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Switzerland SWITZERLAND 2020 - Gjon's Tears - Répondez-moi

How do you rate this entry?

  • 12

    72 39.8%
  • 10

    26 14.4%
  • 8

    11 6.1%
  • 7

    18 9.9%
  • 6

    9 5.0%
  • 5

    8 4.4%
  • 4

    9 5.0%
  • 3

    10 5.5%
  • 2

    8 4.4%
  • 1

    2 1.1%
  • 0

    8 4.4%

  • Total voters
    181

escYOUnited

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Switzerland-scaled.jpg


 
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crashworld

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May 12, 2018
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3,910

Gjon's Tears performance from the Spanish ESC Preparty. Great vocals, but I can see why people may find his voice grating at times especially when he does the high notes.
 

musicfan

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Joined
May 18, 2012
Posts
1,483
3uera5.jpg


Come on guys, it's not like Duncan is the first guy ever who sat behind a piano and then started to sing without needing any other prop. ;) :)

I know lol. This is what you see a lot with music now, everything is put in very narrow categories by audience and marketing people, it probably ends up affecting some of the music that gets released as well. It's so reductive and is bound to have a negative influence.

There's also a long tradition of damning something by saying it's similar to something else that came before which was better and also more original. Often this can be damning something by faint praise, saying it's ok but people should listen to what came earlier as it's more classic and proven.

I actually don't like Arcade and never have, though that goes with most Eurovision songs. It's not that it's necessarily terrible but it's just very average like so many songs that win.

Répondez-moi isn't really the same, there's a difference in the style, the language makes things different anyway, and the song isn't dependant on two repetitive hooks like Arcade was. I don't mind pop hooks but the repetition in Arcade really weakens it. It makes it feel lazy, like the audience aren't meant to listen that closely.

The unplugged live of Répondez-moi is definitely good, maybe just as it enters that final part he could let his voice go slightly more, but that's a minor adjustment. I already liked the song in the studio version so I expected a lot of the live performance and I can't say I was disappointed. The first live I heard was the Eurovision Home Concert version (or Preparty) but I could tell the sound quality there just wasn't good enough. The unplugged is much closer to how it would sound on the Eurovision stage. Though it's a ballad it's a big ballad and deserves a bigger sound stage.
 
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hawadharma

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March 1, 2010
Posts
6,513
Location
Malaysia

Gjon's Tears performance from the Spanish ESC Preparty. Great vocals, but I can see why people may find his voice grating at times especially when he does the high notes.

OMG this home performance gave me chills !

Actually came here to congratulate Switzerland for the win.. Undoubtedly the landslide win is justifiable. xcheer

Congratulations Gjon! With this, it proves the 'Swiss win every 32 years with a French song" theory xlove
 

MalagaToledo

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May 15, 2019
Posts
1,292
OMG this home performance gave me chills !

Actually came here to congratulate Switzerland for the win.. Undoubtedly the landslide win is justifiable. xcheer

Congratulations Gjon! With this, it proves the 'Swiss win every 32 years with a French song" theory xlove
What win sweetheart? :lol::rolleyes:
Im not sure if anyone has told you but Eurovision 2020 has been cancelled. Every European knows that. :lol:
 

MalagaToledo

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May 15, 2019
Posts
1,292
Im sorry, but it is fascinating how many ppl love John's song. I don't get it. I don't see it. I don't know why some songs get such overhype.

BTW, even this Swiss song is in my opinion Miles better than John's song. Too bad they wanted to associate themselves with the group that has nothing to do with esc.

Let alone, vanilla ninja and cool vibes. Probably the best song Swiss has ever sent to esc.
 

esc87fan

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April 21, 2013
Posts
19,245
Location
Canada
A behind-the-scenes look at the filming of the video was posted yesterday by SRF. I found it quite interesting

 

hungo

Active member
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January 3, 2016
Posts
322
So sad that this ESC has been cancelled. I think there would have been a cool winner country this year - switzerland or iceland. i wish to see an esc hosted by one of these countries.
 

Stargazer

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Trollheimr / Westrobothnia
I must admit I wasn't blown away by this song at first. I had seen it hyped on social media before I heard it, and didn't feel it quite lived up to the hype. But the more I listened to it, the more it grew on me and now I absolutely love it.
 

tuorem

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Joined
January 17, 2012
Posts
9,592
Location
GN-z11
My review:

SWITZERLAND 2020 - Gjon's Tears - Répondez-moi: "honorable"

After enjoying success in 2019 with an uptempo act, the Swiss tried their luck with a ballad that ended up entering the favourites' club. It is a radio-friendly pop composition that is relatively minimalistic in its arrangements: a few drums, a piano, an electric guitar and a faded cello. When paying attention, there isn't much to say about the music itself as it's just meant to showcase the voice, no layers to be find here. The melody is pleasing to listen to, and so is Gjon's voice, this is something I could imagine hearing on the radio in France, no doubt about it. I especially enjoy the high notes. With that being said though, for me it lacks that little x-factor that would make me say "en route pour la victoire". If I might be so rough around the edges, it suffers from the same flaws I reproached "Beautiful Mess" for: the package is competent but ultimately I feel the composition is a tad too shallow, it's not giving me enough to support it. And the use of French (the Swiss did remember they had official languages) is what I think elevates the music and sets it apart, for in English it would have been yet another mainstream ballad. I'm glad our neighbours decided to showcase French so that we French could add the last nail to our trashy bilingual coffin and Belgians could be reminded that they totally gave up on it. Italian is getting the shine it deserves, so why French couldn't get the same treatment?

In a live setting, I'm sure the song would have had a more compelling impact and I could sense a sober staging. But yeah, I don't think it would have won me over. It's pleasing when it plays, but it doesn't move me that much.

Prediction-wise, it was a top-10 lock for me, with chances for a top 5 finish. No way it would have won though imo, simply because sound-wise it was just too similar to "Arcade". We can have two ballads in a row winning, but for it to happen the second has to offer a different experience from the first (recently, "1944" and "Amar Pelos Dois" come to mind). Since Gjon is coming back, I guess that he should look for a different sound if he plans to go the ballad-y route again.

And of course, I hope their position in the odds will encourage the Swiss, Belgians and our damned French decision-makers to embrace French more.
 

Milos-BC

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September 28, 2009
Posts
12,447
Location
Serbia
Amazing entry, just like the 2021 song. He was my #2 last year, and he is my #1 favorite this year. He managed to come up with two equally outstanding songs and it's certainly a great achievement.

12 points.
 
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