Norway: Wiwi Jury reviews Rune Rudberg Band with “Run Run Away”

It’s time for some country, hunty! The Wiwi Jury’s quest to review all ten songs competing in Melodi Grand Prix, the national selection for Norway at Eurovision 2017 in Kyiv continues. Today we move on to the Rune Rudberg Band and their song “Run Run Away”. Do we think Rune Rudberg and his band will be run-running away to the top of the scoreboard? Read on to find out…

Rune Rudberg Band – “Run Run Away”

“Run Run Away” reviews

Kristin: Aww, this is so sweet! Wont do a dang thing in MGP, but what a lovely melody. Rune Rudberg sounds just enough like Garth Brooks, to grab my attention, and the song itself is just pure joy. I DO like my country rock every now and then, and this is a major feel-good tune. And the signature country guitar strumming is just what the doctor ordered. Thumbs up for Rune.

Score: 7.5/10

Angus: It’s really hard not to tap to your toes to this. It’s warm, comforting and familiar. And it’s all those things because a variation on this song has been appearing in Norway’s national selection every year since 1988. Sadly in the intervening years country music really has moved on and inviting as Rune’s voice is, it’s high time somebody shutdown this hoedown.

Score: 4/10

Robyn: Norway just needs to stop it with their musical voodoo. I don’t like country rock, ok? And I don’t like Norwegian dansbands. But yet… why do I like “Run Run Away”? I think it’s the combination of Run Rudberg’s voice and that steel guitar. It’s very enjoyable. I’m glad this is in MGP.

Score: 7/10

William: This song has a major whiff of nostalgia too it, as it harks back firmly to country music of the late 90s — think Lonestar’s “What About Now” for a start. What they do they do well, but unfortunately they’re not offering anything particularly new. Regardless, it’s an enjoyable track that would work great in a film about a woman quitting her one-horse town and moving to the city.

Score: 5.5/10

Bernardo: I feel like the 2017 national final season is filled with barnyard realness songs. “Run Run Away” is by far the best one. It shouldn’t work this well, but Rune’s smooth and sexy vocals grab you from the very first note. Mark my words, if he delivers live we may have a dark horse.

Score: 7.5/10

Chris: The country music revival that’s going on right now works when it adds a slightly modern twist to it. “Run Run Away” plays it completely straight — there’s authenticity in its favour, but I imagine it would also alienate a large part of a viewing audience. It’s wholly competent and there’s nothing wrong with the performance, yet it feels out of place and time.

Score: 5.5/10

Jason: “Run Run Away” shouldn’t work, but it does. It’s just so soothing. Who cares that it isn’t tailor-made for a Spotify playlist? Rune’s voice is warm and welcoming, and if this somehow wins Norway’s national selection, I think it will surprise a lot of people in Kyiv. Good show!

Score: 7.5/10

Sami: This is very nostalgic in a good way. It’s very sweet and it just makes me want to jump in a pickup truck and get to a long road trip. The sound isn’t very Norwegian, but I don’t really mind that. We also haven’t had a good country song in Eurovision for a while.

Score: 7.5/10

Our jury for Melodi Grand Prix 2017 contains 20 jurors, but we only have room for eight reviews. The remaining 12 scores are listed below.

Before calculating the average score, the highest and lowest scores are dropped. This is to remove outliers and reduce potential bias. We have removed a low of 1 and a high of 7.5.

WIWI JURY VERDICT: 5.64/10

See all our Melodi Grand Prix 2017 rankings here

READ MORE NORWAY EUROVISION NEWS HERE