With the justified cancellation of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we thought we would keep our Eurovision spirits up by revisiting and discussing entries for what would have been Rotterdam 2020. Today, we are sharing our views on Switzerland’s Répondez-Moi by Gjon’s Tears.
Répondez-Moi is a favourite with many fans and had been tipped for a back-to-back good placing for Switzerland in 2020. The Swiss ballad comes with a poignant message, too. When the entry was first announced back in early March, Gjon’s Tears himself had described the song thus: ‘everyone asks themselves why exactly are we here, where do we come from and where are we going. These are key questions, particularly for people from a migrant background. My parents are from Albania and Kosovo. I grew up in Switzerland and it’s my home, these are questions that I think about a lot.’
The song was figuring in the top-3 places of betting odds lists, but what do we think? Could it indeed have been a top-3 placing – or even have lifted the trophy – in Rotterdam 2020? These are some of our views here in EuroVisionary:
Ashleigh – ‘I just listened to this song again and it’s sad that this song, like so many, have just been wasted. They really should have found a way for these songs to compete in some way. Some people disagreed that this could win after Arcade last year, another ballad. But Repondez-Moi blows Arcade out of the park. I don’t speak French and I haven’t seen a translation of the lyrics but the song is sung so beautifully that I instantly connected with it.’
Josef – ‘My winner of this year’s cancelled Eurovision. I already keep my eye on Gjon for some time and I just love his performances and admire his vocal abilities. Répondez-Moi is a song with deep lyrics and dark background so who knows if this song could have succeeded after Arcade won last year. I am just glad we will see Gjon also next year – hopefully with a song as good as Répondez-Moi.’
Alvaro – ‘A potential winner of the jury vote. Répondez-Moi exemplifies Salvador’s statement about art. Gjon has the feelings, the voice and his performance is captivating (…) A Swiss win, specially with the first French entry after so many years, would have been enough reason for cheering for Gjon.’
Charlotte – ‘Allow me to go against the main conception that this is a masterpiece with potential to win. For me, it’s not. Yes, at the end, I do hear something great, but that’s too late for me. I will already have fallen asleep or walked away at that point.’
Michael – ‘Despite the obvious love for the song, I found it one of the dreariest in the whole competition. Sure, Gjon shrieks well with the high notes but this indie type of song is not really for me. The message in it is fair enough but it plods along.’
Theo – ‘I like this song. Attentively constructed and an interesting vocal performance by Gjon’s Tears. However, the brain wants but the heart will not follow. Even though I get why it is a favourite, so far, I have not felt like listening to it again and again. It might grow more on me with time. I expect it would have done really well.’
Elvir – For the second year in a row, Switzerland is in my top five. I really love the atmosphere in Répondez-Moi: it’s dark, deep and very emotional. I can feel the song although I don’t understand the lyrics. My only objection to the Swiss entry this year is that the climax appears a bit too late – I guess I would call it a slow starter.’
Stay tuned – another hot favourite of what would have been Rotterdam 2020 to be discussed tomorrow!
In the meantime, you can revisit Répondez-Moi in the following video.
This reflection article is based on the author's own personal experience. Views expressed belongs to him or her, and are to be seen as unrelated to EuroVisionary.com.
