Despite still holding the record for the most wins in the history of the Eurovision Song Contest, Ireland has certainly struggled to grasp what it takes to qualify in the modern day contest, let alone achieve another win. This year, they hoped that Lesley Roy would cruise into the final with her song, Story of My Life, but would it have been another non-qualification to add to the list, or could we have seen Ireland succeed once again?
Anita (Eurovision Union)
Song and Vocals
When a broadcaster openly compares their unreleased Eurovision entry against Euphoria, one of the greatest winners in Eurovision history, you are sure to be intrigued. I was certainly intrigued to see what Ireland would deliver this year, but this…. This is no Euphoria.
Story of My Life is a decade too late to Eurovision, and I can’t help but compare it to Sinéad Mulvey & Black Daisy with their 2009 entry, Et Cetera. The pop-rock vibe of this song does nothing for me, and even if it was wedged between two ballads, I wouldn’t find this a stand out. I find this song to get too repetitive with its chorus, and although I will admit it has the ability to get stuck in your head but it’s not a song I would want to be stuck in my head. Perhaps my biggest gripe with this song is the lyrics. The message of the song is great, encouraging people to embrace their true selves, however there are surely better ways to express this lyrically.
Lesley’s voice is nice, but it isn’t quite enough to redeem this song. The song has also been performed live, and her vocals missed the mark at various points of the song, especially during the choruses.
Performance and Act
Although her vocals lacked during the live performance on The Late Late Show, what I did enjoy about Lesley is that she brings a lot of energy to her performance. She is happy to bop along to the song, and gets the audience involved with clapping. I saw this as an asset coming into Eurovision, as the audience certainly loves having a dance!
Next Up: 2021
I think it is only fair that the selected artists are honoured by being allowed to represent their nations in 2021, and despite not loving Story Of My Life, Ireland could have a good opportunity to work with Lesley in creating something a bit more modern, while still projecting a good message. I would also be keen to see the collaboration with production company thisispopbaby come to fruition, as I envisioned an exciting stage performance.
Conclusions
Looking broadly at the semi-final 1 line-up, I didn’t place Ireland as a qualifier. There were much stronger upbeat entries in the semi-final, and even with a strong visual performance I just don’t know whether it would have captured the televoters nor juries. Euphoria 2.0? It’s a no from me.
Rating
4/10
Dennis (ESCDaily)
Song and Vocals
To start off with, there is no other song in the field. A light punk song. But being unique is not doing the trick on its own. It is important to be best in your genre, even if there are no similar songs taking part. It’s not bad, but it’s no ‘Pink-song’ either.
Lesley is an experienced singer but struggled a bit during the live performance at the Late Late Show in Ireland. It is a very difficult song to sing, but in the studio version, Lesley did leave a confident impression. She is a credible artist, which is a big pré at Eurovision.
Performance and Act
We don’t know what the live performance at Eurovision will be like and to be honest, it is difficult to give Ireland the benefit of the doubt here. Apart from 2018, they did not always get their staging right. Remember that hot air balloon that had nothing to do with the song by Brendan Murray? And since they have chosen for an energetic song, which is even harder to stage than a simplistic ballad, we can only hope RTÉ gets it right.
Lesley has made a lot of music and televised performances. But not on such a big stage as the Eurovision Song Contest. She needs the help of a capable delegation to be able to deliver. And I am not 100% sure if she has these requirements.
Next up: 2021
Perhaps it is wise for Ireland to pen down a song that is somewhat easier to sing in a live televised performance. Lesley’s gig at The Late Late Show showed that being in a studio to record the song, in seperate segments, is not the same as a full 3 minute delivery. Keep the genre, but keep it simple and catchy, would be my advice.
Conclusions
I have faith in the singer Lesley Roy and that ‘Story of my life’ could have been a fresh wind amongst the other 16 participating songs in semi final 1. It is also a song that could easily be forgotten or ridiculed if the live performance does not have the right tone of voice. We will never know what Ireland had planned for us in 2020, but I am not writing off the artist Lesley Roy just yet.
Rating
6/10
Additional Scores from Eurovision Union and ESCDaily editors:Â
Brandon: 7/10
Steef: 7/10
Joshua: 6/10
Selim: 2/10
Heath: 5/10
Kaitlin: 4/10
Average Score:Â 5.1/10
What do you think of Story of My Life? Follow our Eurovision 2020 reviews here.