Eurovision Entry: United Kingdom - Blue - "I Can"
Apr 06 2011 02:04 pm ET
The UK has had a tumultuous decade in the Eurovision Song Contest, finishing in last 3 times including last year. Can Blue's "I Can" bring redemption to the United Kingdom?
Country: United Kingdom (UK)
Title: "I Can"
Artist: Blue
Final: Slot 14
Last year's entry/position: "That Sounds Good to Me" - Josh Dubovie (25th Place)
After last year's awful entry (which only got 25th because the UK automatically gets into the final), there was nowhere to go but up. "I Can" is a major improvement over "That Sounds Good to Me", but I'm not as gaga about the track as the prognosticators seem to be. It isn't as cheesy as boy band songs can be, but it feels too on-the-nose for Eurovision: triumph through adversity with a rainbow of magic butterflies.
The hook is an earworm, particularly the "g-g-g-get back up again." However, that points to the major problem I have with Blue: they sound terrible live. From the YouTube clips I found after Blue was announced as the UK's internal selection to their first live performance of the song on The Graham Norton Show, they do not mesh well at all. Most telling in that performance was that they could not replicate the "g-g-g-get back up again." I don't know how much the live performance factors into the televoters' decision by the time the Final rolls around, but I think this song could suffer at the hands of the juries.
As of this posting, the bookmakers have the UK as third-favorite to win behind France and Estonia. My gut is telling me that this song's appeal is sincerely overestimated, though I wouldn't rule out a Top 10 finish. I will be less skeptical if Blue can tighten up their performance by May 14.
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Mike McComb – TVLatest.com
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