Wiwi Jury: Spain’s Manel Navarro with “Do It for Your Lover”

Hola España! The Wiwi Jury — our in-house panel of music unprofessionals — has now made it to sunny Tenerife. After taking in the sights and slathering on some extra SPF 50, we gathered to review Manel Navarro‘s feel-good tune “Do It for Your Lover”. Did we want to do it for Manel or were we just not feeling it? Read on to find out…

Manel Navarro – “Do It for Your Lover”

About Manel Navarro

Manel Navarro, 21, was relatively unknown prior to his participation in Objetivo Eurovisión — Spain’s Eurovision 2017 selection show. But the Catalan singer and songwriter began his career three years ago, and released his first single “Candle” in 2016. His entry “Do It for Your Lover” is the first song from Spain’s national selection to enter the Los 40 Principales list prior to making it to Eurovision. His selection remains the most controversial of the year, having set off a firestorm of accusations and intrigue in Spain, leading Spanish commentators to describe it as an “absurd circus”. But he’s emerged from it with his head high and has made the most of the promotional season, performing in Ukraine, Romania, Israel, the UK and the Netherlands, among other places.

“Do It for Your Lover” reviews

Luis: It’s been less than three months since I heard this song for the first time, but gosh, we’ve talked and heard so much about it that I feel as if I had written it. “Do It For Your Lover” gave me a good first impression, and it immediately stood out as Spain’s most radio-friendly option. Unfortunately, in Eurovision, there are much better songs on the table. Still, Manel is a charismatic singer, the song is forcibly memorable and he delivers with conviction. At this point, predicting how this will do is absolutely beyond me.

Score: 7.5/10

Chris: There’s a point about 90 seconds in where “Do It For Your Lover” goes from fresh and breezy to overwhelmingly tedious. This is not a song designed to last three minutes — there’s not enough creatively to sustain it. Manel, however, has a charm and youthful joy to him. It’s hard to root against him, even though it seems a good 99% of people want to.

Score: 4/10

William: The summery sound transports listeners to a land of piña coladas and SPF 50, a happy place where love flows and the six-packs shine. And much like an afternoon in the sun, things get very boring very fast. Manel has the voice, the charisma and the looks. But unfortunately the song is just pleasant rather than wow, and it’s pure monotony after the first verse. He wants to transplant us to Ibiza, but this feels much more like an EasyJet beach in Marbella.

Score: 4/10

Robyn: Before I read a translation of the verses, all I had to go by was the chorus. It sounds childish (“clap your hands…”) and vaguely sexual (“….and do it for your lover”). But the translated verses totally change it. The song is about how if you’re feeling a bit down, you should still make the effort to get out and do stuff because your bae is relying on you. It’s really sweet… but it’s in Spanish. Unless the staging helps it along, there is a risk audiences won’t connect with Manel’s lovely song.

Score: 5.5/10

Jordi: Finally it’s a male for Spain! Change is always risky — but no pain, no gain! I’m excited to see Spain going for a different style following this year’s Eurovision motto “Celebrate Diversity”. And by saying bye-bye to big notes and pure power and welcoming fresh reggae sounds, it’s a good way to start. However, even if the song is full of sunshine, it kinda struggles with competitiveness. It’s contemporary for sure, but he needs more than summer vibes to win the audience’s hearts. Give him some good staging and he could do wonders!

Score: 6.5/10

Deban: “Do It For Your Lover” is a bland cut of lounge pop. Plodding along but not musically engaging, the only thing memorable about this entry is its repetitive song structure. Manel Navarro sings it well, but then, this composition doesn’t present vocal challenges.

Score: 3.5/10

Rezo: This is my summer jam — it’s so modern, cheesy and catchy with just the right amount of energy. However, it’s not been conceived with the Eurovision stage in mind, so I just have a feeling it might come near the bottom.

Score: 7/10

Forrest: “Do It For Your Lover” is perhaps the most undeservingly memorable track in this year’s competition. Credit where credit is due, it’s a great technique to have your song remembered by repeating its title an average of once every seven seconds, but musically it’s a letdown. The track is flat from start to finish, with only some oddly placed voice sampling to add any interest. I’m sure this song has its place in a playlist of chill-out music, but in the context of Eurovision it simply feels underwhelming and underdeveloped.

Score: 3.5/10

In our Wiwi Jury, we have 38 jurors but only room for eight reviews. The rest of our scores can be found 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 0 and a high of 9.5.

Wiwi Jury verdict: 5.01/10

What do you think of this song? Share your own score and review below!

See our current Eurovision 2017 reviews and rankings

Buy the cartoon t-shirt and phone case, or the Do It For Your Lover t-shirt or phone cover