Yesterday the Wiwi Jury — our in-house panel of music unprofessionals — travelled to Poland. There we visited the Wieliczka Salt Mine, and found a salty corner to discuss Michal Szpak‘s song “Color of Your Life”. Were we feeling the musical rainbow? Or did it leave us feeling dull and grey? Read on to find out!
Michal Szpak – “Color of Your Life”
“Color of Your Life” reviews
Edd: Every time I listen to this song I like it more and more. The chorus boasts a killer hook – although they could do with spicing up (and modernising) the production, which would benefit hugely from more understated verses. And Michal is possibly the best performer of the whole year – his raw emotion when singing convinces me that the awful lyrics are in fact a masterpiece. With a memorable, gothic performance, this should at least qualify.
Score: 8/10
Angus: Good performer. Bad song. Poland’s dilemma boils down to that. Michal can throw in crazy good ad-libs, vocal flourishes and gymnastics to the performance but it all falls down because “Color of Your Life” has nothing going for it. The production is weird, the message bland and there’s nothing to grab onto in the song.
Score: 1/10
Bogdan: “Color of Your Life” is a grower, which doesn’t bode well for a contest where the winner is usually a show-er. The entry’s best asset is unquestionably Michal, who exhibits confidence and vocal prowess. Otherwise the song is rather weak and dated, despite the somewhat modern elements in its production, not to mention its cringe lyrics.
Score: 5/10
Antranig: Poland have opted to forego a potential Eurovision winner in favour of a song that will achieve a mid-table finish at best. Michal is a terrific performer and this was one of the better songs in a weak national final but this does not stand out among 43 Eurovision songs. If Margaret couldn’t cool him down, perhaps staying in the semi-final will.
Score: 2/10
Deban: Although “Color of Your Life” sounds like a JESC entry performed by an ageing pop star, what sets Michal Szpak apart is the raw emotion he injects into his song. At times, it borders on overacting, but this is mitigated by his flawless vocal delivery. On repeat listens, you’ll be quick to overcome the shortcomings of this package.
Score: 6/10
Forrest: “Color of Your Life” just plods along for three minutes, casually nodding to a verse or bridge in between insistently inquiring into what color your life is. But Michal delivers a strong vocal performance, even if the song he is singing is quite poor. And If I may nitpick for a moment — the meat of the chorus is “Tell me black or white/What color is your life.” Neither black nor white are really colors, so unless Michal is trying to discuss the science around light absorption and reflection (which I highly doubt) what is actually the point of this song?
Score: 3.5/10
William: The hook has a melancholic, nostalgic vibe and Michal delivers it with the perfect mix of vulnerability and power. Unfortunately, the song goes on for about a minute too long and I’m pretty sure that Glenn Medeiros sang this at some point in the late 1980s. It’d be great in a Polish telenovela — you know, husband leaves wife for stepdaughter melodrama — but it’s just not current enough for ESC. PS, props to Michal for serving some fierce androgynous styling. Your hair game is on point!
Score: 4/10
Josh: Poland, you have messed up so bad this year. You had two amazing options for Eurovision (being Margaret and Edyta) and instead you went for Michal, who does have a great voice but to me seems like a try-hard Polish Steven Tyler, and the only person who can pull off Steven Tyler is Steven Tyler. I find the song incredibly boring and there’s such a lack of originality that I do see Poland struggling in the semi-final.
Score: 5.5/10
Luis: The problem about Poland’s entry is that everything that it’s likeable about it reduces to Michal. Which means that he could be singing “Color of Your Life” or just reciting a text in front of the camera and it would be as appealing. Michal is a fantastic performer, he has a very raspy and interesting voice, but his song smells like mothballs. I really hope Michal tries again another year with a better song.
Score: 6/10
Padraig: I’d shed a tear for Margaret, but Michal is such a drip that Europe’s already at risk of flooding. The man just exudes misery. “Color of Your Life” is already a dirge of immense proportions, but Michal sings it in such a languid manner that it’s difficult to avoid being dragged under. Life is a myriad of colours, fuelled by progression. However — as Michal doesn’t quite sing — “all this stinks”.
Score: 1.5/10
Rezo: It’s really quite a good song. I’d normally think a song like this is quite meh, but both “Color of Your Life” and Michal have something special. He brings something special to the performance that stops “Color of Your Life” being just another annoying ballad.
Score: 4/10
Robyn: A song like this performed by another artist could easily come across as super cheesy. But the combination of Michal’s edgy androgynous look and his strong and confident performance style means that “Colour of Your Life” never lapses into cheesiness. The song is a curious blend of a 1980s ballad and modern electronic beats, but it’s enough to keep things interesting.
Score: 5.5/10
In the Wiwi Jury we have 40 jurors but only have room for 12 reviews. The remaining 28 scores are below.
Anthony: 5/10
Bernardo: 4/10
Chris: 6/10
Cristian: 9/10
David: 7.5/10
Dayana: 7/10
Denise: 3/10
Diego: 5/10
George: 5.5/10
Gökhan: 1.5/10
Jason: 8.5/10
Judit: 7/10
Kristin: 8/10
Liam: 2/10
Marek: 8/10
Maria: 5.5/10
Mario: 5/10
Max: 4.5/10
Mike: 4.5/10
Mikhail: 2.5/10
Patrick: 2/10
Renske: 7.5/10
Sami: 0.5/10
Sinan: 3.5/10
Steinunn: 5/10
Tobias: 5/10
William C: 2.5/10
Zakaria: 7/10
The highest and lowest scores are dropped prior to calculating the average score. This is to remove outliers and reduce potential bias. We have removed a low of 0.5 and a high of 9.
SUPER NICE SONG
Michal Szpak ……….. where did he come ???? where he had been so far? After all, this musical genius. Really great Respect!
Don’t worry, The Netherlands in 2014 got 4.3 from Wiwi and 2nd place in Eurovision lol, so you know… And they didn’t even put Edyta Gorniak or Kasia Mos in the Top 50 songs that didn’t win national finals, they just achieve orgasm with the Scandinavian songs, I defenitely lost hope in Wiwi, bye.
Ridiculous review. This will be top 10 for sure. High probability of a top 5 position.
My bet: this will be the shocking winner.
Poland has yet to miss a final since returning in 2014. But I think this might be an even bumpier ride than last year. My #30 in my first evaluation, barely missing out in the 2nd semi.
And I’m getting really angry.
Can you please stop talking about Michal through the prism of Margaret? Michal wins the competition so he’s gonna represents Poland. Not her. This song is really good too. But I see some of people hate him and his song only because of not being Margaret. I see wiwibloggs think the same way, this song here is so underrated. Even the polish radio stations plays all the songs from national preselections.. except the Michals one.
That’s so unfair!
What is so exciting about Margaret? she sing about how hot she is..who care about it?. People please!! Song is about nothing with poor voice and performer without character. Anyway she is copy of rihanna… Europe really need it? I think that people chose Michal because he is true with strong voice and charisma! In this fake world he is really unique!
It’s a nice song and he is good live. 7 / 10
I’ve just listened to ‘your’ Margaret. An average song and singer, nothing exciting. I wouldn’t vote for her.
Juries of how ever many there are also have to be representitive at least in terms of gender, age spread and profession, otherwise it’s what is called a “self-selecting” group or in Eurovision speak a voting block. I don’t know how your jury is made up, but if you are predominantly male, mostly aged 20-30 and mostly journalists then your opinions are unlikely to match those of either the juries or the voting public on the night. It’s a subconscious bias that you can’t get rid of. Have a look at the ESC winners from the late 60s to early… Read more »
Doesn’t matter how well you sing if your song is complete garbage. This might not even make it out of the semis.
“seems like a try-hard Polish Steven Tyler, and the only person who can pull off Steven Tyler is Steven Tyler.”
LOL, nope 🙂 Actually he doesn’t even have to try, cause Michal is already better than Steven. Just listen to his version of “Dream On”, your jaw’s gonna hit the floor: https://youtu.be/FNtsJT2HC6c
SPAIN TIME THE WIWIS SON UNAS LOCAS ISRAEL POR DIOSSSS
i agree with you @Mandy
@WOW it was april fool
Michal has cut his hair!! :O
http://s3.party.pl/newsy/michal-szpak-zgolil-brode-346332-GALLERY_BIG.jpg
I respect the opinions of columnists, but I think Wiwibloggs still maintains the idea of underestimating Michal Szpak’s song, just because Margaret or Edyta did not win. Let’s forget what happened in that national final and do analysis impartially. It is not the first time I notice this behavior, but it was outrageous this time.
Hard to believe that Poland was favourite to win Eurovision at one stage. This is cringe-worthy. Everything about it is pretty awful, especially the lyrics. Michal overdoes it to the point that the whole kitchen is on fire.
The sad thing is, this still probably qualifies from semi-final 2.
3/10
It sounds like a reject from the Lion King Soundtrack. Painfully 90`s and going nowhere
micheal is boring , the song is boring ugh i don’t want to talk about it i am still mad AFH.
@Colin
That’s why I simply use rankings, since its all relative anyways. Grading scales aren’t always unifrom, and it can lead to discrepancies. Some people use it like a school grade-scale, so a score of 7 would be totally average. Others use a more median-based scale, where a score of 5 would be totally average.
LOL, this just proves how rating is so individual and means different things to different people. Reviewer Josh gave a really bad review and 5.5/10 rating, while Rezo was saying good things, while giving it only 4/10. Obviously criteria are really diverse, with some being more and some less generous with numbers.
Yes, Cool Me Down was better. It could have won ESC2016. It was not chosen. I have moved on.
Color Of Your Life is OK. I currently rank it at 19 of 43.
Yeah no thanks, song does sweet FA for me. I agree with the judges that Micha? is the only good thing about it and I’m sure he’ll belt it out well on stage. This is one of the songs this year though that I can’t listen to the whole way through.
Good luck though Poland and I am expecting some great styling for Micha? on the night!
The studio version has nothing going for it. The song does sound better live but it really depends on the mixing live what Poland’s outcome will be. Michal has a great voice, it’s true. Unfortunately the composition is really not very interesting to me. And yes, Margaret’s song was miles better.
Haha really? And I just feel like he is gonna be the winner. this song is not a catchy pop radio song is a lyric song – like a poem. I can see people older than 30 voting him, people from east countries voting him and people from west countries like Germany – voting him because they want to support someone like him who lives in a such konservative country. I do like Sweden, Armenia and Russia song too. Russia sounds like a winner and should be but Russia never get many votes because of political reasons – that is… Read more »
I’m polish and don’t like Michal song at all. Anyway, did you see why you don’t tell that he had filmed his postcard?http://eurowizja.org/?p=13223
This song is good. I know, Margaret song was better and modern, but don’t hate Micha?. Let’s keep our fingers crossed for Margaret 2017 🙂
Poland has done a great job this year. Yes, they had two pre contest favorites, but I’d pick Michal over Margaret anyday, and this is way more catchy than “grateful”. Michal is a fantastic performer and the song has a nostalgic and timeless feeling, combined with a great message. 8/10 and my 12th.
i think wiwibloggs hate poland
For crying out loud, are you still butthurt with Margaret’s failure? Get over it! I’m not actually a fan of this song but it sure ain’t worse than those craps from Moldova or Denmark…LOOOOOOL!
The song is extremely addictive, whether it’s old fashioned or not. Michal’s performance however is the absolute best part about it & he’s stunning live (very expressive). Basically, I don’t care what he sings, just so long as it is him that sings! <3<3<3<3<3
I see parallels here with Lordi/Hard Rock Hallelujah, and Il Volo/Grande Amore………….. 🙂
@Polandsucks
You handle disappointment so well.
“Son, I wanted a daughter but I ended up with you. I hope you fail at everything in life forever.”
Bland. Shame. Michal sounds great. 6/10
This song piss me off, i hope this dont reach the final, reminds me matgaret #poland0points
@Sholetter
If Poland wins, people gonna be like
lol.. this is opinion the best song in this year… ffs i dont uderstand ur opinion xD
I want to see urs shocked face when “Color of your life” will win ^^
The song is okay. I guess people are still not over Margaret.
I’m sorry to say but people who find this boring or nothing special may have some existential vacuum issues. No offence.
Music is not something to hear like if a bee is surrounding your ear. (Droom-droom-droom) It has a lot of content and meaning.
Let people keep considering that nowadays youngsters are burying their heads in the sand…
My rating so far:
Play / Say Yay: 9,0
Ghost / Pioneer / Slow Down: 8,0
What’s the pressure?: 7,5
Goodbye: 7,0
Icebreaker: 6,5
Colour of your life: 6,0
Falling Star: 4,0
Soldiers of Love: 3,0
I somehow like the song even though I find him extremely boring and uninteresting. However, the song is somewhat natural and feels like a song the Michal wrote himself. At least does it not sound overproduced. It has some kinks and edges and is also somehow different from the rest of the ESC songs.
This is probably my choice for 26/43 so it should be the last qualifyer.
7/10
13/43
The song is nothing special, but it is still pleasant to listen to. For me Michal is the best male singer this year, he has great control and incredible range. Unbelievable the panel rates it so low.
I like the song and Michal has a beautiful voice.
yes the song is old fashioned but I don’t care , I like it not as a winner because I prefer France but I think that Michal can do well.
I hope for Poland to do good results on May.
Bonsoir Stockholm, Sondage en cours sur Wiwibloggs… Ci dessous voici les 10 premiers… Je n’ai rien d’autre à rajouter, les chiffres parlent d’eux mêmes. Au final ce sont les gens qui votent (et les jury nationaux). Le jury wiwibloggs est complètement déconnecté de ses internautes. Bon courage à la Pologne pour la demi-finale. J’ai confiance pour la qualification ! Cordialement, Maxime Who should win Eurovision 2016? Poland: Michal Szpak “Color of Your Life” 7.43% (2,587 votes) Spain: Barei “Say Yay!” 6.98% (2,429 votes) Croatia: Nina Kraljic “Lighthouse” 6.72% (2,340 votes) Ireland: Nicky Byrne “Sunlight” 6.05% (2,107 votes) Russia: Sergey Lazarev… Read more »
“Color of Your Life” is proof that a good artist can do wonders with a bland sheet of paper. The song itself is unremarkable, but Spzak’s performance makes the entire package far better than it really has any right to be- much akin to Azerbaijan’s song from last year. Is it a winner? No. But at the same time, I think it has strong potential to make the finals, and if they can truly nail the performance and stage presentation, we’re looking at a potential Top 10 song.
RANK: 17th
You ranked this lower than Moldova. Seriously?
I’ve really grown to like this song and at least he can perform it live. Get over Margaret already.
Well, sometimes I agree with you guys, but this time NOT. Poland has a good song and awesome singer this year. Really! Romantic, sophisticated and subtle…. What more do we want? 🙂 Will place top 5 in the final. Cheers!
Romanian song is very underrated ,just because the song is rock and not pop and because the guy is not 6pack ,you don`t have to slag a song off just because of this..It just shows how sexually orientated are some here.Polish song Romanian song are good with great power vocals.I noticed the wiwbloggs can be very biased on here,we sopposed to judge a singer by his vocals and song ,I read it so many times just because the song is not the one who makes you take your chlotes off is not good..Really dissapointed .
Bonsoir Stockholm,
Vous n’êtes pas sérieux Wiwibloggs !!!
La Pologne mérite un 8/10 !!! C’est une des plus belles chansons du concours de cette année, je l’ai mise dans mon top 10 perso. Si la Pologne ne va pas en finale avec cette chanson il faut arrêter. Si Cleo et Donatan sont arrivés en finale avec une chanson scandaleuse, celle-ci mérite tout autant.
Cordialement,
Maxime
If you want to understand my grade, just go and listen to this Russian song from ~1984, especially 0:50. http://youtu.be/7egM-WvaNho
I can’t help myself but sing “zelenoglazoye taxi” after Michal sings his o-o-o-o, which is absolutely identical.