The Wiwi Jury — our in-house panel of music unprofessionals — continues to rank and review the 43 songs competing in Eurovision 2018. Next we journey to the Netherlands by way of Nashville and listen to Waylon‘s song “Outlaw in ‘Em”. Did it make us feel criminal? Read on to find out!
Waylon – “Outlaw in ‘Em”
“Outlaw in ‘Em” reviews
Bogdan: The strength of “Outlaw In ‘Em” stands in Waylon’s live performance, which is thoroughly engaging and flawless throughout. Whether you like country rock or not, you can’t deny that the entertaining singer has the stuff that megastars are made of and that special quality that makes you want to be a part of what he’s doing. Waylon sells his song and I’m not just buying it — I’m eating it up! Yee-haw!
Score: 8.5/10
Chris: Even if it may be slightly out of place to see an Americana-tinged country rock song in Eurovision, “Outlaw In ‘Em” feels true to Waylon. He’s dialled into this market and it’s clearly worked for him before. Whether this slightly more aggressive sound will do as well as “Calm After the Storm” is hard to tell though. Perhaps worryingly, it’s not the most memorable track — despite repeated listens, only the title line really stands out.
Score: 7/10
Kristin: Waylon is back! What a performer, what a voice, what a song and such a glorious attitude. “Outlaw In’Em” is power through and through. It grabs you, controls you, refuses to let go. Its anthem-like, and Waylon is nothing short of a superstar when it comes to performing with his heart and soul on stage. And the way he’s serving us “Outlaw In’Em” is just out of this world. He knows his stuff and he’s about to bring it to Lisbon. Y’all better be ready — Waylon is about to ride into town.
Score: 10/10
Renske: What an anthem! Initially, I was extremely surprised (and happy) that Waylon chose “Outlaw In ‘Em” and not for any of the blunt ballads he also had on offer and many Dutch people wanted. He really proved to me then that he knows what he’s doing. The only thing I dislike is that the song is very American, but, after all, that’s Waylon style and we have to respect that.
Score: 9.5/10
Robyn: It takes some serious attitude to deliver a song like this — and Waylon has it. This is his take on country-rock, with hints of ’80s rockers Guns ‘n’ Roses mixing in with the Nashville style. It’s so much fun and it has the potential to bring something different to Altice Arena. Whatever the result, Waylon will be doing things his way.
Score: 8.5/10
Steinunn: The Netherlands has become the self-proclaimed Tennessee of Europe. The reason is unclear to me, but frankly I don’t care because I like it. This is actually a good country-rock song and it almost makes me feel like I’m at a country hoedown. Plus Waylon is not making it difficult to want to watch it and listen to it again.
Score: 8/10
In the Wiwi Jury we have 20 jurors but only have room for six reviews. The remaining scores are below:
Angus: 8.5/10
Anthony: 7/10
Antranig: 6/10
Bernardo: 5.5/10
Cinan: 5.5/10
Deban: 5/10
Jonathan: 7/10
Jordi: 8.5/10
Jovana: 8/10
Luis: 9.5/10
Padraig: 6.5/10
Ron: 7.5/10
Sebastian: 3.5/10
William: 5/10
We have removed the highest and lowest scores prior to calculating the average. This is to remove outliers and potential bias. We have removed a low of 3.5 and a high of 10.
Wiwi Jury verdict: 7.28/10
What do you think of this song? Share your own score and review below!
Great artist and a decent song. Waylon delivers a track that’s close to himself instead of translating a hashtag into a song. I’m pretty sure he won’t win, but he’ll definitely reach the final.
7.5/10, ending position between 8 and 13
I can tell that this is a quality piece of music sung by an experienced singer and performer… but the genre does nothing for me. I am neither a big country OR rock fan. Should do well enough, though.
Look, I’m pretty sure I will cast some vote for this in the final, because it goes there. The Netherlands keep themselves away from recurrent Europop. Easily my favorite ESC country of these last years. Understands the meaning of musical variety and diversity.
Personally prefer soothing country rock aka Calm After the Storm (if that’s even a thing?) However, I definitely appreciate that Waylon is staying true to his style and not bringing an average pop song to please a majority audience. Hopefully people watching at home will vote for this based on the song and the performance!
That score is far too high for me, yes Waylon is very likeable but the song does nothing for me and sounds like every other country-style song I’ve heard before. There’s nothing original about it and it’s not very memorable, so won’t stand out for any other reason than being ‘the country one’. While I wish Waylon the best of luck, this isn’t one of my preferred qualifiers and I’d only give it a 5/10 or so.
Different and original. Not many songs like it this year. I really like it!
7/10
This is underrated by the fans, it will do well I think!
BTW, this song is qualified for the grand final of my Eurovision 2018 poll. So if you want to vote for it of for any other qualified song, please vote with the 12 points sytem right here 🙂
https://goo.gl/forms/ZbTha4pf7U9FETNd2
Good compared to the other acts of this year. But coming from Waylon, I expected way more than this. His last three candidate songs were much better, but he went for the catchiest one.
7.0/10
I didn’t listen to all of the songs in the Netherlands’ short-list, but to be honest “Outlaw in ‘Em” is a decent package that followed the Netherlands’ relatively good efforts in 2016 and 2017. Still, this is not near the quality of “Calm After the Storm”, which was a total gem. But honestly, I don’t think it intended to be the same, and thats excellent, because now we got to see Waylon’s solo efforts, which are actually really stellar. We were never looking for the Common Linnets 2.0, and thank God we weren’t given that. I’m not that fan of… Read more »
Im afraid it wont do as well as some people think. He will perform right before favourite Australia, with a big anthem. For some reason i can also see Denmark and Hungary stealing a lot of the “This is epic-votes” Who will be voting for this typical American countryrock song? Dont get me wrong, i think this entry is really good and deserves a high ranking imho, but i just cant see it happening. Could this be a surprise non qualifier perhaps? Right now its borderline for me.
I laugh at this weird comment.. The Netherlands isn’t Sweden. It’s not that if you don’t like it it’s inmediatly overrated… You saw the points the wiwi Jury gave and the comments where a lot of people like it. So if it’s not ur cup of tea don’t immediatly say it’s overrated because thats nonsense.
9/10 great rock song.. like to see the LIVE PERFORMANCE on stage, taking the audience with him in a ROCK A LIKE PODIUM. THE TOTAL COUNTRY ROCK A LA COMMON LINNETS But NOW FULL SPEED AHEAD!
CHOOSE TO BE DIFFERENT!… AND GOOD .. THE BEST!
I appreciate the quality of “Outlaw in ’em” and the skills Waylon has, he also delivers it with so much attitude… but this song is not for me. A fair score by the wiwi jury, though. This one is going to be in the Jury’s Top 3 in the SF2, and probably in the Jury’s Top 10 in the Gran Final. The Netherlands is in my 29th position: 11. Italy (7.25) 13. Lithuania (7) 15. Denmark (7) 18. Poland (7) 21. Armenia (6.75) 23. Slovenia (6.5) 24. Ireland (6.5) 26. Croatia (6.25) 29. THE NETHERLANDS (5.5) 30. Azerbaijan (5.5) 31.… Read more »
When Waylon was announced as the Netherlands’ act for this year’s Eurovision, I was hoping he could bring some southern rock to the contest. So I won’t lie, I’m very excited about this one! I think it’s a great choice in so many ways. It fits his voice and personality perfectly, it’s very different from “Calm After the Storm” and it works as a statement that Waylon wasn’t just Ilse’s charming companion like many may had thought 4 years ago (myself included), but a terrific artist just like her. It’s also a very bold choice. Country music is very american… Read more »
I wouldn’t consider myself a country music fan, Tibor. If you throw me at a bar in the south of the USA, people would stare at me because I clearly won’t belong there! But I learned to like how personal country songs can be. Especially the oldies. Even if at most of the times they are about things that aren’t part of my life. I don’t drink whiskey, I was born and raised on a big city, I’m not religious, I hate guns, and the list goes on and on… What moves me about the Netherlands’ entry is that it… Read more »
Maybe I’m late coming to the party but this is the first time I herd of this guy ok he wants to honor Waylon Jennings that’s great but calling him Waylon their will only ever be One Waylon I don’t care how good you are he was is and will always be The Best he needs to find his on style not Waylons imitation is the greatest form of flattery but you can think you are that person.
The Netherlands – Waylon: “Outlaw In ‘Em” Keys: E minor Time Sigs: 4/4 Song structure: Intro – Verse 1 – Leading Bars – Chorus – Verse 2 – Leading Bars – Chorus – Instrumental – Bridge [or Chorus 2] – Extended Coda Instrumental Harmony: Chord sequences & riffs Influences: Rock n’ roll, Country Music comments: This is a lot of fun. Rock n’ roll sung in a Country style. There isn’t much I can say about it; the underlying music is quite simple and it’s mostly up to the performers to do their riffs and create something great on the… Read more »
As someone that wants complete distance from firearms, I agree with your take on the “lock and load” part, that line could be avoided. But I also understand that this could be seen as cowboy slang to “be ready to respond”. It can really be controversial if you take out of the context of the song or if some tragedy happens in the week of the contest though. The heartbeat thing I guess it’s a image to describe how you feel when you’re on a thrilling situation.
Indeed, thanks for clarifying.
Another thought: I suppose when I think of early rock n’ roll I think of “Jailhouse Rock” by Elvis. That connection between “fellons” and “outlaws” in the USA may or may not be there, but it’s an aspect of current US culture that I find controversial. Granted, it’s The Netherlands being represented here, not the USA (thank goodness), so the dark side is a little less obvious. Having said that, I could still easily see this as a cheer-up song for prisoners and fellons in The Netherlands. It just depends how you hear it, I suppose.
It’s curious how there are so many elements on american culture that sound totally out of place on a global point of view but, since they’ve dominated the cultural industry for so long, almost everybody around the world are familiar with them. So what’s just “the cowboy way of life” in a movie or a song can be effectively disgusting on the real life. It will be interesting to see how Europeans from different countries will deal with this one. Because “Calm After the Storm” was country, but the lyrics were pretty much universal.
Not bad, but not good either.
Average & mediocre song.
Plus, its annoyingly americanized & pretentious…
5/10
So this is a change of pace from Calm After the Storm. I love country music, so I was crazy excited to see Waylon come back to give us some west Texas flavour. Though slightly underwhelming, I can still find a whole lot of enjoyment in the song. It has a very rugged and gritty feel to it, especially with the electric guitar glaring throughout, and I feel very invested in the song. The chorus does get a little repetitive though, particularly cus he’s singing the same hook over and over again but with different lyrics, and after a while… Read more »
I’m not a compatriot,i’m from Pprtugal,but i really like this entry a i’m sure it will be in the final,and top five at least with the jury,but i’m affraid that the trash songs lovers will make this great song colapse in the public vote.
-Rough and gritty country influence.
-Suits Waylon’s voice much more than Calm After The Storm.
-Powerful guitars.
-Pretty good.
I’m not a fan of country, but this song is the best from there I’ve heard in a while. He’s not afraid of belting out and screaming, and that’s the selling point.
I have written about this previously but to sum it up, this was the weakest of the five songs he presented in my opinion. The song has a bit of a desperate Bon-Jovi quality to it whilst Waylon borrows heavily from the Axl Rose school of singing. I actually like his voice but feel that it is wasted on this track.
Not my cup of tea, but I appreciate different kind of music in ESC, and he is HOT 😛
I’m not really into country, but I like this entry! Waylon has great vocals and he’s very charismatic. The song feels true to him and he sells it really well.
Finally another song I have more positive Things to write about, yes! First of all: Waylon is an absolutely amazing Performer. His voice is just so good! And while I think that if we were from Texas, we’d look bored while listening to this, I have to say for Eurovision Standards it’s really unique and I’m happy to have yet another genre to be represented at Eurovision 2018. The song already gets me with the first words when Waylon sings ”It’s a fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine line” and I’m like ”Yes! Give me the Cowboy, Waylon!”. Not that I’m usually into Cowboy Music,… Read more »
lmao, ”Cowboy music”… I meant ”Country music” obviously 😀
I love rock music. Sometimes I also listen to country (i.e. Johnny Cash). So it’s not difficult to guess that I really liked Waylon’s song! His sharp voice is incredible, it was so subtle in Calm After The Storm… The song gives me all the feelings I expect from a decent rock composition. And the lyrics just prove that!
8/10
I take my hat off to Waylon, this man has done it again. He was my favorite in 2014 and is one of my favorites again.
Waylon embraces the spirit of Salvador that music is feelings, not fireworks. I therefore wouldn’t be surprised if the same thing will happen as in 2014, that the local media will embrace this entry. Like Denmark’s biggest newspaper did with Calm After the Storm. That’s how the totally unexpected success story of the Common Linnets started….. The stage without LED screens will be a huge advantage for Waylon as he can even deliver a very solid and energetic act in a small TV studio. The fact that he is a successful returning Eurovision artist in a year that will not… Read more »
”in a year that will not have a politically motivated winner this could be the one folks”
France, Italy, Israel…Politics are not only war. This year is about politics more than ever, unfortunately.
“more than ever” that’s a big statement for 2 refugee songs and one song with a small playfull wink to the metoo movement… The 2014 russia booing, the 2016 russia vs ukraine the 2017 russia goodbye incident. Those messages of the songs won’t overshadow the contest this year so i wouldn’t really call this edition more political than ever but rather mild luckily.
I don’t really like Waylon or any sort of Dutch country but I honestly think this is amazing. The lyrics have a lot of power when you look into what this song is actually about. It’ll definitely qualify and I don’t think a top 10, or possibly even a top 5 finish is out of reach. However, like another commenter said, I’m not sure if juries will take a liking to this song.
The singer & his song are ok, I guess, but who the hell in Europe likes country music? Good luck, anyway!
Me!
Waylon is this years Salvador, doing something different than other countries and people will love it
a record breaking amount of points for waylon i predict
Lol
6.5/10 This is a really decent entry, I’ve liked this from first listen. I think this could be staged really well; as with the video some striking camera angles. However my worry would be jury response, as this isn’t a commonly used style at Eurovision: but hopefully it won’t get slated.
I really like Carrie Underwood and Rascal Flatts types of country songs. However, this country rock does nothing for me.
Well this is something Carrie Underwood would’ve recorded on Play On–it has the Undo It vibes!
I hate Rascal Flatts!
This song is good at what it is but it’s simply not my cup of tea. It definitely has its audience though and I think it will qualify (and it should because Semi 2 is weak).
5.5/10
When will you post article about London pre-party? I’m disappointed. Impolite audience, small stage, expensive city, why everybody goes there? Riga had a screen, and proper stage, and nice people. In London the artists gain nothing at all, no special promotion. Overestimated London!
I could not even see Amaia, only Alfred.
So is she not allowed to sit on chair? What if were Julia Samoylova? Bad planning from the host, year after year, the same problems. Artists should just stop going there.
If were Julia Samoylova would you say the same thing? That she should have stood too? Why don’t you accept that London pre-party s-u c.ks?
I would say this is an attempt at making American country music when in fact country songs don’t sound like this anymore…
I live in the Austin Texas. While this song does not have that newer modern country sound, there are still plenty of songs that sound like this. The only type of songs that you may be getting in Italy are the newer modern country songs and think a song like Waylon’s is being sung anymore. Think again…..I here new songs like this one all the time.
Very good entry and performer, it’s in my top 5, well done!
@Rsoul
NETHERLANDS – Waylon is back with a completely different country song and he seems equally invested in this one. It’s an enjoyable track and I understand the positive reviews. It explores our mischievous side and it’s something most can identify with. I think this is a good choice for a live concert as it’s very inter-active. What bugs me, though, is that it has very little build-up and variation. Many songs have been called anti-climactic, but I don’t think the word over-climactic has been used yet. That’s how I’d describe it. The song starts to climax as soon as it… Read more »
@Colin, although I don’t share your personal taste, I love the way you bring your arguments. 🙂
Thank you, Rimig. I appreciate that. 🙂
Winner of ESC2018 confirmed, Waylon has the best song this year, there’s no way this can go wrong anymore for Netherlands
we are going to amsterdam next year then
11.5/10
Good song, reminds me of GnR’s Paradise City. Waylon is a seasoned performer, not to mention is well used to the world of Eurovision. Given Semi 2’s status as a weaker Semi, I think he will qualify with ease, however, I don’t think his song will reach the same heights as 2015. I predict 10-15 place in the final. Good attempt though Netherlands. 7/10
2014** my mistake
Daring and original, we have never seen something like This at ESC. I hope This does well, Waylon deserves it with His amazing voice and great charisma. Im really proud of our entry again.
10/10
Wiwi jury
1)NET 7.28 2)AZE 7.22 3)ITA 7.17
4)SLO 6.58 5)ARM 6.39 6)POL 6.36
7)BLR 6.36 8)MLT 6.31 9)CRO 6.19
10)DEN 6.17 11)MDA 6.08 12)GBR 5.97
13)LTU 5.83 14)IRE 5.67
Modified Score
1)NET 8.88 2)ITA 8.81 3)AZE 8.19
4)MLT 8.13 5)DEN 8.00 6)SLO 8.00
7)MDA 7.75 8)CRO 7.69 9)POL 7.63 10)BLR 7.56 11)ARM 7.50 12)LTU 7.44 13)IRE 7.06 14)GBR 6.94
Total:
1)NET 16.14 2)ITA 15.98 3)AZE 15.41 4)SLO 14.58 5) MLT 14.44 6)DEN 14.17 7)POL 13.99 8)BLR 13.92 9)ARM 13.89 10)CRO 13.88 11)MDA 13.83 12)LTU 13.27 13)GBR 12.91 14)IRE 12.73
Well done Netherlands, one the most unique entries this year.
It was the most impactful of the five songs he presented and I really liked it back then but got tired of this soon. This is a good song but not my genre of music.
I’m not really a fan of nasal sounding vocals but it fits here better than it does in the Spanish song.
Also this is getting a bit hyped due to the returning artist effect.
A 6.5/10.
Really good and deserved score for The Netherlands!
Nobody asked for your opinion!
Actually, Wiwibloggs did ask for opinions. In the article above:
“What do you think of this song? Share your own score and review below!”
So stop hating.
As a Dutch fan, I’m so tired of AVROTROS.
Although Waylon is a good artist, it’s nothing really special or new. It does stand out though, but that’s not enough to win.
And to be clear: country music is NOT big in the Netherlands. It’s just the broadcaster that choses the artist.
Dance and pop music is kinda big here (Martin Garrix, Ronnie Flex). They both just can’t sing. For me Rochelle Perts would be great to represent us in my opinion. Guess it ain’t ever gonna happen.
Well what i red everywhere is that they tried to contact a DJ for this years ESC, but no one felt the urge to do it… So they had to pick their 6th pick, in this case Waylon. I think this song is great and it’s something refreshing, no worries they know what they are doing.
Another O’G3NE wanker?
Stick to your pastic ladies singing schlabops, while real people enjoy Waylon’s talent.
This performance is full of testosterone and I didn’t expected liberals to like it. So you do like masculine men after all.
This has nothing to do with liberals or conservatives! Give people a break for god’s sake!
Toxic Masculinity
Love this so much I play it multiple times a day.am so excited to see this live in Lisbon.waylon is an excellent artist and a true live performer. It’s a 10/10 for me.
Too angry for me. Of course it will qualify, but it will never reach the heights conquered by the common linnets. 5.5/10.
This is really good. Waylon defends it so well.Watch It stand out in the final. Some winning chances too.
This is how you do a standout-song! It’s different and bold. It’s pure and raw. Waylon’s voice is phenomenal, and his charisma is so big. Top 10!