Today the Wiwi Jury – our in-house panel of music unprofessionals – had a domestic and split up to travel to Sweden separately. Some of us take the train across the Oresund Bridge to Malmö, some of us caught the early morning flight to Stockholm and some of us took a ferry to Norway and then drove over land to Gothenburg. Feeling down about ourselves and crushed about the row we all vented by lip-synching for our lives to Sanna Nielsen’s song for Sweden, ‘Undo’. Did Sanna undo our pain or just make us wish we could hit undo on the Melodifestivalen result? Read on to find out!

Vebooboo: I’ve been in love with Sanna since 2007, when she wowed me with her cheesy schlager rendition of “Vågar du, vågar jag” in Melodifestivalen. But what a difference seven years can make. Like our favourite San Marinese jazz singer Valentina Monetta, Sanna has undergone a major facelift in recent years and turned into a full-grown vixen. She was robbed in 2008 when Perrelli stole her MF crown, so when she edged out the teenage-appeal of Ace Wilder this year I literally teared up in the Friends Arena. ‘Undo’ does not have the heart-breaking emotional appeal that ‘Empty Room’ had, but it has been flawlessly produced in a way that perfectly highlights the range and quality of Sanna’s voice. Furthermore, it is one of the only songs this year to build consistently throughout the song–a soft and subtle Sanna turns into a passionate and desperate biyatch halfway through. If Sanna can control her nerves, and if the staging can accentuate key transition moments with precision I think we may have a winner here.

Score: 10/10

Angus: ‘Undo’ could be about a number of things. Avenging Sweden’s disappointing result last year, vengeance for Sanna’s mutiple failed attempts at Melodifestivalen, getting through the Swedish winter or being brave enough to move away from a past lover. Regardless of what ‘Undo’ is about it’s unquestionably one of the strongest ballads in Copenhagen this year. The staging looks to be mesmerising. The only problem for Sanna as with Scandinavian acts every year is blending their vocal with live backing rather than tracks they’re allowed at National Selections. Fortunately there’s little question that Nielsen will nail her vocal and put Stockholm back where it belongs in the Top 10.

Score: 9.5/10

Sweden, Sanna Nielsen, 3

Bogdan: Mr. Kempe, the songwriter, screwed up with this one. I liked the first version of “Undo”. The lyric “undo my sad” didn’t phase me – on the contrary, I loved the poetic license of turning the adjective into a noun. (The verb “unbreak” does not exist in English, yet that didn’t stop “Unbreak My Heart” from exploding as a worldwide hit.) “Undo my sad love” makes no sense, ruins the poesy and the change reeks of desperation and panic. I also don’t like the fact that the beginning of second verse sounds like a rip-off of “Wrecking Ball”, but I love that Sanna sounds not like a Miley, but like a Céline Dion. Sanna Nielsen has an amazing voice and I hope she will rescue this song on the stage, although I don’t really want Sweden to win. Scandinavian fatigue, anyone?

Score: 8/10

Billy: That’s sweet! Sweden always keeps it high as regards Eurovision. I love Sanna Nielsen (anyway she would represent her homeland one day – after all 7 participations in Melodifestivalen) as well as her beautiful voice and presence on stage. The truth is, that at the beginning “Undo” really reminds me of the beginning of Miley Cyrus’ “Wrecking Ball” (of course Sanna is more talented). I also liked that dramatic light show, which hints back to “euphoric” moments. However, the Swedes could do something about the stage presence, maybe bringing some dancers or some instrumentalists. In addition the lyrics after the word “undo” are a little strange, and they are too many for that matter. Yes, I refer to “Undo my sad love”. It’s nothing new, but is certainly something beautiful.

Score: 9.5/10

Katie: Oh Sanna, you have such a lovely voice. Very melodic and “Undo” compliments it perfectly. It’s just a shame that the most powerful, memorable part of the song is the lyric “undo my sad” which makes no sense whatsoever! It’s not a song that I would typically expect to win Melodifestivalen so it took me a few listens to get into it, but I really like it now. I’m not sure how memorable it will be against some of the more uptempo songs, but if Sanna gives everything she’s got when she performs, it will be VERY memorable!

Score: 7/10

Deban: Vocally, this is epic. The song is well-crafted, and although the formula is predictable, Sanna Nielsen’s performance keeps the mood authentic. The song has also been grammatically enhanced. Frederick Kempe provides the Swedish star with a beautiful composition that’s perfectly suited to her range. Note to styling, hair and wardrobe: Sanna is in her 20’s, please don’t age her. Notwithstanding, Sanna proved to Melodifestivalen voters that the seventh time’s a charm. This lucky charm, hard work and stellar composition could find a spot in the Top 5 at the Eurovision Song Contest, this year.

Score: 8/10

http://youtu.be/fJ-R7lq5XBM

Padraig: My relationship with “Undo” has been a strange one. At first I thought it was a pleasant, if somewhat unremarkable, ballad. But then I developed an urge to listen again… and again … and again. And now it’s one of my favourites. Anyone who says you should always go with your gut instinct is clearly speaking baloney. There’ll be no “Ctrl Z” for me, “F5” all the way.

Score: 8.5/10

James L: “Just another ballad” this one is not. It starts inconspicuously, but the moment Sanna gets to that first “uh-uh-uh-undo” you know this one’s got it going on. Sanna’s strong vocals, the simple staging, and the pumping electro-chords give this entry some major oomph, and the heart beats in the bridge still give me chills. I get the feeling we might just be going back over the Øresund bridge next year.

Score: 10/10

Zach: I’m at a crossroads here. Sanna is my favorite act this year and I would LOVE for her to win, but at the same time I really want to get out of Scandinavia! But focusing on the song, it’s brilliant. Sanna’s vocal is sublime, mellow in the beginning where it needs to be, unleashed into powerhouse status later on in the explosive chorus’. The beat of the song is so cool too, the instrumental alone is something I could listen to repeatedly. Yes “undo my sad” isn’t grammatically sound, but TEO has a million mistakes in his song and nobody bats an eye. The Nordic’s only woman this year is likely going to be their only enviable placing, and maybe Sanna will win it all just two years after Loreen. If anything Sweden will be in the top 5. I’m so excited for the staging as well, if it’s “Melodifestivalen only bigger and brighter”, that’s cause for excitement!

Score: 10/10

Wiwi: Sanna Nielsen has always been way too old-fashioned for my taste. I have always felt that she’s stuck in 1987, both in terms of her fashion (hello shoulder pads!) and music. But in this glorious number she updates schlager with some R&B flavour. This is a difficult song to sing, but she manages to stay in tune and on point. There’s a reason Swedes love her, and it’s on show for us with this song. She is a diva and a darling, and her voice can sure pull on heartsrings. Love. 

Score: 9/10

All 19 jurors review each song but we only have room to share 10 written reviews. Here are the remaining 9 scores.

Anthony: 8.5/10

Mario: 9.5/10

Maxim: 6/10

Mike: 9.5/10

Francheska: 7.5/10

Ramadan: 4/10

Patrick: 9.5/10

Sami: 2/10

William C: 8.5/10

The highest and lowest scores are removed before calculating the final score. We have dropped a low of 2 and a high of 10.

The Wiwi Jury Verdict: 8.35/10

You can check out our latest Eurovision 2014 reviews and rankings on the Wiwi Jury page. You can keep up-to-date on the latest Eurovision news and gossip by following the team on Twitter @wiwibloggs and by liking our Facebook page.

27 Comments
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reddawg
reddawg
9 years ago

I’m confused about why this is rated so highly– it is extremely boring. It would never do well in the States, at all, I can promise you that– YAWN.

boo
boo
9 years ago

It’s copy of what they did year ago and before that. Nothing new, nothing special, overrated and boring. The woman looks like 40-years-old though she says she’s younger. Sure people love it since it’s Swedish, a place where everything overrated comes from.

Luis
Luis
9 years ago

I do not understand at all … Sweden is sooo Celine Dion ten years ago … but with a much worse voice … let Sweden can not win with this only two gourmet dessert after Euphoria.

Sweden is a very simple song and plain old-fashioned. there is nothing original, that would be maddening and win.

nancy
9 years ago

I ALSO THINK SANNA MADE THIS SONG A WINNER! GOOD LUCK!

Brndn
Brndn
9 years ago

Without a doubt this is the most horribly overrated song of Eurovision this year. Nothing about this entry is original or makes it worthy of being a winner. The melody is bland, the lyrics are woeful and the performance is nothing special. Sanna is a good singer but the song itself is dull and vapid. Sweden fully deserved to win Eurovision 2012 with Euphoria but if they win again this year it will be the least deserving winner since Russia in 2008. Zero points from Ireland (though I’m sure on Saturday Ireland will give it 10 or 12 points because… Read more »

Hello
9 years ago

Everybody knows that this will win 😀

Go for GOLD Sanna!

Deven O'Kearney
9 years ago

I am Irish by birth, but by choice I am Swedish. Sweden is my adoptive country. I think that this ballad could do very well. If it wins, hopefully we will be going back to Malmo. It’s a beautiful city but I wouldn’t mind Stockholm or Gothenburg hosting it. As for the presenters, Adam Alsing from
Talang Sverige and Christine Meltzer would be great.

Timselvision
Timselvision
9 years ago

Terrible song in my opinion, sorry. At the same time I know it’ll end up in the top five.

Davve
Davve
9 years ago

sweden will win

D
D
9 years ago

I was completely pissed off when this beat Ace in Melodifestivalen this year, and generally I had a huge grudge against the song and Sanna because of it. Thankfully now that grudge is gone. I love this one to pieces and am very proud of my country for sending this, even though I would be just as proud if Ace was sent too. I think we have a very good chance of winning this year, but I don’t know if going bankrupt for hosting another contest is worth it 😛 . The EBU even said if Ukraine won last year… Read more »

Pastora Soler haha
Pastora Soler haha
9 years ago

I think… she is the winner

It’s a song that all the countries will vote

Thiefo
9 years ago

Well, trying to be unbiased here, if I said Miracle is terribly generic in the eurodance department, I must say Undo is the same but in the schlager ballads one. However I also must confess I love this to pieces. It wasn’t like this at first though! Sanna was definitely NOT my favourite for this year MF, and still up to this day I wonder if Ace wouldn’t have been a better choice… but Undo grew on me to the point that today is one of my favourites. I’m torn as many others who love the song, because I would… Read more »

Davve
Davve
9 years ago

Sanna will probably win the semifinal easily.. and place top3 atleast… if not win!

sopon
sopon
9 years ago

6/10 for me. I was (and still am) an Ace fan, and feel she would do better than Sanna. Sanna has a decent power ballad, but Molly has done better. It doesn’t do much for me, just middle-of-the-road. There are worse and better songs.

Leon
Leon
9 years ago

A ballad with a sad theme, sung well. Glad the grammar in the lyrics has been corrected for the Anglophiles. Loved the lighting effects. So many great ballads this year that it will be down to the wire if this makes it to the top 5. 8/10

Marcelo N
9 years ago

I really like the song, though I’d rather listen to it than watch it live. Let’s watch the final rehearsal and see if it works wonders 😉

Digi
Digi
9 years ago

Oh yeah. Eurovision Host will always Sweden or Scandinavian Country. But participation Country is minus because Always in Scandinavian plus domination USSR Country in Eurovision

Davve
Davve
9 years ago

Sweden is the best!

DR
DR
9 years ago

I would give it only about 7-8. As a ballad, it knows what it’s doing, but it still is just a ballad. I like it but its same old, same old. A bit too cliché to get a top score from me. Also as a Brit, who cares about his language, even undo my sad love doesn’t really work for me.

Darren
Darren
9 years ago

I like Sweden but I would like to see another non-Scandinavian country win, especially a country west of Germany. But if it is the winner this year, please please please host it next year in Stockholm at the Friends Arena, because the contest in Malmo was the worst, in my opinion.

Dan RO
Dan RO
9 years ago

I didn’t love this at first listen, I felt it was only meh.. It took several listenings to get me here: I looooove it! And I think turning up the volume only makes it better, because then you can fully appreciate the increasing drama that’s happening in the song. ‘Undo’ has, I think, the best build-up of all the ballads this year; from this point of view it’s 2014’s ‘O mie’ (I mean that as a compliment, since I adored that last year). With a good staging and perfect vocals on Sanna’s part, I could really see this winning. That,… Read more »

Davve
Davve
9 years ago

@nare.. armenia?? hahahaahhahaha NO way.. armenias guy is a homophobe and his stage presence is zero..

Sanna is amazing and will win…

Jordan
Jordan
9 years ago

Typical fanwank…

NARE
9 years ago

I like this song but I now that Armenia well be the winner. Go Araaaaaaaaaam!

k
k
9 years ago

we all know sweden will win. It is a fact. Sanna Nielsen is amazing and the song is amazing!

Kary
Kary
9 years ago

I know everybody has a different tastes in music but 2? 4? Really? Insane! For me it’s a 10/10 hopefully she will win the whole thing.

davve
davve
9 years ago

Undo IS the winning song this year. Combine this with an amazing singer like Sanna Nielsen!!! we have a winner