Semi final running orders

Every year we have the umming and ahhhhings about who should go where in the running order. The producers can have a hard time making it 'fair' and sometimes they cannot help but make it blindingly obvious what they want to win!! It's almost become a bit of a custom to have a go at being Christer Björkman for an hour or two by making the running order ourselves, if only on the basis that when the real one comes out we can complain at how our versions are much better!

The songs competing in the semi finals have been placed into a semi but also allocated either a top half or bottom half slot, hence why each semi is separated into 2 in my pictures. I have tried really hard not to allow my own favouritism, or lack thereof, to influence the draw making. Instead I have tried to space out similar entries (so no back-to-back ballads) as well as keeping apart acts of a similar nature e.g. not putting groups next to each other.

What has become very obvious is that even though the semi allocation draw was totally random, and done before most songs had been chosen, it has created some rather noticeable imbalances. Semi one is where the majority of the non-English songs are - even then almost all of those are in the bottom half - whilst semi two is high on ballads - most of those also in the second half. Although this is a useful, if not sometimes frustrating, tool for creating the running orders, it does make you wonder what the balance of songs will be in the final. We could end up with no duets or groups in the final or have almost no non-English songs or have a very ballad heavy final which would help the efforts of the non-ballads.

The only thing that is not taken into account is where the breaks will be taken. There are usually two during each show but not always spaced out evenly over the evening. Obviously if someone has an intricate staging, they might be eyeing up a spot before or after a break, at the start or at the end of the show. As I don't know where these breaks will be I cannot take this into account. However, when the real order comes out,identifying the acts either side of the breaks could give us some insight into staging. However one might say giving extra time for such acts might be deemed favouritism. It is a tricky business!

Anyway, here is my attempt

   BLUE - male soloists   RED - female soloists   GREEN - duets   ORANGE - groups

SEMI 1

SEMI 2

Now, I very much doubt this will be the running order, for example it is very unlikely they will give Sweden, and possibly Netherlands, such a bum draw. Although the draw can help or solidify the favouritism of certain songs, with some entries this year I don't think they need such help, hence why I have put them were they are. One of the issues with a producer led running order is that emotions and hearsay about songs influences you. I mean, if I was able to push some of the acts I really like then Slovenia would be at the end of semi 1 and Azerbaijan would end semi 2. If I can see one major change to show favouritism, there might be a switch around of Croatia and Russia, although the fact we know the Russian staging is quite complex they may need a break slot.

ISRAEL

The Israeli entry was unveiled on March 10th via the host broadcaster's website and on youtube. The act chosen to sing for Israel was chosen using in the HaKokhav HaBa show which concluded on February 12th at the Keshet Studio in Neve Ilan, hosted by Asi Azar & Rotem Sela. The act who will perform in front of the home crown is Kobi Marimi with the song “Home”

This is another black and white video but most of the shots are of Kobi’s head and shoulders. There is also a lot of use of mirroring and creating multiple bodies almost in a kind of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ kind of way although this song is nothing like that! There are also shafts of light, like a door coming ajar at points in the video although it’s not particularly clear why but I am guessing it is to do with the coming or going ‘home’.

The song is a very emotional ballad that has more than a nod to ‘You raise me up” in its construction. The song starts like a religious chant but soon going into a softly spoken verse but gradually his voice becomes more full and rounded. Without any change or signal in the backing track we go straight into the chorus. If fact you don’t really realise is the chorus until the final word ‘home’. The next verse starts up but this time it is an ensemble effort with Kobi backed up by a number of singers. The backing track is still just a piano so you can kind of predict how the song is going to progress. Straight after this there is a short pre-chorus before going into another chorus. This time a drum kit and strings enter the backing track with the piano, but this doesn’t last very long as it goes back to the piano for the very end of the song.

This is a lovely, calm and emotional ballad and it is certainly the kind of safe song you sometimes expect from a host nation. Kobi’s voice is a little unusual and had some very ethic tones to it but at times it feel a little too ‘normal’ for his style and I almost would have like to have seen a bit more of the chanting at the start filter through into the body of the song. Compared with some of the ballads that need to qualify this is much more understated and doesn’t have some of the drama and probably won't have some of the outlandish staging others might have.

I think that this is a great stand alone song but with its mid-running order placing it might get overrun and overshadowed by many of the slightly more unusual entries on offer this year. It’s a good song but not another winner.

ARTIST –  Kobi Marimi

SONG – Home

MUSIC -  Ohad Shargai, Inbar Weitzman

LYRICS - Ohad Shargai, Inbar Weitzman

ARMENIA

The Armenian entry was released on March 10^th on various listening and video services. Way back in November, it was revealed that Srbuk, a former Armenian X Factor and Voice of Ukraine participant, had been internally chosen by the local broadcaster. Her song is called “Walking out”.

The video is shot in black and white although some of the shots bring through the colour red. Even though the narrative of the video is quite simplistic is bring out a lot of emotion from the song. Most of the video takes place in what seems like a studio but with a ceiling of strobing and flashing lights. She is surrounded by a number of male dancers who interact with her but not always in a positive manner. There is a lot of barging and pushing around and a lot of anguished faces. There are also shots of female dancers in different guises randomly inserted into the shots but each one only lasts a second or so, if that. Although it breaks the firey tension in the bulk of the video, these scenes are rather abstract and don't actually add or distract from the main body.

The song heavy ballad and that has very bluesy/urban feel to it. The song starts off which 2 verses in quick succession. The tune of this is very staccato and a lot of it is quite talkative and monotone. This leads into a short pre-chorus which is much more melodic and shows Srbuk’s higher register. This leads to the chorus which is quite full on again but only lasts 15 seconds which just isn’t long enough to get it into your system. We then have two more verses but this time it goes straight back into the chorus but this rendition is longer, almost 30 seconds, which works much , much better. There is then a very mellow coda which leads into the final goes of the chorus AND a key change! Most of the work here is done by the backing singers whilst Srbuk is freestyling and shouting her way through until the end

On the face of it this is a really good song. The hook is catchy in the chorus and some of the melodies and repetitions make it feel like it could be a really cool jazz song. But it is not. This song is swallowed up by the production values and I actually think that in the verses she is fighting against the music rather than being complimented by it. I also wonder if her stage show will be this aggressive as I don’t think that will be something people will vote for. I also wish there was a tad more room for light and shade in her voice because it just seems full on in the main chorus..

I think that this should qualify from semi two although it will have a lot of male ballads to fight off. I think this is just too busy and loud  in the main parts of the song to make a serious impact

ARTIST –  Srbuk

SONG – Walking out

MUSIC -  Lost Capital, tokionin

LYRICS - Garik Papoyan

MALTA

The Maltese song was unveiled on March 8^th as the video and song were released online. The act representing Malta was chose though the country’s X Factor show which finished on January 26^th, with the winner going to Eurovision. Michela Pace was the winner of the first series and she will be singing “Chameleon”.

In accordance to the name of the song, the video is highly colourised and uses a number of different settings, garments, props and copious amounts of models and dancers to create the feel of the song. There's lots of posing and colour matching/eye trickery going on to fit in with the title. I am a little worried that the setting of the video uses so much movement and use of extra people to make this feel exciting and memorable. The words of the song also appear on the video which is a little distracting.

This is a modern electronic pop number with a latin/reggae type feel to it and is very much a radio-friendly commercial song. The beat of the song kind of comes and goes throughout which means that it keeps your attention between bits but also loses the flow of the whole thing. Her voice is also very clear which suggests it has been highly processed to make it really clear. The first verse only has a bass and drum in the background and during the pre-chorus the click track in the background goes to almost double speed but with very little around it. The chorus of the track is basically ‘I’m a chameleon’ sung over again which is a little uninspiring. This order is repeated again before a rather large bridge part which is lyrically weak and doesn’t actually add anything to the song apart from filling up the time. This then followed by a final pre-chorus which is interspersed with lines from the previous bridge, which actually works better, finishing with a final chameleon line with a ‘la la la’ to finish.

It must be said that this is really not my type of music and not what I would choose to listen to. I found some of the instrumentation far too odd and in places actually laughable. The lyrics of this are really corny and I am starting to feel worried how this might sound and look on the night. Michela doesn’t do a lot in the video and she’s going to need to do a lot of work to sell this down the camera. This is not a song where she can depend n people moving around her, she is going to have to do some of the moving herself.

I’m not fond of this at all and I’ve ended up having a lot of questions and fear about how this is going to come across on stage. In some ways this is modern and current but in a year of experimental numbers this might just be a little too ordinary and only something younger viewers might vote for.

ARTIST –  Michela Pace

SONG –  Chameleon

MUSIC -  Joacim Persson, Paula Winger, Borislav Milanov, Johan Alkaenas

LYRICS - Joacim Persson, Paula Winger, Borislav Milanov, Johan Alkaenas

SWEDEN

The Swedish Final was held on March 9th at the Friends Arena in Solna, hosted by Marika Carlsson, Sarah Dawn Finer, Eric Saade & Kodjo Akolor. Before the final there were 4 heats and a second chance round. The winner was chosen by 8 international juries (50%) & a public vote (50%). The public vote consisted of a mobile phone app votes (7/8) & televoting (1/8). The winning singer was John Lundvik with the song “Too late for love”

John is alone on stage with a rectangular array of light above his head. This moves around and shines and pulsates in different ways whilst he is singing on his own, otherwise there are yellow and blue lights strobing on the background and from above. He is dressed in black, as are his backing singers who come on later, and there are very few distractions on stage. It is almost like the lack of staging puts the emphasis on the song! There is some choreography, of sorts, during the verses but is more free form in the chorus.

The song is an mid-tempo pop song with a very defined beat and a gospel feel. The start is very low key and has just a piano backing. During the bridge, which cleverly repeats the name of the song before it gets to the chorus proper, the piano starts to create the beginnings of a beat and the crowd starts to join in. For the first part of the chorus the beat drops out again but comes back in for the second part. This beat then threads through the second verse and pre-chorus and during the chorus the backing singers appear (although they have been very audible up to now) and makes for a very different kind of culmination to the song. Their interaction with each other and John looks totally genuine. There is then one final chorus but this time John starts off singing it in a falsetto then returns to his normal range, then the backing singers take control of the rest of the song whilst John does some vocal gymnastics and ends with a final ‘is it’ which feels a bit of an odd ending but does make you want to say the rest of the line, which just happens to be the title of the song.

This is very much a feel good song and the ensemble setting of the song really makes it feel like a happy and uniting 3 minutes. It is a very welcome departure from the gimmicky and over choreographed numbers Sweden has sent for the last few years – and one could even add Heroes and Euphoria to that list too. The entire thing is quite wholesome in many ways and although the lyrics of the song are somewhat ambiguous as to how the question is actually answered the song’s personality is joyful.

The song's unique SP should be easily enough to get it into the final and not only will this appeal to juries, but is one of the few songs this year I can actively see people picking up the telephone for. Sweden is the songwriting and song production capital of Europe, if not the world, and this really shows it. Can they win again? Yes.

ARTIST –  John Lundvik

SONG –  Too late for love

MUSIC -  John Lundvik, Anderz Wrethov, Andreas “Stone” Johansson

LYRICS - John Lundvik, Anderz Wrethov, Andreas “Stone” Johansson

RUSSIA

The Russian entry was unveiled on March 8th with the video being premiered on youtube. A month earlier it was revealed that 2015 runner up Sergey Lazarev would once again be representing the country. His song is called “Scream”.

The video is reminiscent of fairy and folk takes. The very start looks like a cross between the BBC2 show “Arena” titles and “In the night garden”. Although there are different actors in the scenes there is also the use of shadow puppetry, animations and slow motion camera work. In between these shots we see Sergey singing the song passionately. Thereare lots of fighting dragons, running from danger, swords and shield and saving maidens in distress. The whole thing is quite dark and mysterious which fits with the tone of the song.

The song is heavily orchestrated and it is very clear that the use of a proper orchestra in the recording gives this a highly emotional and dramatic feeling. The start is very small and quiet, the first verse being very understated, low in tone and almost talkative. This goes into the pre-chorus which is basically a staircase of notes, with the tune doing a set of scales up and down. Then starts the chorus which is basically the word ‘scream’ elongated over the whole sequence then repeated again, which is a little disappointing considering the amount of effort it has taken to get to this point. There is then another verse, pre-chorus and chorus followed by what almost feels like false finish. There is then a mini coda section where Sergey sings in unison with what sounds like himself and this part really sounds more interesting than everything that has gone before. He does a lat chorus by the harmonised singing keeps going. This idea should have been picked up earlier in the song instead of leaving it right at the end.

Overall I feel every so lightly disappointed at this entry. Although the music is beautiful and extremely well structured the lyrics are terribly underwhelming. In particular I find the fire/liar/drier rhyme rather strange and I think the phrasing is a little odd. It’s almost like they have picked key words, put them together in a way that makes a bit of sense but most of all has the most emphasis. But most of all, the one word chorus is a let down.

That all said, we know from his previous attempt at winning Eurovision, Sergey can sing and we also know he can cope very well indeed with intricate and complex staging so the whole package will provide a lot of unforgettable drama which might overshadow some of its lyrical misgivings.

This will qualify with no problem whatsoever but he needs to be warned that in a semi with plenty of male ballads he might have to up his game to make sure his entry is not diluted by everything around him. This is good but I am also equally disappointed at the same time.

ARTIST – Sergey Lazarev

SONG – Scream

MUSIC -  Philip Kirkorov, Dimitris Kontopoulos

LYRICS - Sharon Vaughn, Dimitris Kontopoulos

NORTH MACEDONIA

The North Macedonian entry was released on March 8^th. The song was to be released on 4 March, but the release date was changed to 8 March 2019 to coincide with International Women's Day. Back in January it was announced that 2008 FYROM representative Tamara Todevska would be singing for the newly renamed nation. The entry is called “Proud”.

The video is shot in colour but a lot of the clothing is black and white and the background is mostly grey, so one might get the impression it was shot in black and white. It shows a number of different women (hence the date change) looking and performing to the camera, including Tamara herself. There is not a lot of narrative to the shots but this could work as an interesting backdrop for the Eurovision shows.

The song is an emotional ballad and has very sparse instrumentation throughout. During the first verse and chorus there is only a piano present and in the second chorus a single violin joins in. After this there is a short interlude where the violin and piano and the tune of the violin starts to have a slight Balkan feel which gives this part some character. There then starts another verse but Tamara’s voice is much more powerful than the first time around and  the piano is much more staccato and has a driving beat. At this point a chorus of backing singers also joins and join in with the tune for the rest of the song. The ending of the song is slightly left in the air and the last ‘girl’ feel a little empty and lacking meaning.

Although this year has many ballads this one really stands out with its stripped-back backing track and its repetitive message gets through to you without being an annoying earworm. If Tamara can sing this with gusto and connect with the camera this could do really well. I think the ending culd do with a bit of tweaking but I hope the rest of the song stays as it it. I guess the biggest issue is staging and this country has quite the reputation of messing up and even failing on staging. I can imagine a pianist and violinist on stage – possibly only lit up when they start playing – joined by some backing singers. It might even be worth having something akin to the sea of faces behind her too. This needs no dancers, no intricate lightning it just needs to be simple to make sure the message comes across

I really like this and think that unlike some of the other ballads of show the simplicity of the music lets the words shine through, If it doesn’t mess up the staging this should easily qualify and I would really like this to do well.

ARTIST –  Tamara Todevska

SONG – Proud

MUSIC -  Darko Dimitrov, Robert Bibliov, Lazar Cvetkoski

LYRICS - Kosta Petrov, Sanja Popovska

POLAND

The Polish song was unveiled on March 8^th as the video and song were released online. Back in February it was announced vocal group Tulia was going to represent the country. Their song is called "Fire of Love (Pali się)".

The video for the song in black and white and follows the four members of the group getting ready for a performance in a rural hall. They are dressed in traditional costume, although a little bit more demure what the outfits seen in 2015! The people watching are all generally quite old and are dressed in large hats, coats with shawls and scarves. There is also a fire engine crew in attendance When the girls are on stage they are quite static, almost emotionless. Although the audience looks slightly disinterested and bored by the show they end up getting a standing ovation and everybody looks happier. The girls then leave and the fire engine crew also leaves.

The sound is rather unusual to the ears as it is slightly genre bending. The group unites rock and pop production values with traditional folk singing. At first it can seem quite shouty and full on but in some ways it does have a certain charm Most of the song is in Polish apart from the start and the end. The piece starts with the ‘Fire of love’ hook line, in English followed by the first verse, half English half Polish and a rendition of the chorus. We then have another verse and chorus in quick succession and yet we have only just passed half way on the clock. We have another verse/chorus cycle followed closely by another chorus, this time in English which takes us to the finish.

The full Polish version of ‘Pali się’ had actually been around for quite a while but when this was released again as the entry the English bits had been added in. I personally think this is a little bit nonsensical. Firstly, because I don’t think the style of singing particularly fits in well with the language and secondly, their style of singing is so booming and bawling you can barely tell which bits are in which language. I am also concerned that their performance style might be a little bit lacking. From the research I have done they just kind of stand and sing and that might come across as lifeless, cold or just boring. No amount of lighting or video cues would rectify that.

I appreciate the effort and unusualness of the entry but think that this might be a little bit too full on and different for the Eurovision audience to fully digest. But as we all know, if this pulls together the wide diaspora and gets them voting, anything is possible.

ARTIST –  Tulia

SONG –  Fire of Love (Pali się)

MUSIC -  Nadia Dalin

LYRICS - Sonia Krasny, Allan Rich, Jud Friedmann

AZERBAIJAN

The Azeri act and song was revealed on March 8^th with the release of the fully entry online. Although the broadcaster had announced they were talking with a number of singers, nothing was released about the act or song until the published date. Singing for Azerbaijan is Chingiz with the song “Truth”.

The video starts with a shot of Chingiz plunging underwater. This is then intersperses with shots of different people in a range of quite outlandish costumes. The underwater theme is kept throughout at Chingiz sings a lot of the song in front of a water-effect light. Through the piece there are some very clear and strong lighting effects used and would work very well as a staging idea. There is no real narrative to the video so it will be interesting if they keep the stage concept more fluid or go with something that mirrors the song.

The song is an mid-tempo pop song whose beat is constant throughout the song but is stronger and more visible in the choruses. We start with a verse which leads into a pre-chorus. This part of the song feels like it goes on too long and it might be an idea to chop this down a little so we get to the chorus as soon as possible. The chorus has a chanting feel about it and feels a little bit angry but not enough to feel awkward. There is then a short instrumental where the ‘shut up’ part of the chorus is repeated. We go into another verse but this time leads straight into a chorus which feels much tighter than before. After the chorus instrumental there is a short interlude with distorted voices on it which could be interesting to recreate live! This then goes into the final chorus and instrumental before stopping.

As this is a video premiere there is little to see how well he can perform this live. It must be noted that there is a lot of ‘double singing’ going on i.e. two voices singing at the same time, which makes me wonder if there will be some very well trained and hidden backing singers helping along but this is just conjecture. The other odd concern is that the video from first note to last is 22 seconds too long. Maybe they will just truncate the intro or maybe omit one of the lines of the pre-chorus but this certainly seems a strange notion from an internal selection. Otherwise the song is very instant, very current and also very memorable. This would also not sound out of place on most mainstream radio stations.

Even though this has tough opposition in semi 2 I think this will easily qualify and is most definitely in the running for the win. Whether it wins or not will most certainly be down to presentation on the stage and how well Chingiz can do this live and I really hope he can.

ARTIST –  Chingiz

SONG –  Truth

MUSIC -  Borislav Milanov, Chingiz Mustafayev, Trey Campbell, Pablo Dinero, Hostess, Bo J

LYRICS - Borislav Milanov, Trey Campbell, Pablo Dinero, Hostess, Bo J

IRELAND

The Irish entry was unveiled on March 8th with the video being premiered on youtube as well as its first play on RTE Radio 1. Although the Irish delegation said they were making an internal selection, very little was known about the entry or entrant until just before the official reveal. Going to Tel Aviv is Sarah McTernan with the song “22”

The video shows Sarah on a windy beach whist singing the song. The camera also has an odd flickering filter on it which is fine at first but gets quite annoying by the end. It does however give that old film type quality which goes with the vintage feel of the song. Her performance is rather simple and gives us very few clues to staging possibilities - unlike last year’s Irish entry. She copes really well in the video keeping her hair and scarf tamed and keeps good enough eye contact with the camera. I think with fewer distractions she could be really sassy and fun on stage.

The song has a 1960’s mowtown/soul feel with a nod to modern singers like Amy Winehouse. The song is about a former love and how certain things - in this case the number 22 - remind her of them. Her voice is very much the centre of the song and the backing is very bassy and is drum heavy. There is also the presence of backing singers who, although not really very loud or prominent, give quite a lot of depth and extra rhythm to the song. The structure of the song is basically verse-chorus x3 although some of the verses are longer than others and the last chorus is a bit more free form. The guitar riff after the chorus is also a nice light touch that gives the whole thing a nostalgic and whimsical feel.

It feels like her voice is heavily synthesised to be as clear and as strong as it is and I wonder if she will sound this clear live. I could imagine this styled and performed in a slightly more old school way with Sarah at the front a couple of backing singers at the side who also do a few moves with the numbers made up with musicians. Unfortunately semi 2 is already female heavy although the fact that this song has a unique genre and styling might make is stand out a little bit more. The UK gets to vote in the semi and will definitely give this points as well the Scandinavian countries drawn in the semi so it has got a glimmer of a chance to progress. 

I like the fact that they are trying something a little bit different and I just hope they don’t go too safe with the staging. I’d love this to qualify, just to keep the diversity rate as high as possible, but something tells me this won’t quite make it. It's certainly not a winner.

ARTIST –  Sarah McTernan

SONG – 22

MUSIC -  Janieck Devy, Marcia "Misha" Sondeijker, Roel Rats

LYRICS - Janieck Devy, Marcia "Misha" Sondeijker, Roel Rats