One of the entries in the UK’s national final for Eurovision 2019 has found further success months after its release. Jordan Clarke‘s version of “Freaks” has found a surprising new audience and has clocked up over 5.8 million streams on Spotify.
Jordan Clarke’s “Freaks” was one of the six competing entries in Eurovision: You Decide. It was also one of two versions of “Freaks”, with the other by girl group MAID. But it was Jordan Clarke’s version that made it to the superfinal, where it competed alongside Kerrie-Anne’s “Sweet Lies” and Michael Rice’s “Bigger than Us”.
And while Michael Rice’s take on “Bigger Than Us” won the ticket to Tel Aviv, “Freaks” has been enjoying a second life after the national final.
The song has clocked up an impressive 5.8 million plays on Spotify. This makes it one of the most popular UK Eurovision-related songs ever, with only two other UK Eurovision entries having more plays.
Gina G’s 1996 dance classic “Ooh Aah… Just a Little Bit” has 8.9 million plays, while Buck Fizz’s 1981 winning song “Making Your Mind Up” has clocked up 6.6 million plays.
“Freaks” has recently overtaken Katrina and the Waves’ Eurovision winner “Love Shine a Light” (5.2 million), and it is bigger than “Bigger Than Us” (4.4 million).
Not all former UK Eurovision songs are available on Spotify, but even some of the older songs are proving to be enduring favourites on the streaming platform. Sandie Shaw’s 1967 winner “Puppet on a String” has clocked up 2.9 million plays.
“Freaks” also has more Spotify plays than several high-placing Eurovision 2019 songs, such as Sergey Lazarev’s “Scream” (4.7 million), Chingiz’s “Truth” (5.3 million) and Tamara Todevska’s “Proud” (2.7 million).
Why is Jordan Clarke’s “Freaks” so popular?
Back in April — two months after the UK national final — a nightcore-style remix of the song was released. This essentially took the original version and sped it up, accompanied with a lyric video that has since amassed almost 5 million views.
The song’s message — of a utopian land for freaks to unite — resonated with listeners. Teenagers especially related to the song’s lyrics of high school troubles (“I’ve been locked in the locker/I was picked last in soccer”) and felt boosted by the chorus, which invited them to “Come to the land of the lost and lonely/Don’t be afraid, we’ll be one big family/Of freaks like you and me”.
The original version of the song has also been uploaded with unofficial lyrics videos, getting supportive comments like “i love this song with all my heart, me and my friends are a group of freaks and proud”. It has also inspired edits from Gachatubers, who combine the song with visuals from the Gacha Life video game.
So it seems that the song has found exactly the audience its lyrics were aimed at.
As well, “Freaks” has a familiar, classical structure. It is based on Canon in D, the 17th-century piece by the German composer Johann Pachelbel. The piece of music has been incorporated in many modern pop hits, including Oasis’s “Don’t Look Back in Anger” and Vitamin C’s “Graduation (Friends Forever)”.
More recently, Canon in D formed the base of Maroon Five’s new single “Memories” — a resemblance that “Freaks” fans have also noticed.
The popularity of the song does not extend to the You Decide performance. The BBC’s official video has only 188,559 views.
United Kingdom Eurovision songs – Spotify plays (top 10)
- 1996: Gina G – “Ooh Aah… Just a Little Bit” (8,949,314)
- 1981: Bucks Fizz – “Making Your Mind Up” (6,690,908)
- 2019: Jordan Clarke – “Freaks” (5,813,297)
- 1997: Katrina and the Waves – “Love Shine a Light” (5,283,515)
- 2019: Michael Rice – “Bigger than Us” (4,453,408)
- 2018: SuRie – “Storm” (4,392,125)
- 2017: Lucie Jones – “Never Give Up on You” (3,585,706)
- 2015: Molly – “Children of the Universe” (3,522,333)
- 1967: Sandie Shaw – “Puppet on a String” (2,907,307)
- 1976: Brotherhood of Man – “Save Your Kisses for Me” (2,742,669)
There won’t be another chance for a break-out hit like “Freaks”. Earlier this year, the BBC announced that they had cancelled the You Decide national-final format. Instead, the broadcaster will internally select their act for Eurovision 2020, in conjunction with the music publisher BMG.
What do you think? Which other national final songs derve a second chance? Tell us your thoughts below!
Please choose RONAN PARKE pretty please!!!
He is very talented and cool, He will represent UK in a best way.
I’m hungry for some NEW uk news. Come on BBC!!!
Just seen a rumour on twitter about Ronan Parke being shortlisted and my heart just sank a little.
If BMG are prepared to bring an act back
Then surely it must be “ freaks” by Jordan Clarke
It has almost 6 million streams and is a
Catchy pop Eurovision song .
No more ballads please !
If bmg are prepared to bring back
A recent act how could they not bring back
This one . It has hit the audience and would
Resonate in all languages. NO BRAINER !
I just can’t understand that “Bigger Than Us” was selected over this diamond in the rough (I’m talking about the original). Maybe Britain should pay more attention, and listen to what the rest of Europe/Australia wants to hear, and abolish that old school, typically British, archaic navel-gazing. Other Western European countries can do it (Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Austria, Netherlands), so why can’t they?
Look at, for example, Lady Gaga. Please the freaks, and you’re going to get up there! Why? Because the ‘freaks’ are the new normal!
I remember watching Eurovision You Decide with a friend… and we both were quite disappointed this song lost over ‘Bigger than Us’. This song seemed to be one that could stand out a little at Eurovision… at least compared to other recent UK entries.
I feel this would’ve been a better winner than Bigger Than Us, but now weebs and TikTok people are ruining.
As much as I want to like this song because it’s catchy and I like the chorus, I just can’t ignore how cringe the songwriting is, especially in the verses, it’s like the song itself is a freak lol. It’s one of those songs I do listen to sometimes but only when I’m by myself and no one can witness it. In reggards to Eurovision, this would flop the jury vote and not many voters would put it in their top 10 so… I think it’d still come last, 24th tops.
It was the best song could have done really well for the UK 🙁 hope he ends up representing the UK some time soon
It’d still come bottom 3 I think, but it was still better than Bigger Than Us
I discovered the song via the nightcore upload, and then found out it was from the You Decide, that ended just before. I was so disappointed when I discovered they didn’t choose this song, I feel like this could’ve scored way higher in the ESC.
Must be all the Freddy fans, lmao
Oh god XD.
Freaks got trashed so much by the eurofandom in January but it did slowly grow on me, given how the Nightcore version has become arguably the biggest ESC-related fad since Rockefeller Street it is clear we all slept on it, Jordan would not have come last or even bottom 5. Christ looking back at You Decide 2019, I don’t think any other song than Michael’s would’ve placed 26th in Tel Aviv! Thank god BBC have reverted back to internal selections, British public just cannot be trusted with any vote…
omg at those TRAGIC streaming numbers for the uk entries tho! i hope next year they come up with a song the gp will eat up
BMG should hopefully pull it off for UK! But seeing how Gina G & Bucks Fizz are the Top 2 most streamed British Eurovision entries…for 80s & 90s ESC entries, those streaming numbers are still pretty good given how Spotify is mostly dominated by newer music. “Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu” also has 17 million which is quite staggering for a 1950s song.
Molly’s “Children Of The Universe” was in 2014, Robyn ^^
Really loved the song. Both this and sweet lies were better than bigger than us.
Only problem is you can’t have a British entry referencing “soccer”
Freaks always had the potential to be a great song, so it is really good to see it doing so well after the contest.
I have nothing against Jordan, he is a good singer, he just never really struck me as connecting with the song – good-looking, nice hair, always smiling to camera – it didnt quite fit with the message of the song – which is a shame as I’d have liked to have seen it in the ESC final.
I think this should’ve represented the UK. It was the most contemporary/original out of all of them. Despite all the hate this got, this could’ve done a lot better than expected!