Israel ISRAEL 2022 - Michael Ben David - I.M.

[escYOUnited]

Baby
Sometimes love can bring you down
But, honey
Keep your head up
Keep your head up
Keep your head up
Remember who you are

You can call me crazy
Or just call my name
You can say that I'm stunning
It's not a shame
'Cause I know I am
I know I am, hah
'Cause I know I am
I know I am
I like this attitude
I like the game
You can say that I'm brave
I'm never the same
'Cause I know I am (I know I am)
I know I am (I know I am)
'Cause I know I am (I know I am)
Hah, I know I am

Baby, come with me, follow me
Tell me if we can take it to the floor
(Oh-ooh, oh-ooh, oh-ooh, oh-ooh)
I'm the fire, the power
And if you're asking
I was gonna take it all (All, all)

You know I am
You know I am
'Cause I na-na-na know I am, am
And no one brings me down
I'm gonna take the crown
Give it to me now

I'm shameless and I'm spotless and I'm flawless
Always take it up 'cause I'm a winner, I don't want less
Going for the things I should and maybe I'm ferocious
Making you the one I want and I'm not even topless (Be cautious)
It's going down for real
Twenty twenty-two, let's seal the deal
(Middle East) Is the new sex appeal
Bam, bam, this is how it feel

Baby, come with me, follow me
Tell me if we can take it to the floor
(Oh-ooh, oh-ooh, oh-ooh, oh-ooh)
Ooh, I'm the fire, the power
And if you're asking
I was gonna take it all (All, all, all)

You know I am
You know I am
'Cause I na-na-na know I am, am
And no one brings me down
I'm gonna take the crown
Give it to me now

Baby
Sometimes life can bring you down
But I'll remember
To always keep my head up
'Cause no one brings me down
I'm gonna take the crown
Give it to me now​

 

[hijirio]

If there's any justice in the world, this has to qualify to the final or we'll have a huge pillowfest on Saturday.

 

[Sammy]

And I think the word „fabulous“ was invented for this song (and for Michael also of course )

 

[crashworld]

The irony is somehow the straights are more "tolerant" of this song compared to the LGBTQIA+ community.
It's pretty sad at the same time. The ones who preached for acceptance and tolerance are in fact the ones throwing stones at Michael and what he represents.

I sound like a broken record, I can get why people feel the lyrics are self-serving or obnoxious. What I don't get is people are saying Michael is being arrogant in the way he performs the song. There is a difference between confident/sassy and arrogant. Not sure why people, especially the ones from the LGBTQIA+ community, choose to interpret his aura as the latter.

I watched the reaction video from that phony Maxi Rainbow and I can't stand how patronizing, condescending and passive-aggressive he/she/they/it comes across with the criticism of Michael and the song. This person is the perfect proof that the community is a fragmented one. It's fine to dislike the song, but I still feel an acknowledgement to Michael and what he stands for should merit something.

 

[A-lister]

My review:

Sorry Israel, but this one is a mess. They clearly didn't manage to do a revamp a la Eden 2021, and from having Israel in my top. 5 for the past two years (2020 included), Israel goes to the bottom 5-10 of my ranking this year. This is trying to, like many already pointed out, blend to many things together and sometimes that works (like Eden 2020), but not this time. Also, it does sound like a very bad Ru Paul's Drag Race type of song, which makes it difficult to take it seriously. I don't mind Michael, in fact he was my favorite to win the Israeli selection, and I think he is a great entertainer and showsman, but they really did him dirty with this song.

 

[Matt]

Time to vote again. What score does Israel deserve in your opinion. As always, 10=AMAZING and the lower your score, the less amazing it is. Vote in the poll, your vote might make a difference in this year's ESC United Jury #eurovision

Israel: Michael Ben David – I.M.

Visit the post for more.

www.escunited.com

 

[crashworld]

Apparently, the Israeli delegation is working with a choreographer who has worked with several big names, including Dua Lipa.

Michael has also shared an IG story (see attached picture) where he is with the dancers. (I believe Eurovoix has made a mistake, should be 4 dancers instead of 5. The lady in the picture should be part of the team helping with the choreography).
The dancers seem to be the same ones that appear in the music video.

I am pretty surprised with the fact that they are going all out for the performance. For a song that is well-disliked (to put it mildly), the delegation seem to be pretty invested. I guess that is the only other thing (besides Michael) that can save this entry. Feels like we are going to get a "Golden Boy", "I Feel Alive" or "Set Me Free" kinda performance. Something fun and energetic.

Source:

🇮🇱 Israel: Michael Ben David to Be Joined by Five Dancers at Eurovision - Eurovoix

Michael Ben David, the Israeli representative for Eurovision 2022, will be joined by five dancers on stage in Turin.

eurovoix.com

And also, Michael has been announced for Israel Calling (of course). This is the only ESC pre-party he is involved in (so far).
I can't recall, but usually Israeli entrants don't participate in ESC pre-parties except the one that is held locally, is that right?

Israel Calling on Instagram: "We would like to welcome our 1st confirmed act: You can call him crazy or just call his name, yet he knows he's shameless, spotless and flawless. Israel is simply calling you Michael Ben-David! 🇮🇱 @michaelbdd"

284 likes, 10 comments - israelcalling on March 28, 2022: "We would like to welcome our 1st confirmed act: You can call him crazy or just call his name, ye..."

www.instagram.com

 

[crashworld]

Not Israel getting slot no. 2. I would have hoped they will put them later. The song has already made Israel hard to qualify and now with such a bad slot, totally killed its chances. Israel will need a miracle to save them now.

 

[NikolaiMoller]

This running order...... only one word to describe it...

 

[Mainshow]

I get it - as @crashworld mentioned it above, the song is "universally well-disliked" (unjustified & criminally underrated, imo) BUT placing one of the most hard-hitting up-tempo songs #2 is quite a choice.

To me, it really doesn´t make sense (I´d have preferred to see Malta or Serbia following The Rasmus) but I can see that the first half of semi 2 was quite "difficult" to arrange/come up with a running order.
It´s interesting to see two up-tempo entries being #2 in both semis´ running orders, though

 

[VikingTiger]

I am quite sure that Israel will be one of the countries that will do better in May than what is predicted here in this forum. The song doesnt seem to receive much love from the eurofans.
AT first listening I did NOT like this song and act. Now I really do!
I think this will receive quite a lot of jury points, and also enough televotes to fly into the final.... even from their second position.

 

[Bmbriga]

I Like the revamp. Much more than original. I also him much more in music video. Kill me, I know I'm in minority here, but to me in NF he just... wasn't that good? A lot of people here say here that he's a great showman, but his dancing to me was midiocre. Which is ok per se, but they made it a huge central part of the performance... At least in that performance, I never seen any other.

 

[crashworld]

If Israel qualifies from this position, I really think they need to thank Eurovision God. Somehow, I just can't see first 3 songs qualifying. I feel the showrunner is just making Israel the "sacrificial lamb" here. I mean after Finland and then fan favourite Serbia. Unless Serbia does a Portugal 2019 (there's a possibility but I still feel it's unlikely), the slot Israel got has basically killing its chances.

I wonder how the delegation feels about this. I know Michael will still give his all, but I just feel so sad for him that all odds are against him. Let's hope the public will save this, I really can't see jury voting for this heavily, unless they are tired of all the ballads in this year's competition.

 

[dany rose]

Regardless of the rewamp, I am not a fan of this song at all (to my ears it sounded annoying), my vote was and remains: zero

 

[Fluke]

I'm surprised this forum is now defending this song, when almost everyone hated it just a month ago....

 

[crashworld]

I'm surprised this forum is now defending this song, when almost everyone hated it just a month ago....

It's just a few of us to be honest. I am one of the ones who really dislike the song when I first heard it. I preferred "Don't". But after watching the "live" performance and knowing Michael's backstory and his personality, I've warmed up to the overall entry.

Don't get me wrong, the song is still pretty bad (the revamp did improve the song for me and it's listenable now). However, ESC nowadays has never been about the song but the overall package. So at this point I'm supporting the overall package and what Michael and the song stand for.

 

[crashworld]

Interesting interview from one of the songwriters of the song.

Extracted from .net forum:

Chen Aharoni, who co-wrote "I.M" was interviewed by Mako and talked about what happened behind the scenes. Bear in mind Mako is Keshet, who produced "Hakochav Haba", who are competing with Reshet and "X Factor":

Most of the time, Chen Aharoni is a calm person. But when the subject of the conversation is "I.M", the song he wrote and composed together with Lidor Saadia and Assi Tal, and which Michael Ben-David will perform at the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest - he loses his cal,mness in an instant.

Chen: "A lot of people in the Eurovision production have to do Introspection, I was very disappointed with how things went. A moment after we were elected, a sequence of bureaucracies, politics and other things started that I personally don't like. I was told in a phone call very clearly, 'You signed the terms and conditions that the lyrics and the melody are ours and we can do with it whatever we want.' I replied, 'What do you mean? It's a song contest, and a song I wrote represent the country'. I was told 'It's not a song contest for a long time, it's a performers' contest.' It doesn't work that way, you don't buy a song at the grocery store."

The Israeli song for the Eurovision Song Contest is currently at the bottom of the betting tables, and it is doubtful whether it will make it to the final. The original version of "I.M" did not rise at the betting, Ben David signed with a new management company that took care of bringing in American producer Prince Fox, hoping the version he produced would help the song's chances. This move was made without the knowledge of Aharoni and his writing partners, and while he was also working on a new version also. Since then, Aharoni has been walking around hurt.

Chen: "We found out on the day of the video filming. It was the deadline to submit the final version. We sat in the musicians' studio in the final mix, and then Asi came in to let us know that the clip was now being filmed with a new version, that the committee convened without informing us and decided to go for another producer. My heart was broken. I realized that the control was not in my hands, "he says," I mourned it for a few days and moved on. I strongly believe in the song and the message, but the final version is not something that would have come out of my studio. "

How do you explain the song's status in the betting odds? Is it because of the song or because of the arrangement?

Chen: "I think whoever really understands Eurovision does not give such weight to the odds, certainly not at this stage. Everything starts to change when rehearsals start, when they are closer to the event. I think there are people who love the song very much and some even dislike it. It evokes something in people, and in my opinion the most important thing in the work is that it will convey something in you. It usually starts with wonder, continues with wonder and then great enthusiasm and especially a sense of fun. I think even those who do not like the song, they like not to like the song. I think and hope the song works the way it did before the new version," he laughs.

Michael Ben David and you are in touch?

Chen: 'We're not-not in touch, we're communicating. The day before the clip they shot I had a long conversation with him about how to be in the clip. It was very important to me that he will not take himself too seriously in the filming. "

And he did not tell you in that conversation that there was a new adaptation?

Chen: "No".

Here's the second part of the article I used Google Translate for the translation:

In addition to the disagreements surrounding the remake of the song, and unlike other composers in the past, Aharoni and his friends to create the song will not fly to Turin - and will not be part of the Israeli delegation to the competition. "I really, really wanted to be there, but I think I really have no point in going to Italy and being away from the experience."

What do you mean? "They said they could arrange tickets for us for the audience, but they did not think we needed to be there. They made it clear to me that I was not part of the delegation."

Doron Medley was. "Obviously he was, sure. And I guess from Neta's side as well, she insisted on her team, and Michael was happy with who was wrapping him up and that's fine. I got to see other creators sitting in the bleachers. It's less the experience I want

Michael did not try to talk to them? "We tried to get it through him. Beyond the fact that Michael is a very talented guy, he is still young in the field. In one of my conversations with him I explained to him that I have this experience, that people around him will always be interested, those in production want as few headaches as possible, "As little expense as possible. He made his choices and his decisions, and I understand him. All I have is to wish him success and accept with a smile what he has."

You're going to see the performance from the living room at home, do not tell me you do not feel missed that your big dream is coming true and you are not there. "Look, there's an unfair element here, because you're part of that experience. But yeah, it was very important to me to explain to them that all I want is to be there with the singer, to accompany my song and make sure it's shown at the highest level as I see it.

And what in the end? "We reached a situation with them that we told them to compromise - no problem, you do not want us to be part of the delegation, you do not have the budget for this, it does not matter to you, no problem. We will pay for the flight, the hotel, we just want access to the viewing rooms

Source: https://www.mako.co.il/music-weekend-magazine/Article-7727a16365bcf71026.htm?partner=tagit

I guess this is the drama Michael is referring to. I do pity Michael, imagine being a newbie in the industry, with no management back then and having to be in the middle of this between the songwriters and the delegation. I guess perhaps that is the reason why Israeli delegation prefers to stick with using the reality TV competition format to find their entrant. This way, they have the full control over the entire package since the winners of the competition are typically your newbies with no or minimal experience in the industry.

I do also feel bad for the songwriters too. Having no say in the final product of the song and having to find out that someone has completed the final production to the song. Now I start to wonder what would the final version of the song would be like if it's produced by the songwriters.

 

[Mainshow]

I honestly don´t know if it´s that "common" to take the songwriters of your entry with you to Eurovision.
Wasn´t the entry from Cyprus composed by 10 different people? - I can´t imagine broadcasters taking them into account as being part of their delegations.

However, it´s a really low move to change the final product without getting in touch with them, though.

 

[crashworld]

I honestly don´t know if it´s that "common" to take the songwriters of your entry with you to Eurovision.
Wasn´t the entry from Cyprus composed by 10 different people? - I can´t imagine broadcasters taking them into account as being part of their delegations.

However, it´s a really low move to change the final product without getting in touch with them, though.

Don't know how the respective country's delegation works and how they decide who gets to go to the contest. I would imagine the Israeli songwriters believe this is a song contest, so naturally they would like to think they are part of the entry. Whether it makes sense for them to be there or not, I'm just thinking from the perspective what would they bring to help with the performer in terms of the performance if they are there.

What I don't like is the article tried to paint Michael like he's an ingrate. I would imagine many things are out of his control. Plus, he doesn't seem to have any creative control over the overall package. Just like Eden last year, she only got a slight control during the revamp and the staging concept. It pretty much feels like Michael is just trying his best to sell the song by working on his performance.

 

[Chalphon]

I liked it before the revamp, I dont like the flutes they put in. Why do You have to ruin Your songs with revamps Israel? It was the same thing last year...

 

[AlekS]

Israel Calling pre-party will start at 20:30 CET.
Live broadcast: https://facebook.com/IsraelCalling/videos/

24 countries. + Shefita hosting.