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 the winners of Denmark‘s Dansk Melodi Grand Prix Ben & Tan and their song “YES”. Did we feel affirmative about this number? Read on to find out!
Ben & Tan – “YES”
“YES” reviews
Angus: “YES” is a safe song. It has pleasing hand-clappy appeals and a contemporary radio-friendly sound. For their part, Ben & Tan sell it well, but this is a bit saccharine for my taste. It also feels “YES” relies a lot on a catchy chorus to do heavy-lifting instead of doing anything musically interesting in the rest of the song.
Score: 4.5
Deban: Ben and Tan ain’t no KEiiNO. At best, they’re a hastily hashed-together duo assembled for Dansk Melodi Grand Prix. For a high-school musical project, “YES” is deserving of rapturous applause. However, this over-saturated slice of shouty guitar-pop isn’t probably the best fit for 170 million viewers. It is as disposable as this pairing that won’t be co-joined in 2021.
Score: 4
Lucy: “YES” is an injection of sheer happiness and cuteness, that I don’t even care that it verges on saccharine. The Danish pair’s performance at DMGP managed to make us all forget there wasn’t even a crowd there which is a stunning feat for a show broadcast from an arena! The upbeat tune and chemistry between the two is enough to lift my spirits every time I hear it — a near-perfect entry.
Score: 9
Robyn: There’s something to be said for an intensely upbeat pop tune. Ben & Tan deliver the goods, with a bright, joyful celebration of love. The only issue is their chemistry — at the Danish national final, they came across more as two friends performing a song together than lovers struck by cupid’s mighty arrow. But at least when listening to the studio version song, it’s like enjoying a big fat slice of birthday cake.
Score: 8
Tom: Say yes indeed! This song is nothing original, of course, but I am a sucker for a harmony and I love how Ben and Tan’s voices blend together so effortlessly. I love the Scandi-Celtic vibe to the song. It’s romantic, fun, makes me feel all warm and gooey inside and it just fills me with happiness. A solid effort from the Danes.
Score: 8
Ben & Tan – “YES” rankings
In the Wiwi Jury we have 22 jurors but only have room for five reviews. The remaining scores are below:
Antranig: 8
Åri: 4 Barnabas: 6 Bernardo: 6.5 Calvin: 5.5 Esma: 6 Florian: 7 Jonathan: 7.5 Luis: 7 |
Natalie: 7.5
Oliver: 6.5 Pablo: 6.5 Renske: 6.5 Ron: 4.5 Sebastian: 7 Tobias: 6.5 William: 7 |
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 4 and a high of 9.
Wiwi Jury verdict: 6.5/10
What do you think of this song? Share your own score and review below!
Only song I can’t stand this year. I would give it a 3/10.
I will give a 8.75/10 for this
Denmark – 7.5/10 (19th/41)
Denmark 6/10
I can’t believe you are giving the highest marks to the nordic countries. Which i think (except for sweden) have the weakest songs this year.. Come on! Finland and Denmark would have crashed in the semis.. No doubt about that
I find it fascinating how my most middle of the road review of all got the biggest number of dislikes by a large margin. Seemingly, it’s not flattering enough to anger the haters of the song, but also not bashing enough to properly anger fans. I am really wondering where do all the dislikes come from. The irony is, I know this comment will also be disliked without anyone giving a proper reason. Almost funny.
Completely agree with Robyn – there was absolutely no chemistry between them when they performed it. The song sounds very familiar and vocally they’re good but it just doesn’t make me feel anything. I think this would have struggled to qualify.
There were at least 4 songs I preferred in DMGP over this one. I still enjoy it but I think there were better options for Denmark (“Forget It All”, “Human”) or songs that I personally like more such as the nostalgic brit-rock tune “Den eneste goth i Vejle”. About this entry, I would say Ben & Tan lack the chemistry you would expect in a duo and vocally he is far more interesting than his partner. In general, my problem with these songs come when people start overrating them and become so annoying. 2. Australia – Montaigne – Don’t break… Read more »
A safe song about unsafe love. 🙂
It’s so cute. Nothing more to add really.
this would’ve been a massive televote smash. yeah, denmark keeps sending the same song all over and we all wish they’d change their game for once, but this is the type of cheerful song casual viewers would want to root for. having said that, it really does sound like those random indie band hits from the early 2010s.
Couldn’t they have just sent Ben as a soloist and Tan in Echo?
Denmark once again sending a bland and generic song! Nothing new there then…
An injection of sheer cringiness
Such positive vibes!! Good song too.
Overall: 8.5/10 (13th)
TBH the best Danish entry since Anja Nissen. Love them both and while I agree there isn’t any chemistry between them, I do think they each have a lot of charisma. Song is catchy and fun and definitely the best option Denmark had this year. One thing that bothers me about DMPG is that there isn’t any actual artists, there are just new artists or artists that haven’t released music since forever, and I think with this format they won’t be winning for a long time … my score: 8/10 1. Romania 10/10 2. Bulgaria 10/10 3. Belgium 9/10 4.… Read more »
6. Denmark – 9/10 – so Rasmussen failed to freeze the arrow in the sky, but I don’t mind because this is such a sweet, youthful, hopeful song with an enjoyable country twinge. I love the lyric of the heart beating it’s owner to death, the brutality of that line surprisingly capturing the right emotion and contrasting well with the softness on display throughout the rest of the song. My only downside is the lyric “pretty head on my shoulder”, it doesn’t seem to fit with the “we are a couple of equals” atmosphere built by the rest of the… Read more »
Denmark is one of my least favourite countries at ESC and this song hasn’t done anything to change that. There is no chemistry or authenticity about this entry. It’s trying to be something but in a rather cynical way. Both Ben and Tan overperform their respective parts in this one, almost to a level that I’m a little embarrassed for them. The hook is really naff as well. I’ve been pro-inviting every artist back from 2020 to compete in 2021 but this is the one that had me closest to saying, “They really should just go back to the drawing… Read more »
I think the song itself is kinda nice, but when the song is about a simple concept of connection between performers, feeling the said connection is more crucial than in other songs. If two of Doredos or Vaidas & Monika were performing this, I’m sure the song would’ve been quite higher on my list. Ben & Tan are cute, but as we in Croatia would say, the fact that they are just friends is “written on their forhead”. It takes out the key element this song was going for.
I really loved their 2018 song. Sure, it had some “escapist” elements in it too, but it felt adventurous and epic rather than just sweet. And I don’t mind sweet at all times, but it needs to feel very genuine. Result-wise, Denmark did have a drought in 2015-16, but then again, these songs were another kind of cheese.
It is. Several times, they were borderlines, though, but they would make it. For example, Cyprus got a lot of criticism for one copy-paste approach, even if majority of Danish entries have far more similarities than, say, An Me Thimase and Running.
San Marino is also the one getting a lot of slack from the fan community with the similar dated disco with poor lyrics kind of approach. That leniency isn’t necessarily seen in the contest itself, though.
Tibor, that’s exactly how I feel. I really wish at some point they’d send something that wasn’t all vanilla, all the time.
“Kitsch” being done right has worked with general audicence for many countries. Not just Denmark.
Look Austria 2016 or Croatia 2017. Moldova 2018.
Serbia 2015
Portugal 2014 or Estonia 2017.
And we can still go on.
“Fra Mols til Skagen” is my personal winner of ESC 1995 and one of the most relaxing and serene Eurovision songs I’ve ever heard. Touching lyrics, magical atmosphere and stunning voice, it’s a shame Aud Wilken’s career pretty much ended there (she released an album in 1999 and took part in DMGP 2007 without success, but that’s basically it). Overall, it’s my second favourtie Danish entry after “Krøller eller ej”.
Denmark sending “vanilla” is part of them I guess. For good and bad. They will never send something dark or risky or depressing as they connect better to “feel-good” or “safe”. It’s their identity and it has worked very well for them sometimes.
“Video Video” has some pretty dark lyrics talking about television addiction.
Yes is not all light and rosy if you look at the lyrics – this person is feeling pretty dead inside, I imagine they have been hurt pretty badly in the past but they are choosing to hope for a better future.
There is a dark backstory in there, but it’s very brushed over and overshadowed by the light tone of the music. I think if more attention was devoted to the protagonist’s tragic past, the song’s message would be much more poignant and striking.
In a way this stands out being a sugary-sweet song, but for me it gets swallowed up by so many other songs. Don’t get me wrong – it’s lovely, but I never remember it.
So agree with Deban’s conclusion. I listened to Denmarks 2020 entry once – and that’s it! Never again!
Ow just 6.5… i would´ve given this 10/10 😀 And I disagree with Deban. “Ben and Tan ain´t no KEiiNO” yea they´re not, but KEiiNO has now been a whole year my favorite band and BenTan is almost that great lol
This is not a ground-breaking entry, sure. But I really don’t care – I’m a sucker for sugar and “Yes” is like a big jar of delicious honey. It’s a cute, heartwarming, anthemic folk pop song with sweet vocals and a simple, yet ridiculously catchy hook (every time I listen to this song I just can’t help singing “say yes, say yes” during the chorus). The performance was slightly off in a few places (namely Tan putting her head on Ben’s shoulder looked pretty awkward and uncomfortable). I’d like Denmark to finally choose something a bit more risky and unusual,… Read more »
DENMARK – Happy, joyful, JESC-ish sounding song, like the majority of their recent entries. The slightly repetitive, but effective hook ”say yes” does the trick of singing along. These kinds of songs are, however, very dependent on the chemistry between the performers and here it just doesn’t feel believable. They really look like platonic friends while singing lines like ”I’m so in love, I must confess”, which makes this feel a bit awkward. Otherwise, it’s an enjoyable, but not particulary impactful entry. I don’t mind it when it’s on, but I don’t think there are much layers to be explored… Read more »
You noticed it well about performance, zero chemistry. Also, I find it really awkward that choir singing “say yes, say yes” in song that suppose to be about relationship between two people, it looks like peer pressure lol.
And you noticed very well how it might as well be a Disney song. I’d say – A Disney Channel live action song. I could see this in Hannah Montana or Descendants soundtrack. Meaning, well produced, kinda nice, not particularly deep or innovative. 😉
I agree about the chemistry, it seemed unusual. But I just read it that they were speaking to themselves inside their own heads, in their own spaces, and also that there was some doubt or reticence in their minds (I don’t think this is a JESC song because the lyrics hint at darkness and previous troubled times) – this idea seems to fit with the lyrics (where they are uncertain as to whether to say yes and are unsure if the other one will say yes) and the staging where they are physically apart, only coming together right at the… Read more »
It’s conceptually a rather nice song and I am glad there are people who enjoy it. I can see why. My initial reaction was quite positive too. In time, I became kinda neutral to it, partially because I don’t buy it’s meaning. Sure, both of them seem like capable performers in their own right. 😉
It’s interesting how you want to believe in the pairing to be able to believe in the song. My approach is to put myself into the song and see whether I feel it. To a large extent, I don’t tend to focus on whether the performer believes in it (although you can often tell). For me, the feeling comes first, and the artist is a secondary concern.
That’s an okay approach, Kosey. For me, how artist feels about / interprets their own song can inherently influence on how I feel about it. Not always, of course, that depends on several factors. But a lot of times, the delivery strengthens or weakens the connection. For example, Spain this year or Moldova last year are great vocalists who just phone-in without any emotional connection to the lyrics. Granted, Anna’s lyrics were not the best, but I’ve heard artists pulling emotion from worse.
It’s interesting because I do agree that the emotion has to feel real. I didn’t get Tamara last year, sure there were a lot of vocal runs and strained faces, but something about the performance didn’t strike with me – it felt like a performance. So I guess I do agree that how the artist conveys the song matters. Although the central point is I didn’t really feel Proud as a song anyway. As for Denmark, I enjoy the difference of their performance – I think I would have enjoyed Yes less if they were all happy and smiley. Leonara… Read more »
I can’t put up with so much saccharine, sorry. Not a fan of this happy-clappy guitar pop. So multifunctional and inofensive you can use it in Disney movie, car commercial, JESC, ESC, you name it.. I don’t mind it listening, but don’t want to reply it. This is example of middle -of -the -road imo.
5/10
I like this. This isn’t a masterpiece but it’s not bad by any means. This is catchy, joyful, warm, pure and authentic to them. They have great harmony and they know how to fill a stage. Honestly this for me would be the most unpredictable song in terms of placement. It could either create a moment and Europe would vote for it as crazy or either be forgotten it even was there or it would just annoy the viewers. I think the first would’ve been more believeable because we saw what happened with Leonora last year. Overall a good song… Read more »
Inoffensive and fine. It may have scraped through as most of Denmark’s recent entries have tended to do.
A very catchy and happy song that you like to sing it along. I listen to it many times. Although it’s not something extraordinary, I really enjoy it!!! 8/10. My top so far: 1. — 2. Italy 3. Romania 4. Bulgaria 5. Croatia 6. United Kingdom 7.– 8. — 9. –10. Denmark 11. Russia 12. Australia 13. Albania 14. Israel 15. — 16. –17. Ireland 18. Moldova 19. — 20. –21. Belgium 22. — 23. Poland 24. Georgia 25. Czech Republic 26. — 27. Slovenia 28. –29. Portugal 30. Armenia 31. Spain 32. Austria 33. North Macedonia 34. Cyprus 35.… Read more »