Last September Dutch broadcaster AvroTros announced that Douwe Bob will sing for The Netherlands at Eurovision 2016, striving to get the Dutch back into the final. After a very long wait Douwe Bob has finally revealed his song “Slow Down” — and sung it live for the very first time.
He unveiled the song via a live stream on the Periscope app, but it wasn’t without technical issues. The stream seemed to take the song a little too literally and struggled to maintain a clear connection, with the audio coming through in tiny bursts.
The song is an upbeat country rock tune in Douwe Bob’s usual style. It offers a hopeful message to the listener – “Slow down if you can’t go on”.
As Douwe Bob explains:
“Slow Down is a protest song against myself, against the pace at which I live life in Amsterdam. When walking through the forests of Sweden, or riding a horse through the fields in Spain, a peace descends on you and you see everything in a better perspective. It is such a great feeling! That is why Slow Down is also a state of mind. It is the liberation from the pressure of constantly having to do something. You should not let things get to you. Relax, do everything just that little bit slower and you will feel better and see everything more clearly.”
The Netherlands are serious about Eurovision and are aiming for the final after Trijntje’s non-qualification last year. So the question is: can Douwe Bob take “Slow Down” to the grand final?
Douwe Bob – “Slow Down”
Who is Douwe Bob?
Back in 2012 Douwe Bob took part in The Best Singer-songwriter of Holland a show that gives young artists a chance to show themselves on television. He won the final and released his first single called “Multicoloured Angels”. But his biggest success was “Hold Me”, which he sung together with Eurovision diva Anouk.
In 2014 he told a live audience that he really disliked typical Eurovision music, but also said he is a big fan of ABBA. But now he says he is in it to win it and to be sure of that he already met Mans Zelmerlow, last year’s winner and this year’s host, to make sure some extra points will reach The Netherlands this year
What do you think of Douwe Bob’s song for Stockholm? Can he get the Netherlands through to the final in May? Share your thoughts below.
His video is doing a great jop on youtube, I think he be a dark house this year!
His song is one of his kind this year, and this kind of song speaks to all ages.
And I have this feeling the staging will be great this year, the team behind his staging is bigger this year…I can not wait to see what they come up with!
other countries just give it up, it’s rigged for Douwe Bob to win
so we’ll host the song contest in Amsterdam 2017
@cookymonzta
I think Douwe Bob would rather cite The Common Linnets as a factor in his decision to do Eurovision. Also a heavily 70s/country influenced band, and probably the reason that Estonia decided to send such an act in the first place.
@Bastian well, you are wrong, this is not how it works at EBU. They can’t help like that anybody. Something like that can be done by azerbaijani or don’t know, pakistanian, turkish etc. broadcaster not by the european, not SVT))
@Felix, lol thats just what i think will happen 😛 i can see svt helping NL cause NL is really trying lately.
Netherlands (Douwe Bob) is now my 6’th out of 28. Not bad, likely to keep Top 10 position.
Alas; if only Kensington got into this. Based on their past material, and the music from their album ‘Rivals’, they would have been a shoo-in for the top 10, and maybe even top 5.
One can only dream, though…
I gather that his team thinks that, if the retro sound worked last year (Elina and Stig from Estonia), maybe it’ll work again.
His outcome will go one of two ways; either top-10, like in 2014, or it’ll crash-land, like the neo-retro sound of Molly Sterling from Ireland last year.
Terrible song, boring, repetitive and annoying!
Wow. Awesome!!! Netherlands is now either my #1 or #2.
Incredibly boring. I hope the 2017 will be a better year for the Netherlands? Good luck though))
@Bastian what do you mean by ‘SVT will give the Netherlands a good draw’? Are you serious?
I adore it. It’s an unique song and it’s very good. I was with high hopes with Netherlands and i wasn’t disappoint. Of course I can see why a lot of people hate this, but it’s very charming.
I only heard it once and its stuck in my head already. I think its a good song. If their team can create a great stage performance, this will do better than some people predict. Do i think it could win? Nah, dont think so. I predict a top 10 in the final. I’m quite sure SVT will give the Netherlands a good draw to make them stand out even more.
Eurovision needs some alternative r’n’b or chill bass song just because those are my favorite genres at the moment. Please! Which country can do that for me? Germany didn’t chose KEØMA which was dissapointment for me. I was hoping for Australia to send something like that, but Dami Im… No. Some indie would be better for them. This song isn’t the best of country. I enjoy some country songs, but not this one. No one can do it better than Americans. However, this is better than Moldova, Iceland, Norway, Belarus, Denmark, Ireland, Cyprus, France, Switzerland, Austria and maybe somebody else… Read more »
Samir & Viktor will get above million votes in Andra Chansen. Remember this.
i never said it’s not right for ESC, good song, but we can do better here in the Netherlands and Douwe has won the best singer songwriter of the Netherlands, so i expected more from him and i don’t like posting harsh comments about my own country but i rather enjoy other countries’s songs, because i think there is better and better to come Ira Losco for Malta, she’s gonna choose her song from 8 other songs + a revamped version of Chameleon Ira is a good songwriter, and she has the experience of a song contest, so she knows… Read more »
As far as I know, this is called “Eurovision SONG Contest”, not “Eurovision POP Contest”, so, please, cut the “not right for ESC” crap, it’s beyond ridiculous at this point… Not right for your typical eurofan, maybe, but certainly a solid entry that, at least, should have no problem making the final…
@MM,
well i don’t like it, you must think it on a big stage, he can’t perform
I am loving this song! I’ve got a feeling it will split opinion but it’s made my top 3!
1. France
2. The Netherlands
3. Ireland
Easily the best song so far! Like a mix of Springsteen and R.E.M. A relief amidst all bland entries. My favourite so far!
Should have no trouble reaching the final and do very well. Wouldn’t even mind if it won, to be honest.
Good job!
This song is really not my cup of tea. I am not much for country songs as they always tend to feel so dated and unoriginal and this isn’t an exception. Not my style
OMS, I LOVE it! I may be biased because I’m very exposed to the country scene, but this song is very cool! I like its old country vibe, and Douwe Bob’s vocals are on point. I wish him the best in May!
I love this song, and it lends itself to some creative, fresh staging – a la Calm After the Storm. This seems like an easy qualifier to me. It’s warm and inviting, and everyone’s going to fall for that beautiful, genuine smile.
My favorites
Norway
Netherlands
Germany
waiting for Russia and Australia
others
West dominated sport, show business but they also obstinately want to dominate ESC.
Eurovision deleted the video.. lol
West dominates ESC from several years and this domination will be even stronger this year in Stockholm, because new rules + Australia in this contest are next strengths for west.
Mmm… I don’t like it at all. Maybe it could happen like with “Calm after the storm”, at first I didn’t like but then when I saw the staging I loved it, so who knows. And hey, I don’t like wind machine diva’s music, schlager or typical pop so that’s not the problem. I was expecting something more, and it isn’t bad, but Semi 1 is very strong. I really don’t know if the Netherlands will qualify this year, but I want them to.
ESC is not about the latest genre/trends but it’s about uniqueness and originality against all the other entries too. Even it’s not a modern pop or ballad or EDM that does not mean it’s a horrible song or not suitable for ESC. In my own opinion if he can perform this flawlessly on semi’s surely Netherlands is one of deserving country to have a slot in the final. I like the 80’s/70’s vibe of the song, how come you can say this is boring? It’s just a matter of personal taste on music. Now listen to all submitted entries, the… Read more »
The Netherlands has apparently slowed down so much it landed in another decade. They are again in the first part of the first semi (which this time around is relatively the more difficult one) so I guess he is going the way of Trintje. Oh well. 25 songs so far (only 19 to go) and I can only say I really like 3-4 of them. This is shaping much more like 2012 with one stand-out song (Sweden then, Ukraine now) than the spoilt-for-choice 2015 contest. Conchita and the Common Linnets have brought us real musical competition. Mans has brought us… Read more »
A very nice song, most probably the best so far (quality wise). It surely goes to the final, and there I hope for another top 10.
@Selene
Pay no attention to negative replies, especially the one of Robyn. Whatever they say, it is clear that most of them (fans and wiwi jury) like and appreciate mostly pop music, Billboard top 10 is their measure of quality and by that, no one who has taste in music at all should pay attention to the laughing stock they call expert reviews.
This just seems to be the year of disappointments from countries I expected to have killer songs. I dont dislike it but there’s not enough redeeming qualities about the song. Douwe has a great voice and the video is slick but I just can’t get behind this one. It’s still better than many other entries but as of now, this is a borderline qualifier.
Boring and filler, one of the few definite countries that wont qualify this year (like Belgium, Austria, Israel and Georgia).
A lot of people here are missing the point of the song. Just listen to the lyrics: life goes too fast, let’s slow down. Applied to Eurovision: most songs are just “too much”, and Douwe is going for slow, simple and nice. I like the concept, and I like the song! Can’t you enjoy a simple guitar and a nice voice, or do you need a LED displaying fireworks to enjoy music? And people complaining about “another country song from the Netherlands” really make me laugh! Sweden has been sending the exact same schlagger song every single year for 20… Read more »
it’s good! his voice is fantastic! 😀 i rather not predict how it will do in may because i hate being blindsided ala holland 2014. 🙁
A fine country rock song, but not so much more than that. I enjoy it for what it is, but it is not a new “Calm After the Storm”.
There’s a nice 70’s like sound in the production, and it sounds to me a bit like the Eagles. Will probably land somewhere around 7/12 in my ratings.
My new number one! Best entry so far. Will be very different compared to all electronic music and all women.
1. The Netherlands
2. Cyprus
3. Germany
Only with big support with juries vote and SVT producer to put The Netherlands to sing sing 8 or 9 in draw they have some chance for final.
This is one of those songs that don’t require more than a Douwe (as in ‘Dude’) and his guitar: an intimate one on one with a minimalist setting that says” “I’m not just a pretty face, I’m actually a philosopher caring about the human race”. It worked before and it will probably not struggle to qualify, but there is a sense of ‘Deja-Vu’ upon hearing the song and to be honest, the ticking clock effect at the start, the repetition of the chorus and the actual slow down in rhythm at the end seem a bit too predictable and lacking… Read more »
This is certainly a year of recycling lyrics for refrains. Douwe Bob is pleasing to the eye and the ears, but at the moment that’s about all the entry has going for it. Maybe the live choreography will help prop it up, but at the moment it’s perhaps a non-qualifier. There’s just nothing special about it that i can hear, really sorry. x
The song is doing pretty well on youtube right now, so YES I have a good feeling about this!
Out of final again…
I had high hopes from NL this year… Especially because I like other songs of him. This one, unfortunately, will not go far. Unfortunately
First of all I love that it’s country/indie, which means more diversity.
I quite like this song, but I have absolutely no idea how it will do at Eurovision. Could be anything, depends on the staging.
Anyway, a HUGE step from last year’s train-wreck, but “Calm After The Storm” is better though. 🙂
@Selene I’m sorry, but you shouldn’t say that if someone doesn’t like “Slow down” or “Calm after the storm”, then he/she doesn’t understand Eurovision music or something. Everyone has his/her own music taste. I didn’t like Calm after the storm because it was boring to me and their voices live werent great. But I am able to aprecciate beautiful music, from Eurovision or outside the contest. I don’t like people who accuse others of some kind of ignorance only because they have different opinion. People have different opinions and they don’t have to neccessarly like what you like, and it… Read more »
To those who say that eurovision fans are too much into pop and that’s why they don’t like it : it’s wrong. I was in love with Anouk and the Common Linnets, even Trintje was nice to me, but that doesn’t mean I HAVE to be a fan of Bob Douwe, and it’s not related to the genre of the song.
A safe choice.
There are some really bad songs this year so by sending something this bland, Holland have ensured that they should not offend anybody. I expect this to make the final and then prop up the board from there.
The Netherlands make song that can be sold worldwide, while most of the eurovision participant make song just for eurovision.
Here’s my review in Dutch (Ah well, Google Translate becomes better and better when the years go by ???? ): https://songfestivalwerk.wordpress.com/2016/03/04/douwe-bob-met-cant-slow-down-netherlands/ Personally, I think the song is too middle-of-the-road. I know Douwe Bob and that he has actually composed some more catchy songs, like ‘Multicoloured Angels’. ‘Slow Down’ is not an up-tempo song, but more of a mid-tempo entry with a slight Beatles atmosphere to it (Estonia 2003?). Potential winner? No. Will it qualify? Solely based on the song it probably will struggle a bit. But let’s see what Hans Pannecoucke can do. He can go two ways staging-wise. Either… Read more »
@peter
All the names under this post are pretty regular commenters… Not everybody has the same typical esc pop music taste as you.