Estonia, Stig Rasta, 2

Today the Wiwi Jury — our in-house panel of music unprofessionals — touched down in Estonia to review Elina Born & Stig Rästa with their Eurovision 2015 song “Goodbye to Yesterday”. We hit up Raekoja plats and Toompea Castle before getting down to business and listening to Elina & Stig. Did we fall head over heels for this? Or did we just want to say goodbye? Read on to find out! 

Estona’s Eurovision 2015 song

Reviews: Elina Born & Stig Rästa with “Goodbye To Yesterday”

William: This song doesn’t cook — it smoulders. Built around the idea of aloof Stig leaving naked Elina in bed, it’s a timeless story with an Old World sound. Yet it works for today because of its sleek production and the pair’s sizzling chemistry. The elder Stig plays the part of detached lover perfectly, while Elina channels an intoxicating mix of desperation, infatution and madness. Goodbye to yesterday, but hello to a potential win.

Score: 10/10

Padraig: From Othello and Desdemona to Emily Thorne and Daniel Grayson, mankind has always relished gloriously dysfunctional love/hate relationships. And the more poop that hits the fan, the better. Elina & Stig have captured this dynamic wonderfully (of course, sans poop – they’re classy). As a listener you can’t help but mourn what they’ve lost, yet you sure as hell don’t want them to reconcile. No one wants a murder on their conscience! Some fans have criticised the pair’s lack of chemistry… seriously? These two hate each other. They are never ever ever ever getting back together. Like ever!

Score: 9/10

Josh: Oooh gurl! This song is absolutely incredible. When I heard the Estonian entry this year for the first time, it was immediate love and I thought I would get sick of it, but I haven’t — and I won’t! Stig has this strange and handsome coolness to him, and when Elina chimes in, it’s like the beacon of light comes through the window as the heavenly choirs sing. Winning material. LOVE. IT.

Score: 9.5/10

Robyn: I want to love this song, but it keeps letting me down. The Eesti Laul performance showed that both Stig and Elina were struggling with the lower parts of the song, and the staging still has a long way to go. Every live performance I’ve seen presents Stig and Elina as two entertainers at work, with no sense that they are the troubled lovers of the lyrics. They’re not ex-lovers in real life, but on stage they need to act like it. But at the heart of it, there’s a good song and if Team Estonia can get their laundry list in order, a strong result could be theirs.

Score: 6/10

Interview with Stig Rästa at Eesti Laul

 

Chris: The curse of being the early favourite seems to have hit Elina & Stig hard, as they have trickled down the betting order. What’s important to remember is that most people will only hear the song on the Saturday night, which could revive their chances of giving Estonia another victory. At its core, “Goodbye to Yesterday” is an undeniably good song, but their chemistry has been lacking on stage so far and Norway has seemingly usurped them in this area. I hope for their sake they figure out exactly how to get things working in Vienna.

Score: 8.5/10

Angus: Elina and Stig are taking us back in time to 1969 and I am so, so, so happy to be along for the ride. The jazz swings, the couple sings and Estonia brings its A-game. “Goodbye To Yesterday” is the real deal.

Score: 8.5/10

Interview with Elina Born at Eesti Laul

Bogdan: Love at first listen! This is a beautiful song that many people across Europe and beyond can connect to. Also, because of the vintage instrumental, it overcomes age barriers without sounding dated, but more like a homage to the ’60s. I hope they keep it all in black and white and that they revert to the staging of the Eesti Laul semi-final (rather than the final), because the way they didn’t face each other at all throughout the performance was more striking and faithful to the lyrics. Pure genius.

Score: 10/10

William C: I love this song. It is so retro yet so modern. I think their voices blend really well, though Stig isn’t the best live. I would be surprised if this didn’t make the top five on May 23rd. Tallinn 2016?

Score: 9.5/10

 

Sami: I loved this the first time I heard it and I still love it just as much. On first listen I knew that this would at least be in the top five of the contest — and I really want it to win. Even though the couple feels a little awkward, they still have great chemistry and amazing voices. Unlike most other Eurovision duets, this one has a real story and I’m sure some people can relate to it. The last time Estonia won the contest, they brought one of the worst winners of this decade. This time they could produce one of the best.

Score: 10/10

Deban: Elements of jazz and echoes of swing combine forces in “Goodbye To Yesterday”.  Rästa’s ace composition takes flight with Born’s velvety vocals. As a duo, they successfully channel the tortured emotion that underlines the narrative. Sophisticated, yet full of restraint, “Goodbye to Yesterday” oozes some bitter truth and lots of vintage glamour.

Score: 8/10

First reaction: Elina & Stig win Eesti Laul with “Goodbye to Yesterday”

Our jury consists of 29 people, but we only have room for 10 written reviews. Here are the remaining 19 scores. 

Anthony: 8.5/10

Denise: 9.5/10

Francheska: 7/10

Judit: 9/10

Kristin: 9/10

Liam: 7/10

Luis: 10/10

Marek: 9/10

Mario: 7.5/10

Max: 7.5/10

Mike: 6/10

Mikhail: 7/10

Patrick: 9/10

Ramadan: 10/10

Renske:  9.5/10

Rezo: 5/10

Sinan: 10/10

Sopon: 9/10

Zach: 6/10

To reduce potential bias, we drop the highest and lowest scores prior to calculating the average. We removed a low of 5 and a high of 10.

WIWI JURY AVERAGE: 8.50/10

SEE OUR CURRENT EUROVISION 2015 REVIEWS AND RANKINGS

41 Comments
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ESC 4ever
ESC 4ever
8 years ago

I’m rating all the songs of 2015 again in 2016…

I give Estonia a: 8.5/10,One of the few masterpieces in Vienna <3 along with Belgium,Sweden,Norway,Italy,Russia and Latvia !!

TeleRoger
TeleRoger
9 years ago

It’s ok but all u can remember is
“I didn’t wanna wake you up” and to be honest it sends me to sleep!
Maybe the live performance will keep me awake
hope so

Christian Kaad
9 years ago

It would have a bigger impact on me if done before the Motown Winehouse revival
We heard so much of it since then
Yes they are good but a cut above the rest?
No
Maybe their live performance can spice it up
Time will tell!!!

Francisco
Francisco
9 years ago

Sounds very dated, but it is nice and catchy

Gav
Gav
9 years ago

It’s a great song but if I have to choose between the duets, Norway wins as the performance of the two singers is much more captivating. I honestly love this number but it’s a bit generic.

AGUSTIN GRAN CNARIA
9 years ago

DID YOU ALL GO FOR A WIWI BEFORE LISTENING TO EDURNES WITH PROPER EAR DRUMS ON…? eDURNE IS BLANK OBVIOUS PROPER TOP-10. INNIT? LOL

why you lookin' at mah name
why you lookin' at mah name
9 years ago

This song sure WILL qulify at the finals but not a winning song for me.Its overrated by fans and not original. For me its 8.5. Its good but a bit boring with funny lyrics.:)

Alex
Alex
9 years ago

So good. If the Baltics placed top 3 this year, I wouldn’t complain at all.

Bronson
Bronson
9 years ago

I’m so sorry but I can’t see the hype for this song, it’s so boring and borderlining on snoozefest. I said the same thing about TCL, but I seriously doubt they’ll provide staging as remarkable as this. It’s probably going to do better than I want it to, but I will be incredibly shocked if this wins.

CookyMonzta
CookyMonzta
9 years ago

With a touch of mid-to-late-1960s pop-rock, and that absolutely outstanding video of theirs, I wouldn’t be surprised if this contest goes to Tallinn next year in a mild upset. This is in my top 10.

Otna
Otna
9 years ago

I don’t understand the comparisons to The Common Linnets. This song is so GLAM while The Common Linnets was so MOR… GO ESTONIA <3

Briekimchi
Briekimchi
9 years ago

The comparisons to last year’s Netherlands entries are unfair and I hope that they have no effect. This is a much better song than the Common Linnets, that relied overly on staging. This oozes style and needs to be performed with confidence. Hopefully, they will be able to put this together before the contest. As a song, everything fits together nicely and it comes across as very professional. Neither Stig nor Elina are the best singers in the world but they do not need to be.
8/10

wozzeck
wozzeck
9 years ago

@Deban

Amen! I don’t always agree with you, but your coments are always wise, witty and confident and I just love them.

wozzeck
wozzeck
9 years ago

Does Denise know any other adjetive than “amazing”?

Easpag
Easpag
9 years ago

A fantastic song, yet just a tiny, teensy bit short overall for me to give it a ten. 2nd best Baltic, 2nd best duet, this is a catchy, entertaining entry, one of Estonia’s best, but just falls short of the top for me.

9.5/10

Deniz
Deniz
9 years ago

7,4/10

I really like the instruments and the way how they are used in this song. It has qualities to win, but live should be better.

Mario
Mario
9 years ago

Will be totally surprising if Estonia doesn’t even qualify from the SF…
{if Sweden does not pass on the 2nd SF too..}
Because you NEVER know in EuroVision…
Its just unpredictable until the live shows begin…

Just look what happened with Common Linnets last year..
Everyone mostly were ignoring their songs & once the live prformances began they were transformed like a Rising Phoenix & almost won in Copenhagen’s Vision!
The exactly opposite can happen this year in Vienna of course..

BunnyC
BunnyC
9 years ago

I really hope it does well, if it doesn’t qualify I will have a crisis ;(

wilyousing
wilyousing
9 years ago

They look like the Netherlands from last year but than uglier

Peyton
Peyton
9 years ago

I love it and really hope they’ll be able to pull out the win! This may be the only time I say this, but I really hope that theirs a big ex-soviet voting bloc this year and they direct all their votes to Estonia!
But this is a fantastic song, and even if their vocals may not be the best all the time, I think it helps to show the pain in their voice as they’re singing the song.
10/10 and my #1 this year! Tallinn 2016!

poppipop
poppipop
9 years ago

This is absoulutely this year’s best song. PERIOD.

Jerome
Jerome
9 years ago

9.5/10 I thought that the song was fantastic when I first heard it, which was a few weeks before they were chosen to represent Estonia this year. The message can be quite relatable and the melody is catchy. I like the contradicting personalities that Elina and Stig present to each other and the audience. I don’t consider music videos in my score, but they have the best one this year. It relates with the lyrics and adds that feeling of gloom and regret. This is somewhere in my Top 7 (along with Latvia, Spain, Azerbaijan, Italy, Sweden and Norway). Even… Read more »

Daniel
Daniel
9 years ago

Love it. 10/10.

Darren
Darren
9 years ago

The song is pleasant, I like it and it should definitely qualify…BUT…I definitely think it is overrated, it wont win…it just doesn’t sound like a winner to me, I think 10th-15th place, but it is very good and credit to Estonia for picking a good song but the one thing that gets me about Eurovision, is why this is overhyped, but Malta, Cyprus, Ireland and possibly even Denmark are of the same calibre, genre and production…yet are hated you either like a particular style of music or you dont?? …Kudos to Estonia though, not the worst song, pleasant to listen… Read more »

Mario
Mario
9 years ago

@ Well these lyrics words do fit with the song… Not always its required to have really clever words to create a meaningful song.. There are tones of silly like lyrics lines in diamonds classic songs that we all like.. And yeah…I prefer to smile to my beloved dog as im more fan of the so called real animals than humans unfortunately mainly.. The estonian song to me is good enough but not great… There are not many really great songs in this Vision unfortunately.. But the good thing with Vienna’s 2015 Vision is that we have plenty good/descent enough… Read more »

Per
Per
9 years ago

When they sing this song live, they did not sing good. but this is my favorite this year. 9/10.

Olya
Olya
9 years ago

Good luck in Vienna! One of my fav. songs this year ?

Bogdan Honciuc
9 years ago

@Lia – I love the lyric, “as I got outside I smiled to the dog.” You can’t write it or relate to it unless you went through something like this. Brilliant.

Racal
Racal
9 years ago

Good song, good singers, definitely a good entry from Estonia. My only concerns are 1, I think it’s very monotone and lacks a “wow effect” and 2, it’s very very similar to Norway’s entry (the duet, the lyrics, the rhythm, … Everything). That can either be a top 10 or bomb to the bottom of the scoreboard depending on their live performance. I put them 5th in SF1 and 9th in the final in my personal ranking.

Lia
Lia
9 years ago

I just find this song so overrated…the music is nice and they’re both good singers, but I can’t understand how a song with the line “as I got outside I smiled to the dog” is one of this year’s favourites?! The lyrics contradict each other too, apparently they’re a “perfect match” but Elina is only “pretty sure” she would’ve told him to stop??? I do understand that they’re trying to tell a story, but surely they could’ve told it without jingling keys and dogs? The stage performance impresses me even less, their vocals aren’t great and the chemistry between them… Read more »

Mario ~ My Vision of Gay Love
Mario ~ My Vision of Gay Love
9 years ago

It really looks like that the upcoming Vision of Vienna will mark the 1st & only contest since Estonia’s Vision of 2002 {that was my very first ever watched from tv EuroVision! <3 }
that all the 3 baltic countries will manage to be present in the big final 🙂

All 3 of them are currently finalists 4 me.. 🙂
Estonia's *GoodBye To Yesterday* is my 15th..
Lithuania's *ThisTime* is my 26th..
& Latvia's *Love Injected* has the last place of the final 4 me that is the 27th one..

Mario ~ My Vision of Gay Love
Mario ~ My Vision of Gay Love
9 years ago

Its the very first time 4 ESTONIA in country’s all time history in our Vision that its song is that big pre contest hot favorite 4 the victory before the EuroVision kicks off.. 🙂 Estonia’s song were considered hot favorites as well in 2009,2011,2012 but it was not the same at all as it is this year with that song *GoodBye To Yesterday* 🙂 And of course the winner song of Estonia back in 2001 was not the real hot favorite at all to win in Copenhagen’s Vision.. 😛 It won only because of its live great superb stand out… Read more »

Mario ~ My Vision of Gay Love
Mario ~ My Vision of Gay Love
9 years ago

Stig + Elina really reminds us the Common Linnets of last year & im afraid that this could work against their odds with them not seem original.. But their entry has all the recipe/package to win in Vienna or at least finish on the top3-4-5-10.. It is sure qualifier 4 me along with Sweden of the 2nd SF.. The song of Estonia now has managed to claim the #1 top spot from Belgium in the WiWi Jury with this so high grade of 8,5/10! Congratulations! 🙂 Only 6 more songs have left to get rated now… We will see if… Read more »

Mario ~ My Vision of Gay Love
Mario ~ My Vision of Gay Love
9 years ago

Our ultra hyped GreAtY pre contest hot favorite 🙂 Estonia from the start was hyped as the huge hot favorite to win the Vision.. 🙂 Now the hype although is not the same as it was months ago is still big enough to mantain Estonia as one of the biggest main candidates 4 the victory in Vienna.. 🙂 I really like *GoodBye To Yesterday*.. <3 I have it currently 7th in the 1st SF & 15th among the 40 overall.. My grade 4 Estonia's song is : 6/10 Here is my full ranking on the 40 songs of Vienna's Diamond… Read more »

Leo
Leo
9 years ago

The song is great, very original for Eurovision. If they get the staging right, they can definitely win.

Amerivision
Amerivision
9 years ago

I love the song! ^_^

lacrymea
lacrymea
9 years ago

Also, one of the things that i find more intriguing (thus helping with my personal obsession over this) is the way they chose to hardly ever look at each other at the NF presentation. People say it is lack of chemistry. I don’t agree with that at all and i think it compliments the song beautifully.

lacrymea
lacrymea
9 years ago

I don’t like it. I’m obsessed with it! 10/10, as i can’t find any fault with it. I listen to it in a daily basis and i haven’t grown tired of it yet. On the contrary. I’m rooting for Estonia as if it were my own country. Go go go Estonia! Good luck from Portugal.

EF0912
EF0912
9 years ago

Its a great song and Estonia’s best song since Urban Symphony but I’ve become tired of it and I’m starting to find it slightly boring. Its quite overrated in my opinion yet it still deserves to be a favourite.

7.5/10

jimm
jimm
9 years ago

amazing song, top 5 for sure!! 10/10

Lovely Elhaida!
Lovely Elhaida!
9 years ago

Their live performance will be boring compared to a lot of others and everyone will realize how overrated this song is. 🙂