Norway NORWAY 2014 - Carl Espen - Silent Storm

[Mattan]

It's not the hype dying down, it's just that the song leaves people silent.

No, seriously, I don't really have much more to say about this than what I've been thinking from the beginning - it's a very well-made and well-built song that contains actual emotion, and as long as Carl Espen pulls it off live as well as he did after winning the NF, it's going to be an amazing performance.

Will it have an universal enough appeal to win, though? The Norwegian NF was no crushing victory for Carl Espen, and it seems like the song either hits the spot or misses by a mile. I obviously hope the amount of people who experience the first will be greater than the amount of people who don't.

 

[Sean]

Well it's grown off me eeeeeeever so slightly and it's now my #2 behind Finland but I still love it Hopefully the audience will in May too

 

[Sean]

Carl's turn to slay today

 

[purplefebruary]

Carl's turn to slay today

Woohoo

 

[kengaIME]

He's accompanied by 4 female violists who are standing on a platform, and a pianist

Different set up for Carl

 

[revallsay]

This is gonna be an incredible emotional performance. I just love his voice

 

[Romeo]

He looks out of place :/

 

[Sean]

Awesome vocals, much better than the NF! Go Carl

 

[RainyWoods]

Not sure how I feel about the violinists and the pianist. It's not as though they are playing live. Credibility risks being taken away from a song as fine as this when you've got people on staging pretending to play instruments. This really needed to be a simple performance in the same vein as Rona Nishliu and Patricia Kaas. Simplicity should have been the key. Looks like they are throwing too much at this.

Carl is sounding sensational as usual though.

 

[RHYTHMNATION1814]

zzzz...

 

[Romeo]

I don't know what it is but it seems wrong

He shouldn't have the violinists there they don't suit the whole 'personality' of the song

 

[Terence]

Great background there... Montenegro take note!

I didn't mind the violinists until I read the above comments... and I agree, it should have been a simple singer + vocals staging alone!

 

[Franco]

The 4 violinists, pale, slender and tall, look like 4 ghosts that watch over him. I think it suits the song.

 

[ParadiseES]

I don't like the clouds. They are moving much faster than the song. That's a big distraction.

 

[busybee]

It seems like so many people are trying to find something wrong with this song ever since it was first presented in Oslo (I don't mean in this forum but everywhere among fans). It's either Carl's looks, clothes, voice, expression, tuning, background..something. I've even read comments that Norway won't qualify (I HAD to laugh with that!)

As for myself, I fell in love with this from the first moment I heard it, was still in love when I saw Carl singing it and I'm still in love now, after the rehersal.
Carl does have a lovely voice, the song is beautiful and the background I couldn't care less about (what background did Molitva have?) - the song is too strong to need any special background..he could be alone on stage and, still, he would get the message across. I thought it's a winner when I first heard it..and I still think it's a winner. It has the power to touch people and that's just so rare in eurovision. To me, it's like the Hold Me Now of 2014.

 

[theCONWEL]

I think this performance is all wrong... totally destroys the feeling that should be given from this song imo

 

[RainyWoods]

It seems like so many people are trying to find something wrong with this song ever since it was first presented in Oslo (I don't mean in this forum but everywhere among fans). It's either Carl's looks, clothes, voice, expression, tuning, background..something. I've even read comments that Norway won't qualify (I HAD to laugh with that!)

As for myself, I fell in love with this from the first moment I heard it, was still in love when I saw Carl singing it and I'm still in love now, after the rehersal.
Carl does have a lovely voice, the song is beautiful and the background I couldn't care less about (what background did Molitva have?) - the song is too strong to need any special background..he could be alone on stage and, still, he would get the message across. I thought it's a winner when I first heard it..and I still think it's a winner. It has the power to touch people and that's just so rare in eurovision. To me, it's like the Hold Me Now of 2014.

Well you know i'm a big fan of the song as well. I just genuinely think the staging is a bit too much. The intense cloudy background I think actually is quite effective. I'm liking that. The song is too special for the kitsch staging with the violinists though. Carl on his own was all that would have been needed.

I still think (and hope) that Carl will win this.


I agree though. People are looking for stuff constantly to pick on. How he looks and chooses to dress is the most ridiculous one.. and I have honestly never been offended by his apparent "tuning issues" which often get brought up as well. I just think people aren't used to this style of voice. They don't understand it. In alternative genres of music, you'll find a lot more questionable voices than Carl's but they are still beautiful. People overlook sincerity and fragility. These are the most important things an artist must possess for me.

 

[LalehForWD]

I also think the violins are OK. Most people are not aware he's singing to a backing track and those who do know probably understand why he has the fake violin beauties. They are also so obvious placed as decorations. But I agree on the principle though, especially in the case of a rock band faking guitar-solo and stuff.

 

[Terence]

Not trying to find something wrong... never. It's just that I happen to point out what I like/don't in a forum!

 

[busybee]

I repeat that I don't mean any particular comment in this forum...just a general impression among fans, you know?
As for the backgrounds, I think we fans are much more judgemental of them than televoters or juries are. I do believe that a great background can 'lift' a song and something very ugly (sorry to Serbia but something like what Moje 3 wore last year) can do a song some damage..but, in general, juries listen to the melody first and voice second...and (most) televoters do, too.
Every year after Eurovision I talk to friends/relatives etc about it (it is Greece, after all, it's a big event over here..lol)...and, frankly, I've never had anyone tell me 'wow, I loved those violins so, I voted for that song' or 'that song was nice but the background was so dark' or anything of the sort..it's always stuff like 'I liked/didn't like the song/voice, etc'...except when we judge our own song (the Greek one) and about that, yes, we analyze every little detail..lol