What a strong song from Belgium. This song is a club that. What a masterpiece The message of the song is so powerful. 12 points from France to our neighbors in Belgium
I'd say it's my guilty pleasure of the year, except I don't even feel guilty. To me it's actually that synth that got me hooked. The song just awakens my inner 90s kid, and his vocals are brilliant
it's a good throwback to the early 90s pop/house music - think Robin S, CeCe Peniston, Cathy Dennis. Gustaph is a competent performer, the backing singers are giving it all. Yes, it got some negativity for surprisingly (not Gustaph's fault) beating the fandom faves, but c'mon, guys, the over 30s gays who are the core Eurovision pre-party audience are going to love it, so it's not as dead on arrival as some people claim it is. It's midtable, may not qualify, may sneak through - it all depends on what it's up against and the running order.
I love the 90s sound to this, but appreciate your technical insight and calm, measured analysis. Too many reactors fall down the route of putting on a 'show'. Thank you for being different.
At first I didn’t like it, but after listening for a couple of times I’m actually starting to vibe to the song. I’m curious to see if they keep this staging for Eurovision or if they add also some dancers.
He beat all the fan favorites, so a lot of people were mad that he won. I think the hate was not deserved. Granted, not a musical masterpiece, but still a very enjoyable 3 minutes helped by a charismatic live performance. I predict he'll get more televotes than "Miss You" (which would have qualified even if we removed the juries from the equation).
Hi Rachel, great analysis as always. I have a small request: can you please put these reviews in one playlist so in the future I might rewatch them one after another?
This song will have the same effect when Conchita wurst represented Austria at Eurovision Song Contest in 2014. Austria won Eurovision Song Contest that year. I think it will be the same for Belgium. 12 points from France to our neighbors in Belgium
Personally I find that the music has a side of déjà vu but the performance of the singer and his backing vocalists is just wow and they takes us with them. I would like to add that the text seems a bit simple to me but it's not necessarily a bad thing it can be a good point to be accessible to everyone.
Interesting review! I definitely agree with your thoughts on the synths. For me, this song is boppy and has good elements but is overall quite weak. It sounds a bit cheap, a bit dated and quite generic for what it is. It's definitely got a groove and people will dance along to it, but I struggle to see it making enough of an impact. Maybe it could push through if they throw everything at the performance like they did in 2016 with What's The Pressure.
Is that dress inspired by the Spongebob end credits as well as the Belgian flag?! Cute, regardless! This entry and the fact that it got chosen represents everything I love about living in this country. It has it all - initial drama, a weird turn of events, a conclusion that has you sitting down and ultimately laughing at the surrealism of it. Everyone in the international community was expecting one of two (arguably three) songs to win the NF. Both these songs were, even in my opinion, way stronger. Gustaph however, was assumed to be nowhere in the running. BUT Belgium being Belgium, they took a complete u-turn and chose him, even though he didn't win either the televote OR the jury. The backlash with the fandom outside of Belgium made the surprise victory doubly worth it, tbh! The song itself, while not my fave to say the least (too cheesy and camp for my taste, plus I feel like I've heard this sort of thing a million times already), does have its merits. Like it or not it's catchy af, it has an audience, and has a genuine performer behind it. Not one to completely write off, I would say, the overall package could be enough to see Belgium through to the final. Not a given, so I still wish homeland number two the best.
I know what you mean about the ostinato, I like it mainly because I liked a lot of 90s house tracks that had very similar riffs. Bit thats just me, probably biased. I guess the track is reference that style. I also love the second verse chord changes.
Hyper catchy but it Is a bit flat for me at the same time. Weird feeling. And would you make a video reaction about Albania's entry? Great analysis as always :) Pd: thank you!! You just answered my question in the end of the video xD
i love this song a lot and i don't understand the complaints that it is "dated", or why having a fun 90's vibe is a bad thing. i screamed super loudly when it qualified to the finals.
Like others I wasn't crazy about this song when I first heard it but it has grown on me and I am liking it more. Not a great song but the vocals are very good. I give this a 7.5. I assume that most voters hear the songs more than once.
However, I can’t get behind that annoying synth ostinato that is used in the verses, underpinned by a pedal ‘C’ chord. i think so too ! how can we help him :)
Given what Belgium had on offer, this result felt terribly disappointing and I saw a lot of people unhappy about the result. It's OK, but I don't think a lot of Eurovision fans will go big for it.
Gustaph is a cabaret song that would be suited to a club performance or restaurant performance. But no way does something so cabaret and dated belong on an international stage like Eurovision
Those who try to discredit with derogatory terms, anecdotal comparisons with a mix of laughs and homophobic grimaces, the objective scope, that the whole; song and singer; intends to achieve. In its apparent absence of volume of values lies the strong commitment of a social nature. If not, let's see: - The melody is upbeat with a "New Wave - Disco" beat; remembering Boy George; but with a touch of modernity if we join the backing voices (choir) and the Gospel that introduces homogeneity to the whole. - The lyrics contain a message of self motivation and celebration, referring to the importance of the search for change, as a key element of acceptance, to stop the conflicts and scourges that follow one another and that determines the need for an obvious orientation brought by self-knowledge/self-love. - The presentation (image) is complex; going to drink influence in the Flemish painting of the century. XVI, XVII, reflecting; (I think the brand image of the singer, Gustaph, represents the purpose of the city of Antwerp's reputation in Fashion Design), along with what goes on behind the singer; pictures displaying watchwords, concepts; positioning in foreground and color, of the importance of the subject empowered with unique qualities with the security that allows experiencing simultaneously the everyday and the spiritual, involved in building a liberal society with an intuitive perspective. "Because of you"
Het nummer slaat gewoon aan. Gustaph heeft de finale gewonnen omdat hij het publiek compleet verrast heeft en ik ben er zeker van dat hij bij zijn optreden in Liverpool het dak van de arena er af blaast.
Thanks for your reaction Rachel. Gustaph sings well, the staging is nice, but the song is third rate. So far I don’t like either Tvorchi or this and to me it feels like a weak start to Eurovision 2023. Albania isn’t bad though.
I kind of love this song! It's 90's club disco inspirational. It's consistent all throughout and has its moments. I'd say it's so far my fave out of the recent "gay" songs. I agree, he's a very competent performer and compared the studio recording, the live is better with the thing he does with his voice. The 90s being back can carry it I think (?) And good for him! Getting his moment with a positive song! The gays tend to be haters but I support this. 8/10
Just like Ukraine, this was not my favourite of the contestants, at all. It's all very formulaic, even though he can sing. If it qualifies for the final, it's on the right-hand side of the scoreboard as things stand. Maybe I've got to the point in my life where I WANT everyone's entry to be weird and out there 🙂
I don't like it, but is a lot eurovision style as song. the visual part is a bit flat at least in this performance so, for now it's definetly not in my favoutites! OT did you change hair cut?! :)
Belgium had better songs than this in its selection. While Gustaph can absolutely sing, the synths are annoying and it has "I.M" vibes, which really isn't a very good thing.
