Maybe it was a shock for Georgian tv not to qualify for the first time last year in Baku. If so, who could blame them for playing safe? But there must be a limit for everything.
Nodi Tatishvili & Sophie Gelovani - Waterfall (Georgia 2013)
For the last few years, it has grown increasingly common to simply call up some international composers to craft an entry for you. It will leave you with a song that is likely to do well but just as likely not to have any link to anyone or anything in your local music business. Which is pointless.
If the Eurovision Song Contest is more about the best song you can buy rather than the best song you can produce, I find it questionable whether it is worth the effort of organising the contest at all.
Calling last year's winning composer and have him do the job for you must qualify as one of the cheapest tricks in the book. I'd almost like to deduct points for this lack of creativity.
But then again, Thomas G:son sure knows what he is doing. At first Waterfall looks like the meek little cousin of Quédate conmigo, but it is powerful, breezy and melodic. As well as the only love duet in the entire line-up.
That could carry quite far. Perhaps even further than it deserves.
Qualifier:
Yes. A qualifier and probably even quite a heavy scorer in the final.
My grade: 3/5
How the song changes when you hear what is on the background. At first I liked this song a lot, to me it was one of the better love duets and only one this year.
ReplyDeleteBut it had slipped me how this song came about. When I heard that this song was commissioned from Thomas G:Son to give Georgia the success they want it makes it sound sour to my ears.
I could go on about this forever, but since you have managed to squeezed our common frustration in few paragraphs I can only say I couldn't agree more.
But if I manage to forget that this song was another Eurovision entry bought from the "Hullut päivät" of the Swedish Eurosong market, it is a decent love ballad for two. We always need at least one of them every year year.
This is very typical boring eurosong, very fluent and perfect, but to my ears boring. I've enjoyed very good national songs from Georgia.(2007 Sopho My story, 2008 Diana Gurtskaya Peace will come, 2011 Eldrine One more day) and would like to hear more. I think Swedish composers belong so Sweden.
ReplyDeleteTo my disappointment this entry will do well in the Final.