The Wiwi Jury — our in-house panel of music unprofessionals — continues to rate and review the 41 songs that had been selected for Eurovision 2020. Next up, we take a look at Romania‘s internally selected artist Roxen and her Selecția Națională-winning song “Alcohol You”. Were we toasting to this song? Read on to find out!
Roxen – “Alcohol You”
“Alcohol You” reviews
Angus: It has been a long time in the wilderness, but Romania is back in business. “Alcohol You” shows a future for quality ballads at Eurovision. The chorus sticks in your mind, Roxen’s voice is intoxicating and the instrumentation builds consistently clear. The amped-up climax that the revamp added acts as the cherry on top.
Score: 7.5
Barnabas: This ethereal piece of music cannot really be compared to anything else. It perfectly fits Roxen’s voice and personality and conveys her emotions authentically. I could just listen to “Alcohol You” all day long while enjoying a glass of wine. I am beyond impressed. Felicitari, România!
Score: 9
Deban: Understated in delivery, but yet so sophisticated, “Alcohol You” is the standout ballad in a sea of dirge. The vulnerability here is compelling. Clever puns weave into infectious melodies to create a powerfully charged heady cocktail of emotions. It isn’t easy to write songs like these, and it’s even harder to give them a floaty feeling. Roxen is a rare find and excels in her delivery of this track. As of today, she’s probably Romania’s best shot for victory.
Score: 9.5
Jonathan: Many predicted that Eurovision 2020 would be the year of the sad boi. But we got our fair share of sad girls as well. Of the sad ballads, “Alcohol You” is one of my favourites. Roxen delivers a subtle yet emotional performance that takes the listener on a journey throughout. The play on words with the song title is particularly clever and adds another layer to the overall product. This is a song that has been carefully crafted and that Roxen squeezes every last drop from.
Score: 7.5
Sebastian: “Alcohol You” is imperfectly perfect. Roxen sings every word in her melodic and raw tone that brings genuine emotion to this already ethereal song. A clever play on words (Alcohol you/ I’ll go call you) adds to what is a lyrical masterpiece. Her mispronounced English brings a charm to the song that you wouldn’t get from a Scandi popstar. The only thing holding this back from a perfect score is that Roxen’s stage presence is still developing. However, this is unique and beautiful song superbly matched to a unique and beautiful singer.
Score: 9.5
Roxen – “Alcohol You” rankings
In the Wiwi Jury we have 22 jurors but only have room for five reviews. The remaining scores are below:
| Antranig: 5.5
Åri: 6 Bernardo: 6.5 Calvin: 5.5 Esma: 6.5 Florian: 8 Lucy: 8 Luis: 9 Natalie: 8.5 |
Oliver: 6
Pablo: 7 Renske: 7 Robyn: 5.5 Ron: 7.5 Tobias: 5.5 Tom: 8 William: 9 |
We have removed the highest and lowest scores prior to calculating the average. This is to remove outliers and potential bias. We have removed a low of 5.5 and a high of 9.5.
Wiwi Jury verdict: 7.35/10
What do you think of this song? Share your own score and review below!
I will give it a 10/10 . It’s my winner
Romania – 9/10 (7th/41)
Romania 6/10
How can 5.5 be the lowest score that got removed while Edd has given it a 3.5?
I would actually give it 9, my third-highest after Cleopatra by Efendi from Azerbaijan with a 9.5 and All of my love by Destiny from Malta with a 10
Off topic: get a listen to ROxen’s new song and official video called “Escape” .
Just brilliant!
Just overrated. I wont even comment on her personality and sabotaging the best song. Just no.
overrated in my opinion.
This wins out over Bulgaria in my opinion. For all of Victoria’s sweetness and melodic appeal, this song from Roxen had more edge, passion and cuts you to the bone. I think it would have been a three way battle: Switzerland, Bulgaria and Romania with Lithuania Iceland and Russia 4/5/6. Pity. We will never know.
I think TOP 13 left side …
1.Switzerland
2.Bulgaria
3.Russia
4.Lithuania
5.Romania is like Norway 2013 edge, passion and cuts you to the bone.
6.Sweden
7.Azerbaijan
8.Malta
9.Norway
10.Iceland
11.Italy
12.Germany
13.Denmark
…
Absolutely stunning. My second favourite after The Roop.
One of the potential winners this year in mi opinion. Though it lacks that special thing of a Eurovision winner, this year’s general low quality allowed this one to be up there. The original version was good but the revamp is on another level. The last third of the song is full of emotion as it goes in crescendo. The wise production value elevates “Alcohol You” from a typical epic ballad to a Billie-esque atmospherical song where you never get tired of what you are hearing. It’s not something I would listen daily but a modern and quality entry for… Read more »
My top 6:
1- Switzerland
2- Iceland
3- Malta
4- Bulgaria
5- Israel
6- Romania
Off topic, update on #hugforesc2020, Victoria sent virtual hug to Roxen and Roxen sent hug to The Roop 😀
This beautiful song is my nr. 1 of this year. I love it very much !!
It’s my 13th place. It’s okay. I vastly prefer Ce-Ti Canta Dragostea to this, though.
This would have end like a Fan Favorite Fail, I guess.
I can see why peoply do like this but compared to others this score is to overrated.
you want it , you got it 😉
Both ‘Cherry Red’ and ‘Alcohol You’ are in my playlist, they’re both just that great. This is excellent, I really wanted Romania to come back this year and damn, they did just that. I hope her song next year will be on par with this, because this is one of the highlights of 2020 for me. With a good performance this would have captured the attention of both the juries and the televoters, and a spot for Romania in the final would have been a surefire yes. 10/10 for me.
I like it, but I really struggle with those lyrics…
Alhohol you when I’m drunk and explain it
6.5/10
I honestly fail to understand what’s so great about this entry. It’s got pretty good lyrics containing some semi-clever metaphors and wordplays, a current, radio-friendly, yet emotionally sterile pop ballad sound and Roxen’s OK, though quite unpolished, vocal.
There’s no sincerity, no heart, just a basic formula accompanied by a bland, impersonal performance. If Roxen alcoholled me, I don’t think I would pick up the phone. 6/10
My winner
LOL. I was once 18, with braces, and very drunk a lot. Just one example.
Tibor, I can see where you are coming from. I may be completely wrong but I wonder if the songwriters are older than Roxen? There is a deepness about these lyrics which comes from life experiences. It may be sad and far from ideal, but it’s definitely true that some people have very bad experiences from a young age – and I think it’s important those things are not hidden away from society but instead appreciated and supported.
As to the braces thing, you would be surprised how many people in their 20s, 30s and even 40s wear braces.
Roxen is 20, hence, an adult. Hence, singing about getting drunk isn’t quite jarring. The Swedish kid singing about his sex life at 15 on the other hand, yeah, that was a cringe.
My 4th favourite. The piano influence is evident right from the start. I love the descending scale motifs throughout the melody of the song. The biggest risk is the Chorus, which completely halves the tempo and brings the listener to an abrupt stop. Brilliantly, this “stop” coincides with the lyrics “Alcohol you when i’m drunk,” which require you to pause and reflect on anyhow. The harmony and melody of the rest of the Chorus is then extremely emotive. Larger expression comes towards the end of the song. There is real pain and struggle felt here, and Roxen is a beautiful… Read more »
I am so happy we agree on this. 🙂 It’s currently my 3rd favorite, my favorite female-sung entry and my favorite entry in English! I love how it’s both dramatic and very introspective.
Let me guess…
1. Italy & Switzerland
3. Romania
Romania: 6/10
“Alcohol you” is one of the few songs in the contest which will remain in my playlist. It has captured me from the first moment when I heard it- melancholic vibe, touching lyrics, Roxen’s fragile soothing voice and determined and vulnerable personality. However, I don’t like the rewamp because I think this song doesn’t need climax, it is meditative song which captures one particular moment of sadness in roller coaster of emotions after break up, tells a story which can be continued and mystery remains after song ends… I’m glad that Romanian broadcaster chose Roxen again and hope that next… Read more »
Brilliant entry. Comfortably in my top five. When I first heard it, I knew it was the obvious choice from Roxen’s five and was going to be right up there when it comes to songs that could’ve won the whole thing. The lyrics fit the mood of the song perfectly. It is dreamy and hazy and I love listening to it. For some reason, even though there are other pop influences on this, it unmistakably feels authentic to Roxen as an artist. Not all entries managed that this year.
This is the one we 100% agree on. Great song with a magnetic singer. 🙂
Romania’s is one I’m rather indifferent about. I’d say it’s a qualifier but as far as trying to rank it goes, I’m really not sure. It obviously does have a large appeal, judging by the bulk of reactions so I wouldn’t have been surprised if this was high on the scoreboard.
EDIT: I think my main issue with this is that I’m not the biggest fan of Roxen’s voice. I’m sure that things I don’t like are things other people love and vice versa, so I’m cool with that. 😛
I think the opposite 🙂 I like ”Alcohol you” entry, mixture of mainstream and risky.
Deserved score. A great song.
Hi Tibor, I downvoted as I personally think you’re wide of the mark on this one. You raise an interesting point about why someone would look after their teeth if they are not caring about the rest of themselves, but my reading of this song is that it is about addiction and mental health problems as much as it is about a relationship, and those things can sadly happen at any age and don’t often have rationality to them. But as always, I respect your perspective.
If you respect his perspective, don’t downvote his point. 😉
I don’t agree with the dismissal of this song but am going to look at Tibor’s responses to certain other songs to get some bearing on his (rather unpopular!) opinion. I think a lot of the reasons he dislikes the song are more applicable to other entries but we’ll see!
I speak only for myself, but I believe that songs speaks through metaphors on at least two levels. It’s about mental health AND about love-sickness. It’s about HER perception of her hard and one-sided relationship. It leaves you with a lot of insinuations you can interpret as facts or as her personal belief. For example ”To make me believe I deserve your weapons” heavily insinuates some form of mental or physical violence on his side. That sounds believable, as many women live in abusive relationships and make themselves believe it’s their fault. In such state, some people turn to addiction… Read more »
Tibor, I encourage you to listen to the song again and interpret the “you” as if she is talking to the addiction to alcohol itself – it absolutely fits! “This pain’s the only thing that I can’t refuse” – addicts know that what they are taking is bad for them but they can’t stop. “They warned me but I think it’s only fake news” – friends warning her that she’s getting addicted but she doesn’t see it. Fake news works for me as a lyric because it’s what a lot of people say to justify their own beliefs. “I need… Read more »
Cool, Kosey! I didn’t even think about that interpretation, but it’s also a believable option. Just proves how this song is multilayered and can be seen from different angles. As for the person she’s calling, we can assume he is her love interest, but even so, I think the text allows any of the following options: A) Abusive boyfriend who just took his rage on her and she thus drank herself to oblivion. B) Abusive boyfriend who left her and she wants to go back to him. C) Regular boyfriend who is just sick of her always being drunk and… Read more »
Wow what interpretation Kosey, I didn’t think about that,but it makes sense too. “Alcohol you” is going grunge, like Alice in Chains “Would?”, now I love the song even more 😀
Anyway “Alcohol you” is great introspective song about your doubts, inner demons, drowning in dark hole of sadness and determination to escape from there, I think many of us have been there…
True Tibor, in hindsight, I shouldn’t have downvoted. For me, this is a fun game, a bit like panto – upvotes for the cheers and downvotes for the boo’s – I mean no personal attack by it, just a bit of fun, but I appreciate not everyone thinks like me and it can be hard to see a negative against your post, so I’ll try and be more mindful going forward. I respect that you don’t like the song, that’s absolutely fine. And songs are all about emotions anyway, it’s pretty hard to objectify them. But I guess we all… Read more »
”I reserve my downvotes for offensive or stupid comments which neither of your comments are. If you ask me, we can disagree about this song without any hard feelings. ” This! All this! 🙂 ”By only talking about the lyrics, we shouldn’t lose sight of the music that I don’t really like for the reasons I mentioned. So even if I considered the lyrics as poetry, which I don’t, it wouldn’t help with that.” Of course! But I find the instrumental incredibly rich and intoxicating as well. I love how it goes with the flow of a dreamy oblivion. Your… Read more »
Did you watch the wiwijury video and Edd talking about the lyrics? He gave a rating of 3.5
Edd seems very young agewise and I appreciate his judgement every season. And in spite of me English is his mother tongue…
I wrote this only to upvote your comments
2nd place: Romania – 9.5/10 – The dramatic heartbeat percussion and edgy piano and string arrangement perfectly mirror the aching sadness throughout. The lyrics and the way Roxen delivers them offer poignancy and disturbance in equal measure, painting a colorful picture of the darker sides of the human experience – the pain, the desperation and the resignation streaming out from every frayed thread. The revamp with the soaring vocal and strings adds intensity exactly when it is needed. I am totally in love with the last line – it is the perfect ending – so simple yet so evocative of… Read more »
WOW!! Romania is really determined this year. It’s a ballad that stands out and it’s really difficult writing something like that. Her voice suits pretty good with the song. It has potential because she clearly loves this song more than the other 4. I really hope that next year they’ll choose something similar.
Overall:9.3/10 (4th)
ROMANIA – This is an extremely interesting and unique song! The melody progression is stunning and it really creates the feeling of drowsiness. It takes you deeply into it’s world. Word-play in the lyrics is very smart and feels raw and sincere. What I appreciate a lot is that Roxen is not afraid to be seen as vulnerable and emotionally unbalanced. Usually, the song’s ”protagonist” is always strong and unbreakable, but here we get a glimpse of that only at the end. She bares her soul and you can easily empathize. It’s very powerful, creates strong visuals and allows you… Read more »
Yeah, I feel the same about this one as well. 🙂
My first place. I love everything about, Roxen’s voice is just outstanding for me. Think Romania will turn into a powerhouse. Nothing more to say, because there is not a single thing wrong about this song, the lyrics are good, her voice is good, the song is modern, but not generic.
My score: 10/10
1. Romania 10/10
2. Belgium 9/10
3. Portugal 8/10
4. Italy 8/10
5. Russia 7,5/10
6. Albania 7/10
7. Ireland 7/10
8. Cyprus 6,5/10
9. Moldova 3,5/10
10. Macedonia 3,5/10
During this global pandemic of no Eurovision in 2020 I and others are seeking out deeper dives into prior year’s national finals. Is there any repository to review video/audio during all this down-time during Eurovision season?
EUROVISION 2019 NFs (PLAYLISTS/FULL SHOWS)
Albania – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6Hj2673ct8&list=PLlviZgJt338PyBgpG6-YU4FRQG0v5iyXg
Australia – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIKugmzW3bs&list=PLX7x9EcO4s0wOTU3PWdNQylNWDd2JlehF
Belarus – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnCvOVH-kV0&list=PLWNFdnKoKgTipQVRzBGCYm26yBETKWjpI&index=5
Croatia – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXUYVjdpkI0&list=PL01L6lGBoNb6ufZq_VWtrsTNz5eDSPzid
Czech Republic – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjtRX2wt2HI&list=PLCDijr_CcLx_Tsour28prVKYhAHWkvKTf
Denmark – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgA2BqvwEcI&list=PLWBDEqNchKCpnhbXjVPk4GDaElc_c45OZ
Estonia – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuZUk5KaRHg&list=PLSybBJ5pu0VmAzoLuWQdXr1ktnUL2zT-Z
Finland – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cC2Yj0WRDRU
France (music videos) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dw7WqoSHtgU&list=PLaNIxzWPG9TKmFhe–ZEt13wImrRmqV9m
Georgia – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCygRv1LNHA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1wj7EYZDlA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXIbXgwjCUM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnbrUf31rCI
Germany – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHCLVsmJda4&list=PLxeDWjW-1i33cvHAE92Z62psQ1HOUzWLP
Hungary – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5HKN0lj5FY&list=PLm8OlBbs2Ntxgs0ICQT5QAl3LHJc-otwl
Iceland – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9VWSF_WuIk&list=PLr3r5ZhK0uFwUZ4wd2xukUb9M4X01ryZQ
Italy (music videos) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22lISUXgSUw&list=PLiHcDh7suj9i4tDz3ubuJjvsAm3_JA5uA
Latvia – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ww9naJq09DI&list=UUnkvpqWK35lfk0bFIP93UWw&index=21
Lithuania – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0old13f18g&list=PLsNtjGy5YSLBVUpclJloub00bK3lYrxur
Moldova (audio) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiETwAWBo_s&list=PLCy3Z9mdvWVffwF3yGUYtCRQguKGYCCU9
Montenegro – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMm8H_5xYWo
Norway – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlMZfQRi9hw
Portugal – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IrNfYeWZWI&list=PLMedIwg0kZw_xcxE7G-mhVB_SgLEvjrKo
Romania – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3ANM1Rkocc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-4_TkjrzZc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4xrqL6K0RU
Serbia – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Jxpri3tiwU&list=PLCxUEcqz3AEvsjf7TNSVWCs6boBVIWnQW
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSPoBngLZis&list=PLCxUEcqz3AEuS5mUvZFmzNFn4tFjjmoqN
Slovenia – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBKBAuT9uYQ&list=PLTxtSrKS7kPXBSvJKP_9r9L118atKp1ng
Spain – https://www.rtve.es/alacarta/videos/ot-2018/ot-2018-gala-eurovision-2019/4945811/
Sweden – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nc0lL0mL2EI&list=PLorbgCC1N0Ysm8gHNogmLp8NDa2ey7Dqn\
UK – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAKDkXC1_iA&list=PL62Rpnyw5e0CF5j_-XVJzDvMcgqIjPuiE
Wow, amazing work 😀