Song #38- Boys Do Cry- Marius Bear
Review: “An important lesson- sometimes, less is more.”
This song has a gorgeous, nostalgic instrumental but is unfortunately let down by the inaccessible lyrics and restrictive vocal line. The introduction is very smooth and dreamy, and then the vocal line is monosyllabic to contrast, but it doesn’t quite work because of just how slow the song is. There’s too many pauses and breaks, and it really stilts the pacing of the song for me. (Additionally, when Marius sings the ‘Oh-oh-oh-Boys Do Cry’ line live, every ‘Oh’ is guttural and breaks the flow- he needs to keep this moment smooth and legato or the whole piece is going to feel even more monosyllabic, this legato here is his opportunity to provide much-needed contrast).
However the instrumental is absolutely lovely- the way it swells is just lush, and the layering of all the classic instruments brings a very nostalgic, Disney-esque vibe to the song. The song could work in such a film, with a story to lock onto, and something engaging happening on screen to offset the slowness, because the song is too weak to stand alone.
Additionally, the lyrics cause further issues- the song’s premise seems to be that boys cry too and we should care about this. An important message, but as many have commented, comparing boys crying to such horrific and rare catastrophes as mountains crumbling and planes crashing prevents anyone from relating to the song. It’s too heavy handed, too repetitive, too unrelateable and this destroys any impact it could have had on me. The lovely dreamy mood feels mournful and miserable, not emotive and mesmerising. It’s a shame, because if they just made the lyrics a little more impactful and allowed the orchestra some more space to explore, this could have been really powerful. This song is an important lesson to prospective Eurovision songwriters- sometimes with your lyrics, less is more. Be purposive and subtle, and let your melodies tell the story- take a risk, and trust the music.
Prediction
This is going to struggle, I think. It’s very slow, and doesn’t have an awful lot of fan support (although some people absolutely love it, which is nice to see). The vocal line is nice, but there’s no wow moment or pull at the heartstrings. Staging will be vital here to fill these gaps- if they can visually tell the story, this might resonate and help elevate the song’s chances. It’s also very early on in the running order, but might benefit from the contrast with Lithuania and Slovenia? But then the Netherlands might completely overshadow it, and then there are a lot of ballads in the second half… I can’t see Switzerland making it through, but with good staging, they could have a chance.
Photo credit: ESCXtra
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The Euro-Vine 