Jade Ewen - 'It's My Time'
Ahhh, Eurovision. For about 364 days of the year, it's a ridiculous, outdated embarrassment, and then for one day in May it's VERY VERY IMPORTANT and invariably when we don't win everyone huffs about how the whole thing is rigged. I don't know about the rest of you, but I wouldn't change it for the world.
Except it was decided that a change was necessary this year, since in the past few years we've performed extremely poorly, so much so that even Terry Wogan decided he'd had enough and abandoned the commentary box for good - at which point Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber decided this couldn't go on, and modestly volunteered his own songwriting services to ensure us a better placing this year, roping in balladmeister extraordinaire Diane Warren to pen the lyrics, and leaving a lot of people going "buh? Can we do that? If so, why on earth haven't we been doing it every year?"
(. Cinderella goes to the ball a day early.)
And the answers are, apparently yes, and I have no idea. As to whether this track is likely to serve us any better at Moscow on Saturday than that song about flags or whatever it was that Andy the singing binman off X Factor was singing about last year - maybe, because big emotive tracks seem to be the sort of song that have done well for us in the past (see also Jessica Garlick, Katrina and the Waves, Imaani). This song is actually pretty much nothing but a big sweeping chorus that seems to get louder each time it's repeated, with another section of the orchestra kicking in beneath it. Subtle it is not, but then you can't really afford to be subtle in front of a pan-European TV audience of millions, I suppose.
So, is it any good? Well, it sort of depends on whether you're assessing it on music terms or in Eurovision terms. In music terms, it sounds exactly like a song you'd expect the winner of The X Factor to release, with lots of references to keeping going and staying strong and it being, well, her time.
It's the sort of thing we've all heard hundreds of times before and are likely to hear many more times again in the future - and it's a little bit saddening that this is what comes out when two of the world's most famous songwriters get together, but in fairness, middle-of-the-road is what Andrew Lloyd Webber and Diane Warren do individually, so why would they change anything when they're together?
In Eurovision terms, well, who knows? If I were that skilled at picking winners, I'd probably have a lot more money than I do now. It's probably one of our more impactful songs of recent years, but I suspect there'll be many more big ballads on the night, and this doesn't really do very much to set itself apart. Still, Jade Ewen has a formidable set of pipes and copes admirably with the mad range the song requires, so you never know.
Download: Out now
CD Released: May 18th
³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Eurovision
(Steve Perkins)
"Overblown, old-fashioned and shamelessly sentimental, this could be just what Eurovision ordered."
"Britain, if you're going to send a Leona copycat, you're better off sending the girl herself."
"An outstanding performance of a mediocre song."
Comment number 1.
At 13th May 2009, ten gear bat bike wrote:Both Thom Yorke and Morrissey have offered to write a song for Eurovision in recent years. We get Lloyd Webber.
That is all.
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Comment number 2.
At 13th May 2009, Fraser McAlpine - wrote:Also... Leona Lewis had 'Bleeding Love', and now Jade "Ew"en gets 'It's My Time'.
Ick.
That is also all.
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Comment number 3.
At 13th May 2009, BloggingLiam wrote:We simply cannot win or do well in Eurovision because we are not liked as a country. Without getting all political....We will probably bomb with this song as per usual.
Especially as its average as.
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Comment number 4.
At 13th May 2009, hackerjack wrote:We simply cannot win or do well in Eurovision because we are not liked as a country. Without getting all political....We will probably bomb with this song as per usual.
Especially as its average as.
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Actually we lose because we do nto have ex-pat communities in other european countries.
Poles vote for Poland, wherever they live, same for Croatioans, Bosnians, Russians, Turks and Greeks. There is and has never been anythign political about the voting, it is simply a meansure of how many nations a race has spread to.
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Comment number 5.
At 13th May 2009, BloggingLiam wrote:The war in Iraq really didnt help.
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Comment number 6.
At 13th May 2009, Fraser McAlpine - wrote:I like the idea that the best forum for international outrage at some of the UK's foreign policy decisions is the Eurovision Song Contest.
That's not unlike the disappointing side affects of the Northern Island peace process being debated using the voting system on the X Factor...
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Comment number 7.
At 13th May 2009, spirit wrote:The reason why we have not done well in the last few years is simple !!!
Our songs have not been good enough !
If you think Scooch's masterpiece "flying the flag " never won because of tactical voting then you are very misled !
It never won because it was not good enough !
You need a really catchy song with loads of hooks good enough to get in someones head after only only one listen that has real heart and soul at it's core, and a hint of attitude.
Coldplay's Viva La Vida would have been an excellent Eurovision entry , and showed Europe how good our music is.
We have some of the best bands in the world yet all our Eurovision songs since Katrina and the Waves HAVE embarrassed me.......... the whole system needs shaking up...... we have great bands and songs but our Eurovision entry is never a reflection of this.
Change the system now !!
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Comment number 8.
At 13th May 2009, BloggingLiam wrote:I disagree. Look at the songs that come in the top 10 this year (we wont) and apart from the odd one, none of them would get over a 2 star rating on here. They are mostly awful tripe. Youtube France's entry last year, then look where it came in the competition.
We dont do well because 1) We are unpopular in Europe, hence not getting votes from France and Germany and 2) We dont have any real "neighbours". I agree with hackerjack's point about nations spreading too, we dont really emigrate in numbers enough to matter.
We cant enter artists who are professional or something like that. Theres rules and regulations to adhere to when enterting Eurovision. Sadly we cant just lob Coldplay or Mcfly in.
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Comment number 9.
At 13th May 2009, papplemanger wrote:in reply to spiritwarrior...
europe already knows how good english music is
AND good bands like coldplay would never lower themselfs to such a level as eurovision
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Comment number 10.
At 14th May 2009, CurtainJerker wrote:Spirit:
"all our Eurovision songs since Katrina and the Waves HAVE embarrassed me"
All our songs SINCE Katrina and the Waves? Dude, did you hear that song?
Don't see why this is prompting any debate, either. Eurovision is of absolutely no importance to this country at all, musically or otherwise. It never makes any British stars, it never introduces us to any new talent from Europe that lasts, the music is garbage, and we're never in the running. AND everyone always says that the voting's political anyway. So why we bother entering, and why anyone ever gets exercised about, I have no idea.
The ONE positive ever from Eurovision: Love City Groove.
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Comment number 11.
At 14th May 2009, spirit wrote:Oh excellent , I started a discussion...
Obviously Coldplay could not enter....but a song with the magnitude , scope , melody and sheer strength of "viva la vida ! would be an excellent choice... ( I had to use a positive example )
The point I am making is.... we have some of the best bands and songs in the world but when it comes down to a song competition.... we tell EUROPE that our best song of the year is
"Flying the flag " by Scooch....
That was NOT the best song of the year that we had to offer was it ?
No Sir it was not !
So how did it get to be the song that represented the United Kingdom ?
The system is wrong....
Was the Jemini song that got zero points the best song of the year that we had to offer ???
NO NO NO !
If I was voting ,I would have voted tactically and sided with all the other nations to make sure it got zero points !!!
And I'm British !
What I am saying is the best song that we could offer is never the one that represents us... you are all making good points ... but when will we have a credible song that is a worthy reflection of how great this nation is of producing excellent songs ?
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Comment number 12.
At 14th May 2009, spirit wrote:There is part of me that agrees with Curtain's comments..... but another part of me that is the fighter.. and would want to win every competition I entered... that would never accept mediocrity... and would always want to overcome the odds and succeed !
If I had the chance to be part of a system to produce a song for Eurovision..... I would try to ensure a winning entry .
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Comment number 13.
At 14th May 2009, spirit wrote:I cannot believe you have removed my comment that took a lot of time and effort to write... .
How saddening.
Can you please put it back up with the offending line removed please ?
I think it was the line from the Scooch song....... of all things !
All I will say is that our Eurovision entries never generally reflect how great our music is !!
Please put my previous comment back with the offending line removed.
Thanks.
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Comment number 14.
At 14th May 2009, Fraser McAlpine - wrote:Here you go. The moderators were just being careful. Either that or someone complained...
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Comment number 15.
At 14th May 2009, fluffyfinches wrote:Andrew Lloyd Weber is SO ANNOYING.
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Comment number 16.
At 15th May 2009, CurtainJerker wrote:Don't get me wrong Spirit, I agree that if you're going to enter a competition, give it your best shot. But I just don't see why we bother entering at all. It's rrrraabbish!
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Comment number 17.
At 15th May 2009, awesomebullshot00 wrote:Actually Leona Lewis Bleeding Love was crap. The only thing that was bleeding were my ears.
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Comment number 18.
At 16th May 2009, spirit wrote:Thanks Fraser
That will teach me for putting Scooch lyrics on this blog !
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Comment number 19.
At 16th May 2009, Fraser McAlpine - wrote:I'm amazed they even let the band's name through.
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Comment number 20.
At 16th May 2009, BloggingLiam wrote:Well I was proven wrong tonight wasnt I?
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Comment number 21.
At 17th May 2009, BloggingLiam wrote:Ill add its because I didnt know about the added judging pannel, meaning the music sort of matters. Noticed some fantastic tactical voting from the likes of Albania though.
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Comment number 22.
At 20th May 2009, spirit wrote:Our entry never won because of any sinister tactical voting...
Our song is banal , bland , unexciting , and dated , although I will agree Jade sings it well...
Obviously the Lloyd - Webber influence will probably ensure a TOP 20 hit... it was just outside the 40 last week...
It paled as a song compared to the Norway winner, which might even make our chart on Sunday as it is proving very popular and loads of people are downloading it on the back of the contest.....
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