‘My Time’ – Eurovision Song Contest 2009
Our entry – what do you think?
Here’s the UK’s Eurovision entry for 2009, written by Andrew Lloyd Webber (music) and Diane Warren (lyrics). Any comments on the song and the songwriting technique? And yes, Jade does miss that last note by a good half a semitone, but hey – that’s not the songwriters’ fault.
After my whine about this song on the other thread, I listened again and…well, I liked it a little bit more this time…but not much.
Does anyone else think the “of it” in the “It’s my time, my moment and I’m not going to let go (of it)” sounds really clunky. Not sure whether that’s words fitting music badly or vice versa.
It does sound like a song for a musical of course. The “There’s nothing I’m afraid of, I’ll show you what I’m made of” couplet sounds, musically, very Lloyd Webber to me…but that bit particularly is very West End Musical. I don’t think it’s very Eurovision.
The hook “It’s my time” is memorable but dull…it doesn’t give me any sense of anticipation…musically…emotionally.
You have got the big key change ending, which fits the song …but is it strong enough . Overall, I think this song NEEDS a Musical to give it some context…and probably a better singer too, to be a little harsh.
It would perhaps resonate more then. But Andrew Lloyd Webber has written fantastic songs that are little musicals in themselves…they can stand alone. I don’t think this one does.
Its a good song. a slow build and a slower start, but it recovers well into a sort of power ballad. the lyrics are cool with some shuddering cliques in them, but it is a pop song. as for the singer no one sings in tune. Someone must be hiding all the best songs and all the best singers somewhere, because the planet is bereft of them and has been now since the end of the 70′s; quite what happened to them, God knows!
Is the 3-minute limit still in place?
If so they need to chop a bit out, or speed it up even more – it already sounds rushed.
I’m not particularly impressed so far, I can’t decide whether the lyrics or the melody is the weaker part…
It all seems so unadventurous and more than a bit clunky, as you say.
its a good marriage of talent, i would say it needed another 3 to 4 months (better 6 months) of gestation to have made it a real classic. its been rushed for sure, it screams at you. but these are busy people ‘the music’ at their level of success is secondary to the business of making the business of music work.
Ouch. That really was an attack of the killer bland. It gave me a headache. The poor girl had no melody to sing and purely generic words so no possibility for emotion to come across.
The sad thing is that it probably really is representative of Britain today — like the homogenisation / chain-storing of the high street, or the dumbing down of the media.
It’s like a real dangerous, living song has been gutted by Health and Safety officers, no off-road or hi-jinx or excitement allowed, all passion and quirkyness edited out.
Boy, I didn’t even know I could be critical like this, I’ve surprised myself. OK, end of rant, hope you all have had a nice songwriting day and been blessed with a promising hook or catchy title or two …
/edwin SWF08
its the best uk entry since i cant remember when. your getting old and forgetful dude!
Quotes from an interview with Lloyd Webber on the Mail Online:
“Incredibly, My Time took just two hours to complete. ‘It would be good to say it took us a whole week of much agony and rewriting, but it didn’t,’ he says. ‘Once we got the idea we wrote it extremely quickly.
‘I’d had an idea for it and I played Diane what I thought was the chorus. She said, “No, I don’t think you’ve got a chorus, I think it’s a verse.” I thought, “Oh dear, this is a bad start.” But once I got over that we had pretty much done it. So the whole thing took about two hours.’ ”
Haven’t they heard of re-writes?! (And more importantly, haven’t they got someone who isn’t scared to critique them?)
Comment: Maybe the most important time for getting critiques is when you’ve done it all
ALW has had this little number knocking around for a while LOL
I said “Haven’t they heard of re-writes”….from the quote I quoted Andrew clearly has. Ah, well.
Mmmm, pity Dianne Warren wasn’t asked to write a melody as well as the lyrics.
I really do try to avoid knocking successful writers – and Lloyd Webber has done some good stuff – but I don’t hear anything special. Is it me, or are there echoes of the Eastenders theme tune in there?
I’ve read that Dianne Warren works a twelve hour day, and she reckons that most of her songs are worked on for at least two days. It’s the re-writing and attention to detail that she puts in after getting the initial idea that matters. This just doesn’t sound finished to me.
Enjoyed the pavlovian applause at the key change, though.
The last time Andrew Lloyd-Webber wanted to prove he could tackle the pop charts he did that pumped up arrangement of ‘Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini’ for Timmy Mallet. We’ve got off lightly this time.
its my time to have a kip after this.totally got me in the mood for one.
mike is right, clunky 4 sure.
she can belt it though, fair play to her.
nothing memorable 4 sure. i hope its not nill point. weak song/in grained politics and well! maybe !!!
i hope graham norton is as honest and sarcastic as Wogan in his new job.
As I struggle with Eurovision my view was always going to coloured towards ‘ The Dark Side’. Too repetitive for me, lost interest very quickly. It did have the obligatory direct modulation Eurovision key change, cos nobody can be bothered to write a clever bridge that modulates etc.
After hearing that it took Andrew and Diane 2hrs to write it surely must give the rest of us hope.
Can’t we get an English ABBA tribute band to do their bit for us.
I think we’d win. Nil Points
Eurovision still knows how to press buttons doesn’t it
It’s a shame it seemd to be so much more about the politics that the music …
I agree that “After hearing that it took Andrew and Diane 2hrs to write it surely must give the rest of us hope”
ever hopeful
This song is going to crash and burn unless ALW has given it a serious rearrangement before we see it in Moscow. It’s an utterly forgettable and unpleasant number, but at least Jade will be the next one out of the press to be “famous for 15 minutes”.
Its not particularly outstanding or remarkable in any way. I don’t know why these people are charged with the task of writing songs as bland as this to represent the immense amount of songwriting talent we have in this country.
It’s a bit sad really.
Yes, I do agree that it’s due to ALW and Dianne’s previous track record that gets them these things, but they should look at a lot of contemporary styles and younger talent out there to come up with something. They may not have the experience or the track record, but a good song is a good song. And you can’t argue with that.