France FRANCE 2024 - Slimane - Mon amour

[ESC United Mod Team]

 

[mauve]

I am one of them swimming against the stream. I don't feel anything when listening to the song. @Ted Talks described it perfectly with "cold and detached". I am usually a ballad lover, but this song simply doesn't reach me. There is no doubt that his voice is gorgeous, but I would take rather someone having an "unsteady" voice and reaching my heart. His performance is nothing stunning and also leaves me cold unfortunately.

 

[Sammy]

I can't deny that the rehearsal clip is vocally very impressive, but it also confirms my problems with the song this year. It leaves me feeling nothing.

It's weird how I'd say the Netherlands' supposed emotional bit in their song and this French entry as a whole suffer the same problem - they're telling me to be emotional, but not making me feel it. It's cold and detached. I don't believe Slimane 'feels' this song. He's telling me he is, but I don't feel it.

It comes across as a very cynical entry and performance designed to win the jury vote. And it will most likely succeed on that front.

The song doesn‘t reach you - fair enough. But cynical? That seems a bit harsh given that this is a competition. How is wanting to deliver a competitive package cynical?

 

[Ted Talks]

The song doesn‘t reach you - fair enough. But cynical? That seems a bit harsh given that this is a competition. How is wanting to deliver a competitive package cynical?

Cynical in that it comes across as a song written purely with the Eurovision juries in mind and nothing more.

There’s no depth to this for me. I believed in Barbara’s Voila and La Zara’s Evidiment as it felt like it belonged to them and was just performed for us, the wider public.

Slimane’s song doesn’t.

Of course everyone is competing to do as well as possible, but I still think it’s better to write a song first that then happens to be the Eurovision entry - not deliberately going out to write a Eurovision entry and therefore just doing a checklist of things - jury appeal etc. That’s why it’s cynical to me, much like the Dutch with their checklist wacky moments with a tacked on emotional bit.

 

[aef]

I am one of them swimming against the stream. I don't feel anything when listening to the song. @Ted Talks described it perfectly with "cold and detached". I am usually a ballad lover, but this song simply doesn't reach me. There is no doubt that his voice is gorgeous, but I would take rather someone having an "unsteady" voice and reaching my heart. His performance is nothing stunning and also leaves me cold unfortunately.

I agree a 100%. Are people actually really touched by the song? I mean it's SO cliché in the worst posible way, so over the top, so annoying somehow. And him standing there in this cold stage environment, all in white, doesnt make it better. I feel more emotion when listening to Europapapa tbh.

As I said before, I can now see this getting many jury points, unfortunately. But I hope a couple of juries will also take the song quality in considertion, therfore being outside their top 10.

And yes, the vocals are also just over the top, it's more screaming than beautiful singing.

 

[GermanBango]

Not so bold assumption: If the song was in English the fandom would hate it.

 

[ESC94]

Not so bold assumption: If the song was in English the fandom would hate it.

But it isn't, therefore this is whataboutism.

 

[GermanBango]

But it isn't, therefore this is whataboutism.

You might want to look up the definition of “whataboutism”.

 

[ESC94]

You might want to look up the definition of “whataboutism”.

Ok, maybe this wasn't the right word but but I stil find your argument rather weak. I'm generally not a big fan of these "What if..." questions, it's not in English but in French and therefore useless to discuss how the reaction might be, it simply isn't.

 

[Sammy]

regarding the fandom as a whole i sometimes get the opposite impression: people hate it because it’s french.

but speaking purely for myself: yes I‘m positively biased towards french and towards Slimane in particular. I have followed his career for quite some time now and I agree - this is not his strongest song. but being his fan - yes I allow myself to be heavily biased, cast away all criticism and whish that he‘ll win this - against all odds.

 

[Sammy]

I still think it’s better to write a song first that then happens to be the Eurovision entry - not deliberately going out to write a Eurovision entry and therefore just doing a checklist of things - jury appeal etc.

I‘m pretty sure that this is the case with a veeery small minority of songs in Eurovision… And I‘m almost certain that it does not apply to any of the winning songs of let‘s say the last 15 to 20 years. (with maybe the exception of Måneskin)

 

[ESC94]

A very charming appearance of him at the carpet and his English was also better than I thought.

 

[Lumina]

I‘m pretty sure that this is the case with a veeery small minority of songs in Eurovision…

Like Germany this year. Isaak wrote the song himself before Eurovision and then decided to apply with it. That’s why it doesn’t tick all the Eurovision boxes und people call it lame. Which I don’t think but obviously you have to bring s song tailored to ESC to succeed.

 

[Ted Talks]

I‘m pretty sure that this is the case with a veeery small minority of songs in Eurovision… And I‘m almost certain that it does not apply to any of the winning songs of let‘s say the last 15 to 20 years. (with maybe the exception of Måneskin)

Well from a UK perspective, our tactic of deliberately writing a song for Eurovision didn't really work and became cliche-ridden nonsense that appealed to no-one. I think a big issue with deliberately writing for the contest is that most of the songs don't feel genuine to the performer.

It's funny the year that the UK changed things and went to Sam Ryder we did better as Space Man was a song he'd written and recorded long before he was even approached for Eurovision. It felt true to him and obviously coupled with his amazing performance did brilliantly.

We'll have to see how Olly does this year but again it was a song he'd written for his album long before Eurovision came calling. It's very him in style and better for it (still could be better in places admittedly) than a cliched Eurovision song.

 

[soulm8]

Oh, he is such a vibe, romantic soul.

ð«ð· Slimane (France) describes Eurovision 2024 staging for "Mon Amour"

Back in April, France's Eurovision 2024 singer Slimane met up with us at the London Eurovision Party. Now that he's had both of his rehearals, we're happy to...

youtu.be

 

[NeoTen]

Such a great song. That stage outfit though. IF you wear a white wifebeater, be fit.

 

[SpiritofKeiino]

Such a great song. That stage outfit though. IF you wear a white wifebeater, be fit.

I preferred his mirror vest, but I get why he changed it because we've seen it a lot already

 

[NeoTen]

I preferred his mirror vest, but I get why he changed it because we've seen it a lot already

I mean.... Måns jogged every morning in that grey tee, he did his taxes in that grey tee, he did groceries in that grey tee, he even slept in that grey tee. He's gonna appear in that grey tee this week again. In fact, I heard it was white, but it turned grey from all his sweat repeating that dance move he did while singing "demons in our minds" and acting like there was really a demon dancing in around his head, no joke.

.....if something's good, just keep it.

 

[Wynnter]

Upgrading from to .

 

[jatojo]

Even my mom (who sort of grew up when this kind of chanson was popular many decades ago) thinks this song is way too old-fashioned. And the lyrics - 0% originality. "Just give him a song, and at least the juries will love it" - seems to have been the concept behind this cliché of an entry. Ten times worse than "Voila".

Apparently the song will do relatively well even in the televote - which is a mystery to me. But we did see mediocre ballads from Switzerland, Australia etc. be quite succesful in the last couple of years even though they hardly had a hook.

 

[Chorizo]

A very nice and classy ballade. 12 points.