We’ve had a bit of time to calm down from all the Eurovision action of 2016, but the fun isn’t over. The CD is now in my possession, and has made its way into my car, ready to be played to death in the next few months. The songs that I like have changed slightly. I do still like the same songs I gave rave reviews about, but there are some songs sneaking up and making their way into my head which I didn’t love as much before the contest. Times have changed, so here’s our Top 5 post-Eurovision songs from 2016!
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Barei – Say Yay!
This song when it was chosen went straight into the ‘overrated’ pile, however with a successful, and quite subtle revamp, and a genuinely great stage performance, I couldn’t help but fall in love with this song. Her results absolutely do not reflect this song at all, and it truly deserved a much higher place. The song builds well, and is extremely catchy. It makes for a great tune to play before work, or sports, or any other activity where you need to bring the energy. Overall, a really great tune, so it’s a shame it didn’t receive the best results.
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Jamie-Lee – Ghost
Upon the first few listens, I found this song to be quite flat, especially in the choruses. However now, potentially because she sings in a register I can actually successfully sing along with without sounding like squealing animal, I am really starting to enjoy this. 100% this song didn’t deserve last place, and I anticipated a decent result after the hype when it was chosen, but alas, it was not meant to be. I’ve also had more of a chance to listen to the lyrics more closely, and they resonate with me, so I think all-round, I’ve made a better connection with the song now that the contest is over.
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Juri Pootsmann – Play
What a tragedy. Did everyone forget about this song, or what? Definitely not the best musical piece of Eurovision 2016, but man, this did not deserve last place in the semi-final. The performance really put me off this song, but when you’re listening to the song alone, the tone of his voice grabs you and demands you to listen. I didn’t LOVE this before the contest, but listening to it more and more makes me realise what a good song it is, albeit simple. I really think this deserved more, even with a bit of a cringe-worthy stage performance…
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Iveta Mukuchyan – LoveWave
Before the contest, I don’t think I understood this song very well. It sounded disjointed and confusing, and my mind obviously couldn’t grasp the complexity of this composition. After listening to this for the first time since buying the CD after the contest, I had this moment of ‘OMG, I GET IT NOW’, and yes, now, I totally understand. This song is absolutely captivating, and that build up to the first chorus (if that’s what we are calling it, still not entirely sure) is so tense and exciting. This is an absolute cracker of a song to turn up loud and just belt out – even if your singing skills are as bad as mine.
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Sergey Lazarev – You Are The Only One