"Go Tobann" was played on Future Alternative on BBC Radio 1 and I was so excited because eventhough I'm Half British (as far we I know mostly English heritage, I'm very into genealogy but I keep hitting a brick wall when researching my British heritage not many on my mother's side of the family) and Half Norwegian I LOVE learning languages that are rarer (I started learning Welsh during the pandemic and loved it so much I kept up with it ❤) and I love the whole thing about "Go Tobann" especially the irish ❤❤❤
Love your reactions! Really think Ireland can qualify with either Ailsha or Bambie Thug. Both are very unique and exciting!! I've had doomsday blue in my head for days now! 😊 really hope Ireland doesn't send the boyband. 😅 like you said, bland whitebread!! 🤣
low key i love the badly played tin whistle in go tobann since it reminds me so much of primary school and learning tin whistle and along with the basic irish phrases its so nostalgic in a way
Hello Tom. Thanks for your great reaction! I must say that I am happily surprised by the quality of the Irish selection, offering new sounds. My favorite song is “doomsday blue” by Bambie Thug. By the way, I like your T shirt. Hugs
The only one that kept my full attention throughout was Go tobann. I do Scottish Gaelic and have done some Irish, so the phrases were recognisable. The lyrics are just genius. It's obviously different as Irish is a language of Ireland, but the lyrics also reflect my experience of language learning within the English school system. I did a decade of French and can't even string a sentence together now. I love the analytical approach to your videos.
@@stephenmurphy2212 it feels like it could be a real turning point for Ireland. I hope it would then remind the BBC that we have other languages here too because we've only ever sent English and have been just as bad, if not worse than Ireland recently in terms of song quality. I'd vote for Go tobann in May and cheer for it more than my own country, which I'm sure will go down well. 😂
Fingers crossed Tom! Let's hope the make the right choice, and that is NOT the generic boy band. My favorite is Ailsha. With a good staging this could do well.
The whistle sounding 'off' or childish or distorted might actually be a strength to the song, expressing frustration with her lack of skill in Gaeilge (I learned a new word!). And since the song refers to phrases learned at school, why not have a struggling child on a whistle on stage or LED? I agree with you that the 'missing' thirty seconds can be used to explain the song and that could sway many over to vote for it
I’d like to think it’s between Bambie and Ailsha, however I see a reality where if they both give a competent live performance and the votes between them become split, Erica Cody could pull through. I’m also very concerned about the Eurosong jury immediately switching off at Bambie and Ailsha’s performance, so I really hope there is a bit of an overhaul there too.
Yea I’ve zero faith (no pun intended) in the Eurosong jury. I’ve no evidence but I do kinda feel they do those votes last so they can adjust them to make the show more exciting, but that’s wild speculation. I’m also worried about the Bambie Ailsha split
Hey! Was waiting patiently for this video, and your reaction DIDNT fail! 😊 I think our ranking for Eurosong are incredibly similar! Bottom of the pile for me are the boyband 'Next In Line'. Generic, scarily similar to the song last year, safe and forgetful. The whole package is so yawn, done before and bland, like un-seasoned chicken. 5th - JYellowL. Not bad, and I'd love for a rap song to creep through one day and surprise everyone in Eurosong. Unfortunately this one isn't strong enough. 4th - Erica-Cody. I like this song. Its well put together, has a great melody and will please the mid tempo dance-pop crowd. Sadly its nothing groundbreaking to make it stand out at Eurovision where it'll get swallowed by countries that took the chance to send something better quality/edgier/unique. 3rd - Isabella Kearney. I keep swapping my 3rd and 4th placers, but for me I prefer this one slightly more, although this one is so typical of the music you'd hear in the UK/Irish charts a fee years ago. Again its been done to death before and done better too. My top two are LEAPS AND BOUNDS ahead of the others. 2 - Bambie Thug. Its a close one between my 1 & 2 placements because they're both so out there. This one is quite dark and I like the softness against the brash guitars that precede the softness. It's like being in a war on a clifftop and there's chaos everywhere, so you choose to jump down in to the tranquil sea to escape the chaos. If this wins Eurosong, I wouldnt be mad at all 1 - Ailsha. I think this is my favourite of the two chaotic big hitters. Although it sounds like a crazy demo where the producers were experimenting with the elements of clashing sounds, I think with a little clean up of the sounds and a little more structure, this could be a surprise dark horse. This one reminds me of what it would be like to stand in the middle of a category 5 hurricane, with the chaos swirling around you 😂 My only worry (and it's a HUGE worry) is that by staging all these songs on the Late Late show, I'm terrified that the two out there songs by Ailsha & Bambie are going to be so badly misunderstood, under appreciated and likely handicapped by the audience. My ultimate fear is that the bland boyband will benefit from this. I agree that tentative steps have taken place to ensure a wider plethora of songs have been put forward, but the platform they're showcased on need to be overhauled. A think an LED background would always benefit the artists which allows them more scope for artistry and explanation of the song they're putting forward. That way the audience can connect better. I'm really hoping something good comes from this because I'll be pissed if the bland boyband win
haha we were so close to being a perfect match love the jumping off a cliff metaphor. heopfully they bring some strong visuals in their live show and embody that
Ireland's back! Team Bambie Thug here. Thanks for your insight information about the irish language in Go Tobann. The badly played whistle seems so appropriate in this context. Maybe in the missing final minute it will be resolved (learning to speak irish and play the whistle).
I hope we send either Ailsha or Bambie Thug, but I do worry because artists with big artistic visions like them are so disadvantaged by the limitations of Eurosong 😬
Bambie Thug is the strongest song for me and stands out the most but I find it hard to believe all of these were the six strongest submissions. It's good there is some progress in terms of genre diversity and sounds like a step in the right direction. As we know, Ireland is by no means the only country to go through a seemingly neverending streak of bad results (something I'm all too familiar with as a UK viewer!) Best of luck!
Tom, I said exactly the same thing about Next in Line, they are Wild Youth 2!!! If I were voting now, my selection are identical to yours! The margin between Ailsha and Bambie Thug though are marginal, Ailsha necks it for me for its fluidity. Anyway, hopefully someone has told Linda Martin that the Eurosong Shop is closed for refurbishment in 2024!
I've never been so excited, yet dreading a Eurosong final. The one thing I noticed that is different with this line-up compared to last year, is they seem very enthusiastic about about preforming on Eurovision. I was listening to Ailsha & Bambie Thug on the Eirevision Podcast, and they brought up the constraints of performing on the Late Late. At least they recognise it and are able to rehearse for it. With the likes of Bambie Thug, they done their our theatre shows in London and has travelled a lot. They're a creative powerhouse. It's a bit worrying when you talk about the unlimited televote, although, I could be wrong, but isn't the televote only 1/3 of the all over vote? I agree with you on Next in Line. To me it sounds the exact same as Wild Youth's song. Another thing about them, they've only been around for a year. With their young age, I don't know if they are experienced enough to go on a the main stage of Eurovision? There's that influencer and I see some people trying to hype them up. But to the wider Eurovision fans, no one is talking about them and if they do, they say the same thing, its Wild Youth's song all over again. We just have to hope whomever the jury is, that they recognise that.
As someone who was slightly disappointed by the previous Irish selections and always appreciates diversity and creativity at Eurovision, I wholeheartedly support Bambie Thug!🖤🦇✨️ It's daring, it has a dark feel to it, it is memorable, you can literally feel the passion and the boundlessness of the artist. And on top of that, I would love some apocalyptic electronica on the big stage! This is definitely the best choice, I'm really really passionate about it.🖤🫶✨️ Overall, a huge step forward for Ireland in general, but I have to stick to one choice and it's the one with the most outstanding songwriting skills in my view. Hauntingly atmospheric!
I think with Bambie it totally comes down to them bringing an epic stage show, which they’re capable of. I think they should really be aiming for people to come out of seeing their performance saying wow
I think this is an improvement from last year. I do only like 2/6 😂😅 but it's a step in the right direction. My personal pick is Bambie Thug! But I also like Alisha too 💚☘️
I think lengthening the intro (like what Alessandra did for Queen of Kings) and adding some context there would be better than extending the outro. The song is too short for Eurovision anyway, so that gives Ailsha a reason to change the song, but I agree with you that the sound mixing for this song is not the best. The song definitely needs clearer vocals. You can clearly tell that a lot of effort was put into producing this song. I think in the article on the front page of the Irish newspaper, the producer said that it took them nearly a year to make the song, so a lot of care and effort.
For me I can't decide if I want bambie thug or ailsha so it will all come down to the live show but I have far more faith in bambies live as from what I've seen they are EXTREMELY competent and have a full plan for eurosong and for eurovision but we shall see. I also think that bambie thugs chorus makes it somewhat acceptable to the general public but either of them would be amazing
I'm pretty much in the same boat. Looking at some of their previous videos, Bambi Thug seems like a very polished performer and could have some amazing staging, RTE permitting of course. Plus the tonal shifts in the song just seem to lend themselves very well to some quirky visual spectacle. But then Ailsha's song is really good too and has an important message about our relationship with Irish and on the whole is probably more accessible to a general audience. It just needs a bit of a production polish pass and to maybe not be at 11/10 the whole way through. Which is a very long-winded way of saying that it's probably gonna come down to the live performance! :D
Thanks Tom for this great and informative reaction and analysis video! I agree with a lot of the points you made. My personal ranking for each of the songs before the Eurosong show on Friday is: 1. Ailsha: Go Tobann 2. Erica Cody: Love me like I do 3. Bambie Thug: Doomsday Blue 4. JyellowL ft. Toisín: Judas 5. Isabella Kearney: Let me be the fire 6. Next in Line: Love like us
Erica is my winner currently. Having said that, Go Tobann is the correct choice for Eurovision. It is the risk that Ireland needs to qualify. The only thing stopping me from having it as my top is the sound is too messy and chaotic for me to be able to hear a lot of the melody or lyrics
I honestly think it can only be Doomsday Blue or Go Tobann - personally I think Doomsday Blue is the best (it's SUCH a grower) the mix between the craziness and that gorgeous smooth chorus works, and then the BIG HEAVY end would be amazing live. I enjoy Go Tobann too, feels a WEE bit twee but it is quite catchy as well - I feel both would get us into the final at the very least!
I'm rooting for Ailsha with GO TOBANN! The concept is amazing and something a lot of people can relate to, even outside Ireland. Though not a native language, in Canada we learn French at school. I did that for so many years and have forgotten almost all speaking skills. If Ailsha does win, I'm hoping for some sort of revamp that will make the vocals more prominent and help to convey the meaning more clearly, even though it would still be difficult to get the message across in three minutes!
Who would have thought Ireland would have the two most alternative experimental songs so far? My pick is “Go Tobann”. “Doomsday Blues” might too much to digest for the average viewer, but I like that song too. I guess my final judgment is gonna depend on the staging,. I hope the stage is little better than last year, gave me that dank dark basement feeling.
My favorite is 'Doomsday Blue' all the way. But I’m a bit scared how it will sound live. I also really like 'Let Me Be The Fire' because it’s the type of music I usually listen to and the song itself is quite catchy imo. I would also be fine with 'Go Tobann' winning, I think this could grow a lot on me! The other 3 Songs are just meh. The absolute disaster would be Wild Youth 2.0 but I think and hope that Ireland has learned its lesson.
Totally agree with your comments at the end. We need to separate the show from the Late Late Show, expand to semi finals and give us a chance to bring something different and of quality to the Eurovision
Keep banging the drum Tom....it is SO needed! We must be real here. Ireland has 2 options here to qualify. You don't need to be a genius to see it. Ailsha or Bambie Thug need to win Erica and Isabella have "nice" songs but who needs "nice" 🙉 JyellowL is not as gripping as last years rap song entry and then we have Next In Line. Oh my good God. Please don't get me started. This was dated 20 years ago but i can guarantee you now, that this will be really well presented and professionally staged in the Eurosong final. This could win. If it does (and nothing would depress me more this Eurovision season) then Ireland should scrap a national final. Michael Kealy has tried to listen to the constructive criticism and we do get more diversity here but if this wins, the result in Malmö will be inevitable. We then should judge the HoD's performance on centrally selected entries. Can you imagine successive years of Ailsha and Bambie Thug? We would be the talk of Europe once again for all the good reasons. Lets hope the Eurovision community in Ireland can supercede any campaign by the "money people" to get their interest group the win Not wanting to sound Trumpruistic or anything but it's in our hands to "Make Ireland Great Again".., or I'd settle for relevant again! Well done on another great analysis Tom! 👏👏👏
I really loved seeing you excited about some of the Eurosong entries for the first time in forever!! I’d be so proud of Ireland if they sent either Bambie Thug or Ailsha, and as you said, even if they didn’t qualify, it’d still be something to be so proud of. Yet somehow, I agree in that I can very very much see Next In Line winning - where even though this has been a much improved selection, zero progress will have been made overall. It’s Louis Walsh’s involvement that worries me, and also Linda Martin in the newspapers saying that Love Like Us is far and away the best song in the selection… I just have a very bad feeling about this, but I really hope Ireland prove me wrong.
My thoughts: Erica-Cody: This song is easy to do well, but hard to do in a qualifier kind of way. These last two Eurosongs, I feel like this would be an obvious winner, but I’m so happy it isn’t this year. Ailsha: Go Tobann my beloved. This is so very creative and everything but forgettable. I do agree that adding a slower part, for clarifying both pacing and message, is the right call. Maybe add some line like “I’m so sorry I forgot you” to get people thinking. Isabella: I keep forgetting how this song goes. In a six-song national final, that should not be a thing. I don’t want to be mean but I really don’t know how this could get better. I know the writers can do better. JyellowL: The lyrics seem to be the most important thing here, and I do like them. This could be pleasant for the audience. But listening to his Éirevision interview, it doesn’t sound like he wants to go and a friend put him up to it. So I’m guessing that he isn’t gonna bring the emotion this song needs, unless he surprises us, which I’m really rooting for. Bambie Thug: This song is really good, but kind of disjointed. It’s not like Cha Cha Cha there each part plays into the next. This needs some glue, and that would have to be the visual element. They have said that they’re bringing dancers so that’s a good start. I also really love their attitude of “this is a song I love and this deserves to be in Eurovision” which is exactly what we need. Next in line: Eh, I guess.
Actually the recipe for ireland's success is simple - you need something dynamic with celtic spirit and music, Ireland chooses mediocre radio songs and that's the way to nowhere, because we have lack of celtic languages at Eurovision and since Wales can't participate separately, only Ireland can give us that I think Ailsha is a very interesting mix of electropunk, the song is even more japanese in spirit, very acid and it would be great to present it on stage with chaotic visuals from lyrics video and ai-generated dystopian schoolgirls
Hi from Ukraine! In my opinion the best song from Ireland is Alisha s song. Very crazy, but interesting to listen to. I'm so glad that she sings using Irish language and i hear your traditional instrument.
I love your enthusiasm for your own country. Very beautiful. Bambie is the staging one that will wow an audience I feel more than anyone else on this list. Ireland has the best chance since the dancing DJ duck or whatever it was in 1997 ☘️
what i think would suit ireland the best would be to hold a national final similar to czechia, allow the eurovision youtube channel to live stream it and allow viewers from around europe contribute to who wins.
As someone else have said about Go Tobann is that, while she could for sure use the full 3 mins, its also important to finish when you feel the song should be over. I could see an extended intro being added, but I do kinda think that the song length is just right for this kind of sound!
I think Ireland should take a risk to advance in the competition because the public won't vote for Ireland just because they finally picked a decent entry that still isn't their favorite. “Go Tobann” and “Doomsday Blue” stand out for me. I would choose “Go Tobann” because for me it is the most Irish and catchiest song. I really hope the risky ones will perform well live, so Ireland will be confident enough, to support them.
Normally, the music style isn't my particular favourite, but I REALLY like "Go Tobann" and think it not only has the best chance to win the National Final, but also come Top 5, at Eurovision itself! It's really great to see such diverse entries this year for Ireland! I'd put the rap song at the bottom myself. Just not my cup of tea personally.
Ailsha for the winn, if not then Bambi! I wouldn’t mind any of them winning because they’re different except for Next In Line🙄no hate to them of course
Will you be at the Eurosong this year? I was there last year. Had an amasing time. Have applied again this year and hopefully I will get a ticket. If I do, would love to say hi to you.
Go Tobann caught me with the ethnic-electronic chaos...but the meaning behind really resonated with me and i think will resonate across Europe - i also am rapidly losing my mother tongue and I resonate with the chaos and...fear of losing that part of me. Also the song is a BOP.
Ireland are pushing back and i love it ! My concern is that go tobann and bambie thug might split the vote causing niether of them to win overall. That unfortunately might lead to Next in line getting the majority. Fingers crossed that the Irish public take a chance on something not so cookie cutter this year 🇮🇪
I preferred Wild Youth to this boy band this year so I think Ireland should not send that. However I really like Erica's song however for Ireland to qualify I think they should Domesday Blue or the Song with Irish in it.
Is it that hard to have a normal national selection , with real crowd ???? I don't say taking the eurosong to 3arena (I'D LOVE IT) but just move out of that TV studio. At this point, I think even Moldova and San Marino's productions are way better than what RTE is doing
Good video. Couple of points on what you raised....I don't mean 2 though, Im using couple to mean a few as most Irish people do to show the influence of the Irish language on how we speak English in Ireland....coming from the Irish word cúpla meaning a few but sounds like the English word couple! 1) RTÉ are more broke than ever and are in danger of going bankrupt this year. I can only see their budgets being slashed for Eurovision 😮 altho as TG4 show, you don't need a budget to take Eurovision seriously. 2) I used to be very cynical about Irish but not anymore. I disagree with you saying Erica is using Irish as a gimmick and I'm not sure comparing it to a swedish approach is valid. Swedish is the main spoken language of Sweden but Irish unfortunately isn't the main spoken language anymore in Ireland for about 150 plus years but it is growing again albeit slowly. I think a nod to our Identity and uniqueness is no bad thing through using the cúpla focail is great. Many Eurovision songs as you know are in multiple languages over the years. Irish people would commonly use words like grá, gúna, geansaí, meas(especially in cork), slán or sláinte for example while speaking English sentences in Ireland so to me this is perfectly like that. Also I know you lived abroad a lot but I'm sure you noticed how unique Irish turns of phrase are compared to other English speakers. What you probably didn't connect was that most if not all are direct or mis translations of Irish into English. Thanks a million, the use of couple to mean a few and "giving out" to criticise or complain are all uniquely Irish and either a close translation from Irish to English but using the English sounding word such as saying thanks a million rather than thanks a thousand which is the literal translation of how you say thank you in Irish. Míle the Irish word for thousand sounds closer to English word million than English word thousand so hey presto. Cúpla is where Irish people think they are using the English word couple but are retaining the Irish word cúpla and more importantly the meaning being a few. In fact in parts of Ireland people would say I have a couple ah things to do...which is basically using the Irish pronunciation. Giving out is the best example of a direct translation. It is word for word a direct translation from Irish but in Irish the context is to complain, all Irish people get this inherently but are often shocked other English speakers don't know what they mean. It's all the influence of Irish. So many examples. My point being the Irish language influences our names, the names of the towns, cities and counties and how we speak English so I think retaining that in a small way in a modern pop song to represent our country is great and celebrating it is unique as it is unique to Ireland. We've tried everything else too!!😂 3. You're point on it being weird we don't speak Irish as much misses hundreds of years of colonial history to explain that. I'm guessing you missed history classes as a kid!! 😂 Many European countries speak other countries languages, Switzerland, Belgium, Malta, Luxembourg....altho the last 2 do have their own languages as does Switzerland to an extent, Austria, Moldova, Cyprus etc. Irish was banned by the British. To be fair most colonial projects did the same but some countries like Finland were successful at bringing back their language post independence....mainly cos their colonial rulers language wasn't the language the US spoke. Being English speakers and English being all over the world cos of their empire, really doomed Irish 's revival. Irish was still the predominant language in the 19th century in most of the country and many only spoke it. Unfortunately most people who died in the famine or had to emigrate during or after the famine in the mid 1800s, spoke Irish. So the language really started to die. The Irish people left behind still speaking Irish had to learn English pretty quickly to survive but it explains why many Irish phrases came into English. I think Junior Eurovision showcases that Irish is a modern pop language and a nod in Erica's song to it and in go tobann in my view is cool. Anyway I went from not liking Irish to a convert recently cos it sort of clicked how even tho it isn't spoken as widely as I'd like, it defines us in without us even realising it or thinking about it. It does make us different and I think it's worth using that in songs that we send to represent us. I think having great diversity in the pool of talent this year is good and actually showcases modern Ireland well. Boybands are nice etc but I sort of think their time was 90s and 00s but not sure anyone told Louis Walsh!! 😅 Keep up the good work!
Tom, is there such a thing as too experimental for ESC? Also if you need to explain the song to get what the message is - is that not a practical thing for a televote only SF?
well, for Ailsha, thats why i think she needs to use those last 30 seconds. i PRESUME that the late late will have a short postcard before where she talks about the meaning of the song. but I think she really needs to hammer home what its about cos the meaning of the song doubles how awesome it is
I’m absolutely terrified for what we’re going to select. I think the Irish general public may be the least knowledgeable people when it comes to Eurovision. Honestly, it’s an awful thing to say, but it may be better if one of Bambie Thug or Ailsha flop live so they don’t split votes. Really hope we get in a competent group of international jurors (they usually give out the points that are most in tune with what do best at Eurovision). As for the Irish jury, if we get in another load of past winners and radio DJs (who may have incentive to favour NIL or Erica) that would be a disaster. And I agree with you, Ailsha should definitely take advantage of the extra 30 seconds. I feel like the latter half of the song works rather well with Can I go to the toilet hook with the counting ad-libs and heightened instrumental. Instead I think she should focus on the first half of the song: it gives a lot away almost too quickly and we’re suddenly into the chorus before you know it. Some kind of chill, but suspenseful verse or less chaotic element at the start would be helpful in my opinion.
Ireland this your Time for be in the final stop beeing like jonny logan stop sending songs that don't stand out you have a change to be in the final if you send something different and you use Irish and English plese irleldnd love from the uk 🇬🇧 🇮🇪 ❤ plese vote for go tabann it's already proving popular on tick tick its having great reviews and had been on bbc radio one plese Ireland don't let me down I would love to see Ireland in the final of eurovision love from the uk
Thanks be to all of the Eurovision Gods that we didn't send the boyband. I nearly had a heart attack when the international jury gave it 12. What the hell was going on there? However once again the format of the Late Late Show really destroyed the chances of any of the songs to really stand out especially the sound quality which was completely atrocious. Of the two different styled songs I think Ailsha's staging didn't work because it was too obvious for the song whereas Bambi Thug's staging made it a little bit even more different. Bambi Thug's song wouldn't be entirely my cup of tea but at least they made some effort to try and give an idea of what their presentation might be in Eurovision like so I think that's why it stood out more. I hope it qualifies for the final just to reward the public for trying something different.
Hey Tom👋 I entered my song TAKE ME OUT for Eurosong and apparently from sources I made it to the top 10. I've released it on my UA-cam channel and its getting a lot of attention. Please check it out. Delish xx
There are few things I want as much from Eurovision as Ireland being successful again. You know, I started to dig into Eurovision in mid-90s and I honestly thought back then that Ireland winning almost all the time is a constant part of this contest's very essence :). Anyway, Go Tobann is the best choice imo, even though it may feel a bit messy in the first listen. I still hope that Ireland will send this song, it will be a standout and a qualifier for sure. At the same time, I can't help being totally obsessed with Love Me Like I Do, it's such a pleasant earworm. I know, it's too safe and unoriginal for Eurovision at this point, so I hope it won't win Eurosong even though I really love it. I wish this song had some Irish lyrics, it would add so much uniqueness to this catchy melody.
On the criteria of which song is the best fit fir Eurovision, Ailsha is miles ahead, not only on Eurosong but actually across most national finals. It is cultural yet funny yet modern yet artistic. It is simply clever. I agree that Bambie Thug's song is also an option, bit I see less reason for the random Eurovision voter to be drawn to vote for it, it is too niche. Erica's song is nice, it would fit in MGP or other finals just fine, but it is not a wow song to go up against what will come out of MGP, Eesti Laul, Dora, Supernova, etc. Ailsha is such a unique chance to finally be competitive since Jedward.
Another thought I have. Niall Horan has been judging on American Voice the last couple years he's really got into Country music. Why doesn't Ireland put in that genre in the Eurosong? How come it's always Netherlands or Estonia.
I can appreciate that Ailsha has a message but the song sounds just noice to me. It seems to be like not my taste. This is slowly changing with further listenings... I understand Ireland needs a risk so you may go that way. Bambi Thug is better, since it has the melodic bit, something untrained ear can hook to. Both songs rely on making a good live performance to succeed. However, the rest of songs are too generic to qualify, I am afraid.
OK, I can totally agree with your analysis and your top 6. My views: Erica-Cody: it's solid as you say and her voice sounds great. However, this reminds me of Rachel Goode's "I'm loving me" in Eurosong 22. It's very generic and uninspired, even though the production is better than Rachel's song was. But Rachel was a classically trained soprano who usually sang country and Irish traditional, and came to Eurosong with a "song for Eurovision" which did not feel true at all to her. I get that feeling here as well. Erica does sound like a stronger singer and performer, so maybe she'll be better at bringing this to life. Ailsha: first time I heard this, this was a real wtf moment for me haha. I've grown to like it, although production really needs a big cleanup because some parts really sound horrible. But I really enjoy that it has great personality and as you say a viewpoint. It's so interesting to hear your comments on the Irish language; sad that Irish seems so badly taught in school. Yeah, this entry would be a total Irish in-your-face entry, which would be such a great breath of fresh air. Isabella: is this Ireland trying to put on some Ibiza-style lounge music? I can't see this work live. JYellowL: well, it stands out because it's rap and the title is cool. But I don't enjoy this, sadly. Bambie Thug: yet another wtf moment here. It's very daring and the personality is off the charts. I really struggle to see though how this will look on the Late Late Show... Sadly, I fear this will flop hard live, while the song is so interesting. Next in Line: so funny that you were literally talking about how different Eurosong 2024 is from Eurosong 2022, and then this comes. And I had to laugh when I saw your face when the chorus dropped. The verse is not that bad, but the chorus is so f*king generic and basic. I don't think that they're great singers either, and the chorus is so dull because there's nothing in the way of harmonies. Indeed, this will not work. Overall, it's kind of a breath of fresh air that at least Ireland has options that will stand out. I'm still very curious though how these will be staged on the Late Late Show, which is why I wouldn't rule out that we end up with one of the safer options (like Erica, or even Next in Line) winning...
Yea I really wish Ailsha would work with a producer who could get the chaos theme of the song across in the production without resorting to cacophony, im sure theres a way to make it sound smoother but keep the madness in the message. Agree with all your points here, and how this is a rather unpredictable final as we have the constraints of not just what song works, but what translates best in this very cramped and constrained environment. Btw thank you SO much for your PP donation, i fully gasped when i saw it this morning. Very very generous of you 🥰, i dont fully trust the PP messaging service, hence thanking you here ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🇳🇱
"Go Tobann" sounds intriguing, especially because of the Irish language, which is lovely :)
no, "An bhfuil cead agam dul go dtí an leighris?" means "can i go to the toilet?"
Go Tobann means suddenly
@@ESCTom Ok, thanks :) (I really thought Go Tobann means the going to the toilet, but then edited my comment as I realized I got it wrong ;))
I’ve been blasting Go Tobann in my car for the last few days. LOVE it.
Omg tom reacting to eurosong 2024, it's HERE🎉
The copyright demons really made me work for it 😵💫☠️
@@ESCTom 😭
"Go Tobann" was played on Future Alternative on BBC Radio 1 and I was so excited because eventhough I'm Half British (as far we I know mostly English heritage, I'm very into genealogy but I keep hitting a brick wall when researching my British heritage not many on my mother's side of the family) and Half Norwegian I LOVE learning languages that are rarer (I started learning Welsh during the pandemic and loved it so much I kept up with it ❤) and I love the whole thing about "Go Tobann" especially the irish ❤❤❤
I’m soo happy to see you get excited about Eurosong, finally!! It’s been a good few years, ey? 🤭 GO TOBANN!!💥🍾
Go Toban with a revamp to clean up the instrumental do so well in especially the televote, it's so unique
yes if this wins, 100% needs a revamp
Love your reactions! Really think Ireland can qualify with either Ailsha or Bambie Thug. Both are very unique and exciting!! I've had doomsday blue in my head for days now! 😊 really hope Ireland doesn't send the boyband. 😅 like you said, bland whitebread!! 🤣
I was waiting for this, and I'm not even Irish 😊 as a pt eurovision fan I really want Ireland to do good this year.
Rooting for you 🇵🇹❤🇮🇪
low key i love the badly played tin whistle in go tobann since it reminds me so much of primary school and learning tin whistle and along with the basic irish phrases its so nostalgic in a way
yea i get it has a meaning but you do need to put yourself in the place of a 1 time listener sometimes who doesnt understand the reference
@@ESCTom the first time I heard this song, I immediately thought of shitty flute when I heard the tin flute in this 😂
Hello Tom. Thanks for your great reaction! I must say that I am happily surprised by the quality of the Irish selection, offering new sounds. My favorite song is “doomsday blue” by Bambie Thug.
By the way, I like your T shirt.
Hugs
Well done Bambie! Top 6 result for Ireland, this is crazy ❤
I am obsessed with Ailshas song.. It has such a fun energy... and I adore the Irish language.
The only one that kept my full attention throughout was Go tobann. I do Scottish Gaelic and have done some Irish, so the phrases were recognisable. The lyrics are just genius. It's obviously different as Irish is a language of Ireland, but the lyrics also reflect my experience of language learning within the English school system. I did a decade of French and can't even string a sentence together now. I love the analytical approach to your videos.
Thanks Charlotte ❤️
@@ESCTom tá fáilte romhat 😊
We’ve got to take the ultimate risk and send Go Tobann to Eurovision 2024! 🙌❤️
@@stephenmurphy2212 it feels like it could be a real turning point for Ireland. I hope it would then remind the BBC that we have other languages here too because we've only ever sent English and have been just as bad, if not worse than Ireland recently in terms of song quality. I'd vote for Go tobann in May and cheer for it more than my own country, which I'm sure will go down well. 😂
@@charlottecarson6388I’ve sheets wanted the Uk 🇬🇧 to send something in welsh or Scottish. That would be so cool
Fingers crossed Tom! Let's hope the make the right choice, and that is NOT the generic boy band. My favorite is Ailsha. With a good staging this could do well.
🤞🏻
The whistle sounding 'off' or childish or distorted might actually be a strength to the song, expressing frustration with her lack of skill in Gaeilge (I learned a new word!). And since the song refers to phrases learned at school, why not have a struggling child on a whistle on stage or LED? I agree with you that the 'missing' thirty seconds can be used to explain the song and that could sway many over to vote for it
Enjoy your first Eurosong live experience tonight Tom - have a blast - keep up the great work on the channel - mighty stuff
Thanks 🙏🏻
I’d like to think it’s between Bambie and Ailsha, however I see a reality where if they both give a competent live performance and the votes between them become split, Erica Cody could pull through. I’m also very concerned about the Eurosong jury immediately switching off at Bambie and Ailsha’s performance, so I really hope there is a bit of an overhaul there too.
Yea I’ve zero faith (no pun intended) in the Eurosong jury. I’ve no evidence but I do kinda feel they do those votes last so they can adjust them to make the show more exciting, but that’s wild speculation.
I’m also worried about the Bambie Ailsha split
Not seeing the majority of eurofans have Ireland last in their ranking is a nice change for once 🥲 so proud of my people
Ailsha is my pick. That song and its theme is phenomenal!
Hey! Was waiting patiently for this video, and your reaction DIDNT fail! 😊
I think our ranking for Eurosong are incredibly similar!
Bottom of the pile for me are the boyband 'Next In Line'.
Generic, scarily similar to the song last year, safe and forgetful. The whole package is so yawn, done before and bland, like un-seasoned chicken.
5th - JYellowL. Not bad, and I'd love for a rap song to creep through one day and surprise everyone in Eurosong. Unfortunately this one isn't strong enough.
4th - Erica-Cody. I like this song. Its well put together, has a great melody and will please the mid tempo dance-pop crowd. Sadly its nothing groundbreaking to make it stand out at Eurovision where it'll get swallowed by countries that took the chance to send something better quality/edgier/unique.
3rd - Isabella Kearney. I keep swapping my 3rd and 4th placers, but for me I prefer this one slightly more, although this one is so typical of the music you'd hear in the UK/Irish charts a fee years ago. Again its been done to death before and done better too.
My top two are LEAPS AND BOUNDS ahead of the others.
2 - Bambie Thug. Its a close one between my 1 & 2 placements because they're both so out there. This one is quite dark and I like the softness against the brash guitars that precede the softness. It's like being in a war on a clifftop and there's chaos everywhere, so you choose to jump down in to the tranquil sea to escape the chaos. If this wins Eurosong, I wouldnt be mad at all
1 - Ailsha. I think this is my favourite of the two chaotic big hitters. Although it sounds like a crazy demo where the producers were experimenting with the elements of clashing sounds, I think with a little clean up of the sounds and a little more structure, this could be a surprise dark horse.
This one reminds me of what it would be like to stand in the middle of a category 5 hurricane, with the chaos swirling around you 😂
My only worry (and it's a HUGE worry) is that by staging all these songs on the Late Late show, I'm terrified that the two out there songs by Ailsha & Bambie are going to be so badly misunderstood, under appreciated and likely handicapped by the audience. My ultimate fear is that the bland boyband will benefit from this.
I agree that tentative steps have taken place to ensure a wider plethora of songs have been put forward, but the platform they're showcased on need to be overhauled. A think an LED background would always benefit the artists which allows them more scope for artistry and explanation of the song they're putting forward. That way the audience can connect better.
I'm really hoping something good comes from this because I'll be pissed if the bland boyband win
haha we were so close to being a perfect match
love the jumping off a cliff metaphor. heopfully they bring some strong visuals in their live show and embody that
I'm so excited for Bambies performance. I have been listening to a lot of their other music and live performances, I'm OBSESSED.
Ireland's back! Team Bambie Thug here. Thanks for your insight information about the irish language in Go Tobann. The badly played whistle seems so appropriate in this context. Maybe in the missing final minute it will be resolved (learning to speak irish and play the whistle).
yea, if she had a slower part with the tin whisle playing properly and her talking about the language being lost, it could be an awesome contrast
I hope we send either Ailsha or Bambie Thug, but I do worry because artists with big artistic visions like them are so disadvantaged by the limitations of Eurosong 😬
Bambie Thug is the strongest song for me and stands out the most but I find it hard to believe all of these were the six strongest submissions.
It's good there is some progress in terms of genre diversity and sounds like a step in the right direction. As we know, Ireland is by no means the only country to go through a seemingly neverending streak of bad results (something I'm all too familiar with as a UK viewer!)
Best of luck!
Tom, I said exactly the same thing about Next in Line, they are Wild Youth 2!!! If I were voting now, my selection are identical to yours! The margin between Ailsha and Bambie Thug though are marginal, Ailsha necks it for me for its fluidity. Anyway, hopefully someone has told Linda Martin that the Eurosong Shop is closed for refurbishment in 2024!
Im perfectly happy for it to come down to those 2 (as it should really)
@@ESCTom couldn't agree more, here's hoping 🤞
I've never been so excited, yet dreading a Eurosong final. The one thing I noticed that is different with this line-up compared to last year, is they seem very enthusiastic about about preforming on Eurovision. I was listening to Ailsha & Bambie Thug on the Eirevision Podcast, and they brought up the constraints of performing on the Late Late. At least they recognise it and are able to rehearse for it. With the likes of Bambie Thug, they done their our theatre shows in London and has travelled a lot. They're a creative powerhouse. It's a bit worrying when you talk about the unlimited televote, although, I could be wrong, but isn't the televote only 1/3 of the all over vote?
I agree with you on Next in Line. To me it sounds the exact same as Wild Youth's song. Another thing about them, they've only been around for a year. With their young age, I don't know if they are experienced enough to go on a the main stage of Eurovision? There's that influencer and I see some people trying to hype them up. But to the wider Eurovision fans, no one is talking about them and if they do, they say the same thing, its Wild Youth's song all over again.
We just have to hope whomever the jury is, that they recognise that.
As someone who was slightly disappointed by the previous Irish selections and always appreciates diversity and creativity at Eurovision, I wholeheartedly support Bambie Thug!🖤🦇✨️ It's daring, it has a dark feel to it, it is memorable, you can literally feel the passion and the boundlessness of the artist. And on top of that, I would love some apocalyptic electronica on the big stage! This is definitely the best choice, I'm really really passionate about it.🖤🫶✨️ Overall, a huge step forward for Ireland in general, but I have to stick to one choice and it's the one with the most outstanding songwriting skills in my view. Hauntingly atmospheric!
I think with Bambie it totally comes down to them bringing an epic stage show, which they’re capable of. I think they should really be aiming for people to come out of seeing their performance saying wow
I think this is an improvement from last year. I do only like 2/6 😂😅 but it's a step in the right direction.
My personal pick is Bambie Thug! But I also like Alisha too 💚☘️
Great analysis Tom, as usual. Looking forward to your comments now that the season has really kicked off
I think lengthening the intro (like what Alessandra did for Queen of Kings) and adding some context there would be better than extending the outro. The song is too short for Eurovision anyway, so that gives Ailsha a reason to change the song, but I agree with you that the sound mixing for this song is not the best. The song definitely needs clearer vocals.
You can clearly tell that a lot of effort was put into producing this song. I think in the article on the front page of the Irish newspaper, the producer said that it took them nearly a year to make the song, so a lot of care and effort.
For me I can't decide if I want bambie thug or ailsha so it will all come down to the live show but I have far more faith in bambies live as from what I've seen they are EXTREMELY competent and have a full plan for eurosong and for eurovision but we shall see. I also think that bambie thugs chorus makes it somewhat acceptable to the general public but either of them would be amazing
im a tiny bit worried about the Bambie/Ailsha vote being split. Pretty everyone ive seen who likes one, likes the other
I'm pretty much in the same boat. Looking at some of their previous videos, Bambi Thug seems like a very polished performer and could have some amazing staging, RTE permitting of course. Plus the tonal shifts in the song just seem to lend themselves very well to some quirky visual spectacle.
But then Ailsha's song is really good too and has an important message about our relationship with Irish and on the whole is probably more accessible to a general audience. It just needs a bit of a production polish pass and to maybe not be at 11/10 the whole way through.
Which is a very long-winded way of saying that it's probably gonna come down to the live performance! :D
Thanks Tom for this great and informative reaction and analysis video! I agree with a lot of the points you made. My personal ranking for each of the songs before the Eurosong show on Friday is:
1. Ailsha: Go Tobann
2. Erica Cody: Love me like I do
3. Bambie Thug: Doomsday Blue
4. JyellowL ft. Toisín: Judas
5. Isabella Kearney: Let me be the fire
6. Next in Line: Love like us
Thanks Ashli
Doomsday Blue for me, cool song and the visuals could be amazing
I'm so happy for you. This could be the first time Ireland has been in my top 10 since jedward. Hopefully Ireland and UK can be a strong duo again.
Erica is my winner currently. Having said that, Go Tobann is the correct choice for Eurovision. It is the risk that Ireland needs to qualify. The only thing stopping me from having it as my top is the sound is too messy and chaotic for me to be able to hear a lot of the melody or lyrics
I honestly think it can only be Doomsday Blue or Go Tobann - personally I think Doomsday Blue is the best (it's SUCH a grower) the mix between the craziness and that gorgeous smooth chorus works, and then the BIG HEAVY end would be amazing live. I enjoy Go Tobann too, feels a WEE bit twee but it is quite catchy as well - I feel both would get us into the final at the very least!
I'm rooting for Ailsha with GO TOBANN! The concept is amazing and something a lot of people can relate to, even outside Ireland. Though not a native language, in Canada we learn French at school. I did that for so many years and have forgotten almost all speaking skills. If Ailsha does win, I'm hoping for some sort of revamp that will make the vocals more prominent and help to convey the meaning more clearly, even though it would still be difficult to get the message across in three minutes!
Who would have thought Ireland would have the two most alternative experimental songs so far? My pick is “Go Tobann”. “Doomsday Blues” might too much to digest for the average viewer, but I like that song too. I guess my final judgment is gonna depend on the staging,. I hope the stage is little better than last year, gave me that dank dark basement feeling.
I totally agree with you. Can't wait to hear from your comments in 2025
My favorite is 'Doomsday Blue' all the way. But I’m a bit scared how it will sound live. I also really like 'Let Me Be The Fire' because it’s the type of music I usually listen to and the song itself is quite catchy imo. I would also be fine with 'Go Tobann' winning, I think this could grow a lot on me! The other 3 Songs are just meh. The absolute disaster would be Wild Youth 2.0 but I think and hope that Ireland has learned its lesson.
Ireland are back!!! Some very interesting songs here. Could even qualify with some of these 😯
Totally agree with your comments at the end. We need to separate the show from the Late Late Show, expand to semi finals and give us a chance to bring something different and of quality to the Eurovision
Ayyy u got it posted! This video is gonna be awesome! - Luna
Keep banging the drum Tom....it is SO needed!
We must be real here. Ireland has 2 options here to qualify. You don't need to be a genius to see it.
Ailsha or Bambie Thug need to win
Erica and Isabella have "nice" songs but who needs "nice" 🙉
JyellowL is not as gripping as last years rap song entry and then we have Next In Line. Oh my good God. Please don't get me started. This was dated 20 years ago but i can guarantee you now, that this will be really well presented and professionally staged in the Eurosong final. This could win. If it does (and nothing would depress me more this Eurovision season) then Ireland should scrap a national final. Michael Kealy has tried to listen to the constructive criticism and we do get more diversity here but if this wins, the result in Malmö will be inevitable. We then should judge the HoD's performance on centrally selected entries. Can you imagine successive years of Ailsha and Bambie Thug?
We would be the talk of Europe once again for all the good reasons.
Lets hope the Eurovision community in Ireland can supercede any campaign by the "money people" to get their interest group the win
Not wanting to sound Trumpruistic or anything but it's in our hands to "Make Ireland Great Again".., or I'd settle for relevant again!
Well done on another great analysis Tom!
👏👏👏
I literally just spat out my water laughing when you said, "Catholic Eurovision". It's Go Tobann! for me! Le do thoil! Go raibh maith agat!
I love Ailsha so much, this is maybe even my favourite song this season so far! Bambie is a close second though.
Will you be doing Dora?
yea i will eventually but its going to suck up so much time that im delaying it a bit. 24 songs is really too much
Happy to see some Gaelic at the selection, hope Go Tabahn wins ❤️🇮🇪
I really loved seeing you excited about some of the Eurosong entries for the first time in forever!! I’d be so proud of Ireland if they sent either Bambie Thug or Ailsha, and as you said, even if they didn’t qualify, it’d still be something to be so proud of. Yet somehow, I agree in that I can very very much see Next In Line winning - where even though this has been a much improved selection, zero progress will have been made overall. It’s Louis Walsh’s involvement that worries me, and also Linda Martin in the newspapers saying that Love Like Us is far and away the best song in the selection… I just have a very bad feeling about this, but I really hope Ireland prove me wrong.
I think we're wearing almost the same glasses. Also very jealous of your Rotterdam t-shirt though. 🥰
I lay on top of my old ones, so i can only wear these ones now
ailsha is my pick for sure
My thoughts:
Erica-Cody: This song is easy to do well, but hard to do in a qualifier kind of way. These last two Eurosongs, I feel like this would be an obvious winner, but I’m so happy it isn’t this year.
Ailsha:
Go Tobann my beloved. This is so very creative and everything but forgettable. I do agree that adding a slower part, for clarifying both pacing and message, is the right call. Maybe add some line like “I’m so sorry I forgot you” to get people thinking.
Isabella:
I keep forgetting how this song goes. In a six-song national final, that should not be a thing. I don’t want to be mean but I really don’t know how this could get better. I know the writers can do better.
JyellowL:
The lyrics seem to be the most important thing here, and I do like them. This could be pleasant for the audience. But listening to his Éirevision interview, it doesn’t sound like he wants to go and a friend put him up to it. So I’m guessing that he isn’t gonna bring the emotion this song needs, unless he surprises us, which I’m really rooting for.
Bambie Thug:
This song is really good, but kind of disjointed. It’s not like Cha Cha Cha there each part plays into the next. This needs some glue, and that would have to be the visual element. They have said that they’re bringing dancers so that’s a good start. I also really love their attitude of “this is a song I love and this deserves to be in Eurovision” which is exactly what we need.
Next in line:
Eh, I guess.
YES love that “I’m so sorry I forgot you” line, or "I dont want to lose you". Just something that is a pretty overt THIS IS WHAT THE SONG MEANS
Brilliant video, well done as usual.
Thanks catherine
I love doomsday blue and the music parts in go tobann just hit hard
Ah I've been waiting for this.
I will come back with more thoughts later, but for now I will just say: ☘OCHT☘.
This is a good Irish selection. Ailsha and Bambie Thug are my clear favourites.
Actually the recipe for ireland's success is simple - you need something dynamic with celtic spirit and music, Ireland chooses mediocre radio songs and that's the way to nowhere, because we have lack of celtic languages at Eurovision and since Wales can't participate separately, only Ireland can give us that
I think Ailsha is a very interesting mix of electropunk, the song is even more japanese in spirit, very acid and it would be great to present it on stage with chaotic visuals from lyrics video and ai-generated dystopian schoolgirls
Waiting for Supernova and Luxembourg Song Contest. This was a very busy week 😅
Hi from Ukraine! In my opinion the best song from Ireland is Alisha s song. Very crazy, but interesting to listen to. I'm so glad that she sings using Irish language and i hear your traditional instrument.
You just KNOW 'Next in line' will win.
I love your enthusiasm for your own country. Very beautiful.
Bambie is the staging one that will wow an audience I feel more than anyone else on this list.
Ireland has the best chance since the dancing DJ duck or whatever it was in 1997 ☘️
Sorry 2007
Do you mean Dustin the turkey? 🤣 2008
My joint favourite Irish entry (non ironically) of all times 😂
Unfortunately the white bread will probably place at least 2nd. I really hope that Ailsha wins, if not her then Bambie
what i think would suit ireland the best would be to hold a national final similar to czechia, allow the eurovision youtube channel to live stream it and allow viewers from around europe contribute to who wins.
As someone else have said about Go Tobann is that, while she could for sure use the full 3 mins, its also important to finish when you feel the song should be over. I could see an extended intro being added, but I do kinda think that the song length is just right for this kind of sound!
I think Ireland should take a risk to advance in the competition because the public won't vote for Ireland just because they finally picked a decent entry that still isn't their favorite. “Go Tobann” and “Doomsday Blue” stand out for me. I would choose “Go Tobann” because for me it is the most Irish and catchiest song. I really hope the risky ones will perform well live, so Ireland will be confident enough, to support them.
Normally, the music style isn't my particular favourite, but I REALLY like "Go Tobann" and think it not only has the best chance to win the National Final, but also come Top 5, at Eurovision itself! It's really great to see such diverse entries this year for Ireland! I'd put the rap song at the bottom myself. Just not my cup of tea personally.
Erica Cody best song by a distance definitely going to the eurovision.
Totally agree with everything you say here - ailsha or Bambi all the way
Dooms day blue 💯..welcome back Ireland 🇮🇪
Ailsha for the winn, if not then Bambi! I wouldn’t mind any of them winning because they’re different except for Next In Line🙄no hate to them of course
God Tom, you’ll have to do a pronunciation video for your fellow UA-camrs. If I hear one more person talking about “Aleesha” singing Go! Tobin 🤦🏻♀️
😂☘️
If go to toban win and RTE get pop baby to do the staging like they were going to do in 2020 it could be something very special
Will you be at the Eurosong this year? I was there last year. Had an amasing time. Have applied again this year and hopefully I will get a ticket. If I do, would love to say hi to you.
I honestly dont know, im not sure ill be in ireland then
Go Tobann caught me with the ethnic-electronic chaos...but the meaning behind really resonated with me and i think will resonate across Europe - i also am rapidly losing my mother tongue and I resonate with the chaos and...fear of losing that part of me.
Also the song is a BOP.
Ireland are pushing back and i love it ! My concern is that go tobann and bambie thug might split the vote causing niether of them to win overall. That unfortunately might lead to Next in line getting the majority. Fingers crossed that the Irish public take a chance on something not so cookie cutter this year 🇮🇪
Excellent point. Both are fantastic. Danger they will split the vote, as you said. Imagine we got a Louis Walsh boyband in the year of Our Lord 2024 😂
I kinda hope they pick Go Tobann, I can see it going the Hatari route. It is, for once, not boring and not generic 😂 gave me Die Antwort vibes
we need ailsha for eurovision!
I preferred Wild Youth to this boy band this year so I think Ireland should not send that. However I really like Erica's song however for Ireland to qualify I think they should Domesday Blue or the Song with Irish in it.
Is it that hard to have a normal national selection , with real crowd ???? I don't say taking the eurosong to 3arena (I'D LOVE IT) but just move out of that TV studio.
At this point, I think even Moldova and San Marino's productions are way better than what RTE is doing
doing it in the RTE studios is significantly cheaper for them to do
yes!! at least give them a stage!
if they send that boy band, automatic last in my rankings
Good video. Couple of points on what you raised....I don't mean 2 though, Im using couple to mean a few as most Irish people do to show the influence of the Irish language on how we speak English in Ireland....coming from the Irish word cúpla meaning a few but sounds like the English word couple!
1) RTÉ are more broke than ever and are in danger of going bankrupt this year. I can only see their budgets being slashed for Eurovision 😮 altho as TG4 show, you don't need a budget to take Eurovision seriously.
2) I used to be very cynical about Irish but not anymore. I disagree with you saying Erica is using Irish as a gimmick and I'm not sure comparing it to a swedish approach is valid. Swedish is the main spoken language of Sweden but Irish unfortunately isn't the main spoken language anymore in Ireland for about 150 plus years but it is growing again albeit slowly. I think a nod to our Identity and uniqueness is no bad thing through using the cúpla focail is great. Many Eurovision songs as you know are in multiple languages over the years. Irish people would commonly use words like grá, gúna, geansaí, meas(especially in cork), slán or sláinte for example while speaking English sentences in Ireland so to me this is perfectly like that. Also I know you lived abroad a lot but I'm sure you noticed how unique Irish turns of phrase are compared to other English speakers. What you probably didn't connect was that most if not all are direct or mis translations of Irish into English. Thanks a million, the use of couple to mean a few and "giving out" to criticise or complain are all uniquely Irish and either a close translation from Irish to English but using the English sounding word such as saying thanks a million rather than thanks a thousand which is the literal translation of how you say thank you in Irish. Míle the Irish word for thousand sounds closer to English word million than English word thousand so hey presto. Cúpla is where Irish people think they are using the English word couple but are retaining the Irish word cúpla and more importantly the meaning being a few. In fact in parts of Ireland people would say I have a couple ah things to do...which is basically using the Irish pronunciation. Giving out is the best example of a direct translation. It is word for word a direct translation from Irish but in Irish the context is to complain, all Irish people get this inherently but are often shocked other English speakers don't know what they mean. It's all the influence of Irish. So many examples. My point being the Irish language influences our names, the names of the towns, cities and counties and how we speak English so I think retaining that in a small way in a modern pop song to represent our country is great and celebrating it is unique as it is unique to Ireland. We've tried everything else too!!😂
3. You're point on it being weird we don't speak Irish as much misses hundreds of years of colonial history to explain that. I'm guessing you missed history classes as a kid!! 😂 Many European countries speak other countries languages, Switzerland, Belgium, Malta, Luxembourg....altho the last 2 do have their own languages as does Switzerland to an extent, Austria, Moldova, Cyprus etc.
Irish was banned by the British. To be fair most colonial projects did the same but some countries like Finland were successful at bringing back their language post independence....mainly cos their colonial rulers language wasn't the language the US spoke. Being English speakers and English being all over the world cos of their empire, really doomed Irish 's revival. Irish was still the predominant language in the 19th century in most of the country and many only spoke it. Unfortunately most people who died in the famine or had to emigrate during or after the famine in the mid 1800s, spoke Irish. So the language really started to die. The Irish people left behind still speaking Irish had to learn English pretty quickly to survive but it explains why many Irish phrases came into English.
I think Junior Eurovision showcases that Irish is a modern pop language and a nod in Erica's song to it and in go tobann in my view is cool.
Anyway I went from not liking Irish to a convert recently cos it sort of clicked how even tho it isn't spoken as widely as I'd like, it defines us in without us even realising it or thinking about it. It does make us different and I think it's worth using that in songs that we send to represent us.
I think having great diversity in the pool of talent this year is good and actually showcases modern Ireland well. Boybands are nice etc but I sort of think their time was 90s and 00s but not sure anyone told Louis Walsh!! 😅
Keep up the good work!
Next in Line - Love Like Us chorus sounds almost identical to Lithuania 2016... like scary similar but maybe its me.
Tom, is there such a thing as too experimental for ESC? Also if you need to explain the song to get what the message is - is that not a practical thing for a televote only SF?
well, for Ailsha, thats why i think she needs to use those last 30 seconds.
i PRESUME that the late late will have a short postcard before where she talks about the meaning of the song. but I think she really needs to hammer home what its about cos the meaning of the song doubles how awesome it is
I’m absolutely terrified for what we’re going to select. I think the Irish general public may be the least knowledgeable people when it comes to Eurovision.
Honestly, it’s an awful thing to say, but it may be better if one of Bambie Thug or Ailsha flop live so they don’t split votes.
Really hope we get in a competent group of international jurors (they usually give out the points that are most in tune with what do best at Eurovision).
As for the Irish jury, if we get in another load of past winners and radio DJs (who may have incentive to favour NIL or Erica) that would be a disaster.
And I agree with you, Ailsha should definitely take advantage of the extra 30 seconds. I feel like the latter half of the song works rather well with Can I go to the toilet hook with the counting ad-libs and heightened instrumental. Instead I think she should focus on the first half of the song: it gives a lot away almost too quickly and we’re suddenly into the chorus before you know it. Some kind of chill, but suspenseful verse or less chaotic element at the start would be helpful in my opinion.
Ireland this your Time for be in the final stop beeing like jonny logan stop sending songs that don't stand out you have a change to be in the final if you send something different and you use Irish and English plese irleldnd love from the uk 🇬🇧 🇮🇪 ❤ plese vote for go tabann it's already proving popular on tick tick its having great reviews and had been on bbc radio one plese Ireland don't let me down I would love to see Ireland in the final of eurovision love from the uk
Thanks be to all of the Eurovision Gods that we didn't send the boyband. I nearly had a heart attack when the international jury gave it 12. What the hell was going on there? However once again the format of the Late Late Show really destroyed the chances of any of the songs to really stand out especially the sound quality which was completely atrocious.
Of the two different styled songs I think Ailsha's staging didn't work because it was too obvious for the song whereas Bambi Thug's staging made it a little bit even more different. Bambi Thug's song wouldn't be entirely my cup of tea but at least they made some effort to try and give an idea of what their presentation might be in Eurovision like so I think that's why it stood out more. I hope it qualifies for the final just to reward the public for trying something different.
Hey Tom👋 I entered my song TAKE ME OUT for Eurosong and apparently from sources I made it to the top 10. I've released it on my UA-cam channel and its getting a lot of attention. Please check it out. Delish xx
There are few things I want as much from Eurovision as Ireland being successful again. You know, I started to dig into Eurovision in mid-90s and I honestly thought back then that Ireland winning almost all the time is a constant part of this contest's very essence :). Anyway, Go Tobann is the best choice imo, even though it may feel a bit messy in the first listen. I still hope that Ireland will send this song, it will be a standout and a qualifier for sure. At the same time, I can't help being totally obsessed with Love Me Like I Do, it's such a pleasant earworm. I know, it's too safe and unoriginal for Eurovision at this point, so I hope it won't win Eurosong even though I really love it. I wish this song had some Irish lyrics, it would add so much uniqueness to this catchy melody.
I admire the fact that you don't envisage Walsh wouldn't straight out buy televotes for his boys. Like PK does
On the criteria of which song is the best fit fir Eurovision, Ailsha is miles ahead, not only on Eurosong but actually across most national finals. It is cultural yet funny yet modern yet artistic. It is simply clever. I agree that Bambie Thug's song is also an option, bit I see less reason for the random Eurovision voter to be drawn to vote for it, it is too niche. Erica's song is nice, it would fit in MGP or other finals just fine, but it is not a wow song to go up against what will come out of MGP, Eesti Laul, Dora, Supernova, etc. Ailsha is such a unique chance to finally be competitive since Jedward.
I hope Ailsha will make it, it's gonna be bit harder for her as there is no big record studio behind her.
I laughed at the 'we aren't just crap white bread music monsters' bit
😅
Another thought I have. Niall Horan has been judging on American Voice the last couple years he's really got into Country music. Why doesn't Ireland put in that genre in the Eurosong? How come it's always Netherlands or Estonia.
I can appreciate that Ailsha has a message but the song sounds just noice to me. It seems to be like not my taste. This is slowly changing with further listenings... I understand Ireland needs a risk so you may go that way. Bambi Thug is better, since it has the melodic bit, something untrained ear can hook to. Both songs rely on making a good live performance to succeed. However, the rest of songs are too generic to qualify, I am afraid.
Do you know that I can't remember what was the Irish entry last year? Not for love nor money 😂😂😂
I thought it was Brooke
It was that We are One shite
@@ESCTom still don't remember and that tells you how bad that must have been 😂😂😂
OK, I can totally agree with your analysis and your top 6.
My views:
Erica-Cody: it's solid as you say and her voice sounds great. However, this reminds me of Rachel Goode's "I'm loving me" in Eurosong 22. It's very generic and uninspired, even though the production is better than Rachel's song was. But Rachel was a classically trained soprano who usually sang country and Irish traditional, and came to Eurosong with a "song for Eurovision" which did not feel true at all to her. I get that feeling here as well. Erica does sound like a stronger singer and performer, so maybe she'll be better at bringing this to life.
Ailsha: first time I heard this, this was a real wtf moment for me haha. I've grown to like it, although production really needs a big cleanup because some parts really sound horrible. But I really enjoy that it has great personality and as you say a viewpoint. It's so interesting to hear your comments on the Irish language; sad that Irish seems so badly taught in school. Yeah, this entry would be a total Irish in-your-face entry, which would be such a great breath of fresh air.
Isabella: is this Ireland trying to put on some Ibiza-style lounge music? I can't see this work live.
JYellowL: well, it stands out because it's rap and the title is cool. But I don't enjoy this, sadly.
Bambie Thug: yet another wtf moment here. It's very daring and the personality is off the charts. I really struggle to see though how this will look on the Late Late Show... Sadly, I fear this will flop hard live, while the song is so interesting.
Next in Line: so funny that you were literally talking about how different Eurosong 2024 is from Eurosong 2022, and then this comes. And I had to laugh when I saw your face when the chorus dropped. The verse is not that bad, but the chorus is so f*king generic and basic. I don't think that they're great singers either, and the chorus is so dull because there's nothing in the way of harmonies. Indeed, this will not work.
Overall, it's kind of a breath of fresh air that at least Ireland has options that will stand out. I'm still very curious though how these will be staged on the Late Late Show, which is why I wouldn't rule out that we end up with one of the safer options (like Erica, or even Next in Line) winning...
Yea I really wish Ailsha would work with a producer who could get the chaos theme of the song across in the production without resorting to cacophony, im sure theres a way to make it sound smoother but keep the madness in the message.
Agree with all your points here, and how this is a rather unpredictable final as we have the constraints of not just what song works, but what translates best in this very cramped and constrained environment.
Btw thank you SO much for your PP donation, i fully gasped when i saw it this morning. Very very generous of you 🥰, i dont fully trust the PP messaging service, hence thanking you here ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🇳🇱
@@ESCTom you're very welcome Tom, thank YOU for all your terrific work 😘
❤️🤩
personaly i think tg4 need to take over brodcasting
Don't send "We Are One"...mark 2!!!
Erica is so pretty though! Omg 🫶
I would love Enya on stage with a metal band mashup. Maybe for 2025? 😂
I think she's a recluse? Eurosong is probably her worst nightmare 😭
@ESCTom haha true. Well, in any event, rooting for Ireland to qualify this year x