave me in the gutter
And tear me up and move on to another
I’m torn apart but I am a survivor
You can’t, you can’t break a broken heart
Woo-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
You can’t break a broken heart
Woo-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
An all-time low
But I’ll get by
And over you I’ll find the highest high
You did your best
To do your worst
I got used to all the ways it hurt
Feel the fever telling me that I need her
Science fiction turning into an addiction
Oh, I see you
For who you are
But you can’t break, a broken heart
You lift me up and leave me in the gutter
And tear me up and move on to another
I’m torn apart but I am a survivor
You can’t, you can’t break a broken heart
Woo-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
You can’t break a broken heart
Woo-ooh-ooh
Oh I miss your kiss, gasoline and a matchstick
Red lights, flashes, rising from the ashes
You lift me up and leave me in the gutter
And tear me up and move on to another (to another)
I’m torn apart but I am a survivor
You can’t break a
Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah
You can’t break a broken heart
Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah
You can’t, you can’t break a broken heart
You can’t, you can’t, you can’t break a broken heart
You can’t, you can’t break a broken heart (Oh…)
You can’t
You can’t break a broken heart
08 🇪🇸 Spain • Blanca Paloma • Eaea • 116
[C Spanish Phrygian tonality]
To use Gen-Z’s most overexposed phrase, “I feel like” it would be inappropriate to put guitar chords here, because this is just not a chord driven. This wonderful Spanish Phrygian journey (aka Phrygian Dominant) feels super authentic, despite the electro production. Lyrically, it’s a sort of lullaby conversation between grandmother and granddaughter, with Spanish cultural references aplenty (here’s the excellent Wiwibloggs page about the song). The tight block harmonies spell out the flamenco harmonic lineage throughout (broadly, C-Eb-Db is the implicit loop). It’s wonderfully produced and sung. Spain keepin’ it real!
72%
LYRIC
Ya, ea
Ya, ea
(Ole)
Ay, ven a mí, niño mío (ya)
Ay, ven a mí, niño mío
Duerme a mi vera
Que en mi pecho hay abrigo
Abriguito pa’ tu pena
Ya, eaea, ya, eaea
Ya, eaea, ya, eaea
Ya, eaea, ya, eaea
Lagrimitas del Nilo, noches en vela
Mi niño, cuando me muera
Que me entierren en la luna
Y to’as las noches te vea
Y to’as las noches te vea
Y to’as las noches te vea
To’as las noches menos una
(Ole)
Ay, ven a mí, niño mío (ay, niño mío, chiquito mío)
Chiquito de mis amores
Que en la noche me iluminan
Tus ojos soles
Ya, eaea, ya, eaea
Ya, eaea, ya, eaea
Ya, eaea, ya, eaea
Lagrimitas del Nilo, noches en vela
Mi niño, cuando me muera
Que me entierren en la luna
Y to’as las noches te vea
Y to’as las noches te vea
Y to’as las noches te vea
Mi niño, cuando me muera
Que me entierren en la luna
Y to’as las noches te vea
To’as las noches menos una
Ya, eaea, ya, eaea
Ya, eaea, ya, eaea
Lagrimitas del Nilo, noches en vela
Ya, eaea, ya, eaea
Ya, eaea, ya, eaea
Ya, eaea, ya, eaea!
Now, ea
Now, ea
(Ole)
Oh, come to me, child of mine (now)
Oh, come to me, child of mine
Sleep by my side
Because in my chest there’s a shelter
A little shelter for your grief
English translation
Now, eaea, now, eaea
Now, eaea, now, eaea
Now, eaea, now, eaea
Little tears from the Nile, sleepless nights
My child, when I die
May they bury me in the Moon
So that I’ll see you every night
So that I’ll see you every night
So that I’ll see you every night
Every night but one
(Ole)
Oh, come to me, child of mine (oh child of mine, kid of mine)
Kid of my loves
Whose eyes like a Sun
Illuminate me at night
Now, eaea, now, eaea
Now, eaea, now, eaea
Now, eaea, now, eaea
Little tears from the Nile, sleepless nights
My child, when I die
May they bury me in the Moon
So that I’ll see you every night
So that I’ll see you every night
So that I’ll see you every night
My child, when I die
May they bury me in the Moon
So that I’ll see you every night
Every night but one
Now, eaea, ya, eaea
Now, eaea, now, eaea
Little tears from the Nile, sleepless nights
Now, eaea, now, eaea
Now, eaea, now, eaea
Now, eaea, now, eaea
09 🇸🇪 Sweden • Loreen • Tattoo • 150 • F#
G#m | % | B | % | D#m | % | F# | % | (throughout)
The Swedes have done it again. Regular readers of this blog will know that I rarely place Sweden outside the top three, and while my prediction of Tattoo as 2023’s winner is… predictable, what else can an evidence-based musicologist do? Loreen is clearly trying to emulate the success of 2012’s winning song “Euphoria”, with many of the same production ideas. The chorus melody hook has a character of its own, though, with the millennial-whoop three syllable major-third-to-fifth “tattoo-hoo-hoo” in contrast to the earlier song’s long-voweled four-syllable “Eu-phooooo-ri-aaaaa”.
There are lots of pop tricks in here to make you fall in love with the song. The verse melody is the same as the chorus melody, but an octave lower, so when you hear the chorus for the first time, your subconscious says “ooooh, I know this one”. The sleight of hand is disguised by an 8-bar pre-chorus with a different and more static melody, so you don’t know you’ve been had. The chord loop itself is the harmonic equivalent of the Shepard Tone illusion, in that we perceive endlessly rising chords – vi-I-ii-IV. It’s a loop that never ends, with the final IV leading inexorably to the next vi. At 150 BPM it’s one of the fastest songs in the auditorium tonight, so while it’s just about possible that Sweden has overshot the danceability here, I still think this one is another banger for the ages.
92%
LYRIC
I don’t wanna go
But baby we both know
This is not our time
It’s time to say goodbye
Until we meet again
‘Cause this is not the end
It will come a day
When we will find our way
Violins playing and the angels crying
When the stars align then I’ll be there
No I don’t care about them all
‘Cause all I want is to be loved
And all I care about is you
You’re stuck on me like a tattoo
No I don’t care about the pain
I’ll walk through fire and through rain
Just to get closer to you
You’re stuck on me like a tattoo
I’m letting my hair down
I’m taking it cool
You got my heart in your hand
Don’t lose it my friend
It’s all that I got
Violins playing and the angels crying
When the stars align then I’ll be there
No I don’t care about them all
‘Cause all I want is to be loved
And all I care about is you
You’re stuck on me like a tattoo
No I don’t care about the pain
I’ll walk through fire and through rain
Just to get closer to you
You’re stuck on me like a tattoo
No I don’t care about them all
‘Cause all I want is to be loved
And all I care about is you
You’re stuck on me like a tattoo
No I don’t care about the pain
I’ll walk through fire and through rain
Just to get closer to you
You’re stuck on me like a tattoo
All I care about is love
Oh oh oh
All I care about is love
You’re stuck on me like a tattoo
10 🇦🇱 Albania • Albina & Familja Kelmendi • Duje • 110 • Dm
[Dm vamp]
[Dm vamp]
Gm | % | Dm | % | C | A | Dm | Dm (x2)
Albina from Albania provides this stirring story of a family’s struggle against adversity (poverty from war?). Instrumentally there’s some great stuff going on here. I love the unison [1:50 ish] between the metalhead guitar and the bouzouki (this being Albania, more likely a Šargija). It’s all beautifully crafted, in the song form, production, and vocal arranging. Just too sad for Eurovision.
65%
LYRIC
Duje: Albanian lyrics
Diçka mrena frymen ma nal
S’di çka bohet, bohet
Po du me nal
(Çka o ka bohet)
Krejt tuj pas,
E krejt tuj pas,
S’po muj mu knaq
Jan tu u nda
Veç për nje fjalë
Janë tu u nda, dashnin’ kanë vra
Janë tu u nda,
E kane harru se kan nje shpi
Sofër me fmi…
Duje, si dikur ti duje,
At dashni ti ruje,
Si jeten, ti ruje
Mos e gjuj me gure,
Si dikur ti duje,
At dashni ti ruje,
Si jetën ti duje
Jan tu u nda
Veç për nje fjalë
Janë tu u nda, dashnin’ kanë vra
Janë tu u nda,
E kanë harru se kanë nje shpi
Sofër me fmi
Ti duje, si dikur ti duje,
At dashni ti ruje,
Si jetën, ti duje
Mos e gjuj me gure,
Si dikur ti duje,
At dashni ti ruje,32
Si jetën ti duje
(Duje, duje)
Jan tu u nda
(Duje, duje)
Veç për nji fjalë
Janë tu u nda, dashnin’ kanë vra
(Duje,duje)
Janë tu u nda
(Duje, duje)
E kanë harru se kanë nje shpi
Sofër me fmi
(Duje, duje)
Duje – English translation
Love her/him
Something inside is holding my breath
I don’t know what it is
I want to stop it
(What’s happening)
Having everything
And having everything
But not being happy
They are breaking up
Just for a word
They are breaking up, they killed the love
They are breaking up,
They forgot they have a home
A table with kids…
Love her/him, like before
Save the love
Save it for your life
Don’t hit it with stones
Love her/him like before
Save the love
Save it for your life
They are breaking up
Just for a word
They are breaking up, they killed the love
They are breaking up,
They forgot they have a home
A table with kids…
Love her/him, like before
Save the love
Save it for your life
Don’t hit it with stones
Love her/him like before
Save the love
Save it for your life
(Love her/him)
They are breaking up
(Love her/him)
Just for a word
They are breaking up, they killed the love
(Love her/him)
They are breaking up
(Love her/him)
They forgot they have a home
A table with kids…
(Love her/him)
11 🇮🇹 Italy • Marco Mengoni • Due Vite • 117 • D
Dmaj7 | % | G | % | Bm | % | G | % | (x2)
Bm | % | G | % | D | % | A | % |
Em | % | A | % | D | A/C# | Bm | A | (x2)
The romance languages are so wonderfully stacked with vowel-heavy words that songwriters can hammer syllable-heavy lines together and keep the vocal flowing nicely. Mengoni gets away with this admirably in the verses, giving him space to contrast this in the chorus and open up all the nostalgia and regret that long vowels do so well. It’s a tragic song of post-breakup loss and speculation – two lives, ever-diverging, with our narrator reaching out, unheard, to his lost love. “If this is the last
Song and then the moon will burst / I will be there telling you that you’re making a mistake”. Like most relationship advice, it sounds better in Italian.
67%
LYRICS
“Siamo i soli svegli in tutto l’universo
E non conosco ancora bene il tuo deserto
Forse è in un posto del mio cuore
Dove il sole è sempre spento
Dove a volte ti perdo
Ma se voglio ti prendo
Siamo fermi in un tempo così
Che solleva le strade
Con il cielo ad un passo da qui
Siamo i mostri e le fate
Dovrei telefonarti
Dirti le cose che sento
Ma ho finito le scuse
E non ho più difese
Siamo un libro sul pavimento
In una casa vuota
Che sembra la nostra
Il caffè col limone
Contro l’hangover
Sembri una foto mossa
E ci siamo fottuti ancora una notte
Fuori un locale
E meno male
Se questa è l’ultima
Canzone e poi la luna esploderà
Sarò lì a dirti che sbagli
Ti sbagli e lo sai
Qui non arriva la musica
E tu non dormi
E dove sarai
Dove vai
Quando la vita poi esagera
Tutte le corse gli schiaffi gli sbagli che fai
Quando qualcosa ti agita
Tanto lo so che tu non dormi dormi dormi dormi dormi mai
Che giri fanno due vite
Siamo i soli svegli in tutto l’universo
A gridare un po’ di rabbia sopra un tetto
Che nessuno si sente così
Che nessuno li guarda più i film
I fiori nella tua camera
La mia maglia metallica
Siamo un libro sul pavimento
In una casa vuota
Che sembra la nostra
Persi tra le persone
Quante parole
Senza mai una risposta
E ci siamo fottuti ancora una notte
Fuori un locale
E meno male
Se questa è l’ultima
Canzone e poi la luna esploderà
Sarò lì a dirti che sbagli
Ti sbagli e lo sai
Qui non arriva la musica
E tu non dormi
E dove sarai
Dove vai
Quando la vita poi esagera
Tutte le corse e gli schiaffi gli sbagli che fai
Quando qualcosa ti agita
Tanto lo so che tu non dormi
Spegni la luce anche se non ti va
Restiamo al buio avvolti
Solo dal suono della voce
Al di là della follia che balla in tutte le cose
Due vite guarda che disordine
Se questa è l’ultima
Canzone e poi la luna esploderà
Sarò lì a dirti che sbagli
Ti sbagli e lo sai
Qui non arriva la musica
Tanto lo ѕo che tu non dormi dormi dormi dormi dormi mai
Che giri fаnno due vite
Due vite
English Translation
We’re the only ones awake in the whole universe
And I don’t know your desert well yet
Maybe it’s in a place in my heart
Where the sun is always dull
Where I sometimes lose you
But if I want I’ll catch you
We are stuck in such a time
That lifts up the streets
With the sky one step from here
We’re the monsters and the fairies
I should call you
Saying to you the things that I feel
But I’ve run out of excuses
And I don’t have defences anymore
We’re a book on the floor
In an empty house
That looks like ours
Coffee with lemon
Against the hangover
You look like a blurry photo
And we fucked up for another night
Outside a club
And thank goodness
If this is the last
Song and then the moon will burst
I will be there telling you that you’re making a mistake you’re wrong and you know that
The music doesn’t get here
And you don’t sleep
And where will you be
Where are you going
When the life then exaggerates
All the rushes the slaps and the mistakes you do
When something upsets you
But I know that you never sleep sleep sleep sleep sleep
What rounds make two lives
We’re the only ones awake in the whole universe
Screaming in anger a bit on a rooftop
That no one feels like that
That no one watches the movies anymore
The flowers in your room
My metal shirt
We’re a book on the floor
In an empty house
That looks like ours
We’re lost among people
So many words
Without an answer
And we fucked up for another night
Outside a club
And thank goodness
If this is the last
Song and then the moon will burst
I will be there telling you that you’re making a mistake you’re wrong and you know that
The music doesn’t get here
And you don’t sleep
And where will you be
Where are you going
When the life then exaggerates
All the rushes the slaps and the mistakes you do
When something upsets you
But I know that you never sleep
Turn the light off even if you don’t feel like
We sit in the dark shrouded only
In the sound of the voice
Beyond the madness that dances in all the things
Two lives, look at the mess
If this is the last
Song and then the moon will burst
I will be there telling you that you’re making a mistake you’re wrong and you know that
The music doesn’t get here
But I know that you never sleep sleep sleep sleep sleep
What rounds mаke two lives
Two liveѕ
12 🇪🇪 Estonia • Alika • Bridges • 140 • Cm
Cm | % | Bb | % | Ab | % | Bb | % | (Bm 2nd time in bar 8)
Cm | % | Bb | % | Ab | % | G | G7 | (x2)
Ab | % | Eb | % | Fm | % | Cm | %| (variations)
Full disclosure. I was a judge for Estonia’s song selection, and pretty much all of us thought this one was the best of the bunch (although for me the zombies on hoverboards came a close second). It’s a likeable piano ballad, and Alika is a likeable performer. Musically it’s an extended/adapted 8-bar Andalusian cadence (Hit The Road Jack, All Along The Watchtower), which is fine for this sort of thing. For me, the bridge is the best bit, and the delicate ascending minor scale fragment that forms the start of each verse works particularly well in the drop before the final epic chorus. Sadly, I don’t think this is a winner (even though it was IMO the best that Estonia had to offer), but it’s not doomed to null points either.
57%
LYRIC
Now I’m heading home to solid ground
Realised that all the lies I’ve told myself have died
Bring me to the place where I belong
Filled with all the memories and dreams I have ignored
Aaah, aaah, aaah
There is always time
To get back on track
Tearing down the walls
Slowly every step
Now I see myself
Building up a world of bridges
There is one more thing you need to know
That I forgive myself for all the lies I said before
Now I see the road of leading lights
Showing me where I should go and what to leave behind
Aaah, aaah
There is always time
To get back on track
Tearing down the walls
Slowly every step
Now I see myself
Building up a world of bridges
You will find a way
To begin again
No more time to waste
Or to play pretend
Now I see myself
Building up a world of bridges
I remember all the things that I went through
All the lies and blurry lines and city lights I knew
Now I’m strong enough to see what lays inside
And I can feel it all
There is always time
To get back on track
Tearing down the walls
Slowly every step
Now I see myself
Building up a world of bridges
You will find a way
To begin again
No more time to waste
Or to play pretend
Now I see myself
Building up a world of bridges”
13 🇫🇮 Finland • Käärijä • Cha Cha Cha • 155 • Em
[ | E F | vamp ]
(Same as Verse)
| G/E | G/D | C | C D |
Bizarrely, this piece of in-your-face brutalist techno is tipped to do well. Can’t see Eurovision voters going for it en masse, but it’s very well done. Phrygian flat-2s are all the rage in pop, hip-hop and techno right now (e.g. Unholy). My co-researcher Rafi hears Peter Schilling’s Major Tom in the bassline; I hear ABBA’s Does Your Mother Know? (we are from different generations).
Just after the halfway point the song switches gear dramatically to a completely Eurovision-typical chorus with Drake-esque autotune for the “Cha cha cha” hooks. Hmmm… holding off on the chorus until almost two minutes in? It’s bold, nay, actually high risk. They should have asked themselves WWSD (what would Sweden do?). But it’s a hot favourite, and there are some countries that still love aggressive techno. Yes, I mean you, Germany.
75%
LYRIC
Rankka viikko ja paljon pitkii päiviä takan
Mielenkiintona piña colada ja rata
Ilta on vielä nuori ja aikaa kumota
Tää jäinen ulkokuori on aika tuhota
Pidän kaksin käsin kiinni juomista niinku
Cha cha cha cha cha cha cha, ei
En mieti huomista ku tartun tuopista niinku
Cha cha cha cha cha cha cha, ei
Haluun olla sekasin ja vapaa huolista niinku
Cha cha cha cha cha cha cha, ei
Ja mä jatkan kunnes en enää pysy tuolissa niinku
Muutama piña colada on jo takana
Silti mul on vielä naamataulu vakava
Yeah yeah ye ye yeh
Ilta on vielä nuori ja aikaa kumota
Tää jäinen ulkokuori on aika tuhota
Parketti kutsuu mua ku en oo enää lukossa
Niinku cha cha cha mä oon tulossa
Pidän kaksin käsin kiinni juomista niinku
Cha cha cha cha cha cha cha, ei
En mieti huomista ku tartun tuopista niinku
Cha cha cha cha cha cha cha, ei
Haluun olla sekasin ja vapaa huolista niinku
Cha cha cha cha cha cha cha, ei
Ja mä jatkan kunnes en enää pysy tuolissa niinku whoa
Nyt lähden tanssimaan
Niinku cha cha cha cha enkä pelkääkään tätä maailmaa
Niinku cha cha cha
Kun mä kaadan päälleni samppanjaa
Cha cha cha
Toinen silmä jo karsastaa
Ja puhe sammaltaa ku tää toinen puoli must vallan saa
Cha cha cha
En oo arkena tää mies laisinkaan
En oo mut tänään oon se mies, tänään oon se mies
Nyt lähden tanssimaan
Niinku cha cha cha
Enkä pelkääkään tätä maailmaa
Niinku cha cha cha
Kun mä kaadan päälleni samppanjaa
Niinku cha cha cha
Cha cha cha cha cha cha cha aa-aah
Niinku cha cha cha
Cha cha cha cha cha cha cha
Cha cha cha cha cha cha cha
English translation
This exhausting week and the many long days are behind
There’s only bar and piña colada on my mind
There is some time for a few, the night is still youngish
This icy shell is something I have to demolish
Holding on the drinks with both hands tied on them like a
Cha cha cha cha cha cha cha, no
There’s no tomorrow when I grab a pint tightly like a
Cha cha cha cha cha cha cha, no
Wanna mess my head up and to free my mind of fear like a
Cha cha cha cha cha cha cha, no
And I stay on this seat until I have to climb off it like a
A couple piña coladas I have devoured
Yet the expression I have on my face is sour, yeah yeah ye ye yeh
There is some time for a few, the night is still youngish
This icy shell is something I have to demolish
The floor is calling me when I’m no longer so frozen
Like a cha cha cha I am approaching
Holding on the drinks with both hands tied on them like
Cha cha cha cha cha cha cha, no
No, there’s no tomorrow when I grab a pint tightly like a
Cha cha cha cha cha cha cha, no
wanna mess my head up and to free my mind of fear like a
Cha cha cha cha cha cha cha, no
And I stay on this seat until I have to climb off it like a whoa
I head towards the dance floor
Like a cha cha cha
And this world ain’t making me scared no more
Like a cha cha cha
When Champagne all over myself I pour
Cha cha cha
One eye keeps turning crossed too far
And talking is so hard when this different side of me does its part
Cha cha cha
I don’t usually go and drop my guard, not me
But now I am that guy, now I am that guy
I head towards dance floor
Like a cha cha cha
And this world ain’t making me scared no more
Like a cha cha cha
When Champagne all over myself I pour
Like a cha cha cha
Cha cha cha cha cha cha cha aa-aah
Like a cha cha cha
Cha cha cha cha cha cha cha
Cha cha cha cha cha cha cha
14 🇨🇿 Czechia • Vesna • My Sister’s Crown • 150 • Em
Em | % | % | % | % | % | D | Bm | (variations)
C | Am | Em | G | C | Am | Bm | Em
C | D | Em | G | C | D | B7 | % |
My Sister’s Crown fools you into thinking it’s a one-chord song, and then bombards you with chord changes as it develops. The Em vamp underscores the narrator’s inclusively feminist #MeToo exposition. Lead singer Patrice has said “you can have support from other people and [on the subject of] equality, it’s not just between women, but [everyone]”. There are four languages here – English, Czech, Bulgarian and Ukrainian.
Musically it’s typically Aeolian Eurovision fare, and much as I admire the inclusive politics in the lyric, I don’t think the chorus is strong enough to win (although I love the “we are not your dolls” verse hook).
54%
LYRIC
“[Intro]
Moje sestra do kouta nepůjde
Ani tebe poslouchat nebude
Moje sestra v srdci je divoká
Copy zaplést, nikdy si nenechá
Moje sestra do kouta nepůjde
Ani tebe poslouchat nebude
[Verse 1]
My sister’s crown
Don’t take it down
Don’t take it down
Nobody has right to do it
She’s beautiful
And capable
She is her own queen
And she will prove it
[Pre-Chorus]
You can take your hands back
No one wants more boys dead
We’re not your dolls
We’re not your dolls
Life’s not a moneybag
Blood’s on your God’s head
You can’t steal our souls
You can’t steal our souls
[Chorus]
Сестро красива, ой ти сильна
Хоробра єдина, корона твоя
Сестро красива, ой ти сильна
Хоробра єдина, корона твоя
[Post-Chorus]
My sister’s crown, don’t take it down
[Verse 2]
Дай ръка не се страхувай
С другите сестри поплувай
В морето ни нямаме място за тези омрази
Пази, пази
Не тъгувай
Хоп троп момите не са нон-стоп на разположение
Ти просто че сме сестри до край знай!
[Pre-Chorus]
You can take your hands back
No one wants more boys dead
We’re not your dolls
We’re not your dolls
Life’s not a moneybag
Blood’s on your God’s head
You can’t steal our souls
You can’t steal our souls
15 🇦🇺 Australia • Voyager • Promise • 122 • Gm
Gm Bb | Gm | % | F | % | Gm | Gm F | (variations)
Gm | Bb | C | C | (loop, measure extension 2nd time)
Gm | Gm7 | C/G | % | Gm | Gm7 | C/G | Eb |
Eb | % | F | F | Eb | Eb | Gm | % | C | C |
Have we got over chuckling that Australia is geographically about as far from Europe as it is possible to get? It was 2015, for goodness’ sake! And to be fair the Australians’ love for the ESC goes back to 1983, when they first started broadcasting it, or perhaps even earlier (famously in 1977 50,000 people came to see ABBA live in Sydney).
This is unusually rocky for the Aussies. It starts off predictably enough, with a 2-note static verse, and gives us a lovely pop-metal Dorian mode chorus, before going full-on growl-metal for 8 bars at the halfway point. The band clearly love this bit, but they only get 8 bars of it, because singer Danny Estrin then takes centre stage again for the tuneful breakdown section (fun fact – when not rocking out Eurovision, he has a day job in a law firm). Songs like this get a big cheer in the arena on the night, but much as I wish there were more rock in Eurovision, not enough Europeans feel as I do (the Germans will love it though).
70%
LYRIC
“Have you ever done anything like this before?
Have you ever done anything like this before?
If you’ve never done anything like this before
Then you haven’t been alive
Have you ever shut all the open doors?
Have you ever just walked out on your own?
Have you ever just lost your mind
When you try to unwind?
Or are you coming right back for more?
I’m here tonight
Promise mе you’ll hold me ’til I die
I’m by your side
Promisе me it’s gonna
Promise me it’s gonna be alright
Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh
Promise me it’s gonna be alright
Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh
Promise me it’s gonna be alright
Promise me it’s gonna be alright
Have you ever been alone too much?
Have you ever prayed for human touch?
Have you ever just lost a little part of you
To find a little something new?
Cross my heart ’til the sky turns red in the sunrise
Since you told me everything’s alright
Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh
Since you told me everything’s alright
Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh
Promise me it’s gonna be al… Right!
I’m here tonight
Promise me you’ll hold me ’til I die
I’m by your side
Promise me it’s gonna
Promise me it’s gonna
Promise me it’s gonna be alright
Alright
Cross my heart ’til the sky turns red in the sunrise
Promise me it’s gonna be alright
Be alright
Alright
16 🇧🇪 Belgium • Gustaph • Because Of You • 127 • Cm
[Cm vamp]
Ab | Bb | Cm | % | (loop, appears 2nd time)
Eb F | Gm | Bb | B7 | (loop, variations)
Ab | % | Bb | C7 | Fm | Eb | Db | % |
A nice hybrid of 70s disco, 90s house, and disco-revival Jamiroquai, with some pleasing implicit dom11th ‘crush’ chords. Camp, fun, entertaining, and danceable. The crowd will love it, but I don’t think the melody is memorable enough.
66%
LYRIC
“Songwriters: Stef Caers (Gustaph), Jaouad Alloul
And when the world got me going crazy
I’ll carry on
And it’s all because of you
Because of you
Remember when they told us
“You’re not good enough”
And then you came into my life
And you changed my world for good
You told me to love myself a bit harder than yesterday
‘Cause life is too short and we sure got to celebrate
And when the world got me going crazy
I carry on
‘Cause I know I’m strong
When the world got me going crazy
I carry on
And it’s all because of you
Because of you
Remember when they tried to break us
Well, look at us now
You told me the right thing at the right time
You got me feeling wild
Now I love myself much more than I did yesterday
‘Cause life is too short and we sure got to celebrate
And when the world got me going crazy
I carry on
‘Cause I know I’m strong
When the world got me going crazy
I carry on
And it’s all because of
I’ll carry on despite of the things they said and done
They’ll never kill this fire
Your love will take me higher
It’s all because of you
Because of you
Well, because of you
Because of you I keep on going, baby, baby, for a brighter day
And when the world got me going crazy
I carry on
See, I carry on because of you
When the world got me going crazy
I carry on
Said I carry on
And when the world got me going crazy
See, I will carry on
And it’s all because of you
Because of you
Becаuѕe of you
17 🇦🇲 Armenia • Brunette • Future Lover • 103 • Dm
Dm | C | Gm | A7 | (loop)
Dm | C | Bb | A7#9
Dm | F | C | Bb | (loop)
Dm | C | Bb | C | (loop, variations)
Another Andalusian cadence, in the verses anyway. The song is in three parts – a delicate 6/8 piano ballad, and a mid-tempo rap section, which forms an extended bridge, then a half-time feel anthemic outro with a repeating 2-note melodic motif. Not bad, but not great.
56%
LYRIC
I just wanna make art
Read books and just find someone
Who likes me enough to kiss my face
I wanna explore with him and visit old bookstores
And cute little things, like drink smoothies at near cafés
Oh-oh-oh
Drink smoothies at near cafés
Oh-oh-oh
Oh, future lover, I hope it all comes naturally
I hope our love is quiet outside, but loud inside, oh baby
Oh, future lover, this song I wrote for you
This song I wrote for you, my future lover
I decide to be good, do good, look good
I decide to be good, do good, look good
I decide to be good, do good, look good
I dеcide to be good, do good, look good
It’s like a daydrеam, but I got some other, better plans
I wanna scream and shout, my heart caught in chains
Cold heart, cold hands, fire in my veins
Fire in my veins, heart in chains
I’m a volcano that is going to explode in a sec
I’m so hypnotised by someone that I’ve never ever met
Don’t wanna forget, am I dreaming yet?
Poetic dream, I don՚t want it to end, oh
Three minutes of making impossible plans
Seven minutes of unnecessary panic attacks
Here I go with the coldest hands
Here I go with still no plans, oh, still no plans
I can’t cool off, no I can’t relax
Lord, what I’m gonna do, my pain just attacks
I still have the coldest hands
Oh my Lord, my Lord, my pain, my panic attacks, oh
I decide to be good, do good, look good
I decide to be good, do good, look good
I decide to be good, do good, look good
I decide to be good, do good, look good
Oo tu indznits herou
Lkvadz es herou, herou es tu
Yerazoums yes oo tu eyink loor
Molorvoom eyink herou, herou, hervoum
English translation
I just wanna make art
Read books and just find someone
Who likes me enough to kiss my face
I wanna explore with him and visit old bookstores
And cute little things, like drink smoothies at near cafés
Oh-oh-oh
Drink smoothies at near cafés
Oh-oh-oh
Oh, future lover, I hope it all comes naturally
I hope our love is quiet outside, but loud inside, oh baby
Oh, future lover, this song I wrote for you
This song I wrote for you, my future lover
I decide to be good, do good, look good
I decide to be good, do good, look good
I decide to be good, do good, look good
I dеcide to be good, do good, look good
It’s like a daydrеam, but I got some other, better plans
I wanna scream and shout, my heart caught in chains
Cold heart, cold hands, fire in my veins
Fire in my veins, heart in chains
I’m a volcano that is going to explode in a sec
I’m so hypnotised by someone that I’ve never ever met
Don’t wanna forget, am I dreaming yet?
Poetic dream, I don՚t want it to end, oh
Three minutes of making impossible plans
Seven minutes of unnecessary panic attacks
Here I go with the coldest hands
Here I go with still no plans, oh, still no plans
I can’t cool off, no I can’t relax
Lord, what I’m gonna do, my pain just attacks
I still have the coldest hands
Oh my Lord, my Lord, my pain, my panic attacks, oh
I decide to be good, do good, look good
I decide to be good, do good, look good
I decide to be good, do good, look good
I decide to be good, do good, look good
You’re so far away from me
Left alone, you’re far, far away
You and I, silent in my dream
We’re lost, far, far away
18 🇲🇩 Moldova • Pasha Parfeni • Soarele şi Luna • 125 • Cm
[Cm vamp for first half]
Fm | G | Cm | % | (loop, variations 2nd time)
Cm | % | % | % | Eb | % | Fm | % | (variations)
Slight variations in chords while chant-like melodies remain the same
[Watches video] The Moldovans are wearing antlers in the woods! I thought only Norwegian metal bands did that.
The lyrics tell the story of a (pagan?) wedding in the woods. There’s some very cool call and response in the chorus, repeating the title back, followed by a flute line whose “twiddliness” defies expectations. The 2-bar chorus melody hook is super memorable. It’s good, but not camp, tragic, or poppy enough to activate enough voters’ trigger fingers I suspect.
60%
LYRIC
Codrule cu frunză deasă
Cred că mi-am găsit mireasă
(Așa, așa, așa…)
Nistrule cu apă lină
M-am pierdut și ea-i de vină
(Așa, așa, așa…)
I-am cântat eu doine multe
Pân-a vrut să mă sărute ea
(Așa, așa, așa…)
Păi, am cântat-o, am dansat-o
În tot felul răsfățat-o
(Așa, așa, așa…)
Soarele, Soarele
Soarele și Luna
Ne-or ține, ne-or ține
Ne-or ține cununa
Soarele, Soarele
Soarele și Luna
Ne-or ține, ne-or ține
Ne-or ține cununa
Soarele, Soarele
Soarele și Luna
Ne-or ține, ne-or ține
Ne-or ține cununa
Soarele, Soarele
Soarele și Luna
Ne-or ține, ne-or ține
Ne-or ține cununa
I-am promis miresei mele
Nuntă sub un cer cu stele
(Așa, așa, așa…)
I-am dat în a șaptea seară
Un inel cu piatră rară
(Așa, așa, așa…)
Soarele și Luna
(Soarele și Luna)
Ne-or ține cununa
(Ne-or ține cununa)
Soarele, Soarele
Soarele și Luna
Ne-or ține, ne-or ține
Ne-or ține cununa
I-am promis miresei mele
Nuntă sub un cer cu stele
I-am dat în a șaptea seară
I-am dat în a șaptea ѕeară
Un inel cu piatră rară
Soarele și Luna
(Soarele și Luna)
Ne-or ține cununa
(Ne-or ține cununa)
Soarele, Soarele
Soarele și Luna
Ne-or ține, ne-or ține
(Ne-or ține cununa)
Soarele, Soarele
Soarele și Luna
Ne-or ține, ne-or ține
Ne-or ține cununa
Soarele, Soarele
Soarele și Luna
Ne-or ține, ne-or ține
Ne-or ține cununа
English translation
Dense leaf forest
I think I’ve found my bride
(Like this, like this, like this…)
River Nistru with pristine water
I got lost, and it’s only her fault
(Like this, like this, like this…)
I sang her so many songs
Until she wanted to kiss me
(Like this, like this, like this…)
I sang to her, I danced with her
I pampered her in all sorts of ways
(Like this, like this, like this…)
The Sun, the Sun
The Sun and the Moon
Will hold, will hold
Will hold our wedding crown
The Sun, the Sun
The Sun and the Moon
Will hold, will hold
Will hold our wedding crown
The Sun, the Sun
The Sun and the Moon
Will hold, will hold
Will hold our wedding crown
The Sun, the Sun
The Sun and the Moon
Will hold, will hold
Will hold our wedding crown
I promised my bride
A wedding under a starry sky
(Like this, like this, like this…)
I gave her on the seventh evening
A ring with a precious stone
(Like this, like this, like this…)
The Sun and the Moon
(The Sun and the Moon)
Will hold our wedding crown
(Will hold our wedding crown)
The Sun, the Sun
The Sun and the Moon
Will hold, will hold
Will hold our wedding crown
I promised my bride
A wedding under a starry sky
I gave her on the seventh evening
I gave her on the seventh evening
A ring with a precious ѕtone
The Sun and the Moon
(The Sun and the Moon)
Will hold our wedding crown
(Will hold our wedding crown)
The Sun, the Sun
The Sun and the Moon
Will hold, will hold
(Will hold our wedding crown)
The Sun and the Moon
(The Sun and the Moon)
Will hold our wedding crown
(Will hold our wedding crown)
The Sun, the Sun
The Sun аnd the Moon
Will hold, will hold
Will hold our wedding crown
19 🇺🇦 Ukraine • TVORCHI • Heart of Steel • 78 • C#m
Rafi has clocked this one at a super slow 78 BPM, and I agree with his interpretation, but like a lot of contemporary pop (particularly trap) you can count it as double time too – 156. There’s a lot of cool right-now production here (e.g. the slight J Dilla beat drum programming) but enough Eurovision-ness to please the continent, including a big dynamic peak and dramatic parallel octave strings on the outro. It’s not as strong as last year’s winner IMO, but as we know there is a lot of love and support for Ukraine in Europe right now, and this indomitable lyric will no doubt bring many voters together.
75%
LYRIC
Sometimes gotta let it go
Sometimes gotta look away
Sometimes you just gotta know
When to stick your middle finger up in the air
I cannot explain
Tell you how I feel
Life is just a game
And I’m playing for the win
Don’t be scared to say just what you think
‘Cause no matter how bad, someone’s listening
Don’t care what you say
Don’t care how you feel
Get out of my way
‘Cause I got a heart of steel
Don’t care what you say
Or how you feel
Oh, I got a heart of steel
You just like to act a fool
Tryna get in my head like
When I turn on my headlights
I can see right through you
Tryna get a reaction
I just hit the action move
Nezvazhayuchy na bilʹ
Ya prodovzhuyu sviy biy
Svit palaye, a ty diy
Don’t be scarеd to say just what you think
‘Cause no matter how bad, someonе’s listening
Don’t care what you say
Don’t care how you feel
Get out of my way
‘Cause I got a heart of steel
Don’t care what you say
Or how you feel
Oh, I got a heart of steel
20 🇳🇴 Norway • Alessandra • Queen of Kings • 126 • Em
Em | C D | C Em | B7 | (loop)
C | G | D | Em D | C | G | Am6 | B7 | % | (9 measures!)
Em | Am G | C Em | D Em | (x2)
Em C | G D | (classic vi-IV-I-V loop in relative major)
If the music for Xena – Warrior Princess had been written by the team that composed Airwolf, this is close to how I imagine it turning out. It’s a synthy-orchestral fast-12/8 four-on-the-floor beat for the most part, with the drums dropping in and out to create contrast. Listen out for Alessandra’s amazing whistle-voice top E at around 2:20 before the ramp up to the outro. That chorus melody turnaround in bar 4 and 8 owes rather a lot to Chim Chim Che-ree, and now I have told you that, you will be unable to unhear it. You’re welcome.
74%
LYRIC
She, queen of the kings
Running so fast, beating the wind
Nothing in this world could stop the spread of her wings
She, queen of the kings
Broken her cage, threw out the keys
She will be the warrior of north and southern seas
Got raven hair, it’s dark as night
Icy eyes, out of sight, out of sight
Her heart in spite, is warm and bright
Her smile awakes the northern light
Looking out she calls
Lai, lai-da-dai-dai-da
Who will conquer all, all?
Her name is she, queen of the kings
Running so fast, beating the wind
Nothing in this world could stop the spread of her wings (hey)
She, queen of the kings
Broken hеr cage, threw out the keys
She will be the warrior of north and southern seas
A firestone forged in flames
The wildest card, run the game, run the game
Can’t stay the same in this world of change
Don’t fear the pain, just break the chain
Looking out she calls
Lai, lai-da-dai-dai-da
Who will conquer all, all?
Her name is she, queen of the kings
Running so fast, beating the wind
Nothing in this world could stop the spread of her wings
She, queen of the kings
Broken her cage, threw out the keys (hey)
She will be the warrior of north and southern seas
Lai, la-da-dia
Ra, rai-ri-rai-rai-ri
Lai, la-da-dia
Lai, li-li-la
Lai, la-da-dia
La-la-la-la
La-la-la-la
Ah-ah-ah-ah
21 🇩🇪 Germany • Lord of the Lost • Blood & Glitter • 139 • Am
F | % | Am | Em | F | % | Am | G |
F | Am | Em | % | (loop, variations)
My girlfriend works at the German consulate in Boston, so I have asked her to use her diplomatic contacts to pass my condolences to the people of Germany for their impending Eurovision loss. Neither great rock nor fully camp enough IMO. And “glitter” is not not a word you can growl convincingly.
Rafi says “it’s as if Bowie had a heavy metal phase”. That’s perhaps too kind, but then he’s a very nice guy.
37%
LYRIC
Blood and glitter
Sweet and bitter
We’re so happy we could die
Blood and glitter
What we are is but a choice
A promise to ourselves
We are free to break and change
Never forget? Let it go
This or that? No need to know
Whether above or below
We are all from the same blood
Blood and glitter
Sweet and bitter
We’re so happy we could die
Blood and glitter
Sweet and bitter
We’re so happy we could die
Blood and glitter
Saint and sinner
We do fall before we rise
Now go, go
Let your blood flow, flow
With broken wings, we’ll learn to fly
We are blood and glitter
Keep your head up in the clouds
With two feet on the ground
Life’s too fast so make it count
Never forget? Let it go
This or that? No need to know
Whether above or below
We are all from the same blood
Blood and glitter
Sweet and bitter
We’re so happy we could die
Blood and glitter
Saint and sinner
We do fall before we rise
Now go, go
Let your blood flow, flow
With broken wings, we’ll learn to fly
We are blood and glitter
Let your blood flow
Blood and glitter
Let your blood flow
Blood and glitter
Sweet and bitter
We’re so happy we could die
Blood and glitter
Sweet and bitter
We’re so happy we could die
Blood and glitter
Saint and sinner
We do fall before we rise
Now go, go
Let your blood flow, flow
With broken wings, we’ll learn to fly
We are blood and glitter
Blood and glitter
22 🇱🇹 Lithuania • Monika Linkytė • Stay • 98 • B
| G#m F# B | (loop)
C#m | B F# | C#m B | G#m |
G#m | F# B | E | % | (loop)
Mid-tempo song of regret and self-discovery. Too introspective perhaps? Not a lot to see here – I predict near the bottom of the voting.
46%
LYRIC
“I’ve carried sadness with me
I hid it well since sixteen
And all the crying, all the fighting
It kept putting out the fire
That burned so bright within me
As I look back to all those years
To broken dreams disguising fear
Being someone that I’m really not
Just stay with me
My heart is bleeding
I need your healing
Wait for me
Well, it ain’t easy
To love someone like me
Čiūto tūto, čiūto tūto, čiūto tūto
Finally my heart is beating
Čiūto tūto, čiūto tūto, čiūto tūto
Finally my heart is beating
I took it all on myself
I asked for nobody’s help
Had to taste it and embrace it
All the bitterness of failure
To find myself within me
Just stay with me
My heart is bleeding
I need your healing
Wait for me
Well, it ain’t easy
To love someone like me
Čiūto tūto, čiūto tūto, čiūto tūto
Finally my heart is beating
Čiūto tūto, čiūto tūto, čiūto tūto
Finally my heart is beating
Just stаy
Just stay
Čiūto tūto, čiūto tūto, čiūto tūto
Čiūto tūto, čiūto tūto, čiūto tūto”
23 🇮🇱 Israel • Noa Kirel • Unicorn • 130 • F#m
|F#m | F#m C# | F#m | F#m C# | D | D C# | F#m | D C# | (loop, 2nd time w/inversions uses | F#m C# |
| D | E | F#m | C#m | (loop)
F#m (breakdown)
Another of my personal favourites; I heard this one on Spotify before I saw the video (and frankly, the video that played in my head had a LOT more unicorn head-dresses than the artist actually delivered tonight). It’s great – quirky, poppy, super economical, hook-filled, with an upbeat sentiment of self-assertion that Eurovision will love. Let’s just enjoy that “You wanna see me dance?” section, when the 16-groove gives way to a wonderfully disjointed triplet-y feel, which is the time signature the unicorns in my head use whenever they dance.
I think it’s going to place in the top five.
72%
LYRIC
“Hey, you don’t like the way I’m talking
Hey, so you stand there keep on call me names
No, I’m not your enemy so
If you’re gonna do it, don’t do it
Hey, do you wanna check my DNA?
Older stories, time to go away
And believe in fairytales, oh
If you’re gonna do it
I’m gonna stand here like a unicorn
Out here on my own
I got the power of a unicorn
Don’t you ever learn?
That I won’t look back, I won’t look down
I’m going up, you better turn around
The power of a unicorn, the power of a unicorn
History caught in a loop
Don’t you wanna change it?
You know that we can, you and me
Can write a new book
Don’t you wanna change it now?
It’s gonna be phenomen-phenomen-phenomenal
Phenomen-phenomenal
Feminine-feminine-femininal
I’m gonna stand here like a unicorn
Out here on my own
I got the power of a unicorn
Don’t you ever learn?
That I won’t look back, I won’t look down
I’m going up, you better turn around
The power of a unicorn, the power of a unicorn
It’s gonna be phenomen-phenomen-phenomenal
Phenomen-phenomenal
אנ’לא כמו כולם, מול כל העולם, לא
It’s gonna be phenomen-phenomen-phenomenal
Phenomen-phenomenal
אין לי דאווין, לא, You can call me queen
You wanna see me dance?
You wanna see me dance?
You wanna see me dance?! (Hahaha)
Watch me
(It’s gonna be)
(It’s gonna be, hey!)
U-ni-corn!
U-ni-corn!
U-ni-corn!
U-ni-corn!
I’m standing like a—
24 🇸🇮 Slovenia • Joker Out • Carpe Diem • 132 • F#m
F#m | % | Dmaj7 | % | (loop)
F#m | Faug | A/E | F#m/D# | Bm | %| C# | % |
Dmaj7 | % | Bm | % | F#m | % | (loop, six measures!)
A | % | D | % | (loop)
[For this entry, I’m delighted and honoured to welcome a guest analysis from the mega-talented Dominic Pedler]
[JB comment] Slovenia has never won Eurovision. [consults tea leaves] Slovenia did not win Eurovision in 2023.
[DP analysis]
Another minor key offering, though perhaps interesting for showcasing bVI (D) in different ways, starting with the i-bVI verse alternation. The pre-chorus features the distinctive 8-7-b7-6 bassline, while I like the way the eventual V chord (C sharp) eschews V-i in favour of a half-step to bVI that now starts the driving chorus sequence (as previewed in the mellow intro). As a disarming closing twist, the song ends on the brighter relative major, delivered as a melodic D-Dm7-A. And, of course, the rockin’ guitar solo was most welcome on the night!
35%
LYRIC
“Mi bomo celo noč plesali
Ljubili se in se igrali
Kot da nas jutri več ne bo
Vedno manj besed, tanek led pod nogami žge
Mi pa bežimo s prepiha
810.000 let moraš delat’ le
Da duša malo zadiha
(An ban, pet podgan)
Ti loviš, če preživiš
(Jaz ti bom vzel vse)
Ti ničesar ne dobiš
(A, a, a)
Si tega res želiš?
Igra sovraštva je za vas, hvala lepa
Ne računajte na nas
Na nas
Mi bomo celo noč plesali
Ljubili se in se igrali
Kot da nas jutri več ne bo
Ne bomo šteli ur do zore
Preskakovali bomo gore
Da nas objame nebo
Prvi dež odplaknil ves bo blišč
Da ne bi kradel magije s plesišč
Tema bo prižgala žar v očeh
Igra sovraštva je za vas, hvala lepa
Ne računajte na nas
Še bolj na glas
Mi bomo celo noč plesali
Ljubili se in se igrali
Kot da nas jutri več ne bo
Ne bomo šteli ur do zore
Preskakovali bomo gore
Sprejeli, da smo večni samo
In srečni samo, ko objema nas nebo
Vso noč do jutra smo plesali
Ljubili se in se igrali
Živeli, kot da jutri nаѕ mogoče več
Ne bo
English translation
We’ll be dancing all night long
We’ll love each other and play
As if there was no tomorrow
Ever fewer words, thin ice burning under our feet
But we’re running away from the draught
You must only work for 810,000 years
To make your soul breathe a little
(Eeny, meeny, miny, moe)
You win if you stay alive
(I’ll take everything)
You get nothing
(Ah ah ahh)
Do you really want it like this?
The game of hatred is your thing
Thank you, don’t count on us
On us
We’ll be dancing all night long
We’ll love each other and play
As if there was no tomorrow
We won’t count the hours until the dawn arises
We’ll jump across the mountains
To be embraced by the sky
The first rain will wash away all the fake glitter
So it stops stealing the magic from the dance floors
The darkness will bring out the shine in our eyes
The game of hatred is your thing
Thank you, don’t count on us
We’ll be even louder
We’ll be dancing all night long
We’ll love each other and play
As if there was no tomorrow
We won’t count the hours until the dawn arises
We’ll jump across the mountains
We’ll accept that we are eternal and happy
Only as long as the sky keeps embracing us
We danced, loved, and played all night
We lived as if there wаѕ
No tomorrow
25 🇭🇷 Croatia • Let 3 • Mama ŠČ! • 135 • C
This is just fabulously weird. And I think the Croatians know it. It has all the camp, of course, and a song form and production that we might describe as ‘daring’. But this is the most potent anti-war (pro-Ukrainian) song tonight; the “Krokodilski psihopat” (“Alligator psychopath”) in the lyric is clearly Putin. Don’t be fooled by the silliness – this is Eurovision at its most political.
67%
LYRIC
“Mama kupila traktora
ŠČ!
Mama kupila traktora
ŠČ!
Mama kupila traktora
Trajna-nina
Armagedon nona
ŠČ!
Mama kupila traktora
ŠČ!
Mama kupila traktora
ŠČ!
Mama kupila traktora
Trajna-nina
Armagedon nona
TRAKTOR
Mama ljubila morona
ŠČ!
Mama ljubila morona
ŠČ!
Mama ljubila morona
Trajna-nina
Armagedon nona
A b c č ć d dž đ e f g h i j k l lj m n nj o p r s š t u v z ž
Mama, mama, mama, ja se idem igrat’
Mama, idem u rat
Onaj mali psihopat
Mali podli psihopat
Krokodilski psihopat
Mama, idem u rat
TRAKTOR
Mama ljubila morona
ŠČ!
Mama ljubila morona
ŠČ!
Mama ljubila morona
Trajna-nina
Armagedon nona
Onaj mali psihopat
Mali podli psihopat
Krokodilski psihopat
Mama, idem u rat
Onaj mali psihopat
Mali podli psihopat
Krokodilski psihopat
Mama, idem u rat
Mama, mama, mama
Onaj mali psihopat48
Mali podli psihopat
Krokodilski psihopat
Mama, idem u rat
ŠČ!
English translation
Mommy bought the tractor
ŠČ!
Mommy bought the tractor
ŠČ!
Mommy bought the tractor
‘Trajna nina’ armageddon-granny
ŠČ!
Mommy bought the tractor
ŠČ!
Mommy bought the tractor
ŠČ!
Mommy bought the tractor
‘Trajna nina’ armageddon-granny
ŠČ!
TRACTOR
Mommy kissed the moron
ŠČ!
Mommy kissed the moron
ŠČ!
Mommy kissed the moron
‘Trajna Nina’
Armageddon-granny
A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V,W, X, Y, Z…….
Mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy
I’m going to play
Mom, I’m going to war
That little psychopath
War war
Evil little psychopath
War war
Alligator psychopath
War war
Mommy, I’m going to war
TRACTOR
Mommy kissed the moron
ŠČ!
Mommy kissed the moron
ŠČ!
Mommy kissed the moron
‘Trajna Nina’ armageddon-granny
That little psychopath
War war war
Evil little psychopath
War war war
Alligator psychopath
Mommy, I’m going to war
Mommy, mommy, mommy
Shch!
26 🇬🇧 United Kingdom • Mae Muller • I Wrote A Song • 125 • Am
Am | F | Dm | E | (loop)
Argh! I hate songs about songwriting! What are your favourite classic songs about songwriting? Bet it’s a short list. To be fair, this is a tale of empowerment after a break-up. It’s solid British pop in the vein of Shape Of You, and the London-accent (thankfully short) rap section is straight out of Dua Lipa’s Levitating. It’s a solid entry, but not in the class of Sam Ryder’s extraordinary second-place song Space Man.
Also Brexit.
62%
LYRIC
“When you said you were leaving
To work on your mental health
You didn’t mention the cheating, yeah
You kept that one to yourself
I got so mad was gonna
Cuss you out outside your house
For everyone to see
Wanted to trash your Benz
Tell all your friends
How cruel you were to me (to me, to me)
Instead I wrote a song
‘Bout how you did me wrong
I could’ve cried at home
And spent the night alone
Instead I wrote a song
I feel much better now
Mе and my girls are out
And we all sing along
Instead I wrotе a song
Da-da-da-da-da-da-dai
Da-da-da-da-da-da-dai
Da-da-da-da-da-da-dai
Instead I wrote a song
Da-da-da-da-da-da-dai
Da-da-da-da-da-da-dai
Da-da-da-da-da-da-dai
Instead I wrote a song
Kept my cool and composure
My mother would be so proud
I was ready for a sentence, baby
Instead, I wrote it all down
Oh, I was gonna
Cuss you out outside your house
For everyone to see
Wanted to trash your Benz
Tell all your friends
How cruel you were to me (to me, to me)
Instead I wrote a song
‘Bout how you did me wrong
I could’ve cried at home
And spent the night alone
Instead I wrote a song
I feel much better now
Me and my girls are out
And we all sing along
Instead I wrote a song
Da-da-da-da-da-da-dai
Da-da-da-da-da-da-dai
Da-da-da-da-da-da-dai
Instead I wrote a song
Da-da-da-da-da-da-dai
Da-da-da-da-da-da-dai
Da-da-da-da-da-da-dai
Instead I wrote a song
Look into my eyes
She’s feeling good, she feels alive
So don’t you call my phone tonight, tonight, tonight
No lie, got a kick
Telling the world just what you did
I’m better now I’ve burned the bridge
Raising the glass taking a sip
Let’s celebrate, dance it away
I thought my heart would break
Instead I wrote a song
‘Bout how you did me wrong
I could’ve cried at home
And spent the night alone
Instead I wrote a song
I feel much better now
Me and my girls are out
And we all sing along
Instead I wrote a song”
Recent Comments