Would it work… if the UK went Eastern?
Well this doesn't happen often! In this new series, we'll look forward into the future and analyse the probability of a country (or indeed, countries) doing better if they use a certain technique. The first of these articles takes us to the UK, who's known to have a tendency to stay away from Eastern sorts of music… but would they get a better result if they sent a song with more of an Eastern European feel to it? In other words, would it work if the UK went Eastern?
What can the UK now do what Javine couldn't?
The Eurovision is known for both its ethnic Eastern sounds as well as the modern techno-beats of the West, but from time to time, the two styles are merged in a song that's sent to the Contest and that song normally does quite well. In the case of the UK, however, it couldn't be any more wrong. In 2005, the United Kingdom sent Javine to represent them in Kyiv, with 'Touch My Fire', a song that had a very Turkish sound to it (I guess it could be likened to Düm Tek Tek in certain ways), but it also had , to quote British commentator Terry Wogan, "very British writhing and squirming", which at the time could have been the perfect combination for a win, but it obviously didn't please Europe and it flopped, finishing in 22nd place.
Now, dance routine and hot drummer boys aside, the song was actually not that bad, but at certain points during the performance, her vocals were anything but pleasing. I mean, listen to that last note at around 3:36 in the video; all I can say is 'NO, BABY NO!'. Looking back on the performance now, however, one may think that maybe the UK were trying to hard to appeal to a more Eastern European audience and to be fair, it made them look a little desperate. The UK is now no longer sending songs such as 'Touch My Fire', which could be one of the biggest mistakes they've made. Compared to what it was in 2005, Eastern European and Balkan-esque music is now what most young people are listening to (a point that I made when I was debating who to send for Romania) and now that times have changed, maybe trying the technique again could get the country a better placing. The best possible act that could showcase this would be this group. Guys, meet Sam and the Womp.
The band and, indeed, the song are that sort of artist that you would stereotypically associate with Eurovision (Samantha Ross from escinsight said that Sam and the Womp was a combination of "Ovo je Balkan" and Lena), but they have the potential to place high for many reasons:
'Bom Bom' became a hit across Europe and also charted in North America and Australia, and it's been used in TV shows across the world
The band would appeal to a young audience because it's what most young people are listening to nowadays
The song is insanely catchy and you'd easily find yourself singing the song without realising it
The song fuses Western beats with Balkan trumpets and so on, so it would definitely appeal to the Eastern European countries
I've always pictured Sam and the Womp singing a song like this at Eurovision and if 'Bom Bom' was eligible (it was released before September 1st 2012) and it actually was sent to represent the UK at Eurovision, I can see it placing really high with all the graphics on the backdrop and the audience just going crazy, all the while the band giving a simply energy-packed performance. If the UK was to send something like this, it would definitely work as it appeals to all sorts of people from both ends of Europe, so it would be the best possible choice to send them if they want to try the Eastern beats technique again… or is that just me?
Do you think it would work if Britain incorporated more Balkan style sounds into their future songs?
Do you think the UK should include more Eastern sounds in the future?
Anthony Ko from Slovenia: Sam and the Womp might not go down well with the juries though.
Ricardo Stour Delarentis from Spain: It would work with televoting, specially having such a hot member but juries would have killed their chances.
Susan Mathieson from Canada: It has horns… now that's usually a good sign!
Michael Romano from Australia: Actually I really do think that they have a chance with Sam & The Womp, they're music is catchy and will appeal to eastern countries which is vital for UK to do well.
So the fans are saying that the band would be a great way of using Eastern beats, but they would flop with the juries. That being said, they do love a catchy song (*ahem* Satellite, Euphoria *ahem*), so whether they would get a good place or not would be anyone's guess. So, what do you think? Should the UK go Eastern next year and send something like Sam and the Womp or just stick to what they've been sending in recent years? Feel free to let us know by commenting below!
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