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Lithuania LITHUANIA 2020 - The Roop - On Fire

How do you rate this entry?

  • 12

    83 40.1%
  • 10

    33 15.9%
  • 8

    17 8.2%
  • 7

    20 9.7%
  • 6

    12 5.8%
  • 5

    7 3.4%
  • 4

    7 3.4%
  • 3

    5 2.4%
  • 2

    5 2.4%
  • 1

    4 1.9%
  • 0

    14 6.8%

  • Total voters
    207

escYOUnited

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Lithuania-scaled.jpg


 

Ezio

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I am still put off by this song because the lyrics are so generic. Pop song by the numbers. Also the choreo is mix of has-seens. But I like that the chorus is instrumental. This makes the song ultimately unique for me.

The hand crown is so France 2019 and the magnifying glasses so Little Edie meets Jinkx Monsson.
 

tuorem

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Resuming my 2020 reviews after ages of absence. I was in too deep (Tijana Bogićević-style) not to finish.

LITHUANIA 2020 - The Roop - On Fire: "Good!"

It's no secret that I've never really been a fan of Lithuania in Eurovision: yes, I thought "Attention" was fancy and "When We're Old" was cute, but I have yet to be 100% enamoured of one of their entries. It's the first time I followed their NF and I must say I enjoyed the lineup and overall production very much, although the results were painful for me. It's been a whole process: from falling for Gabrielius Vagelis's 80's fantasy in Lithuanian (and witness his elimination before the final) to getting on Monika Marija's robotic hype train (whose end of line was the runner-up position), it was a tough personal ride.

To be honest, I didn't understand the hype surrounding "On Fire" until it grew on me. Actually, I find it refreshing to hear something modern and not-so-non-descript from Lithuanians: although it's not super original either, I don't think it's a vibe we've heard before in the contest. I like when nations tread in uncharted territories as far as ESC is concerned. A piano, electronic beats and drums, synths, electric guitars and a carefully thought-out way of organising and mixing these elements throughout the song made it a solid mainstream offer in this 2020 edition. I appreciate the slight dark hint it has, the arrangements are ever-evolving and the structure isn't too rigid, my highlight is the second chorus driven by almost bass-like synths. Now, the things I am not here for are 1) the damn lyrics! I mean using the hackneyed "fire/desire" rhyme of death in 2020 is pure trolling, I don't expect deep poetry from Eurovision entries in general, but come on! That's lazy af, and to me it depreciates the value of the whole effort. 2) the quirky staging and choreography was a bit too intense and forced-looking imo, but at the same time the gimmick-y quality of it made the song stand out more, so... Mixed feelings overall.

Prediction-wise, I think it would have been a good year for Lithuania. There was a real dynamic. No doubt it would have qualified and reached the top ten imho (with strong support from televoters). I don't believe they would have won though.

Since my experience of the NF was positive (that final was a treat), I'll take a look at the next edition. Hopefully, The Roop will make the most of their comeback for I think - provided they play their cards right - they have a real shot at winning again. The real question though is: will Aistė Pilvelytė take part? :lol: God forbid if she comes back with another rotten G:son waste.

edit: oops, how could I forget "Rain Of Revolution"?! It was their best effort the last decade imo :ROFLMAO: Too bad the studio version was crappy, hence why I don't have it playlisted on my ipod.
 
Last edited:

Edweis

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edit: oops, how could I forget "Rain Of Revolution"?! It was their best effort the last decade imo :ROFLMAO: Too bad the studio version was crappy, hence why I don't have it playlisted on my ipod.

I knew a true legend like you would stan Rain of Revolution xheat

About On Fire, it's still my #2 and I'm still convinced it would have done very well.
 

Neo

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June 1, 2016
Posts
317
Location
Oslo
I also baulked at the banal simplicity at first, but get the humour now. I even get the bizarre dance moves to act as the beat of the song.

I hope The Roop comes back. If nothing else for the wit and charisma of the singer Vaidotas Valiukevičius. A very interesting guy.
 

Milos-BC

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Joined
September 28, 2009
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Location
Serbia
This would have been the winner of Eurovision 2020. Outstanding in every regard. Thanks to this song, I am now a big fan of The Roop.

12 points.
 
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