Golden oldie from Denmark

Did you overdose on Danish cheeky smugness last year? You better brace yourself cause it’s coming back to hunt you yet another year!

From the first moment the lead vocalist’s acutely slappable face shows up on screen you just know this is gonna become one of those annoyingly catchy entries that sticks to your brain whether you like it or not. Still, the ESC fan community seems to hate The Way You Are with passion; even the Danes themselves have a hard time getting behind the Anti Social Media lads. Does this mean Denmark will fail to qualify for the final for the first time since 2007? We don’t think so. Trust us when we say this will most definitely qualify and there are plenty of reasons why.

It’s songs like these that constitute the bread and butter of this competition. It’s the perfect example of a no-nonsense, straightforward pop song. It’s instantly catchy and has well defined verses, a good chorus and a bridge. It’s uncomplicated, familiar and safe. Add an inoffensive wrapping of a competent performance and you have the perfect example of an entry the juries will fall for as well as the average viewer across Europe who’s looking for a good old fashion song to support.

History has shown that the retro sound is popular with a large chunk of the ESC audience; just think of the Russian entry last year and Malta two years ago. Serbia and Romania both made the final in 2011. Even Denmark is reusing the template knowing how successful it was for them back in 2005 and 2008.

It makes us wonder why this one fails to excite the fans and how come it’s almost like the Danes regret selecting it for Vienna. Perhaps because it’s once you get past the first listen you realize just how run of the mill and boring it really is. It’s the kind of song that fools you to vote for it, before the cocky look on the lead singer’s face starts to annoy you and the repetitive chorus grates the hell out of you. The meticulously planned and coordinated outfits, perfect all the way down to the backing singers’ cute mini-dresses and 60’s hairdo appear calculated and charmless. At the end of the day it makes us question the sincerity of the band when they are overselling a package we don’t buy.

We are starting to grow tired of the Danes’ superficial, crowd pleasing entries, hoping they will dare to break away from the safe and well-used formula and bring something edgy, groundbreaking and completely off the hook stuff to ESC in the future. Because now they are just being lazy, and we’ve called their bluff.

“Whenever we feel the urge to check Facebook we meet up with the support group in our local pub for a cuppa.”

3 comments

  1. I think it will qualify from the semifinals, but I can’t see it doing too well in the grand final. Anyway, the song is ok and they should get many votes from the teenage viewers.
    Moreover, they are all kinda cute and stuff, so it’s a plus. :p

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