France FRANCE 2024 - Slimane - Mon amour

[ESC United Mod Team]

 

[GermanBango]

Yeah, after it ended up in 4th position.

Well the live version helped elevate it from the middle of my ranking to the top 10, yea. But that’s a problem because…?

 

[Lumina]

I knew he could deliver. Haters gonna hate but I swear, he‘s SO IN IT TO WIN IT!!

 

[MS.]

I don't care much for Due Vite either - it's not like DV is bad, but it accomplishes things I don't care for in music. I have my sad songs. I have my comfort songs. I have my own coping mechanisms for when I desire a handsome man, or wholesome words being whispered in my ear. I don't require a Due Vite for any of those things, and that's why I always been lukewarm towards it, at best. It was a competent song though with a well-established narrative by a very charming lead and I respect its skill. It's just not my cup of tea. When I listen to music, I just look for other things.

Mon Amour is intended to be like Due Vite, but it's not even close to its level. Its narrative is wretched. Like, he fucks up his relationship, she not only leaves him, but breaks off all contact AND MOVES AWAY FROM HIS CITY and yet i'm supposed to believe he isn't sure whether she likes him or not? Dude, I don't know her and yet I already know the answer. MOVE ON.

Sadly, he does not, and spends three minutes lamenting it, with a surprisingly lack of dignity. The lyrics establish we're right at the end of a toxic relationship, where HE fails at introspection or understand her need for personal space. And that realization KILLS all the potential romance Mon Amour could have had for me. It makes me want to root AGAINST the person singing it.

Instrumentally, the song is deliberately stripped down for the purpose of vocals and lyrics. Love rich instrumentation, the song offers none. That's too bad. The lyrics suck and the vocals, well... loud is a pitch, not an emotion. Slimane needs to be careful because he sometimes strays into the former without transitioning into the latter.

The song feels like it was specifically put together for people who don't know French, but could be swayed by something specifically French-sounding or a big vocal that (highly contemptuous) Makes Them Cry. I personally find it phoney and insidious but hey that is (thankfully for France) just me.

Theoretically that voice COULD win Eurovision. But if it does not, can we at least all agree that Mon Amour as a composition fucking suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuucks?

So much arrogance... So much hate... What has he done to you?
Slimane is a very generous singer who always gives his time who always tries his best. He's an excellent vocalist who always delivers very emotionnal songs. So calling him pitchy and emotionless is beyond ridicoulous in my opinion.
And let's talk about the lyrics. This is an emotional and desperate call for a person he used to love. Many people have been in this situation, and many love songs talk about the same subject but you're picking to comment on them here just for the purpose of downgrading the song.

 

[MS.]

Anyway i'm very happy with the staging and with the fact that he's performing in the 2nd half .

 

[Ted Talks]

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.

 

[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.