Switzerland last won the Eurovision Song Contest back in 1988 with Céline Dion, so you could certainly say that the nation is due for a win. It is not out of reach for the nation, who for the last two editions have finished in the Top 5 with ease. Hoping to reach the same heights is Marius Bear who will perform the track ‘Boys Do Cry’.
Anita
Song and Vocals
The last two Swiss entries showed versatility, from the catchy pop number ‘She Got Me’ to the emotion-led track, ‘Tout l’univers’. It gave some hope that we could see Switzerland come up with an entry this year either upbeat or ballad and keep on track with their ‘new identity’ at Eurovision. ‘Boys Do Cry’ is far from an upbeat number, but also not a classic ballad.
The track is tender, emotional and features a strong message. It’s a very simple song, from the instrumentation to the lyrics and melodies. This is certainly not a bad thing. Should the vocals convey the song’s emotion, this could come across as a very moving and relatable entry for viewers at home. Not only would I want the emotion to be conveyed in the song, but I think for this song it is critical that the vocals are spot on. There is nowhere to hide in this song, with such subtle instrumentation.
Performance and Act
Marius is still a bit of an enigma in the sense that I really don’t know what to expect from him at Eurovision. Will he be able to work the camera and connect with audiences? It’s also difficult to say what to expect from the visual stage performance. The nation stepped out of the box last year with Gjon’s Tears, but could this song handle such treatment? Perhaps a clever use of the stage infrastructure and lighting will be enough to highlight this song as a qualifier.
Conclusions
I want to say that this is a certain qualifier, but there is a very small part of me that thinks that maybe this won’t be enough. In terms of the quality, this certainly deserves to qualify, but I think it will depend on the vocals and how they choose to stage the song. I also don’t think that the running order does Switzerland any favours this year, but time will tell.
Rating
8/10
Dennis
Song and Vocals
For me Switzerland offers one of the more interesting songs of the year. The song sparks emotion and is being delivered in a convincing manner. How the nerves, that will most likely be there on the big night, will affect the vocal qualities of Marius Bear remains to be seen. That is the only doubt I am having, since the song on its merits alone is strong enough to make it an easy qualifier for the final.
Performance and Act
Switzerland has learned to stage their entries well in recent years and proved that they take this aspect of the contest seriously as well. I wonder if they will come up with an interesting hook or theme with this ballad, as they did last year for Gjon’s Tears. A lot of focus must and will be on the singer himself, to make his emotions during this song come across to the viewers at home. If Switzerland fails in that, they could be in trouble after all.
Conclusions
Switzerland had one of the better entries in the Eurovision 2022 contest but the bookmakers haven’t jumped on the Swiss train yet. This makes me wonder whether I am seeing and hearing something that they haven’t (yet). For me this is a contender for a very high position and one of the few songs in the class of 2022 that has the potential to actually make a strong emotional connection. Here also lies the key, if Marius fails in this, the chances of Switzerland getting a top result will decrease immediately.
Rating
10/10
Team Scores
Steef: 9/10
Erik: 10/10
Josh: 8/10
Heath: 4.5/10
Kaitlin: 7.5/10
Selim: 8.5/10
Morena: 8/10
Average Score: 8.2/10
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