The Wiwi Jury — our in-house team of music unprofessionals — wraps up reviewing the songs competing in the grand final of Sweden’s Melodifestivalen 2018. Finally we look at Melfest star Mariette and her song “For You”. Did we think it would be third time lucky for her? Read on to find out!
Mariette – “For You”
“For You” reviews
Deban: “For You” sounds like a quality album filler. Mariette’s attempts at representing her home country of Sweden at the Eurovision Song Contest have resulted in a growing catalogue of good songs. The staging here is minimal and works for her. Equally, she sings well. However, although there’s nothing to really dislike here, overall, it fails to stand out — and there lies the problem.
Score: 6.5/10
Robyn: “For You” is a great pop song, but it doesn’t quite have the show-stopping quality that a great Melfest (or indeed Eurovision) song needs to have. Mariette is a hugely likeable performer and she brings a lot to the performance and elevates it beyond its basic form. So yes, Mariette deserves a place in Eurovision… but with this song?
Score: 6/10
Antranig: It’s no secret that Mariette is my favourite Swedish artist. She’s a unique performer and person and she turns what would be a generic pop song in the hands of any other performer into something with LGBT anthem potential. I love the minimalist aspect of the wardrobe and staging — it all just screams Mariette. There are no bells and whistles here — Mariette’s personality and stage presence carry the song. She’ll face stiff competition but she should be the clear winner — Mariette is in a league of her own.
Score: 10/10
Cinan: I’m very disappointed by Mariette, I’m sorry. I really wanted her to have a hit song this year, something to beat them all. But this song, although not bad, is not as good as last year’s “A Million Years”. The song sounds a bit dull and does not give as much pleasure as her previous song. But I wish her success — she is one of the best artists in Sweden.
Score: 5.5/10
Ron: “For You” is a nice song with a great arrangement, cool production and an interesting staging, however, the impact it leaves me with is not that high, unlike her entry in 2015, “Don’t Stop Believing”, which had much more impact.
Mariette’s moves are looking kinda strange at times, yet she delivers the song pretty well. However, it’s good, but not good enough. I expected much more from her comeback entry.
Score: 7.5/10
Tobias: I expected a lot more from Mariette knowing her previous performances in Melodifestivalen have been superb. If she changed her outfit and add something more on stage, to make it more exciting like in the “A Million Years” performance, it would make a big difference. But the staging doesn’t go hand in hand with the song. If she brought more life on to the stage that could match the same energy as the uptempo song, it would change a lot. However, this is the only song of all competing songs in Melodifestivalen that I’m still humming. It’s top three this year for sure.
Score: 8/10
In our Sweden Wiwi Jury, we have 16 jurors but only room for 6 reviews. The rest of our scores can be found below:
Angus: 8.5/10
Anthony: 7.5/10
Bernardo: 6.5/10
Bogdan: 6/10
Chris: 7.5/10
Jordi: 8.5/10
Josh: 6/10
Luis: 6.5/10
Natalie: 8.5/10
William: 5.5/10
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 5.5 and a high of 10.
Agree with Tobias. My 3rd favourite song in Melodifestivalen 2018 (2nd in final, because “Cry” is out…) , but one of the worst / boring performances in the whole competition… I don’t see a chemistry between the staging and the song.. If she will have an other stage, then she will be my 2nd tonight, but if she won’t a top 5, I think.
This is one of my favorites, I hope she wins, the song is good enough to get a high place at eurovision for sure.
I would not have minded sweet miserable Blanche’s timed arm movements so much if she didn’t have fat arms and showing them off like Barbara Dex. I don’t like fat arms.
My best wishes to Marinade and her flop song. All her pretend running will make the song better
Denis Return
This is a song contest, not an Arm movement competition. Blanche’s song was way better than ” For You”, even if I live Mariette. There’s no need to be agressive nor insult any artists, they’re all so generous to share their passion with us. Love and art above all.
you know, last year MF had plenty of winner songs but this year almost to none. all of those songs are just good radio pop crowd pleasers, they can sound good in your car, but they’re too disposable. this year MF is full of those average songs and Mariette stands out since she’s well known but she wouldn’t stand out in Eurovision.
I hope not Benjamin not gonna Win, hes Song its sooo Boring. It say me nothing. Its elevatermusic. And Felix Song, OMG, its toilet time when he sing. Go Mariett.
His song might not be the strongest one in the competition, but do you honestly think hers is more exciting? It’s so flat compared to her last entry and if it was just a random song played on the radio, you probably wouldn’t remember it at the end of the day, while Benjamin’s song has some special elements at least.
Ooooh….the last NF review this season 🙁 I am a bit bummed.
I agree with many comments here, this is middle of the road as it goes. I am a fan of previous two songs by Mariette, but this one doesn’t do anything to me. It’s not bad, it’s just there. If there was just *something* in the presentation to make it separate itself from so many other songs of it’s genre, it would be welcome.
5/10
Sorry, but this is super bland. I’ve read many comments saying that Mariette should win because she’s tried so many times before and she deserves. No, stop it! If you really believe Mariette deserves going to Eurovision, she shouldn’t win this year, because she deserves a better song! Let her try again with a song that is actually good! And not only the song is the problem here. The staging seems incomplete. It seems like they put a giant pyramid on stage because they thought it would be interesting but it just looks weird and makes no sense. It looks… Read more »
It made me laugh when wiwi gave Mariette 7/10. They would have given her 9/10 for a half listenable tune. What a boring dirge and her artistic arm movements are the best since poor miserable old cow Blanche provided timed arm movements last yr.
Easily her worst MF entry. But again, I don’t like any MF song this year so I don’t care about its fate.
This is totally boring and ,in my eyes, one of the least Special Songs in Melfest. Sweden is gonna qualify with everything, because they’re Sweden but mostly because semi 2 is weaker. But they’re not gonna be top 15 or anything with this song. Very generic and average, doesn’t deserve more than 5/10 sorry… (I’m by the way very happy that S&V got a higher score, at least they stand out.)
Overrated as expected, her worst song in Melodifestivalen. She wont win the televote but the juries could help her of course
I love Mariette, but this song is my least favourite from the 3 she sang in Melodifestivalen. It’s a good song but it doesn’t go anywhere.
5/10
It’s a mashup of Don’t Stop Believing and A Million Years. Tired and uninspired.
My top 3 ESC 2018 – March 09
1-2. Switzerland – Zibbz – „Stones”
1-2 France – Madame Monsieur – „Mercy”
3 reserved for MaryJet from Sweden.
Geh, geh, geh, MaryJet!
I’m a big fan of Mariette but I won’t even download this song – that’s how bland I find it
Thank you
@Guadalupe. This is not a contest of age, its a boute music. What contry are you from?
I’m from eastern Europe and I’m not ageist, but really, FELIX SANDMAN has a more mature song. I don’t want to offend, but…FELIX seems more mature, this is all I’ve said.
Eastern Europe is not a country
I’m from Atlantis, you never knew that we vote too. Actually we decide everything. Spain will win. Now you know it.
” anthem potential. I love the minimalist aspect of the wardrobe and staging — it all just screams Mariette. There are no bells and whistles here — Mariette’s personality and stage presence carry the song. ” Im not sure he even believes what he wrote its so unrealistic. This is why I will never understand ESC experts….they can hear perfect performances where I cant. Like when they said Paula Seling made a great song out of Miracle, which I think had no tune. My opinion is Mariette had an easy chance to win with all the big names not taking… Read more »
The Swedish national final in a nutshell: No singles, just fillers.
Shuffla Shuffla!
Its a definite grower for me the more I listen to it on Spotify but her staging seems incomplete. I still don’t understand the pyramid thing..is it supposed to be a droplet of water? is she suppose to swim in an ocean which explains the awkward hand movement in the choreography?
“Its a definite grower for me the more I listen to it on Spotify but her staging seems incomplete.”
Growers dont win at eurovision. You must have ten inches showing straight away to get their attention
Is it true that in 2011 televoters could vote during the song?
When the change happened and televoters could vote only after all songs were over?
If televoters can vote during the song, that favors the forgettable ones, maybe this is why Ell and Nikki won.
If the votes will come after all countries have been on stage, then you have to have a memorable song.
I’m thinking it’s a battlecruiser. The hand movements are jedi mind tricks.
This. Am listening to it so much now but after the semi-final, I was literally playing everything except Mariette. It has quality to it but lacks the “wow” needed. The staging is disappointing only because of how good she usually is in this area.
Weakest of Mariette’s songs and definitely weaker than last year but due to the lower standards of this year it is still in my Melodifestivalen top 5.
A 7/10
This underlines one of the truisms of MelFest, that you can’t separate a performance from its narrative. It’s like Love Generation in 2011, who owed their pimp slot to one of the song’s producers, RedOne (Poker Face, Bad Romance). Under any other circumstance I’d think it’s a lovely little MelFest gem, but as it is the overwhelming impression is ‘unsatisfying’. Unsatisfying is also the first word which comes to mind when I think of Elofsson’s career. As one of the progenitors of the Swedish model of music making, one always want for him to deliver, but once again he fails… Read more »
@Mattias Sollerman
You write comments that only Swedish people can understand. I never understand what you are talking about.
I want Mariette to go to Lisbon, because she will not qualify for sure, and my country is in the same semifinal. Just let Mariette go to Lisbon, please.
He said he found the performance unsatisfying and is disappointed with olofsson one of the song writer’s of the song who is quite well known in Sweden.
Thank you. Really, Mariette will not do well, she is 35y/o and her song is more childish than FELIX SANDMAN’s that is 19y/o.
@guadalupe, speak for yourself, I’m not Swedish and I understand his comment, maybe the problem is you, honey?
Yes, I guess the problem is me, that I don’t know the songwriters from Melodifestivalen.
Sorry for that. My comments are not for everyone.
Yeah, as Kris said I’m a bit gutted that the song and performance did not live up to my expectations. Normally I would love this, but I wanted it to be so much more.
Thanks for asking. 🙂
While a part of me wants Party Voice or All The Feels to just GO for it, this really is Sweden’s best choice.
Otherwise, they’re stuck with the pretty lights with not much behind it, the nasally girl who slurs all her words so you don’t realise how terrible the lyrics are, or… John Lundvik *shivers*