EUROVISION 2019 REVIEW: BELGIUM - Eliot - Wake Up

New day new review!

Today we turn to Belgium, who after their undeserved NQ last year are sticking to their dark-pop sound by internally selecting Eliot with 'Wake Up'. But did it keep me awake?

Here are my thoughts:

What I Like: The production, although simple, is nice and the pulsating drums throughout the chorus and pace in the verse give it the slight jolt of energy that this needs. I also love the 'I came to fight' refrain as it keeps the song interesting and is ultimately what the viewer will take away from the song. Although I have a lot to criticise about this entry (which you'll see below), it's actually out of love because I do find myself coming back to this, and when I think about this song I often consider the positives over the negatives, as there's nothing objectively awful about the song. That is, until you scratch the surface...

What I Don't Like: What the hell is Eliot singing about? I've read the lyrics several times trying to find a deeper message within this song and... nothing. I don't doubt that there is some lyrical depth behind this but if they aren't presenting that message clear enough, what's the point. To me, the lyrics read like when you type predictive text on your phone until it formulates a song, which stops me from taking the song seriously.

Structually this feels messy. The second verse into the chorus is very clunky, and once the chorus hits I've already forgot what I just listened to because the verse was so weak. Then the song just ends abruptly after the final chorus leaving me underwhelmed and wanting my 3 minutes back. Loic and Sennek had a powerful vocal and soaring chorus, and Blanche's instrumental and unique vocal created an atmosphere. When I first heard this, it was 7am in the morning and I just remember zoning out. It's in a similar vein, but not standing out like its predecessors did, which is a huge worry.

Prediction: I really do think this is in trouble. It feels a little too minimal to stand out during all the crazy of the second half of the first semi. That could work in its favour, but at the same time I can't see how they'd create enough of an impression. I think borderline at best, but I'm leaning towards a NQ right now.

Final Score: 6/10

Summary: A easy-listening song but a decline in quality for what has become one of my favourite ESC countries as of late. I just wish they'd worked a little longer on this entry before delivering it to us, as there are many things they could have done to give it more oomph.

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