Hola España! The Wiwi Jury — our in-house panel of music unprofessionals — has now made it to sunny Tenerife. After taking in the sights and slathering on some extra SPF 50, we gathered to review Manel Navarro‘s feel-good tune “Do It for Your Lover”. Did we want to do it for Manel or were we just not feeling it? Read on to find out…

Manel Navarro – “Do It for Your Lover”

About Manel Navarro

Manel Navarro, 21, was relatively unknown prior to his participation in Objetivo Eurovisión — Spain’s Eurovision 2017 selection show. But the Catalan singer and songwriter began his career three years ago, and released his first single “Candle” in 2016. His entry “Do It for Your Lover” is the first song from Spain’s national selection to enter the Los 40 Principales list prior to making it to Eurovision. His selection remains the most controversial of the year, having set off a firestorm of accusations and intrigue in Spain, leading Spanish commentators to describe it as an “absurd circus”. But he’s emerged from it with his head high and has made the most of the promotional season, performing in Ukraine, Romania, Israel, the UK and the Netherlands, among other places.

“Do It for Your Lover” reviews

Luis: It’s been less than three months since I heard this song for the first time, but gosh, we’ve talked and heard so much about it that I feel as if I had written it. “Do It For Your Lover” gave me a good first impression, and it immediately stood out as Spain’s most radio-friendly option. Unfortunately, in Eurovision, there are much better songs on the table. Still, Manel is a charismatic singer, the song is forcibly memorable and he delivers with conviction. At this point, predicting how this will do is absolutely beyond me.

Score: 7.5/10

Chris: There’s a point about 90 seconds in where “Do It For Your Lover” goes from fresh and breezy to overwhelmingly tedious. This is not a song designed to last three minutes — there’s not enough creatively to sustain it. Manel, however, has a charm and youthful joy to him. It’s hard to root against him, even though it seems a good 99% of people want to.

Score: 4/10

William: The summery sound transports listeners to a land of piña coladas and SPF 50, a happy place where love flows and the six-packs shine. And much like an afternoon in the sun, things get very boring very fast. Manel has the voice, the charisma and the looks. But unfortunately the song is just pleasant rather than wow, and it’s pure monotony after the first verse. He wants to transplant us to Ibiza, but this feels much more like an EasyJet beach in Marbella.

Score: 4/10

Robyn: Before I read a translation of the verses, all I had to go by was the chorus. It sounds childish (“clap your hands…”) and vaguely sexual (“….and do it for your lover”). But the translated verses totally change it. The song is about how if you’re feeling a bit down, you should still make the effort to get out and do stuff because your bae is relying on you. It’s really sweet… but it’s in Spanish. Unless the staging helps it along, there is a risk audiences won’t connect with Manel’s lovely song.

Score: 5.5/10

Jordi: Finally it’s a male for Spain! Change is always risky — but no pain, no gain! I’m excited to see Spain going for a different style following this year’s Eurovision motto “Celebrate Diversity”. And by saying bye-bye to big notes and pure power and welcoming fresh reggae sounds, it’s a good way to start. However, even if the song is full of sunshine, it kinda struggles with competitiveness. It’s contemporary for sure, but he needs more than summer vibes to win the audience’s hearts. Give him some good staging and he could do wonders!

Score: 6.5/10

Deban: “Do It For Your Lover” is a bland cut of lounge pop. Plodding along but not musically engaging, the only thing memorable about this entry is its repetitive song structure. Manel Navarro sings it well, but then, this composition doesn’t present vocal challenges.

Score: 3.5/10

Rezo: This is my summer jam — it’s so modern, cheesy and catchy with just the right amount of energy. However, it’s not been conceived with the Eurovision stage in mind, so I just have a feeling it might come near the bottom.

Score: 7/10

Forrest: “Do It For Your Lover” is perhaps the most undeservingly memorable track in this year’s competition. Credit where credit is due, it’s a great technique to have your song remembered by repeating its title an average of once every seven seconds, but musically it’s a letdown. The track is flat from start to finish, with only some oddly placed voice sampling to add any interest. I’m sure this song has its place in a playlist of chill-out music, but in the context of Eurovision it simply feels underwhelming and underdeveloped.

Score: 3.5/10

In our Wiwi Jury, we have 38 jurors but only room for eight reviews. The rest of our scores can be found below:

Anastas: 8/10

Andy: 5.5/10

Angus: 5/10

Anthony: 4.5/10

Antony: 6/10

Antranig: 0/10

Bernardo: 4/10

Bogdan: 4.5/10

Dayana: 8/10

Edd: 9.5/10

Erdi: 3/10

George: 6/10

Jacob: 6/10

Jason: 5.5/10

Josh: 2.5/10

Jovana: 8/10

Kristin: 7/10

Marek: 8.5/10

Matt: 1/10

Mikhail: 6/10

Natalie: 3.5/10

Padraig: 4/10

Patrick: 3.5/10

Renske: 5.5/10

Sami: 2/10

Sinan: 5/10

Stanislav: 9/10

Steinunn: 3.5/10

Tobias: 2/10

Zakaria: 2/10

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Before calculating the average score, the highest and lowest scores are dropped. This is to remove outliers and reduce potential bias. We have removed a low of 0 and a high of 9.5.

Wiwi Jury verdict: 5.01/10

What do you think of this song? Share your own score and review below!

See our current Eurovision 2017 reviews and rankings

Buy the cartoon t-shirt and phone case, or the Do It For Your Lover t-shirt or phone cover

41 Comments
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CookyMonzta
CookyMonzta
6 years ago

@Kris: Thanks for reminding me. So it was all a sham right from the beginning, yes? >:-(

Héctor
Héctor
6 years ago

And hey, when he sings “do it for your lover” the ‘lover’ word refers to every family member, friends, couple, etc. Not only you boy/girlfriend as I have read. The ‘it’ part refers to the effort we have to do sometimes when we are down. So we have to do that effort for our beloved ones! If you are going to critizised at least read the translation…

Héctor
Héctor
6 years ago

0/10 from Antranig… I wonder why? Oh! I guess it’s because Manel isn’t a diva and because the tongo thing… right? ‘Do It For Your Lover’ isn’t the best song Spain has sent, but it’s arguably the most current to date. Some people usually ask for some Spanish flavour in Eurovision… well, here you have it! Don’t know how it will place, but I’m sure this song was the least bad. This is getting bad coments just for the hating. Manel could have a better song as his voice is nice, you only have to see the covers and duets… Read more »

Kris
Kris
6 years ago

Lol. You reviewed it.And I have to agree.

What I find even more annoying is the Female juror on Objectivo Eurovision mentioning ‘Manel’s impeccable English pronunciation’ as the reason for giving him 12 points. Just wow.

Purple Mask
Purple Mask
6 years ago

So, the four chords of the verses and choruses are: G, D, E-min, C. Those four very simple guitar chords make up about 70% of the entire song! For an entry into a “SONG contest,” this is frankly lazy. Okay, there is middle-bridge with some other chords thrown in, but it’s still wayyy too repetitive to be taken seriously by a musical jury. Even worse is when I look at scoring Manel’s performance abilities. In London it was clear to me that he has a nice charm and charisma, but that he lacks clear tone and pitch in his English-language… Read more »

Charli Cheer Up
Charli Cheer Up
6 years ago

I love it! Y’all are just salty Mirela/Le Klein fans lol jks. Its actually great to see Spain sending something different for a change. This entry is a good break away from the typical drama-ballad or fiesta songs that are sung by Spanish divas.

Vanuatu
Vanuatu
6 years ago

Seriously? the final result is a 5? a “pass”? You guys need to do something with your bars, cause you have low it too much.

Wiwiblogs is a place for eurovion buzz with attitude, but we also expect some quality in the content, as you always had. Saying that this song is a 5, means you have lose some quality with the new additionts to the team of reporters and voters… where is denise, btw? we miss her.

Dinna
Dinna
6 years ago

Mirela was much better than this zzzzzzzzzzz

Digital Style
Digital Style
6 years ago

This is just a bit of acoustic, soft reggae, nothing more. I’d like to say more, but I’m really indifferent about this song. It’s not bad, but it’s not good enough for me to praise, other than that it’s an overall decent tune.

Pablo
Pablo
6 years ago

It’s one of those odd cases where the artist carries much more implications than the song. Do It For Your Lover wouldn’t be that wrong of a submission in ESC, but the production feels very thin, as it is only giving us 50% of what it should be. It wants to be the caribbean chill tune, but it’s kind of substance-less. Having it on Spanish is refrehsing, but out of that there are not many qualities to it. Considering everything that went on, I feel this song is kind of tainted, and won’t do very well. Good for variety, not… Read more »

Briekimchi
Briekimchi
6 years ago

I actually think Antranig is being generous.
I hate everything about this. Incredibly annoying and I am finding it hard to think of a worse Eurovision song from the past five years, let alone in this year’s selection. A hard last place for me.

AngieP
AngieP
6 years ago

I don’t know what to say about this song!

At first listen it felt totally boring. Now it has grown on me a little. I like the “pam pam pam pam pam pam pam pam pam” part. It has a spanish vibe.

I’ll give it a 5.

Lukewarm
Lukewarm
6 years ago

Not sure which is the most repetitive song this year, “when we draw the line”, “heyayayayayo”, or “do it for your lover”. This one has the bonus of having cringy lyrics.

04 UK | *11 SRB* | 14 DEN | 16 POL | 19 LAT | 20 ICE
26 NLD | 33 MNE | 34 ISR | 36 GER | 37 MLT | *38 ESP*

Zebb calls for BRQTT
Zebb calls for BRQTT
6 years ago

I don’t get fuss about Mirela, but I’m of farts that would root for Brequette. I can’t listen Manel’s song for 3 minutes, way too plain to keep me interested.

Kris
Kris
6 years ago

@Colin
I actually like #Dime’s way of scoring!! Its compact and tells the positions as well.You could keep the three letter country codes though.

Like in your way you had to reduce Denmark from 7.5 to 7.

Also at 2:16 in the music video he answers your question: Do What for your lover?
Ans: Chew sewage. Chew sewage for your lover

Colin
Colin
6 years ago

Honestly, I find this song so very irritating. I might amplified by the way it (presumably) even got to the contest, but I thought it was bland and repetitive even before that. Lyrics make no sense – Do WHAT for your lover? There is no story, no message, nothing behind. The only thing that might be redemable is that it’s partially in Spanish, and that’s only because that’s such rarity these days. Still, I have a real dislike towards this. Separated from the behind the scenes circumstances, I’d rate it around 3/10, but taken all into account, it would be… Read more »

(#Dime)
(#Dime)
6 years ago

The singer might be despicable..(0/10)
But the song itself is not bad at all..
My score: 6/10 – My rank: 33rd / 42
——————–
{*My ranking scoreboard so far*}
~ 8,5 :Israel (4)
~ 8,0 :Latvia(7)
~ 7,5 :Poland(10) Iceland(11) UK(12)
~ 7,0 :Malta(13) Denmark(16)
~ 6,5 :Netherlands(21)
~ 6,0 :Montenegro(27) Serbia(32) Spain(33)
~ 5,0 :Germany(36th)

I love the monkey
6 years ago

A quien le importa esto, a RTVE?… por favor.

areukidding
areukidding
6 years ago

@Leo M agree… this, Romania and Lithuania are the worst, but this is even worse than Lithuania and Romania

areukidding
areukidding
6 years ago

Antranig, why so high? This don’t even deserve a 0

Leo M
Leo M
6 years ago

Along with Romania, this is one of the most irritating songs this year. It so repetitive. Have a feeling it could be last place for Spain this year, either them or Germany again

areukidding
areukidding
6 years ago

WTF??? way to high

cheesecake
cheesecake
6 years ago

I’ve liked this since first listen and I still do. It’s fresh, enjoyable and summery.
Really sad to see almost everybody hate on this (and Manel).

Kris
Kris
6 years ago

@CookyMontza

Have you heard of claims of absolute transparency and fairness in Spain’s selection. Oh you have not. Well probably because it was anything but.

It was all a part of the corrupt plot hatched to make Manel win.You can read more on the comments section on the page where Manel’s win was announced on Wiwi.

Erasmus
Erasmus
6 years ago

I think that it’s not a bad song, but not good as well, I really like the verses, but the chorus is just cheesy and kind of repetitive. For me it’s a 4,5/10.

Domin
Domin
6 years ago

To people who say that Spain should carry the Spanish guitar, beaches or flamenco; I tell you and the Arab countries should always carry music for the belly dance ?? Israel’s music is a favorite this year and it seems to have been taken from ibiza looool.

*my name
*my name
6 years ago

I like it! Much better than contigo

Eve
Eve
6 years ago

I’m with Antranig, lol, but I will be kind and give it 3/10. This song could easily serve as brainwashing song in ”Zoolander”, lol 😛

M_K
M_K
6 years ago

*in the final, of course.

M_K
M_K
6 years ago

Personal rating: Well, one song has to be last on my list and I’m afraid that this year it’s the Spanish one. I tried hard, but I couldn’t discover anything appealing or interesting in this entry. What bothers me most, is actually that there appears to be no effort behind the music and the lyrics. To me it seems that even Fudsemarc have put more thought and creativity into “Rain of Revolution”. Manel doesn’t really give the impression that he cares what he actually sings, as long as he’s in the spotlight. He has kind of a vain attitude towards… Read more »

Marco
Marco
6 years ago

This is no Spanish vibe, we have much better Spanish singers and composers for summer songs… this song is just flat and boring

CookyMonzta
CookyMonzta
6 years ago

Just a thought: Why did they decide to let the JURY break the tie in Spain? I always thought the PEOPLE (i.e., the televoters) got the last word in a tiebreaker.

CookyMonzta
CookyMonzta
6 years ago

@Kris: Exactly why he ends up on the low end of my scorecard. If Spain had to go through qualifying like the others, he would fail miserably.

quentin
quentin
6 years ago

Spain is great this year just wait and see, and can’t wait for Hungary, because wiwi was not happy about Alexandra, the belly dancer, Joci Papai don’t give up on Alexandra just because wiwi doesn’t like her. Can’t understand why Albania bottom is great, but not Hungary abdomen of belly dancer.

No Name
No Name
6 years ago

Oh look at Antranig’s score: a 0, how surprising lol

Joe
Joe
6 years ago

4,5/10

Kris
Kris
6 years ago

Totally agree with JESC Fanatic……listening to a 15 sec version of the song is actually not bed…….but just repeating ‘Do it for your lover’ for 2 mins in a 3 min song is not going to cut it for the viewers.

ESC&EDM lover
ESC&EDM lover
6 years ago

I do like Manel’s voice but this song is just not for me
1. Latvia (9.5/10)
2. Iceland (9/10)
3. Denmark (7.5/10)
4. Israel (7.5/10)
5. Serbia (7/10)
6. UK (7/10)
7. Germany (6/10)
8. Poland (6/10)
9. Netherlands (4.5/10)
10. Montenegro (3/10)
11. Spain (2.5/10)
12. Malta (1.5/10)

Ola
Ola
6 years ago

1/10

(J)ESC Fanatic
(J)ESC Fanatic
6 years ago

Malta is better than Spain! I kinda enjoy this when I listen to a short snippet, but overall it’s just waaaay too repetitive. That being said, I think it could surprise and do well, even though many people hate it.

5.5/10

Polegend Godgarina
6 years ago

I don’t see anything wrong with this song. It has the Spanish vibe, it’s summery, catchy, and enjoyable. Even the autotuned part in the chorus makes sense. Not the best this year, but far from being one of the worst.