Best / Worst Lyrics ESC 2021

[hawadharma]

Which songs do you think has the best / worst lyrics of 2021?

ALBANIA - Anxhela Peristeri - Karma
AUSTRALIA - Montaigne - Technicolour
AUSTRIA - Vincent Bueno - Amen
AZERBAIJAN - Efendi - Mata Hari
BELGIUM - Hooverphonic - The Wrong Place
BULGARIA - VICTORIA - Growing Up Is Getting Old
CROATIA - Albina - Tick-Tock
CYPRUS - Elena Tsagrinou - El Diablo
CZECH REPUBLIC - Benny Cristo - Omaga
DENMARK - Fyr & Flamme - Øve os på hinanden
ESTONIA - Uku Suviste - The Lucky One
FINLAND - Blind Channel - Dark Side
FRANCE - Barbara Pravi - Voilà
GEORGIA - Tornike Kipiani - You
GERMANY - Jendrik Sigwart - I Don't Feel Hate
GREECE - Stefania - Last Dance
ICELAND - Daði og Gagnamagnið - 10 Years
IRELAND - Lesley Roy - Maps
ISRAEL - Eden Alene - Set Me Free
ITALY - Måneskin - Zitti e buoni
LATVIA - Samanta Tina - The Moon Is Rising
LITHUANIA - The Roop - Discoteque
MALTA - Destiny - Je Me Casse
MOLDOVA - Natalia Gordienko - Sugar
NETHERLANDS - Jeangu Macrooy - Birth of a New Age
NORTH MACEDONIA - Vasil - Here I Stand
NORWAY - TIX - Fallen Angel
POLAND - RAFAŁ - The Ride
PORTUGAL - The Black Mamba - Love is on My Side
ROMANIA - Roxen - Amnesia
RUSSIA - Manizha - Russian Woman
SAN MARINO - Senhit - Adrenalina
SERBIA - Hurricane - Loco Loco
SLOVENIA - Ana Soklič - Amen
SPAIN - Blas Cantó - Voy a quedarme
SWEDEN - Tusse - Voices
SWITZERLAND - Gjon's Tears - Tout l'Univers
UKRAINE - Go_A - Shum
UNITED KINGDOM - James Newman - Embers

 

[Ezio]

I am genuinely mesmerized by the lyrics of and disgusted by and

Lyrics are very important for my personal rejoice in a song.

 

[midnightsun]

Best lyrics of the year


I really don't mind to be your rival

'Cause for your kind it's essential for survival

(Say what? He did not just say that!)

Yes, I did and I feel sorry

I don't feel hate, that's the whole point of this song

 

[BorisBubbles]

Azerbaijan's song, "Mata Hari" has some of the stupidest lyrics ever.

"I'M A GODLESS
SPY I'M A SPY
I'LL UNCOVER
ALL OF YOUR SECRETS
I WANT THEM"

first of all, if you're a spy you don't go about boasting you are a spy in a foghorn voice. THAT DEFEATS THE ENTIRE PURPOSE OF BEING A SPY. twit.

secondly, she's all like "DRINKING MY POISONOUS WATER" later, girl if you do that, you're DEAD.

thirdly, yet ANOTHER song that takes an infamous female historical figure and turns her into a WICKED DEMON WHORE.

Finally, um, she pays "homage" to epic spy Mata Hari (by slut-shaming her) and yeah so epic. So epically bad at espionage she was caught and killed, you mean?

What a fucking amateur.

 

[BorisBubbles]

On a more serious note, Cyprus is the actual worst. They have some HORRIBLE culturally appropriating lyrics, courtesy of little Miss Laurel ofc. Cyprus is a culturally Greek island located in Asia Minor. WHY is their song referencing tacos, tamales and mamacitas? spicy that melts your icy? Cringe X__X

Norway's song is also pretty terrible lyrically imo. Self-victimizing woe-is-me incel schmaltz. The text completely turned me off from "Fallen Angel" which I had zero negative feelings about when it was still called "Ut av mørket". Same applies to Georgia with their "Sunshine, I want to touch you" crap. WHY DO PEOPLE DO THIS TO THEMSELVES, let alone the rest of Europe. X__X


The rest are ok, I suppose. Sweden commits a faux pas by rhyming "voices" with "choices" (and more egregiously, "rain" with "rain" X__X), but I've seen dumber in this year, particularly the three I mentioned above. Netherlands's misheard lyrics are a byproduct of their song's flawed structure, not so much the lyrics themselves.

Now on the good side: Ireland's lyrics have GODLY bridge.

"MY SOUL IS A MAP
MY HEART IS A COMPASS
I AM THE ROAD"

These are some really great metaphors, easy to understand and get into, uplifting without feeling gratuitous, and they fit in nicely with the song's "Find Yourself, Believe In You" message.

Likewise, nods to Bulgaria for some expert penmanship for the second time in a row. "Growing up is getting old, and growing old is getting up / getting up is all you got" damn that's just a playful way to use the English language, very well-done Vicki.

On the lighthearted banger side, San Marino's song has some excellent rhyme schemes. WE'RE FIRE AND GASOLINE. COME AND LIGHT IT UP WITH ME. WE'RE ON HIGH ADRENALINE. YOU'RE MY ADRENALINA just sticks in your mind effortlessly and compells you to sing along ad nauseam. Good job SenSen!

tl;dr

Best: , ,
Worst: , , ,

 

[heke1988]

has some cliche and obvious lyrics:

"And growing up is getting old
Growing up is getting old
Getting up is growing old"

 

[MrLordi]

I hate to say but ... "Like the 27club headshot we don't wanna grow up" come on, this would be perfect with better lyrics.

 

[Lance Esgard]

Worst Lyrics
Norway: The lyrics at least in English are terribly written and is too confused. Most of the time it reads that this Fallen Angel is a victim of unrequited love with the other person being far beyond them, bemoaning their situation while seeing it as inevitable given that they would only be dragging the other person down. Only a few lines tell the whole story:
"And I need you to know/That it’s okay to let me go" "And I’m still not sure what you ever saw in me". Unless these lines were a total mistake (and maybe they are) then the actual meaning of the song is that it wasn't an unrequited love at all, but that this Fallen Angel broke up this relationship because the Fallen Angel thought the other person was too good for them and deserved better.

Of all the Eurovision songs this year, this one is to me one of the two worst songs in connecting people with the message of the song. The lyrics are not sufficiently expressive or clear for that matter. What makes this the worst for me lyrically is "And I'm still not sure what you ever saw in me." Breaking up with someone because you think you it is best for the other person when you don't even know what they saw in you ... that would anger me in real life. That is imposing your choice on the other person without letting them have any real say in the matter. This Fallen Angel may have ended a perfectly good relationship and caused heartbreak to the other person because they refused to understand how the other person felt towards them..

Maybe this interpretation comes from sloppily or inconsistently translated or worded lyrics, but I can only respond to the lyrics that are actually there.

Sweden: Do you hear those million voices? It's actually the same voice just repeating itself for what feels like a million times. The lyrics are well-intentioned, but that alone doesn't make lyrics any more effective in a musical sense. I do quite like "Painting all the scars in/The colours of change," but other lyrics come across as sacrificing the musicality (as evident in effective rhymes) for a beautiful but too generically expressed message. Having a song supposedly about unity and tolerance being dominated by such a repetitive chorus makes the song feel less about harmony and more about monolithic conformity.

Best Lyrics:
Lithuania: It's just so wholesome and feel-good. They lyrics are clear and the pacing is so well integrated with the music.
Bulgaria: The lyrics reward deeper contemplation. Given the slower pace of the song if you listen to them the lyrics can be an important part of the appeal of the song. Generally the lyrics here are quite well-written and at times deep. I do wish 'Tetris' was not in there however as I find it distracting in a Eurovision context given it is the name of a specific brand and a company with associated commercial products.

Honourable Mentions:
Spain: A surprising selection, perhaps, but if you separate the lyrics from the execution of them in the song, the Spanish lyrics themselves (and its English translation) beautifully express the feeling of loving someone as you know their life is about to enter its final moments.
Ireland: Varied. Expressive. Clear. Well, not so much in the studio version, but a lack of clarity in the audio mix is no fault of the lyrics themselves.

 

[soulm8]

has some cliche and obvious lyrics:

"And growing up is getting old
Growing up is getting old
Getting up is growing old"

Maybe go deeper into the lyrics, this is everything but cliche:


Playing Tetris with my feelings
Tryna keep them all inside
Hollow shadows and my soul is spilling over
I’m out of time, mmm-mmh
Closing every door, wanna be alone
Lonely is a way that I survive
Sick of wanting more, sitting on the floor
Wondering where all my feelings go

Star-crossed soul
And I’m used to letting go
Sink deeper in the flow of it
My demons know exactly where my fears
Are hiding all my tears

 

[heke1988]

Maybe go deeper into the lyrics, this is everything but cliche:


Playing Tetris with my feelings
Tryna keep them all inside
Hollow shadows and my soul is spilling over
I’m out of time, mmm-mmh
Closing every door, wanna be alone
Lonely is a way that I survive
Sick of wanting more, sitting on the floor
Wondering where all my feelings go

Star-crossed soul
And I’m used to letting go
Sink deeper in the flow of it
My demons know exactly where my fears
Are hiding all my tears

I am not saying, that every lyrics of the Bulgarian song are cliches. Only that part, which I mentioned.

 

[Franzilein]

[...] then the actual meaning of the song is that it wasn't an unrequited love at all, but that this Fallen Angel broke up this relationship because the Fallen Angel thought the other person was too good for them and deserved better.

Congratulations, you found the meaning of the song Actually fairly easy to grasp, even when English is not your native language.

 

[Iker]

Good







Bad
No thanks for yet another cliched song about unity.
Incel anthem, next.

 

[lasse braun]

do not know the lyrics of all countries but the most.

good lyrics:

bad lyrics:

best lyrics from a not qualified song redel/tartu

 

[Lance Esgard]

Congratulations, you found the meaning of the song Actually fairly easy to grasp, even when English is not your native language.

Tell that to Wiwibloggs! They maintain it is about unrequited love. Completely. It may be clear enough to you or me, but it hasn't been that way for others.

 

[DanielLuis]

has some cliche and obvious lyrics:

"And growing up is getting old
Growing up is getting old
Getting up is growing old"

How is this a cliche?

 

[Franzilein]

Tell that to Wiwibloggs! They maintain it is about unrequited love. Completely. It may be clear enough to you or me, but it hasn't been that way for others.

Did you read the article? While the title is unfortunate, they also explain the meaning of the song fairly accurately further down:

"[...] to convey the idea of a crush that one can never have because they believe they can’t match up."
"He sees his crush as the true angel and he can never be with her."
"He also believes that if he tried to be her partner, he’d just be holding her back in life."

Also, it's Wiwibloggs. Urgh.

 

[Lance Esgard]

Did you read the article? While the title is unfortunate, they also explain the meaning of the song fairly accurately further down:

"[...] to convey the idea of a crush that one can never have because they believe they can’t match up."
"He sees his crush as the true angel and he can never be with her."
"He also believes that if he tried to be her partner, he’d just be holding her back in life."

Also, it's Wiwibloggs. Urgh.

The very line right before the first line you quote is:
“Fallen Angel” is written by TIX himself and is a synthpop ballad about unrequited love."

It is true that lines you quote do not necessarily commit to that view as being an accurate one of the situation. But in context the lines you quote come across as explaining the nature of an unrequited relationship.

I point to:
"the idea of a crush that one can never have because they believe they can’t match up,"
...which is interesting given this line in the official lyrics:
"And I’m still not sure what you ever saw in me."

Seeing it worded that way without further explanation is what gave me the idea that the view there is that the song is just about unrequited love and that the greater accuracy elsewhere is a side-effect of the sentence structure.

But of course I could be wrong. And I certainly admit I could have worded things more accurately myself.

 

[midnightsun]

Considering the fact there are a lot of people who will listen to the song for the first time on the GF and don't listen closely enough to the lyrics: at least the title "I'm a fallen angel" should hint at the song being about him and his fears/feelings. But I doubt the usual Eurovision audience cares about going further into the lyrics.

 

[heke1988]

How is this a cliche?

Well obviously we get older, when we grow up. For me that sounds kind of cliche.

 

[Iker]

Well obviously we get older, when we grow up. For me that sounds kind of cliche.

Yeah but cliche is something that has been done ad nauseam in lyrics and this is not one of these things (while 'Voices' from Sweden is cliched). Also the lyrics of GUIGO are supposed to be interpreted twofold.