Eurovision 2022 Songs Review – Part #5 (Azerbaijan, Estonia, Georgia, Israel, Poland, Romania)

Welcome to our new series of posts!
The moment of truth has come, and all of the 40 competing songs of Eurovision 2022 have been revealed.
Therefore, we are ready for an extended review of them and of course ranking the songs.
Each post in the series will focus on 5-6 songs.
The 5th post in the series will be focusing on 6 countries that will participate in the second semi-final: Azerbaijan, Estonia, Georgia, Israel, Poland, and Romania.

You can reach the previous chapters here:

• Chapter 1 (Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Portugal, Slovenia) is available here
• Chapter 2 (Armenia, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Ukraine) is available here
• Chapter 3 (Austria, Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, The Netherlands) is available here
• Chapter 4 (Cyprus, Malta, Montenegro, North Macedonia, San Marino, Serbia) is available here

Artist: Nadir Rustamli 

Nadir Rustamli is a 22 year-old Azeri singer.
He rose to fame in 2021, when he won the 2nd season of “The Voice of Azerbaijan“.
In 2019, he represented Azerbaijan in the Youthvision 2019 International Song Contest, where he ended in 2nd place.
In 2021, Nadir graduated from Azerbaijan Tourism and Management University with a degree in business administration.

Selection Process: Azerbaijan has internally selected an artist. Thereafter, they focused on selecting the song for him. Around 300 songs were submitted to the broadcaster. 6 of them advanced for the next phase. The chosen song is “Fade To Black“, selected by a professional committee.

Allocation in Semi-Final: Azerbaijan was drawn to perform in the first half of semi-final 2. Azerbaijan was allocated to perform in the 4th position, after Serbia and before Georgia

Musical Review: It is a piano ballad. The song starts with a short instrumental part.
The first verse is slow. The emphasis is on piano playing. Nadir sings this verse in a mid-low voice. Towards the end of the first verse, he decreases the octave and sings in a thick and low voice. We can hear a snippet of a traditional wind instrument. The pre-chorus is a little bit faster, he sings it in a mid-high voice, until the last part that’s performed in a raspier voice.
The chorus starts unplugged, with almost no production at all. The melody of the first chorus starts with a simple piano chords. He sings it with a high voice that slowly decays to talk. The second half of the chorus is more powerful, both vocally and melody wisely.
The second verse is shorter. He sings it simply. There’s a use of echo effect, and we can hear other instruments as well. The second pre-chorus starts just after the second verse. It is based on faster piano playing, as well as some string instruments. The second chorus starts in a soft way with a raw piano playing. We get a short pause and thereafter, he sings it more powerfully.
The post-chorus lead us to the bridge. He sings the bridge with a raspier voice. Fast piano playing and combination of other instruments leads us to the peak point of the song where he sings in an impressive head voice. The last part of the song is another chorus that’s performed in a very soft way. It decays until he whispers it.
I consider this song a well arranged ballad. I think that the central advantage will be Nadir’s wonderful vocal abilities. I can see the jury impressed by the song. I am not sure about the effectiveness of the lyrics.

Lyrics

Stay
The story barely started
Can’t you stay?
Do you really want no part of this?
Oh, so sweet reverie

You back off slowly through the door
You always go and blame the weather, the weather

It hurts so fast
When love goes bad
Until at last
We fade to black

And I’m numb, numb
Numb, numb

Wait
I need some time to fix this
Can’t you wait?
We can not afford to miss this

You back off slowly through the door
You always go and blame the weather, the weather

It hurts so fast
When love goes bad
Until at last
We fade to black

And I’m numb, numb
Numb, numb

We’re living in a memory
The present is the price I pay
Fade to black
We fade to black
We’re living in a memory
The present is the price I pay
(Fade to black)
(We fade to black)
(We’re living in a memory)
(The present is the price I pay)

It hurts so fast
When love goes bad
Until at last
We fade to black

Poetry Analysis: This is a song that tells the story of a broken heart. The spokesperson is a man that has been through a meaningful relationship that’s over.
At the beginning of the song, he asks his lover to stay a little bit longer. He feels like their story hasn’t ended properly. There are still things that they have to figure out together.
Their story was too short. His last memory is seeing his lover passing by the door and never comeback. The emotional relationship made him feel like he was numb, nothing will be the same from now on.
He says that if he has more time, things will be fixed.
Using a metaphor: the pain of losing someone hits us fast, without any preparations. And then, slowly,, slowly the relationship fades and never exists.
Now all that is left is the memory of the past, together with the burden of the present.

Initial Personal Ranking: 22nd overall, 9th is semi-final 2

The impact of the allocation in semi-final 2:  Among the countries that usually vote for Azerbaijan, we can find the following countries in the list of countries that vote in semi-final 2:
Georgia, Czech Republic, Malta, Romania, and Montenegro .

Betting Odds: The song was released on the 21st of March 2022. This is the last entry for Eurovision 2022 to be revealed. On this day, the country was 13th with the bookies
Later on, the song started to decrease in the table, being in 15 – 17 places.
From the 25th of March until the 31st of March, Azerbaijan was 16-19 with the bookies.
Since the 1st of April, Azerbaijan has been stable in the 21st place

Early Prediction: Azerbaijan will enjoy the advantage of an excellent vocalist. I’m not sure that many people will go crazy after the song. The performance must have a convincing staging.
It seems like the song was meant to succeed the jury.
I would say that I see Azerbaijan as a border-line. This means that the country will end in 7-13 places in the semi-final. Therefore, it can either qualify or not.
If qualified, Azerbaijan will end up in 16 – 24 places.

Artist: Stefan Airapetjan

Stefan Airapetjan is a 24 year-old Estonian singer. He was born and raised in Viljandi, a town in  southern Estonia to immigrants from Armenia.
In 2010, he won “Laulukarussell“, a music competition for children, arranged by ERR.
Stefan is well known for his attempts to represent Estonia at Eurovision.
He participated in the “Eesti Laul” for 4 times:

In 2018, as part of the duo Vajé perforning the song “Laura (Walk with Me)“ and ended in the 3rd place in the super-final.
In 2019, with the song “Without You” ended once again in the 3rd place, this time winning the jury vote.
In 2020, he competed with the song “By My Side“, ending in the 7th place.
In 2022, he won with the song “Hope”.

In 2020, he won the first season of “Maskis Laulja” (Estonian masked singer) as the character of Aries.

Selection Process:  Estonia chose an artist and a song via their national selection – “Eesti Laul 2022″. 40 artists took part in the selection this year with 4 quarter-finals, 2 semi-finals and a grand final.
The final was determined by 2 rounds. Stefan ended up in 2nd place with the jury.
In the super-final, he achieved 62.3% of the public vote (among 3 acts).

Therefore, Stefan will perform the song “Hope” for Estonia:

Allocation in Semi-Final: Estonia was drawn in the second half of semi-final 2.
Estonia will perform in the 12th position, after North Macedonia and before Romania.

Musical Review: It’s a country pop song.
The atmosphere in the clip and in the song itself reminds me of the wild west.
The melody is based on classical guitar playing, with a reduced set of accords.
Stefan uses a lower voice. The first verse is based on the guitar playing and some whistles
The song is decent, but I’m not a big fan of the genre.
The pre-chorus is short and a little bit slower. The chorus is powerful and sounds like a hymn. Stefan’s voice sounds the best in this part.
The second verse has some more sound effects, it is slightly faster than the beginning of the song.
The second chorus is longer and includes some vocal improvisations.
We get another part after this, just to be a connection between the 2 occurrences of the chorus.
The song has an international quality and appeal, and this is what makes it

Lyrics

We let them tell us what to do, why, why, why
We live to die for worthy things, ya, ya, ya

We promised we would never lose our pride
Your word’s worth nothing if you lie
We’re standing tall and looking up, our Father would be proud
And I’m happy to be working my own ground
We’ll be the last ones breathing here

Hey, sing your heart out boy
For all the people great and small
Oh, when all else is lost
The future still remains our own

We’re taught that we were born to lose, why, why, why?
Don’t waste your breath, it’s time to choose, ya, ya, ya

We promised we would never lose our pride
Everyday they try to turn it into lies
We’re standing tall and looking up, our Father would be proud
And I’m happy to be working my own ground

I said, “Hey sing your heart out boy
For all the people great and small
Oh, when all else is lost
The future still remains our own”

I hope, I hope, I hope
I hope, I hope
I hope, I hope, I hope
I hope, I hope

We let them tell us what to do, why, why, why?
We live to die for worthy things, ya, ya, ya
No matter what they try, tearing up our lives
I know we will always rise

I said, “Hey, sing your heart out boy
For all the people great and small
Oh, when all else is lost
The future still remains our own”

I hope, I hope, I hope
I hope, I hope
I hope, I hope, I hope
The future still remains our own
I hope, I hope, I hope
I hope, I hope
I hope, I hope, I hope
I hope, I hope, I hope

Poetry Analysis: The song raises a voice that calls us to listen to our own hearts and be optimistic about the future.
Some of us let other people tell us what to do, but it is wrong. After all, life is short and we should collect the important memories and fight for what is worthy for us.
The spokesperson asked us to be proud of who we are and be faithful to ourselves.

Initial Personal Ranking: 23rd overall, 12th is semi-final 2

The impact of the allocation in semi-final 2: Among the countries that usually vote for Estonia, we can find the following countries in the list of countries that vote in semi-final 2:
Finland, Sweden, Ireland, Georgia and Israel.

Betting Odds: Estonia has chosen its song for Eurovision 2022 on the 12th of February 2022.
Until the 23rd of February, Estonia was 24 – 29 with the bookies.
Thereafter, their chances increased, being in places 19 – 22.
Since the 1st of April, Estonia has been stable in 18th place.

Early Prediction: At the moment, I’m almost sure Estonia will qualify for the final. It looks like the song will get support from the jury and from the public.
My prediction is 9 – 15 places in the final.

Artist: Circus Mircus

Circus Mircus is an alternative progressive rock band.
The band members recognize themselves in the fictive names: Damocles Stavriadis
Igor Von Lichtenstein, Bavonc Gevorkyan, Iago Waitman.
The band was formed in 2020 in Tibilisi. So far, the band has released 8 songs.
Many fans (including us) suspect that some of the members of the band are no other than the band that represented Georgia at Eurovision 2016.

Selection Process: Georgia chose internally for Eurovision 2022.
Band Circus Mircus were announced as artists for Eurovision on the 14th of November 2021.

The band will perform the song “Lock Me In”:

Allocation in Semi-Final: Georgia was drawn to perform in the first half of semi-final 2.
Georgia was allocated to perform in the 5th position, after Azerbaijan and before Malta.

Musical review: This is an alternative Indie rock song. The song opens with percussion instruments and later on, continues with guitar and drums. 2 of the band members sing the first part together, one of them has a deeper voice. Electric keyboards and guitar playing in a punk style dominate the second half of the first verse.
The second verse has a more uplifting character. We can hear them singing much faster and with a higher tone of voice. At this point, the variety of the voices in the band becomes clearer. The melody is catchy, cyclic and namely relies on sound effects and electric synth keyboards.
This part repeats itself several times. A short instrumental part leads us to the chorus. The chorus has a more modern and alternative flavour. The melody is based on a number of different channels/ layers, where the main element is once again the electric keyboards and guitar playing. Thereafter, a combination of electric keyboards and bass guitar leads us to the third verse. Once again, we can hear 2 vocalists together. The sound effects become stronger, while we can hear some backing vocalists. The song ends with another occurrence of the chorus.
There’s no doubt that this song is not only about creating music, but also aims at supplying us with some escapism and entertainment.
I won’t lie, it is a song that you should get used to and maybe this is the main challenge here.
Their strange customers don’t really help.

Lyrics

Show me what you got
On the counter
From the ground up now
Here we come and we all know
Mama said not to show what you are
Step it up now
Get it done now
I hate what you got
Shoot it to the stars
To the top now
Across the moon and down
We are here ’til we blow up
Tryin’ hard will not get you really far
Mix it up now
It’s alright, pal (Circus Mircus)

Take me to the space craft, take me to dance club
Take me to the space craft, take me to dance club
Take me to the space craft, takе me to dance club
Take mе to the space craft, take me to dance club
Now, right now, right now, right now
Take me to the space craft, take me to dance club
Take me to the space craft, take me to dance club
Take me to the space craft, take me to dance club
Take me to the space craft, take me to dance club
Take me to the space craft, take me to dance club
Now, right now, right now, right now
Take me to the space craft, take me to dance club

Lock me up, lock me down
Lock me in, lock me out
Lock me sideways
Lock me up, lock me down
Lock me in, lock me out
Lock me sideways
(Circus Mircus)

Make it ’til I break, and I never could take it
Make it ’til I break, and I never could take it
Make it ’til I break, and I never could take it
Make it ’til I break, and I never could take it
Now, right now, right now, right now
Make it ’til I break, and I never could take it

Lock me up, lock me down
Lock me in, lock me out
Lock me sideways
Lock me up, lock me down
Lock me in, lock me out
Lock me sideways
Lock me up (Up), lock me down (Down)
Lock me in (In), lock me out (Out)
Lock me sideways
Lock me up (Up), lock me down (Down)
Lock me in (In), lock me out (Out)
Lock me sideways
(Circus Mircus)

Poetry Analysis: I found the song’s meaning too blurry to explain. But basically one can understand it as a criticism of the Covid restrictions – “lock me in”. It is also a voice that calls us to be ourselves, whether people will like it or not: “show me what you got”, “show what you are”.

Initial Personal Ranking: 36th overall, 17th in semi-final 2.

The impact of the allocation in semi-final 2: Among the countries that usually vote for Georgia, we can find the following countries in the list of countries that vote in semi-final 2:
Azerbaijan and Cyprus

Betting Odds: Georgia has released a studio version of their song on the 9th of March 2022.
Until the 18th of March, the country was 33 – 37 with the odds. Thereafter, Georgia was 29 – 32 with the odds until the 4th of April.
Since the 5th of April 2022, Georgia has been in the range of 22-24.

Early Prediction: It’s crazy enough to be a surprising qualifier. However, it will be a difficult fight to sneak into the final. I guess this is a borderline qualifier that can either qualify or not

Artist: Michael Ben David

Michael Ben David is a 25 year-old Israeli singer, actor and dancer.
He was born in the city of Ashkelon (just like me!) and moved later on to the center of the country.
Michael came out of the closet as gay at the age of 16.
He has said that his high voice was used as a way to mock him while he was a child.
HE rose to fame in 2021, when particiapted in the “X-Factor Israel“.
Michael, with his iconic performances, won last season and was therefore set to represent Israel at Eurovision 2022.

Selection Process: Israel chose an artist and a song via the “X-Factor Israel”.
After long auditions, 4 artists made it to the final: Michael Ben David, Eli Huli, Inbal Bibi, and Sapir Saban.
Each one of them had 2 original songs to perform. The final included 2 shows with multiple rounds. IN the second show, each artist remained with only one song.
The results were determined by 50% public vote and 50% jury vote.
Michael Ben David won the national selection with the song “I.M“:

Allocation in Semi-Final: Israel was drawn to perform in the first half of semi-final 2.
The country was allocated to perform in the 2nd position, after Finland and before Serbia.

Musical Review: It’s a dance club pop song with Cabaret and ethnic elements.
The song starts with solo singing in the flavor of soul.
It turns into cabaret pop style with trumpet singing.
After the introduction, there’s an instrumental part of electonic keyboards. Backing vocals lead us to the first verse. Michael sings the first verse with sasiness and self confidence. The same beat builds the first verse. The lyrics in the first verse aren’t that diverse: they namely include the phrases “I like” and “I know I’m”. The chorus includes digital processed backing vocals and a melody that’s composed of flute playing keyboard playing. Michal ends it with impressive vocal decorating. There’s a dance club beat that becomes an instrumental part and it continues with singing part of the first verse.
The second verse is more trap-pop with very fast singing that limits with rap, although it isn’t. The melody is this part relies on the electronic beat and some male backing vocals.
Afterwards, it transforms into Middle Eastern pop with Darbuka and string instruments.
There’s a female backing vocalist that supports this part. I feel this part is a little bit forced, and was included just to give the song some ethnic motives. The chorus arrives again with impressive vocals. There’s a kind of “dramatic pause” in the melody and afterwards it keeps on with the same melody.
The biggest advantage of this act is probably the singer himself. You can rely on Michael who will perform it properly. However, I feel like the song isn’t strong enough.
The revamped version wasn’t an upgrade actually.
Michael will have to convince viewers with a memorable staging.

Lyrics

Baby
Sometimes love can bring you down
But, honey
Keep your head up
Keep your head up
Keep your head up
Remember who you are

You can call me crazy
Or just call my name
You can say that I’m stunning
It’s not a shame
‘Cause I know I am
I know I am, hah
‘Cause I know I am
I know I am
I like this attitude
I like the game
You can say that I’m brave
I’m never the same
‘Cause I know I am (I know I am)
I know I am (I know I am)
‘Cause I know I am (I know I am)
Hah, I know I am

Baby, come with me, follow me
Tell me if we can take it to the floor
(Oh-ooh, oh-ooh, oh-ooh, oh-ooh)
I’m the fire, the power
And if you’re asking
I was gonna take it all (All, all)

You know I am
You know I am
‘Cause I na-na-na know I am, am
And no one brings me down
I’m gonna take the crown
Give it to me now

I’m shameless and I’m spotless and I’m flawless
Always take it up ’cause I’m a winner, I don’t want less
Going for the things I should and maybe I’m ferocious
Making you the one I want and I’m not even topless (Be cautious)
It’s going down for real
Twenty twenty-two, let’s seal the deal
(Middle East) Is the new sex appeal
Bam, bam, this is how it feel

Baby, come with me, follow me
Tell me if we can take it to the floor
(Oh-ooh, oh-ooh, oh-ooh, oh-ooh)
Ooh, I’m the fire, the power
And if you’re asking
I was gonna take it all (All, all, all)

You know I am
You know I am
‘Cause I na-na-na know I am, am
And no one brings me down
I’m gonna take the crown

Baby
Sometimes life can bring you down
But I’ll remember
To always keep my head up
‘Cause no one brings me down
I’m gonna take the crown
Give it to me now

Poetry Analysis: It is a self empowerment song. In the beginning, the spokesperson tells us that love can bring us down. But we should be proud of ourselves anyway.
The spokesperson sees the beauty in himself, even if people see him as crazy.
He believes that focusing on our merits is something that we should adapt to as daily habits.
He invited us to follow him and enjoy what life has to suggest.

Initial Personal Ranking: 34th overall, 16th in semi-final 2.

The impact of the allocation in semi-final 2: Among the countries that usually vote for Israel, we can find the following countries in the list of countries that vote in semi-final 2:
Azerbaijan, Finland, Australia and the United Kingdom.

Betting Odds: The song was chosen on the 5th of February 2022.
Until the 11th of February, the song was in the range of 29-33 in the table.
Between the 12th of February and the 24th of February, Israel was 32 – 254 with the bookies.
Ever since then, Israel has moved in a range of 34 – 38 places, most of the time around the 35th place.

Early Prediction: At the moment, I think it will be difficult for Israel to qualify.
Michael is a great performer, his attitude and charisma will probably help to make it more impactful. However, I feel like the song isn’t strong enough. In addition, being allocated in the 2nd position in the running order definitely won’t help. Finland, which will perform beforehand, has some promising plans for the staging. Serbia, the performance right after, has a distinctive song that will be remembered by everyone.
There is room for qualifying, but it isn’t a big room.

Artist: Krystian Ochman

Krystian Ochman is a 22 year-old Polish – American singer-songwriter.
He was born in Melrose, Massachusetts to a Polish family.
After finishing high-school, he moved to Poland. He studied music at the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music.
Ochman rose to fame in 2020, when he auditioned for “The Voice of Poland.”
He’s got chair turns from 2 former Eurovision artists: Michał Szpak (2016) and Edyta Górniak (1994).
He chose to join the team of Michał Szpak , making all the way to winning the season.
His debut album, “Ochman“, peaked number 5th in the Polish charts.

Selection Process: Poland has chosen a song and an artist via a national selection  “Tu bije serce Europy! Wybieramy hit na Eurowizję” (The heart of Europe beats here! We chose the hit for Eurovision).
10 artists competeed in the selection. Voting included 2 rounds.
The first round was determined by the public vote. The second round was determined by public vote and jury vote.
Ochman won 51% of the public vote (in the second round) and also ended first with the kury vote.

He will perform the song “River“:

Allocation in Semi-Final: Poland was drawn to perform in the second half of semi-final 2.
Poland was allocated to perform in the 14th position, after Romania and before Montenegro.

Musical Review: It’s an emotional ballad.
The song starts with the piano playing. Ochman‘s voice is unique and the listener can’t ignore it.
The first verse is slow, and the focus is on his voice. The melody is based on piano and some violin elements. The pre-chorus is faster, it includes soft drumbeats. In the chorus, we can hear songs in the semi-Operatic high notes. The backing vocalists help in creating the dramatic atmosphere the song requires. The second chorus melody is based on piano and violin playing.
The violin stringing continues to the pre-chorus as well. The chorus is catchy and has a rich production.
The bridge is powerful and emotional. Ochman reveals more of his magnificent vocal abilities. The violion plays the main role in the melody. Thereafter, we get the pre-chcorus and the chorus once again. The song ends in the same way it started and it creates a cyclic frame.
Something in the melody or in the arrangement reminded me of “Wicked Game” by Chris Isaak.
I think it is a really strong modern ballad, the singer does a wonderful job in performing it. This isn’t only about the singing, but also about the interpretation.

Lyrics

Gonna take my body down
Right down, down, down to the river
Gonna take my body down

Let the water carry me away
Just float away
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh

Bury all of my things
Bury me in my skin
All that I’ve done
Oh Lord, I’m done
Who’d wanna be a king
Pulling too many strings?
All that I’ve done
Oh Lord, I’m done

(Oh) Carry me away
I’ll float away (Oh)
In the river

Gonna lay my head right down
Right now, now, now and forever
Gonna lay my head right down

Let the water carry me away
Just float away

Bury all of my things
Bury me in my skin
All that I’ve done
Oh Lord, I’m done
Who’d wanna be a king
Pulling too many strings?
All that I’ve done
Oh Lord, I’m done

(Oh) Carry me away
I’ll float away (Oh)

In the river, oh-oh
In the river, oh-oh
In the river, oh, yеah

Bury all of my things
Bury me in my skin
All that I’ve done
Oh Lord, I’m donе
Who’d wanna be a king
Pulling too many strings?
All that I’ve done
Oh Lord, I’m done
(Oh)

Gonna take my body down
Right down, down, down to the river

Poetry Analysis: The song tells the story of self regret. The spokesperson has done something that he doesn’t feel comfortable about. Therefore, he puts his steps towards the river. There is a use of the metaphor of pure water that can clean everything.
He wants to rely on the river flow, and in other words to lose control and forget about everything.
His deep regret takes him to far and dark regions, where he thinks about losing it all. He asks to be reborn and therefore he uses the metaphor of being buried in his own skin.
He mentions the Lord in his statement and it makes everything more dramatic.

Initial Personal Ranking: 5th overall, 3rd in semi-final 2.

The impact of the allocation in semi-final 2: Among the countries that usually vote for Poland, we can find the following countries in the list of countries that vote in semi-final 2:
Germany, Ireland and the United Kingdom.

Betting Odds: Poland has chosen an artist and a song on the 19th of February.
They spent around a week in 3rd place. Later on, Poland was 4th with the bookies
From the 2nd of February until and 9th of February, Poland has moved in a range of 5-6 places.
From the 10th of March until the 5th of April, Polans was in the 6th place.
Since the 6th of April, Poland is 5th in the odds!

Early Prediction: I see Poland as a certain qualifier. In my humble opinion, he can achieve the top 10 in the final.

Artist: WRS

Andrei-Ionuț Ursu (better known as WRS, pronounced as Urs) is a 29 Romanian dancer, singer and song-writer. Before launching his career, he worked as a dancer for famous singers: Inna, Antonia, Carla’s Dreams and more.
In 2015 he started his musical career in the boys’ band Shot.
In 2017, he moved to London and, there he composed music.
In 2020, he signed a contract with Global Records.
His first single, as a solo artist, was “Why” which was released in January 2020.
His debut EP, “Mandala,” was released in March 2022.

Selection Process: Romania selected an artist and a song via their national selection “Selecția Națională 2022“. 46 artists took part in the selection. 20 of them made it to the semi-finals, and later on 10 of them made it to the final.
The results were namely determined by the national jury, and with a reduced part by the public.

He will perform the song “Lllamame me”:

Allocation in Semi-Final: Romania was drawn to perform in the second half of semi-final 2.
Romania was allocated to perform in the 13 position, after Estonia and before Poland.

Musical Review: It is a dance pop song with some oriental elements.
The song begins with a keyboard playing. He opens his singing with a deep voice, we can hear the electric keyboards playing in the background. In the per-chorus, he sings faster, until the echo cuts the melody. The chorus is upbeat, it relies on a uniform beat that later on is replaced by an ethnic cyclic beat that’s sampled over string elements.
The second verse includes the electronic keyboards playing, and it starts with a different rhythm this time. Pre-chorus is faster and based on string elements as well.
The chorus is catchy and namely based on the the title of the song. The instrumental part this time is longer, and we can hear plenty of musical instruments included.
The last part of the song starts acoustically. He sings it with a slightly higher voice, as Latin elements are added gradually as the melody comes back. The final chorus is based on a simple production, without including any electric elements.
First of all, I must admit that the revamped version is much better.
However, I find the connection between the different parts of the song a little bit strange. The chorus sounds lazy to me, as it repeats the same phrase.

Lyrics

Knew that I was different than the others
They never liked you
Try to keep my head above the water
But you’re makin’ it so hard to

What if they’re gonna find out?
Nobody’s gonna like it
We get away
Need you to stay
What if they’re gonna find out?
Nobody’s gonna like it
We get away
Need you to stay

Hello, my baby
Hello, my baby
Call me, call me,
Call me, call me,
Hello, my baby
Hello, my baby
Call me, call me,
Call me, call me
(Hello, my baby)

Love cannot be stopped by anybody
‘Cause it’s so true
I show it to the world, ’cause I won’t hide it
Are you down to believe intensely?

What if they’re gonna find out?
Nobody’s gonna like it
We get away
Need you to stay
What if they’re gonna find out?
Nobody’s gonna like it
We get away
Need you to stay

Hello, my baby
Hello, my baby
Call me, call me,
Call me, call me,
Hello, my baby
Hello, my baby
Call me, call me,
Call me, call me
(Hello, my baby)

And when you say my name
My world’s crumbling
I feel complete, all I need is your mystic touch
And what about it now?
I’ll keep you safe and sound
We’re so in love

Hello, my baby
Hello, my baby
Call me, call me,
Call me, call me,
Hello, my baby
Hello, my baby
Call me, call me,
Call me, call me
(Hello, my baby)

Poetry Analysis: It is a song that talks about being different and self-acceptance. One can probably see it as a song related to the LGBT community.
In the first verse, the spokesperson tells us about his experience in being different. He wasn’t sure about being accepted by the others. Sometimes, it feels like diving without the possibility to take a breath. He has already started thinking about the day when his secret will be revealed. He’s thinking of finding a way out. Thereafter, he asks his lover to call him and save him from the situation.
Thereafter, he completed with being different and even found beauty in it.
What keeps him alive is the fact that his lover has waited for him. Feeling his touch and hearing him calling his name makes him happy.

Initial Personal Ranking: 39th overall, 18th in semi-final 2.

The impact of the allocation in semi-final 2: Among the countries that usually vote for Romania, we can find the following countries in the list of countries that vote in semi-final 2:
Spain, Israel, Azerbaijan, Cyprus, and Malta.

Betting Odds: Romania has chosen its song and artist on the 5th of March 2022.
Ever since then, Romania has moved in a range of 33 – 40 places.
Since the 15th of March , Romania has been in the range of 37 – 40 palces. Currently, Romania is last in the table.

Early Prediction: It will be difficult for Romania to qualify this time. It isn’t impossible, but I think that the main challenge will be Israel and even Ireland that plays the same role in this semi-final.
It is no secret that Romania has struggled in recent years, and I’m afraid the same might happen this year.
Note that Moldova, Ukraine and Italy won’t vote in this semi-final – another disadvantage.

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