Over the weekend the Wiwi Jury — our in-house panel of musical unprofessionals — hit up Nicosia to soak up some rays in the glorious Cypriot sunshine. While we were topping up our tans, we put on the boombox and kicked back listening to John Karayiannis and his Eurovision 2015 song “One Thing I Should Have Done”. Were we la la loving Cyprus’s entry for 2015 or were we totally over it? Read on to find out!

Cyprus’ Eurovision 2015 song

John Karayiannis with “One Thing I Should Have Done”

Angus: Nicosia have picked a delicate feather for a semi-final full of musical wrecking balls. Every year since 2010 there’s been a song trying to replicate the minimalist success of ‘Me and My Guitar’ but most of them bomb by going too minimal. This is one of them. Cyprus should have taken Ivi Adamou for inspiration, not Despina Olympiou.

Score: 4/10

Cyprus, John Karayiannis, 1

Bogdan: I usually hate it when people compare ballads to lullabies, but I have to admit that this one makes me want to reach for my pillow. You could say that the a capella bridge sets it apart from other ballads, but that only highlights the trite lyrics. John has a good voice which he masters beautifully, but one thing he should have done was choose a better song.

Score: 3/10

Chris: John feels like he’s two years out of date with this song, as it would have been the perfect third to Gianluca and ByeAlex in 2013. “One Thing I Should Have Done” is also, however, weaker than both of these songs and just doesn’t have a huge amount of appeal. Nice voice, but there’s so little else that I enjoy here.

Score: 4/10

Deban: Giannis has been branded as John for the contest, but he is still as unpolished as ever. However, that is his strength. His raw delivery elevates the message in “One Thing I Should Have Done” making it one of the most honest renditions in this year’s contest. Perhaps too down-tempo for the adrenaline voting public. Fortunately the jury of music experts should save this entry. It holds a lot of value in its subtlety.

Score: 6.5/10

Francheska: There’s something to be said for starting out with a bang, and then there’s not really even trying at all. This is so dreadfully boring, it may put the entire sleeping pill industry out of business. There is absolutely no tempo change or variety. It’s just a boring guy who means well singing a painfully dull song. Brb, gonna take a 5-hour nap thanks to this song.

Score: 1.5/10

Cyprus, John Karayiannis, 2

Judit: I can’t understand the hate. It’s a lovely romantic ballad and with his warm voice it’s perfect. He looks like ByeAlex but in a sexier way. It wasn’t my favourite in the national selection but day by day it moves higher on my list.

Score: 8/10

Liam: This song is a slow, boring ballad. Nothing special, and bound to fail when it reaches the Eurovision stage. Cyprus’ national final, for how long it went, was a failure in my eyes because of this.

Score: 1/10

Padraig: I was initially rather dismissive of “One Thing I Should Have Done”. It’s not the sort of song that hits you full whack in the face, so it’s easy to write it off as dull or boring. But give it a chance and you’ll discover some real depth. Because quite frankly, the song is heartbreaking! Giannis had the perfect girl, but it wasn’t until he’d let her slip away that he realised it. If staged properly this could be a major dark horse in Vienna.

Score: 6.5/10

Cyprus, John Karayiannis, 7Robyn: I wasn’t a fan of this at the Cyprus national final, but the studio version is really captivating. John sings this simple song of troubled love with tenderness and vulnerability (and it helps that he is adorable). I suspect the a cappella break is going to be a really powerful moment live (provided the arena audience isn’t too rowdy by that point). Could this be the dark horse of 2015?

Score: 7/10

Sinan: On first listen I didn’t like it, but on repeat I finally did. It’s a relaxing, feel-good song and there is peace and tranquility here. I’m not really sure if it will go to the final, but let’s see.

Score: 6/10

William: A sensitive performer, John sings with committment and with the pain if a 1,000 breakups and divorces and severed families. Some may call this boring, but it has a quiet dignity and it builds nicely, albeit in reverse: the bridge is stripped back and John sings without any backing. If he can add a bit more dynamism through staging and lighting, this could sneak into the final.

Score: 5.5/10

Twenty-nine jurors review each song, but we only have space for ten written reviews. The remaining 19 scores are listed below.

Anthony: 3/10

Denise: 6/10

Josh: 1/10

Kristín: 8/10

Luis: 7/10

Marek: 2/10

Mario: 1.5/10

Max: 3.5/10

Mike: 3/10

Mikhail: 2/10

Patrick: 4/10

Ramadan: 2/10

Renske: 6/10

Rezo: 5/10

Sami: 4/10

Sopon: 0/10

William C: 1.5/10

Zach: 6.5/10

To reduce potential bias, we have removed a high of 8 and a low of 0 prior to calculating the average.

Wiwi Jury Verdict: 4.11/10

SEE OUR CURRENT EUROVISION 2015 RANKINGS AND REVIEWS HERE

52 Comments
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Paolo
Paolo
9 years ago

Heavily underrated. Yes it is a slow ballad. But I feel this is what is going to make it qualify. It stands out amongst the other ballads due to it being a bit dreary (dreary in a good way) and not really a typical ESC ballad of this day and age. This could possibly surprise you WiwiBloggs.

TeleRoger
TeleRoger
9 years ago

I la la la loved Cyprus entry in Azerbaijan and it rocked the final.
This year the song is a lovely song
Well presented on video but unless the director pulls somethjng out of the bag I fear it may get lost in the massive stage in Vienna.
I would like this to do well but have my fears

Chris
9 years ago

So far Cyprus wins TBTB* this year
The Big Toilet Break

What’s not not like?
Everything is likeable but then also a bit forgettable
Who will vote for it
My fear is he will play for an almost empty stadthalle with only cameras and technicians left
Having said that I have never missed a single performance and can control my bladder. At least I’m still standing or in fact and if he leave his glasses at home he might even consider me but John you must know this : I am not a one minute man

ALDONA/POLAND
9 years ago

WOW-ONE OF THE BEST-I LOVE IT,THX*******

Esceire
Esceire
9 years ago

@2L this is the third semi final in a row that we have gotten a dreadful draw and then you look at Cyprus for the second year in a row got 3rd last and Slovenia for the 2nd year in a row got 2nd last. The fair way to do the draw is to have it random, another point is in the EBU there is clearly a lot of people being biased e.g Romania, theres a guy in the EBU who’s romanian called Vlad (something) and for some odd reason Romania have gotten the pimp slot twice and now have… Read more »

Richiepoo
Richiepoo
9 years ago

A lovely song – very underrated in most fan polls but I’m sure he will get a warm reception from the more casual voters in May. Currently my No.13 – far far from being a sleeping pill or boring, its very simplicity and quiet confidence in the simple message and understated acoustic delivery is what makes it stand out from all the showy screamers. Should be able to pull it off quite well – in the way Tom Dice did… it’s not like understated songs had ANY success last year did they? Oh hang on…

9/10

bavarson
bavarson
9 years ago

This is dull like their entry from 2013, maybe only slightly better.

Francisco
Francisco
9 years ago

I like this song, I am aware that, artistically speaking, it is not a masterpiece, in fact, it sounds like the kind of show-tune you would see performed in “Glee” or the kind of background song for a mobile phone advert, but it is, nonetheless, pleasant to hear and the singer is engaging. I think this one will surprise quite a few people on the long run

2L
2L
9 years ago

@Esceire, you are saying:”I find it very unfair that Countries with poor records (e.g Slovenia,Poland,Czech Republic,Portugal,Cyprus etc) are being given Great draws and then Countries with decent/Good records ( Lithuania,Ireland,Moldova,Armenia etc) are being screwed over, its very frustrating because in reality the reason these countries have bad records is because they couldn’t be bothered sending something worth watching!” Extending your way of thinking I would suggest to the EBU to exclude the above mentioned countries, along with others failing to show a good score, from taking part in the contest as a punishment. Maybe that way Ireland could become a… Read more »

Otna
Otna
9 years ago

He actually makes Finland sound good…

Alex
Alex
9 years ago

The song starts off boring but it puts a smile on my face and makes me happy by the time it ends.

WTF
WTF
9 years ago

The last time Cyprus sent something similar they ended up in the top 5. I think this could surprise a few people and actually make the final.

Briekimchi
Briekimchi
9 years ago

On most of the youtube top 40’s, this song is 37-40 in the rankings. I think that is unfair. It is a boring song but it is not unpleasant or as bad as some of the others this year. John has a nice voice, a sweet song and even though it will struggle to get out of the semis, it does not deserve to be lumped in with the bottom 10.
6/10

beccaboo1212
9 years ago

Final? Definitely! Winner? Could be 🙂
8.5/10

Graph
Graph
9 years ago

@Fatima
You brought up very good points. Cyprus’s lyrics do cause me to think about my own life. And you mentioned Sweden’s “dancing with the demons in our minds” lyric. I know the song is putting that in a negative light, but the lively chorus makes that line memorable in the wrong way.

Alex
Alex
9 years ago

I actually think this one has a significant chance of qualifying now – there’s a reason it’s in the top half of the betting odds. The new instrumental arrangement and the extremely good draw should do a lot to boost what really is quite a touching song. So it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. But I think it’s more powerful than the ballad right before it (Time to Shine) and the jury will likely throw lots of points at it. And the people that are moved by it will vote for it – that’s really all that matters. If Cyprus… Read more »

Eurovision Party
9 years ago

Would you like to join the Eurovision Party? It’s a party on Plug.dj and you can just play songs and chat, customize your avatar! You should join, it’s very fun! 🙂

Fatima
Fatima
9 years ago

Sopon-Josh-Liam and all the others who gave such low scores. Won’t you consider for one moment that the song might actually resonate with a lot of people ? It made me think of my mum who I lost five years ago. My point is that more people are going to identify with the song and that will get it a few votes. We’ve all wished we’d done something we didn’t hadn’t with loved ones, but very few of us have wanted to dance with the demons in our minds.

mawnck
mawnck
9 years ago

I trust wiwibloggs.com is planning to do a post-contest “how did we do?” article in regards to these Wiwi Jury rankings?

Cause I’ll read the hell out of that. 🙂

ct
ct
9 years ago

They had at least two better songs in their final and instead they chose this which was neither a favourite with the public or the jury (it came second in both). Cyprus does not deserve to qualify this year.

Graph
Graph
9 years ago

This song has a beautiful melody with meaningful lyrics. I don’t know of anything negative to say about it, and I have it ranked 7th place. It’s hard to say that it’s better than certain other countries, but of the less dramatic ballads this year (Hungary, Ireland, Poland, Norway), I think Cyprus is definitely the best one .

Esceire
Esceire
9 years ago

@Eugene Exactly, the draws in the semi final really mean nothing in comparison to the final, during the final as most people have parties etc and of course with the extra 10 or so songs it doesn’t help, But during the semi final most people are just watching with there families and are more focused, for example 2nd slot in the final is known as the slot of death in the semi is considered one of the better slots in the first half ( and has a 100% qualification slot for ballads which bodes well for us but anyways 🙂… Read more »

Esceire
Esceire
9 years ago

@Eugane its not my last place personally infact its borderline for me in terms of musical taste but looking at it objectively its coming last or else it will be San Marino. Idc about its draw like i said it would have needed to be last in the running order for me to even be remotely confident of it qualifying and tbh if this was first half it would have been a certain non-qualifier but a draw towards to end to the running order gives it a glimmer of hope ( albeit not that bright).

Esceire
Esceire
9 years ago

@Eugane, What i am trying to say is we Eurovision fans seem to think that the regular Eurovision viewers suffer from amnesia and can’t remember songs on early over songs on late, to me this running order means didly squat the only way I would consider this a qualifier is if it was on last, about Despina i would agree with you if she had finished 11th 12th etc but she was well off the mark down at 15th but you must remember they have no friends at all which means they are relying on genuine votes and I don’t… Read more »

PP
PP
9 years ago

I think Cyprus will go to final ( 9 or 10 place in semifinal, thank to juries), in final place from 22 to 27 .

Maltish
Maltish
9 years ago

It’s in my playlist and I’m 80% sure this will make it to the final if it’s performance is not horrible.

lily
lily
9 years ago

This songs tempo just reminds me we don’t have any joke acts this year. I don’t think it is that bad but it needs more instruments, it’s too simple (but I guess they can’t change that now.)

Esceire
Esceire
9 years ago

@Eugene incase you didn’t realise Cyprus in 2013 had a song equally as boring and also had a great draw and still crashed and burned (coming 2nd last) i used to think it had a shot but the more i look at it the more I rule it out, its just such an unlikely qualifier that when anything positive such as a good rehearsal/draw happens it makes it a likely qualifier but in reality it isn’t, they have no allies to rely on and need roughly 50 points to qualify and even with a late draw i just don’t see… Read more »

Esceire
Esceire
9 years ago

I find it very unfair that Countries with poor records (e.g Slovenia,Poland,Czech Republic,Portugal,Cyprus etc) are being given Great draws and then Countries with decent/Good records ( Lithuania,Ireland,Moldova,Armenia etc) are being screwed over, its very frustrating because in reality the reason these countries have bad records is because they couldn’t be bothered sending something worth watching!

Darren
Darren
9 years ago

Its a nice little song, I’d give it about 6.5/10. Though it wont and probably shouldn’t qualify for the final,it by far isn’t the worst song this year, I think Finland, Israel, Hungary and Czech Republic take that title. I’m predicting and 11th or 12th place finish in the semi final, better luck next year Cyprus 🙁 for a country that is the location of Aiya Napa, they really should come back next year with an upbeat, summer dance track.

Giorgos
Giorgos
9 years ago

They should have sent Yannis Koufogiannis with “without your love” !!

EurovisionFan
EurovisionFan
9 years ago

I think they should send the jury Cyprus did all the attention to in the programs when they let the artists do auditions! Maybe they will send the jury with the artist be with him for this lullaby on stage sitting there as a panel?

EurovisionFan
EurovisionFan
9 years ago

I think they should the jury Cyprus did all the attention to in the programs when they let the artists do auditions! Maybe they will send the jury with the artist be with him for this lullaby on stage sitting there as a panel?

Jo Mercado
Jo Mercado
9 years ago

I’m actually rooting for Cyprus to qualify, even get a good placing. It’s a lullaby, yes, but it’s the good kind that makes you want to listen to when you’re drinking alone in the outdoors.

With the right presentation and on-point vocal performance, it’ll get a standing ovation. Mark my words.

John
John
9 years ago

To reduce potential bias, we have removed a high of 0 and a low of 8 prior to calculating the average.

A high of 0 and a low of 8?

Anyway, this is one of the better songs this year and will definitely do well with the juries with good tastes. Very strong 8/10.

Deniz
Deniz
9 years ago

4/10

I agree with Angus on this one. They should have token inspiration of Ivi amadou, which is the only sort of thing Cyprus gets to the finals with.

Very slow, I prefer a Cypriot powerhouse and tropical popbeat song in Greek. They won’t come far with this one, I like the remix though.

Nicky1991
Nicky1991
9 years ago

@Britney, well i think Malta could Qualify as well easily just like Sweden and Norway.

but this is disappointing from Cyprus. what a shame my score would be 3/10

and please vote for Malta

Huh
Huh
9 years ago

People say that this is not their cup of tea because it’s too acoustic to the point that it’s simply generic (as lots of common people would make a “simple” song like this on a guitar). People will like it if it’s added with plenty of more instruments or better if there are background singers (e.g. Boggie).

Esceire
Esceire
9 years ago

If people are saying that this will qualify based on the running order then you simply need to ask yourself the question…would “Three minutes to Earth” have qualified if it was third last? Would PeR from Latvia 2013 have qualified if they were Third last? no so that ends that argument, and like William mention Cyprus 2013 was equally as boring in a semi with 1 less country and ironically was also on third last…and it ended up 15th out of 16 entries, so how on earth is this going to win 50 odd points ( without Greece) and qualify?

Amerivision
Amerivision
9 years ago

Bathroom break song!

Fatima
Fatima
9 years ago

William makes a good point when he wonders about the motivation behind the song. John needs to tell the story. If it’s a ‘sob’ one (and it surely must be) then we all know that will bring in votes.

Fatima
Fatima
9 years ago

Oh dear, it seems like Nikki French, his song title is coming back to bite him in the bum. I think he should remove his glasses at the climax of the song.

Racal
Racal
9 years ago

The only thing I dislike more than this song is reading the words “overrated”, “underrated” and “dark horse” over and over again. May the 24th of May come fast.

Adam
Adam
9 years ago

I wouldn’t be surprised if this places in the top 4 with the juries. It’s such a sweet song and he sings very well and it definitely doesn’t deserve the bad rap it gets for being “boring”. But as the televoters seem to say, this song is incredibly boring and I don’t think the jury votes will outweigh the most likely 14th-17th place in the televotes so it wont make it

Easpag
Easpag
9 years ago

The song bores me to tears, and his vocals are barely average. A true disappointment. 1.5/10

EF0912
EF0912
9 years ago

Cyprus had better songs in their selection. My personal favourite was ‘Beat of My Heart’ by Ioanna. This song is a sleeping pill however and doesn’t deserve to qualify but it has been given the common linnets spot of singing third last. Its a real dark horse.
2.5/10

Jerome
Jerome
9 years ago

2/10
One year break and this is how they decide to come back to the contest?! There is just no development or climax! I don’t actually know that for certain because I only listened fully to this song once and I’ve already forgotten how it goes. This is one of the two songs in the second semi final that I do not want to qualify. I’d like to say that it’s not gonna qualify but I’ve been disappointed before (Iceland 2014 – no hate). The only upside to this is that it’s consistent in its genre.

EF0912
EF0912
9 years ago

Cyprus had better songs in their selection. My personal favourite was ‘Beat of My Heart’ by Ioanna. This song is a sleeping pill however and doesn’t deserve to qualify but it has been given the common linnets sppt

T
T
9 years ago

This is so underrated. It’s not one of the best entries this year but it’s definitely not among the worst ones. This can definitely qualify as long as the live performance is not a disaster. Same songwriter as Cyprus 2004.