Sweden SWEDEN 2018 - Benjamin Ingrosso - Dance You Off

[Ezio]

Your point is?

Give Estonia some love back.

 

[midnightsun]

Oh boy, the time has finally come when (not happy to say this because I love Sweden) I have to say, this is my personal worst song ever sent by Sweden since their debut in Eurovision.

 

[ZoboCamel]

After a few more listens... dropping from a 6 to 4 points, verging on 3. I don't hate it in the way that a lot of people do, and there's some stuff here to appreciate - it's got a cool vibe, and I do like the staging - but it's entirely flat throughout, with barely any growth. The staging, the song, the vocals; it's all nice enough for about 20 seconds, but for 3 minutes it's like watching the same thing on repeat over and over. As a result, it doesn't stand out as much for me on full listens as it does in recaps.

 

[Scooby]

Everyday, every night, it is time for Sweden to fail

 

[Ezio]

; it's all nice enough for about 20 seconds, but for 3 minutes it's like watching the same thing on repeat over and over.

this!

 

[Lenny1993]

I enjoy the show. I won't listen to the song non stop but I will enjoy the performance in the semi final and the final. 10 points for Sweden! Plus: Benjamin is super sweet

 

[Matt]

I enjoy the show. I won't listen to the song non stop but I will enjoy the performance in the semi final and the final. 10 points for Sweden! Plus: Benjamin is super sweet

That sums it up. He seems genuinely happy and excited. He seems way more interesting than some of the other representatives Sweden has sent.

Frans clearly didn't want to be there. Robin was polite and friendly but had no personality, doing interviews with him was not an easy task. Benjamin will be fun and enjoyable, a lot more energy so for that alone, I already feel a little better. I have the desire to give this 5 points instead of four in the poll instead of four.

 

[Realest]

Go Benjamin!! Show it them Haters another Time

 

[Citelis]

I don't like it but it will win Eurovision!

 

[theditz83]

Never taken to this track, it still creeps me out for some reason, it sounds like a song that would play in a movie when the characters are in some dirty, sweaty club with dodgy dealings going down. Weird!

 

[watersoup]

And Mendez finishing last overall but 3rd in the televoting?

In 2017: Robin Bengtsson comes 3rd in televoting, wins Melodifestivalen.
In 2018: Mendez comes 3rd in televoting, finishes last.

If we needed any more evidence that the televote means literally nothing.

 

[FilipFromSweden]

International jury vote track record:

2011: Eric Saade 84 NF points - jury #1
ESC: Televote 2nd, jury 8-9th

2012: Loreen 114 NF points - jury #1
ESC: Televote 1st, jury 1st

2013: Robin Stjernberg 91 NF points - jury #1
ESC: Televote 18th, jury 3rd

2014: Sanna Nielsen 90 NF points - jury #2
ESC: Televote 4th, jury 2nd

2015: Måns Zelmerlöw 122 NF points - jury #1
ESC: Televote 3rd, jury 1st

2016: Frans 88 NF points - jury #2 (#1)
ESC: Televote 6th, jury 9th

2017: Robin Bengtsson 96 NF points - jury #1
ESC: Televote 8th (?), jury 3rd

NF points = by jury. Ingrosso got 114 jury points tonight

 

[simonPL]

And I do not have the smallest doubt that juries and audience will LOVE it and VOTE for it, and of course Sweden will be top five again with this crap.
The pre-determined, programmed, forced success which they obviously want every single year.

This! I wrote the same thing once before I coudn't agree more. Still.
I don't want to vote 0, because my fat "0" is booked for this (so called) cringe fest form Spain this year, but I don't like this performance at all. It's only a little bit better than last year's winning-robot from Sweden (who apperred on the stage tonight and still showing 100% lack of personality) but... still no. Sergey Lazarev did the same thing. Everything directed from A to Z, no place for fun, spontaneity, just meh.

Felix was better, Sweden had more better choices and ended up with this. But they wanted it, so ok. Good luck.
Probably it will have a good result in Portugal. I am not a fan of this kind shows. And song sounds weak for me.

 

[RevNet]

THE GOOD:
-I appreciate the early 80s sound that it's going for.
-I like the instrumentals.

THE BAD:
-It sounds similar to last year's entry.
-This feels like an anthology of Justin Bieber's early songs.

THE VERDICT:
While I appreciate some things about this song, I am not declaring it a winner. For one, while the tone is different, I can't shake that this song (at least in the beats) sounds similar to last year's entry. While Sweden gets away with a lot, I cannot let that stand without at least a comment. For two, his vocals kind of bring it down for me. They're a bit too cringey for my liking. 7 points

 

[lavieenrose]

So here's my T: the song is bad. He's smarmy and annoying. The staging is actually pretty good, but I sort of overlook that.

HOWEVER.

After having heard a vocal-only audio track of his semifinal performance, I fear that I'm on the way towards developing some kind of ironic appreciation for it. He sounds like (pick one) a) me singing along to the song through headphones b) some 55-year-old woman in Iowa named Pam singing it drunk at karaoke night with "her girlfriends" and, when she finds out that she *GASP* SANG at karaoke night in the morning, she'll say "oh golly!" or something like that. I'm infatuated with his talentlessness. That he's Pernolia Wallgroin Pernilla Wahlgren's son makes me kind of suspicious that he's just joining the family business because he feels he has to. I'm sorry; that's compelling as hell. Couple that with some fun conversations with [MENTION=9441]RainyWoods[/MENTION] in which we tease each other for our respective positions on the song and Benjamin as a performer, and I've sort of built up a relationship with this entry, if a negative one.

Actually, writing all that, I feel like I have to be nice. 5 points because I actually care about this song. Give me this over something like France or Australia any day.

 

[Scooby]

I don't like it but it will win Eurovision!

Nice to meet you. I am Mother Theresa

 

[Preuss]

sweden going for the safe
nothing special really
great show though

 

[Realest]

is back in the Top5 in the Betting Odds

 

[ZoboCamel]

So here's my T: the song is bad. He's smarmy and annoying. The staging is actually pretty good, but I sort of overlook that.

HOWEVER.

After having heard a vocal-only audio track of his semifinal performance, I fear that I'm on the way towards developing some kind of ironic appreciation for it. He sounds like (pick one) a) me singing along to the song through headphones b) some 55-year-old woman in Iowa named Pam singing it drunk at karaoke night with "her girlfriends" and, when she finds out that she *GASP* SANG at karaoke night in the morning, she'll say "oh golly!" or something like that. I'm infatuated with his talentlessness. That he's Pernolia Wallgroin Pernilla Wahlgren's son makes me kind of suspicious that he's just joining the family business because he feels he has to. I'm sorry; that's compelling as hell. Couple that with some fun conversations with [MENTION=9441]RainyWoods[/MENTION] in which we tease each other for our respective positions on the song and Benjamin as a performer, and I've sort of built up a relationship with this entry, if a negative one.

Actually, writing all that, I feel like I have to be nice. 5 points because I actually care about this song. Give me this over something like France or Italy any day.

I want to like this comment but it includes a negative remark about Italy. Please edit that out bit or forever live with the terrible knowledge that you have missed out on a hot Zobo-like.

 

[RainyWoods]

So here's my T: the song is bad. He's smarmy and annoying as hell. The staging is actually pretty good, but I sort of overlook that.

HOWEVER.

After having heard a vocal-only audio track of his semifinal performance, I fear that I'm on the way towards developing some kind of ironic appreciation for it. He sounds like (pick one) a) me singing along to the song through headphones b) some 55-year-old woman in Iowa named Pam singing it drunk at karaoke night with "her girlfriends" and, when she finds out that she *GASP* SANG at karaoke night in the morning, she'll say "oh golly!" or something like that. I'm infatuated with his talentlessness. That he's Pernolia Wallgroin Pernilla Wahlgren's son makes me kind of suspicious that he's just joining the family business because he feels he has to. I'm sorry; that's compelling as hell. Couple that with some fun conversations with [MENTION=9441]RainyWoods[/MENTION] in which we tease each other for our respective positions on the song and Benjamin as a performer, and I've sort of built up a relationship with this entry, if a negative one.

Actually, writing all that, I feel like I have to be nice. 5 points because I actually care about this song. Give me this over something like France or Italy any day.

Oh my gosh, is nothing but a small miracle. I was expecting a 1 or 2 from you. The moment you realized he actually sounds just like yourself proved just too irresistible a lure.

Benjamin is part of what makes me like this entry for some reason. I don't know why. I 95% of the time dislike young male pop stars (i'm actually so #TeamGianluca in this department), but I really enjoyed Benjamin's song last year, and I instantly liked this one too.... and somehow it just grew and grew, until last night when I actually started to get quite hyped talking with some friends about the chances of "Dance You Off" winning. The performance has an aesthetic appeal I really appreciate, and I find the song extremely listenable and infectious, with a clear hook that most pop songs so far this year could only dream of having, as hooks and choruses apparently accidentally got thrown into the bin as songs were being composed. "Dance You Off" just makes me feel good. It puts me in a great mood. It's also something different for Eurovision. The comparisons to a certain other Swedish entry (which almost made me gasp in horror, seeing how much I darn well hate you know what) I think are unjust. Very different songs. Sweden has never gone for a laid back number like "Dance You Off" before. It doesn't at all sound like a Eurovision song, which could play to it's strengths. I'm curious to see how it will do for the fact alone that we haven't had something in this music style before at the contest. People are saying it's same old but in my opinion it's really not.

This is a very interesting year for me. Unless one of Georgia, Macedonia or Israel deliver HARD, then Sweden could actually be fighting for my favourite song of the year, which is simultaneously tragic and hilarious. I almost welcome it because it would be funny. Go Benjamin I genuinely love this entry.