Week by week the Aussievision Podcast will be going through the rankings of the Eurovision 2020 entries.
On Sunday we counted down 41st to 30th of the collated team's rankings with some surprising and not so surprising results.
For those who don't listen to the podcast (you can listen and subscribe via Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts!) Here are the rankings with comments from the team:
41. Georgia - Tornike Kipiani - 'Take Me As I Am'
Average rank: 33
Highs: 13th Kyriakos, 18th Ruby
Lows: Last from Ally, Liv, Emma and Steve, 40th Mike
Kyriakos: "Georgia’s entry stood out for me. Tornike’s voice is so emotive and the quirky lyrics are very memorable. I love how different it is to all the other entries. And it would have qualified. The song reminds me of Linkin Park back in the day. I also enjoy the “I love you” in the different languages."
Ruby "The key reason why I like this song is that it is quintessential Eurovision for outsiders, with its’ out there lyrics and instrumentals, however personally I think it’s a chaotic mess done right. I really doubted Georgia’s ability to produce a song that would work well with Tornikes voice but they did ... somehow.
Liv: "The overall sentiment I can appreciate - having someone love you for who you are...but as a package I find it grating and genuinely painful to listen to. The tone of his voice just has me reaching for the mute button. ESPECIALLY the part in the chorus when he sings the "just the way I aaaaaam" parts - that sliding up to the next note is painful. Then mixed with the backing which doesn't really fit with any one genre it really doesn't work for me. On top of that - the lyrics I find a bit cringey and basic for a song which is obviously trying to radiate a powerful message."
Mike: "I'll Georgia their due, this feels genuine to Tornike and 'Brand Georgia'. But it never pays off for them. The song does nothing for me, it's lyrically poor and a bit of a mess musically."
40. San Marino - Senhit - 'Freaky!'
Average rank: 32.4
Highs: 15th Ally, 22nd Fleur
Lows: 40th Ruby and Liv, 39th Dale and Kyriakos
Ally: "It's an uptempo pop song, but they don't feel like the kind of song you'd hear on the radio all the time, which I do appreciate."
Ruby: San Marino: it’s memorable and Senhit has a lovely voice but other than than I really can’t get behind this - the lyrics and melody feel dated and the music video is a bit too ‘freaky’ to have inspired any hope about its staging potential.
Liv: "Nothing against Senhit but the disco zone for San Marino has already been successfully fulfilled by Serhat (a few times now...). It's a really strange brand to be peddling and I'm not sure it's a food move on San Marino's part to be wanting to be associated with well dated disco-vibes. I can understand they probably like the novelty effect and not taking themselves too seriously - if that is their aim perhaps they could look to countries like Moldova for inspiration. Year after year the small nation has produced relatively cheap staging with dated songs but still maintain uniqueness. Disco inspired Eurovision entries are not unique in the slight."
Dale: "I don't mind this but among the 41 songs it's a little forgettable. I don't skip the song but don't seek it out - it's energetic but a little dated."
39. Poland - Alicja - 'Empires'
Average rank: 31.6
Highs: 20th Ally, 27th Fleur
Lows: Last from Dale, 39th Steve
Belarus - San Marino & Austria - They're both modern, uptempo pop songs, but they don't feel like the kind of song you'd hear on the radio all the time, which I do appreciate
Ally: "I'm not quite sure what specifically about Poland's song I liked, but in hindsight her voice might have been a factor. She has a beautiful, but also quite powerful voice, and the song gave her plenty of opportunities to showcase that."
Dale: "I don't deny Alicja has an incredible vocal, but to me where is the song??? I'm not voting for a vocal, I'm voting for a song and this has nothing to grab on to. Unfortunately the most forgettable ballad this year."
38. France - Tom Leeb - 'Mon alliée (The Best in Me)'
Average rank: 31.4
Highs: 17th Steve, 18th Dale
Lows: Last: Ruby and Fleur, 40th Aaron
Steve: "Well it’s partly in French which I love (and the French lyrics also have the advantage of sounding less basic to a non-French speaker), the tone of Tom’s voice is beautiful and, once again, I find myself humming along to it after I listen. The revamp didn’t go far enough - I’d have it all in French with a more acoustic sound. Tom could easily hold attention on the stage with relatively simple staging
Dale: "The revamp has improved what was an "X Factor winner by numbers" song with a really cliche 'pyro-curtain' moment. The additional French has really helped this AND this song is so damn catchy. That chorus get caught in your head andI can't help stop singing it. Dated, yes? Guilty pleasure, for sure! I really think it would have done much better on the night that many Eurofans thought."
Ruby: "I think this is my favourite song to sing along to for the simple facts that the lyrics are so repetitive. It’s dated, and while I really like Tom’s voice, this song didn’t do him any favours, just too one note (despite the key change)."
Fleur: "This song makes me angry. Destination Eurovision was cancelled because the French delegation stumbled upon the winning formula...and we got this. For me this is a contrived mess of a Christmas Carol mashed up with Bryan Adams like vocals. I am a fan of neither. The most irritating part is the actual lyrics: “de toi, de toi, de toi”, “you are, you are, you are”. This is a whole new level of repetitiveness. Also, the song just does not flow well. Honestly, I would have preferred to have seen “Bim bam toi" chosen over this. I even prefer “Songu”.
37. Austria - Vincent Bueno - 'Alive'
Average rank: 30.6
Highs: 19th Ally, 22nd Emma
Lows: Last from Mike, 36th Dale, Kyriakos and Guy
Ally: "It's an uptempo pop song, but they don't feel like the kind of song you'd hear on the radio all the time, which I do appreciate."
Emma: "This was the track I struggled to place most when finalising my Eurovision 2020 rankings. I originally had this ranked around 13th, however after a few more listens I began to tire of it quickly and it dropped down my list. In all honesty I could probably have dropped it down a few more places. I feel like it’s all been done before and wouldn’t have done particularly well at Eurovision. I ranked it 22nd as I appreciated Vincent’s Justin Timberlake/Michael Jackson style vocals. There’s no denying it’s a pleasant, radio-friendly song that I might enjoy listening to if it came on the car radio, but it’s not something I would seek out to listen to. "
Mike: "The chorus is ok. That's it. The rest of it is just a mash up of things that don't work. It's got five ideas that have been thrown into a "funk song" that they hoped would come together, and it didn't."
36. Belgium - Hooverphonic - 'Release Me'
Average rank: 29.9
Highs: 12th Fleur, 18th Steve
Lows: 38th Mike, 37th Dale
Fleur: "I’m a sucker for a James Bond theme, what can I say. I like electronic fusion done like this too. I will be honest, I was not keen on this at first but it grew on me. Had I ranked this earlier, I would not have scored this as high. It is simply nice listening pleasure. The instrumental is lovely and pairs with Luka’s vocals perfectly. I guess that is what I found most redeeming in this song. That said, I don’t think it had much of a chance to win but it is a song that I definitely listen to a lot on the CD. Making a big call here, but this would be popular with my with non-Eurovision friends of the Gen-X demographic."
Steve: "Belgium plays right into my love of Bond. It’s slick, I love the lead vocalist’s voice and it makes me want to slip on a tux and grab a cocktail as I wander through a swanky casino to a terrace to watch the sunset. Lol. I’ve thought about this too much. Essentially, I like the vibe."
Mike: "You can tell there is quality in this song. It's just such a plodding song, it promises a little when it starts and you wait for a moment, but it goes nowhere. Where's the life in this? Plus the use of 'losing game' is a poor choice considering last year's winner."
Dale: "This is good quality but it's a Sunday afternoon jazz cafe with a glass of vino song. It's one note and that's not Eurovision. Does nothing for me."
35. Croatia - Damir Kedžo - 'Divlji vjetre'
Average rank: 28.9
Highs: 15th Aaron, 17th Guy
Lows: 40th Fleur and Emma
Guy: "I admit there isn’t anything terribly original or ground breaking about this one, and to start with I didn’t really rate it. But you know how sometimes you have those songs where each time you hear it, you bump it up your list a few places - then before you know it, you keep finding yourself going back to listen to it and it’s in your top 20. It’s a fairly classic (probably cliché) style of man ballad in the way it has been constructed, but it has a melody that I enjoy and I think it’s delivered nicely by Damir."
Aaron: "Much like Slovenia, a revamp did this song many favours. The instrumentation is rich (if a little restrained in the first chorus), and Damir can sing! I'm not a huge fan of the key change (can we leave these in the 2010's please?) but it isn't a serious detraction."
Fleur: "Nothing wrong with this but this a typical male Balkan ballad and I have heard eleventy times before. It just does not stand out to me whatsoever. Just not memorable to me in the slightest. I preferred other songs from Dora and I would have thought that they would have had a better chance than this one."
Emma: "There’s no denying Damir has a strong voice and this Balkan ballad is better quality than my rank of 40 would suggest. I’m sure it would have come to life on stage, particularly if all of his backing singers had also made the trip to Rotterdam. I ranked this 40th as it’s just not something I would choose to listen to and the studio cut left me feeling cold as I struggled to connect to a song where I didn’t understand the lyrics. Perhaps I have been a bit harsh but when I look back at my rankings I would choose to listen to the 39 songs I ranked higher than this, ahead of this one."
34. Estonia - Uku Suviste - 'What Love Is'
Average rank: 28.9
Highs: 10th Dale, 13th Steve, 15th Kyriakos
Lows: Last from Guy and Aaron, 39th Ruby
Dale: "I am a sucker for dated Eurovision power man ballads and this ticks every box. Uku gives everything he can to the song and it has some great 'power moments'. I understand this isn't a jury appeal song and many will be put off by the lyrics and other elements. But I'm lapping up this cheese like I'm at the Gouda street market."
Kyriakos: "I like Estonia’s entry because I am a sucker for schlager. Uku’s song grew on me over time and it has Eurovision written all over it. I can see this song being remembered as a Eurovision classic. The song is catchy and I find myself humming it."
Steve: "I love Estonia because, although perhaps dated in some respects, that chorus is so damn catchy. The catchy melody and lyrics make it a real earworm for me."
Guy: "I wouldn’t say I hate this one, but it is at the bottom of the list for me. My biggest problem is the lyrics, which I find pretty sickening (and maybe that says more about me than the song, but anyway!). The verses feel a bit like they belong to a musical, then in the chorus I don’t mind how that builds and how the vocal sounds... but the lyrics just kill me. I hear “how wonderful was the awakening” and it affirms it’s bottom place for me each time."
Aaron: "Estonia did a Malta. Picked a national-final veteran with a song that is beneath them. Uku is obviously quite talented, and a good singer, so I dislike the choice of something so meh. It has a good chorus that can let Uku deliver some oomph to it, but it's like defibrillating a tree stump. It's going nowhere."
33. Slovenia - Ana Soklič - 'Voda'
Average rank: 28.8
Highs: 4th Aaron, 5th Steve
Lows: 40th Dale, 39th Emma and Mike
Steve: "Well, I think Ana has an amazing and powerful voice, the reworked instrumentation (with lots of orchestral additions) is really gripping and, given the simplicity of the title - Voda (Water) - I can imagine how well it could have been staged, with swirling whirlpools, rain etc. Basically a simulated maelstrom with Ana standing in the middle looking stunning. The sheer power behind the song really impresses me. I genuinely don’t understand why others rate it so low. It’s not a winner, but nobody can tell me this is worse than a good ten or so other entries (at least)."
Aaron: "This song reminds me of a toned-down Molitva. The revamped instrumentals are delightful, and the tweaked song structure brings the impactful moments forward. It is a pleasing song to listen to, and I will have it in my lists for years to come."
Dale: "This has an amazing recap as you see the one big moment of the song. The rest of it is completely forgettable. She is an incredible vocalists but that can't lift this song out of 40th place for me."
32. Armenia - Athena Manoukian- 'Chains on You'
Average rank: 28.5
Highs: 8th Fleur, 18th Mike
Lows: 40th Steve, 38th Ally, 37th Liv
Fleur: "Look this is pure Eurotrash, the lyrics are hot mess and I admit I don’t even know what it even means. But it is catchy as heck. This song was stuck in my head for ages. I would be out- obviously prior to all us been banished to our homes, and I would randomly burst into song with this. The revamp made it a bit more accessible but the character of the song that I found most endearing was lost. I still love it."
Mike: "I'm spewing this didn't go to Eurovision. I think she would have done quite the performance and I think the public might have gone for this because it has some real modern elements from commercial radio."
31. Portugal
Average rank: 26.8
Highs: 8th Ruby, 16th Aaron
Lows: 39th Ally, 38th Dale
Ruby: "This song is my big grower. I didn’t really see anything special in the Portuguese national final (it was my 4th or 5th I think) but there is a very peaceful and alluring atmosphere to the melody, that really sets Portugal apart."
Dale: "This is lovely, light and airy song but in this group of 41 songs, it just doesn't stand out. It has elements of previous entries like 'O Jardim' but isn't as strong, and we saw how that entry went in 2018. "
30. Belarus - VAL - 'Da Vidna'
Average rank: 26.6
Highs: 10th Aaron and Ally
Lows: 36th Liv, 35th Mike
Ally: "The fact that it was not an English language song and it was also a uptempo pop kind of song that despite the fact that it isn't in English you can't help but sing along to."
Aaron: "I find myself singing the lyrics during, and the chorus after playing this song. It is quite catchy, and Val's vocals suit it well. I'll admit it's a little simple, but complex is not always good. The acoustic version is fabulous too, check it out!"
Mike: "It's a very simple song, the little hook, the drop and everything else. It might be catchy because of those elements but overall it's just too simple, a little flimsy and not really a very good song. It's not offensive, it's just there."
29th to 20th will be announced on the Aussievision Podcast this weekend and on the Aussievision website on Thursday 16th April.