United Kingdom UNITED KINGDOM 2019 - Michael Rice - Bigger Than Us

[Sammy]

Michael deserved a better result! His performance was better in the NF, but still...
As for the „plagiarism“.... I don‘t hear similarities that would justify that word.

 

[Ana Raquel]

stay strong sistahs

 

[musicfan]

Plagiarism accusations are often bullshit in music, there's always copying as people copy similar styles and rhythms. I still think it made more of an impression than the Swedish song which was just all samey, and didn't bother to break out of it's safe shell, that was as much a clone as anything else. We all know Eurovision isn't just about the music. It would have been funny if the Swedish guy won but also finished bottom as he co-wrote the UK song, would have made for an interesting debate. I'm curious what John Lundvik thinks, but I guess he'll keep quiet.

 

[RainyWoods]

Also, fun fact: San Marino last night did better with the public vote than we've done in almost ten years. Blue incidentally were they last time I really felt like we were trying, and we got rewarded for that effort.

 

[musicfan]

I didn't like the San Marino song, even if it was their best result that hardly influences my opinion of it. Plus if people say Bigger Than Us is out of date what does that say about Say Na Na Na? Chasing fashion is a chimera anyway really, best not to worry about the style and just put something together with some musicianship and emotion. Eurovision results don't influence my opinion either, people will pick out results that reflect their opinion and ignore those that don't.

 

[RainyWoods]

I didn't like the San Marino song, even if it was their best result that hardly influences my opinion of it. Plus if people say Bigger Than Us is out of date what does that say about Say Na Na Na? Chasing fashion is a chimera anyway really, best not to worry about the style and just put something together with some musicianship and emotion. Eurovision results don't influence my opinion either, people will pick out results that reflect their opinion and ignore those that don't.

Which is precisely what I think San Marino did and they were rewarded for it. I think the audience at home could feel the connection with Serhat. This entire entry was his doing. A passion project. If only we were able to capture some of that same magic with our own entries instead of fishing for leftovers and giving them to whoever will sing them without much thought. I want to see us doing well at the contest again, and bringing joy to fans all across Europe. It really wouldn't be hard at all, but for some reason each year we make it so difficult. Lucie has been the only entrant from these past few recent years where I felt a decent enough effort was made (certainly on the staging front), and that at least got us a serviceable result thanks to jury support. Everything else has been quite disastrous, and all the results have been seeable. Something has got to change but I feel like it's never going to happen.

 

[Daybreak]

What I find weird about the UK is that when I was a kid they actually were at the forefront of innovation and bringing new ideas to Eurovision, like the eurodance track in 1996 (when electronic music was totally alien to Eurovision, in the orchestra era) and the previous year's hip-hop/r'n'b entry, or their 1999 girl group which wouldn't look out of place in then-contemporary UK charts and included pre-Atomic Kitten Jenny Frost. They got 0 points like once and stopped trying xpoke

 

[musicfan]

The staging front is always a problem to a degree and I've said that for a long time. Compare the money that Russia must be spending every year. I thought the performance of Bigger Than Us did actually have some passion in the second half, there was even a rawness when the arrangement became sparser and the backing singers came forth, though it did start slow. The Belarus singer didn't do that well however even though some (including me) think her performance was one of the fresher things this year. Have passion then you come second to last.

 

[cripesdude]

There was an interesting question to Duncan from Radio 1 at the press conference, along the lines of: ‘how could the BBC get fresher, new, unsigned/up-and-coming talent like Duncan to represent the UK?’. Maybe, just maybe, this is a teeny tiny glimmer that the BBC might be planning a change to something more aligned with BBC Introducing?

As for the UK coming 26th - I’m not surprised. We keep forgetting in Eurovision you don’t vote against songs, only for them. What the UK sent wasn’t hated, but it wasn’t loved in any way. You have to offer something to vote for - what the UK had was an average song, average staging, and average performance (the vocal was strong but not enough alone). San Marino, for example had a worse song, but had something in the presentation to generate votes.

I’m not saying the UK should go down the gimmick route (San Marino only came 6 places higher!), but it needs to find a way to be bolder. There’s no reason the UK couldn’t send a Duncan, or a Måns or even a Netta - it just needs to set off in right the direction to do so.

 

[dcs34]

maybe the BBC should so ITV can take over.

You don't think this "X Factor Winner's Single Circa 2010" performance is the type of thing ITV will serve up each year?

 

[musicfan]

The staging front is always a problem to a degree and I've said that for a long time. Compare the money that Russia must be spending every year. I thought the performance of Bigger Than Us did actually have some passion in the second half, there was even a rawness when the arrangement became sparser and the backing singers came forth, though it did start slow. The Belarus singer didn't do that well however even though some (including me) think her performance was one of the fresher things this year. Have passion then you come second to last.

Another with passion from start to end was the Spanish one and that finished 5th from bottom

 

[Ianp16]

And here we are again. What else is there to say? We’ve been here almost every year now since 2003. Nothing will change. If it’s not the song it’s the staging, if it’s not staging it’s the song, if it’s not the song it’s the performer. Blah blah blah. Only a new broadcaster could change things and I’m not sure even ITV could persuade an innovative performer or song writer to take part. The only thing that’s stopping the UK doing well is its overall attitude to Europe and Brexit has just made things worse in terms of politics (which does play an important part we can’t deny). Here’s to the next bottom 5 finish next year everyone ������

 

[PashonFrut]

Generic ballad, just like the Netherlands. This year was full of Sam Smith wannabees.

 

[musicfan]

And here we are again. What else is there to say? We’ve been here almost every year now since 2003. Nothing will change. If it’s not the song it’s the staging, if it’s not staging it’s the song, if it’s not the song it’s the performer. Blah blah blah. Only a new broadcaster could change things and I’m not sure even ITV could persuade an innovative performer or song writer to take part. The only thing that’s stopping the UK doing well is its overall attitude to Europe and Brexit has just made things worse in terms of politics (which does play an important part we can’t deny). Here’s to the next bottom 5 finish next year everyone ������

Other places in Europe also have eurosceptics, even those who take a lot of the money but don't abide by the laws.

 

[Nicfedy]

Even if UK wasn’t the worst entry it was most definitely bottom 5 material. The song had absolutely no sense or meaning to it and could have been written by a 5 year old writing about a trip to the zoo. The singers sold it the best they could and the staging was just Ok, particularly when they made a circle.and then a triangle. More 5 year old choreography. Totally uncreative and people think it’s only because no one likes UK in Europe, pathetically that fuels populist politics in the UK today. I feel sorry for Micheal and the community set up in Hartlepool town hall to witness this humiliation. Hope he gets something positive out of this.

 

[Kitakaze]

I wouldn’t mind and I don’t think anyone else would if the UK withdrew next year. Whoever it is in charge needs to either resign for gross incompetence or be aptly sacked and allow someone else the chance. Take some time to work with an experienced artist and come up with a performance that reflects actual authenticity, is high impact, original and will appeal to an audience today. Try something new for god’s sake. We have absolutely nothing to lose and yet you wouldn’t know it.

 

[GianlucaTomoe]

Holly Tandy's version would have had a better result.

But we all know that not sending Kerrie-Anne was a very big mistake.

 

[DenizESC]

I love how some Britts are making this last place about 'politics/brexit, europe does not like us '


The tea is just by looking at this thread we coulda seen this last place coming from miles... Broadcaster change is needed, or many more bottom 5 placements to come in the future unless you TRT em and boycott suddenly lol

 

[Leydan]

Brexit has nothing on it. :'D Lucie got our best result since 2011 and a jury top 10 the year after the vote. I knew after everything had performed that we would be going for that last place, I was even more certain of it when Germany took off and got 30 so points - in my eyes they were the only ones who could come below us, and I was right as they got 0 in the televote. What I read online while scanning through twitter (ESC topped all top spots on our trending list btw) is some of people calling the song out on being meh or just ok and blaming the BBC and then others calling it out that we didn't deserve last. I think the vast majority knew what we had on offer wasn't all that.

 

[RainyWoods]

I just realised that Swedes didn’t even throw us a single point. The song their artist wrote. Says a lot. If anywhere was to give us something nice-ish I was thinking it would be them. We got some nice fake votes though courtesy of Belarus.