Wiwi Jury: We rank our favourites in Ireland’s Eurosong 2022

It’s the country’s first national final since 2015. And before Ireland announces the winner of it’s Eurosong 2022 selection on Friday 4 February, we’ve decided to do a ranking of our own.

The Wiwi Jury — our in-house panel of music unprofessionals — has assembled and listened to all six contenders. We’ve ranked our top songs in Eurovision fashion and combined our scores to determine our absolute favourites. What entry emerged on top? Read on to find out!

Eurosong 2022: The Wiwi Jury’s Top Six Ranking

6. Miles Graham “Yeah, We’re Gonna Get Out of It” (28 points)

Pablo: This simply isn’t the option to send if any country wants to hope for a good result. “Yeah, we’re gonna get out of it” is as subtle in its preachiness as a jackhammer right outside your bedroom window. At the same time it has a musical line that passes by with no guts nor glory, droning by on a samey-sounding trumpet line. A clunky bridge and a choir of kids on the chorus make this a “Pablo’s Pet Peeve: the Song”.

Padraig: “Yeah, We’re Gonna Get Out Of It” starts out well. In a field of earnest ballads and pulsating pop, its chilled vibes bring a much needed blast of fresh air. But the track quickly runs out of steam. While there’s enough imagination to help this stand out in a field of six, it lacks the drive to crack the top ten in a Eurovision semi-final. The kids’ choir and horns are a nice quirky touch, but they’re hardly enough to invoke an emotional response amongst viewers and jurors.

5. Janet Grogan “Ashes of Yesterday” (37 points)

🥈 — Tom

Pablo: “Ashes (Of Yesterday)” is a textbook definition of why being inoffensive is not the best quality in a Eurovision setting. Janet has a pretty voice, but this song feels like a version of “Move” by the Mamas that was powered down to 10% of what it could be. The lyrics sound very subpar for an English-speaking country, and it all falls in the underwhelming category really quickly. This risks falling into irrelevancy at an alarming speed.

Tom: As a creative and an actor, I can’t help feeling more connected to this song than some of the others. It speaks to me. These couple of years have been tough for everyone of course. None more so than creatives around the world. With the industry in a coma, work shot and money and life being tight for many, this song is an anthem for everyone. Of course, it is not novel or anything new but it is an inspiring song with soul and heart. In fact, I would love to hear The Mamas sing this with Janet – lovely work.

4. Brendan Murray “Real Love” (38 points)

🥇 — Renske
🥉 — Robyn

Renske: “Dying to Try” wasn’t everybody’s cup of tea. But, this time around, Brendan will sing a song that is much closer to the music he has performed as a more mature artist in the past few years. “Real Love” is the classic Irish Eurovision ballad, possibly not the most contemporary choice — but perhaps the type of song needed to bring the country back in the final. 

Padraig: The first draft of “Real Love” went nowhere. Brendan sang nicely over some pleasant piano playing. But, ultimately, there was no moment. No fireworks. No reason to care. The subsequent revamp has made some subtle changes that rectify this to an extent, but the entry remains a non-event. This would be fine for an acoustic night in a bar or a coffee house, but it would fade away on the Eurovision stage.

3. Rachel Goode “I’m Loving Me” (39 points)

🥈 — Pablo
🥉 — Padraig, Renske and Tom

Robyn: The song starts off well, promising some sophisticated synth-pop from a talented and likeable singer. But come the chorus and things start to derail. “I’m Loving Me” was written by much of the same team behind Poland’s 2021 entry “The Ride” – and it sounds like the leftovers from that songwriting session, cobbled together to get another tune out of it. “I’m Loving Me” runs out of ideas by about 90 seconds meaning much of the song is filler – key changes for no reason and cheesy guitar solos that wouldn’t even be welcome at Festivali i Këngës. It’s all synth-pop genre cliches but an aching lack of a decent song at its heart. Ireland deserves better.

Pablo: “I’m Loving Me” heavily reminds me of Clara Rubensson’s version of “The Ride”: a better fitting track on her than any other small-country singer this would be pitched to. It’s a pleasant enough listen with a fitting voice, but if we struggled to picture how “The Ride” could be elevated in the Eurovision stage, Rachel could face the same problem. It’s important to have a solid foundation on where to build a live performance.

2. Patrick O’Sullivan “One Night, One Kiss, One Promise” (46 points)

🥇 — Tom
🥈 — Robyn and Padraig
🥉 — Pablo

Renske: There is nothing wrong with “One Night, One Kiss, One Promise”, but recent examples have shown that even solidly produced tracks can score nil points with ease at Eurovision. Patrick O’Sullivan is bringing the 2010s British boyband sound to Eurosong, which makes the entry feel like a throwback. The song is — bar the great vocals — not bringing anything surprising to its listeners, which is a pity.

Robyn: For all the 80s-inspired synth-pop that’s doing the rounds at the moment, this is the one that reminds me of the sort of music that was actually coming out in the 80s. It sounds like it could be the soaring love theme from a 1986 romantic comedy. But that could be its weakest point – it risks sounding like music that should be playing underneath while something more interesting happens. The live performance could overcome this. If Patrick can be the leading man, the song stands a good chance of serving an uplifting emotional impact.

1. Brooke Scullion “That’s Rich” (52 points)

🥇 — Robyn, Padraig and Pablo
🥈 — Renske

Tom: I understand why a lot of people like this song. It’s got a fabulous balance of pop, rock, and electronic music, with hints of Blondie and Taylor Swift. And if the chorus lived up to the verses this would be in my top three. But I just find the refrain a bit annoying and I am left disappointed. The verses have a wonderful build-up and I am excited for potentially, a cracking chorus – a great drop perhaps!? But no, the repetitive and frustrating “That’s riiiich” lyric leaves me siding with the person she is singing about. He even sent her flowers – poor guy.

Padraig: “That’s Rich” is the only one of the six that feels current. The punk-pop vibes with the cool electro aesthetic are very now, and the track actually sounds like something you might hear on a mainstream pop radio station. None of the other entries come close. Staging will be key to how the song would perform at Eurovision, although we know from The Voice that Brooke has no shortage of charisma and talent. And, regardless of performance, this would most certainly become a dancefloor staple at Euroclub.

Eurosong 2022: Wiwi Jury Scoreboard

Do you agree with our rankings? Who’s your favourite? And who do you think will win? Let us know below.

@wiwibloggs_official Full scores and reviews of the Wiwi Jury can be found at wiwibloggs.com 🇮🇪 #Eurosong #Eurovision #ESC2022 #Ireland ♬ Eurosong 2022 – Ian