In continuing my trawl through Semifinal 1, I’ve bounced around a bit and landed on Georgia, a song I chose because I’m still a little wrecked after Eurovision in Concert and I thought it wouldn’t take much to review it, because it was so clearly a pee break song:
Well, call me surprised.
I used to think the only notable thing about Georgia’s performances was Oto Nemsadze’s impeccable taste in comfortable knits. He’s always got some sort of cardigan or sweater or cozy layer perfect for the unpredictable spring weather.
But then I looked at the lyrics for Keep on Going, and despite my prediction that this was going to be a song about keeping on going after a breakup or some other unspecified personal setback, it’s actually a song about singing, and how singing is really important to the Georgian culture.
Which is good, because as a motivational speaker, Oto leaves a lot to be desired. I mean, that intense stare and growly voice is more in keeping with a crossfit trainer than a life coach. Either crossfit trainer or a cult leader, definitely.
But as someone singing about the desire to keep the songs of his homeland alive, yes, this aura of gravity and zeal makes sense. I can imagine this being used as an anthem that appears over a montage in a film, where Georgians all over the world swim across oceans, walk many miles, push aside security guards, break down walls, bust through doors, and grab the music that’s been locked away from them for years. We’ll call this movie ‘The Archival Musicologists’ and have it star Henry Cavill, right? (Look, I tried to cast this with a Georgian actor but all the ones Google showed me were dead or in their 80s)
One other tiny note: can we get the announcer from Georgia to do the introductions for all the artists? The way he says ‘Oto Nemsadze’ makes it sound like it’s the beginning of a wrestling match, not a song competition.
FINAL VERDICT: Reading about the lyrics has changed this song from a pee break to a meh for me, but I want to be realistic: viewers at home will have done absolutely no research and will be face with a growly-sounding bear man in an impeccably fine-knit knee-length cardigan being really intense about something. Considering that the staging is basically Oto glaring at the viewer with the Georgian flag behind him, I don’t think it’s going to connect, and can’t see it going to the Saturday.
dudepoints.fun 