Many people were so happy to finally see Sanna Nielsen win Melodifestivalen on her seventh attempt. For a young veteran who slowly made her way into the hearts of Sweden, this was a very well deserved triumph, and I was very happy about it too. Then came Ace Wilder and ruined the whole thing for me.
Sanna Nielsen - Undo (Sweden 2014)
Sanna's song is elegant and classy, she sings it impeccably and the chorus is easy to remember, even if it isn't a piece of cake to sing along. All of these ingredients would normally make for a really great entry. They do. But they are also part of a very classic recipe for this contest.
Ace Wilder was everything that Undo is not. Wild, eccentric, unexpected. Not safe.
That very notion punched a hole in my balloon, so to speak. Her ballad shrunk a great deal in my eyes and it hasn't grown back on me as yet. And even if I am still very happy about Sanna finally winning, I'm less optimistic about her chances to make a splash internationally.
Qualifier: Yes. It will be distinct enough to stand out in a field of sixteen semi finalists. But how much will she stand out in the final?
My grade: 3/5
I agree with you, this is not the winning song for Sanna Nielsen, even if she deserved one. My problem with this song, as is with many other songs written by Fredrik Kempe, is that it sounds unfinished. The verse is genius and it grows beautifully after the first refrain. But the chorus does not deliver what the verse promises even if Sanna has her chance to show what she is capable of as a singer.
ReplyDeleteWorst of all there is no middle eight what you are waiting for from the second verse on. When the song ends it is like "this is it?" and you feel disappointed. I can make a list of Fredrik Kempe songs that gives the same disappointed feel, great beginning but the ending is a let down.
Luckily for Kempe he has Sanna Nielsen to sing this entry. Even if I think that she can express emotions and different nuances in Swedish better than in English, she makes the song what it is, almost whispering in the beginning and then blasting it out during the last third of the song. She is really the asset of this entry, if anyone else would have sung this song it definately wouldn't have had any change against Ace Wilder.
And as I said before, I love when a powerful song ends in a quiet tone.