Last week, Irish songstress Molly Sterling released the final version of her song, “Playing With Numbers” and it came with some noticeable changes. While the new version is based on the original recording, the drama has been turned up with a bold orchestral accompaniment that helps to emphasise the emotion in the lyrics.
The song starts off the same as the original version, with Molly’s voice coming in along with a piano, continuing like the original for the first verse. It’s not until the first chorus comes along that Ireland’s new tactic is revealed when the emotion of the lyrics is highlighted with dramatic drum flourishes and cymbal crashes.
The orchestral accompaniment builds, with strings and percussion adding to the heartbreak of the lyrics. It gives the song a strong climax and makes “Playing with Numbers” a lot more memorable than the previous gentler version.
Listen to the new version of “Playing With Numbers”
“Playing with Numbers” – Wiwi Jury review
What do you think? Will Molly now be a sure qualifier with the changes made? Or is the song doomed regardless? Comment below with your opinion.
I prefer the first version – nice, simple and emotional.
Honestly, I always loved the song and I still love it …….
I believe it is just as good as the original version and I would be thrilled if Ireland makes it to the final !!!!
Still decent. But I can only think that it can probably end up as a dark horse entry.
Very sublte changes that suddenly make the song strangely beautiful.
I agree with William C., it’s a lot more memorable and the cymbals and drum flourishes. That adds to the drama of the song and the passionate lyrical content.
But the staging in Vienna is going to have to be mind blowing if it is going to set the scoreboard ablaze in the final. I have a lot of faith that RTE can actually produce a really strong stage package.
Love it. Ireland deserves to go through to the final.
One song in the contest which i know every words. For me,in the last part of the song ‘give a little love was all i wanted’ shouldn’t have changed. I love the calmness in this song but some changes doesnt feel so bad
Alhough I can understand why Ireland have changed the version, I personally regard that as a bad move. I prefer the calmer version. This one seems to be more powerful, but not in a good sense. In any case, Molly sounds so mature! She reminds me of Aimee Mann. It has been the best Irish entry since 2003 or even 1997. Good luck, I will be crossing my fingers!
Yeah, the dramatic percussive flourishes are unnecessary, and the strings don’t do anything for me. I greatly prefer the original. That being said, it’s still one of the best songs this year, and quite frankly, the biggest problem in this studio version is just simply that her vocals are mixed to be too quiet in the parts where there’s added stuff… it’s like they forgot to normalize. Such a problem is generally fixed automatically by the mixers when the song is heard live, so nothing really to worry about here.
@Esceire the revamping of Playing With Numbers is relatively minor. In fact, for the first 2 mins 18 secs the song sounds virtually identical to the NF version, so talk of the song being ruined by some people here is ridiculous. I think they’ve done a really good job of revamping it. The original version sounded a little ‘samey’ to the rest of the song towards the finish whereas you’re aware the song is building to a proper climax with the new version.
I think the changes will improve it as a live performance in the arena but the cymbal crashes sound a bit strange in this audio, doesn’t blend well. I like the song so hope it qualifies.
@Darren I agree as a fellow Irish man, i just think most eurovision fans are to fond of change except when its Ukraine because the ukrainian entries are absolutely dreadful in there original form, I don’t see what the problem is? everyone was complaining that the climax wasn’t power enough and that the chorus should be lifted and once we sort out those issues people say thats a problem??? i just don’t understand to be honest
Like Portugal, Serbia, Malta and FYROM… I prefer the original version … In all of these cases, the first versions sounded more genuine and honest
I loved the song before the revamp and now I absolutely love it even more! Yes, I’m Irish but I know for a fact that I am not being biased because I usually end up hating what my country sends to Eurovision. I dont know why everyone is complaining though,maybe because it is Ireland…if this was..say..Azerbaijan or Sweden that entered it, it would be top 10, Azerbaijan by the way entered a similar but incredibly boring song last year by the way and it didn’t receive as much hate as Ireland is getting. I hope Molly qualifies with this spectacular… Read more »
@Esceire The climax sounds awkward to me now, because the original recording is the same and they just added some cymbals in the backround to try to make it more powerful, but they don’t accompany the melody.
Before, I didn’t like it because it wasn’t muy cup of tea, now I can actually say it sounds bad.
@Sebastien K, at least we British know ‘Still in love with you’ is atrocious but at least ours is one of the only upbeat ones.
If you hadn’t pointed out the changes, I wouldn’t have noticed them. Once you did, yeah, I guess it sounds a bit better. It’s not a bad song to begin with, but, even with the revamping, it will never be more than upper-average for me.
@Mar Its virtually the same song with a stronger climax ( which is what everyone was complaining about) how is it worse?
With all that unnecesary dramatism slapped into a song that was written to be melow, it’s even worse than before.
Which reworking of the song is more amateurish, Ireland or Portugal? I can’t decide.
@ Eugene, yes this is the official Eurovision version and the one that will be performed in Vienna. The original NF version was never even released on iTunes, they waited until the new one was ready.
As revamps go, it’s an excellent one. They’ve kept the first two minutes almost identical to the NF version, very simple and acoustic and have beefed it up just a little from the middle eight section onwards (as Phil Coulter suggested during Eurosong).
@JohnathanUK it is much better than the atrocity that is “Still In Love With You”
Is it just me or is it when any song is ever changed the ESC fan community say its bad?
@Jonathan, if you haven’t noticed the changes than you obviously haven’t watched it yet.
I can’t really see where the change is? It is rather boring and too slow. It will be lucky to qualify! It’s so mediocre it will be an extremely lucky finalist if it reaches the final and it will be borderline. 5/10.
Better than a lot of other songs and should comfortably sail into the final.
9/10
boring and i dont like her voice
I like this change, it adds the needed push at the end and has moved it from 5th to third.
1. Slovenia
2. Albania
3. Ireland
4. Sweden
5. Belgium
Ok I’m from Ireland so I’m probably going to be a bit biased. I really like the added cymbals! Most of them really fit the song, one or two could’ve been chucked out but overall I really like them. I think they give the song an added depth. It gives it more of a build up than before! It’s a slight but bold addition to the song and I honestly think it’s working. I also love the standing out of piano keys towards the end. I think the slight changes have added a lot more emotion also. Hope we qualify,… Read more »
Daniel, same favorites but i also have albania and germany
I love Ireland so much this year and now I love it even more. For me it is a toss between Latvia and Ireland which means I don’t know who to vote for. Hmmmm.
I used to dislike this song… But I have loved the new version!
Not bad…
… this was so unneeded
I like it just as much as the other version, no better nor worse. Might make it a little bit more memorable though.
I prefer the original also. It doesn’t ruin it for me at all, but the original was better…
@Nicky1991: Team Amber high five
The last time I came on here and confidently declared that an “update” was too amateurish and ill-conceived to be real, it was Portugal. And it turned out to be real. And I felt silly.
So this time I’ll just say … Jeez, Ireland. You’ve done it AGAIN.
@Eugene, yes me too and i’m a fan of strictly come dancing, but this is eurovision. and this version doesn’t catch me at all.
with love from #TeamAmber
Ruined the song. what a shame of a beautiful song.
I’m really backing Malta on this contest
#TeamAmber
Ruined it for me.
I prefer the original version, don’t like those cymbal crashes at all. I think the submission deadline was around a month ago and surely if this version was going to Vienna, it would have been released before now.
What can i say really about the tones of fake non ral votes that the entry of Ireland has gathered…What a shame really 4 the wiwi poll to get rigged… It is not bad at all song but it doesn’t move me…It is just an OK song and nothing really good.. I have the irish entry not even close to my top10 on the 2nd semifinal… I really doubt if Molly can get the ticket 4 the final.. I prefered Erika Seline or Nikki to win the Irish Eurosong & represent Ireland to Vision as they had much better songs… Read more »
Really like this version, hope Ireland can at least get to the final this year 🙂