Switzerland’s Remo Forrer is headed to Liverpool — and he comes in peace.
His Eurovision 2023 song “Watergun” carries a strong anti-war message with lyrics that call for us to put down our weapons.
“No, I don’t wanna be a soldier, soldier,” he sings. “I don’t wanna have to play with real blood…can’t turn around, no water guns, just body bags that we’ve become.”
Watergun: Remo Forrer shares Switzerland’s Eurovision 2023 song
“Watergun” also nods to the ways boys are taught to embrace violence from a young age. It suggests childhood games foment adult aggression — or at least warp our perception of what it means to be a man.
“We were boys, play pretend, army tanks, army men….Where do we go? We’re standing on the frontline. Where do we go?”
Remo’s deep and resonant voice works well with the song. It plays to many of his strengths, which you’ll remember from the third season of The Voice of Switzerland, where he wowed the crowds with covers of “Someone You Loved” and “Say You Won’t Let Go”.
Twenty-one-year-old Remo, who is also a trained sports goods salesman, understands the significance of what lies ahead.
“For a Swiss musician there is nothing greater than the Eurovision Song Contest,” he says in the official SRF statement. “For me it’s the music ‘Champions League’ and an enormous honour.”
“The ESC is the biggest music event there is, and I find it incredibly inspiring to be in a place where all the participants share the same passion for music.”
What do you think of the song? Do you think that Switzerland can qualify from Semi-Final 1 of Eurovision 2023?
I always thought (or preferred to think) that the song was about a relationship between two men. Hence the reference to how boys used to play as kids. (Not necessarily the two boys who are now in a relationship). But now as a grown man, he feels like he in a bloody war, they are hurting eachother, and he “doesn’t want to be a soldier, soldier.” It gave the lyrics more meaning for me haha. Otherwise the lyrics come off really basic.
Dotan song “Numb” ref.
I really like this. It feels so nice to see that there is some quality songs in this contest. Switzerland – good job. Like the things with your ballads with guys who actually can sing.
So last year Switzerland were telling us that boys should embrace their emotions and not feel weak doing so.
This year they’re telling us that boys are expected to embrace violence from.a young age.
Next year im hoping Switzerland send a song about boys embracing a complete and utter change in sending a unique song to Eurovision that isn’t about boys embracing things lol. Although if you want to embrace one another, that’s cool with me 😉
It’s not about embracing violence. He doesn’t want to be a soldier, soldier. He wants out of the war zone.
I do enjoy it, it’s nice in a musical perspective. Remo’s deep and strong voice matches the atmosphere. The instrumentation is beautiful, the piano piece at the beginning is a very effective introduction to the song. The downside for me is the lyrics: too repetitive, and while I do understand the anti-war message, it doesn’t seem to carry the sincerity of someone who really would have experienced war and military duty. I’m not saying you cannot sing about war if you’ve not lived it ; but this song tries to tell the war from a personal and sensitive perspective, but… Read more »
This is great simply beautiful
This is not bad, I kinda like it. Great voice!
It has some strengths: his voice, some parts of the melody, the bridge before the final chorus and the finale of the music video. Nevertheless it is a basic kind of song. I like it and for now it will be in my top 10 though. For some reason it reminded me of Vincent Bueno’s Amen (not necessarily as a song itself but rather as far as the impressions I got from it are concerned). It’s certainly an upgrade from Boys do Cry but Switzerland are not at Gjon’s Tears level yet.
Best do far
Absolutely
This song is a really difficult one for me.. I love the message of it ans his voice is wonderful, but for a song with such a profound meaning, the lyrics are lacking… It may be weird, but I can actually tell that it is written by non-native English speakers – and usually thats fine for Eurovision – but I feel if you’re going to come to Eurovision with a song like this, it was to be 100%. This is one of those entries where I can actually feel that it is trying to make an impact, but for personal… Read more »
Two of the three songwriters are from the UK, the other is Polish.
I think he has a very nice voice to listen to and that’s my favorite thing about it. The musical aspect of the song is sort of just so-so, …the lyrics are meh. Sort of another one of those cliché “i’m trying to be deep and mean something” kind of deals to me :-/
That sort of leaves it upper-mid rank at this point to me. I could see this being a jury favorite but with a televote only semi, that means nothing.
As a composition, musically and vocally, this is a strong, well-produced entry. However, I strongly dislike the song’s lyrics and the approach the song takes to the theme of war. For me, it doesn’t work. At best, I think the lyrics are insensitive. At worst, I think this entry is cynically exploiting the conflict in Ukraine to produce what it thinks is an affecting anti-war song. The meaning of this is patronising and the mixed metaphors around violence and pacifisim are poorly conceived. The repetition of “just body bags that we’ve become” is particularly distasteful, especially for this year’s edition… Read more »
There are some strengths and some weaknesses here. The message of the song is clear, and Remo’s vocal works well. The video is artistically beautiful, albeit it’s a bit soft-hitting for the topics that the lyrics convey. However, the music… (look away now if you don’t want to find out). The key of the song (G-sharp minor) just stays put, and despite several attempts in the Chorus, it refuses to leave the ear. The change up of the beat in Verse 2 happens, and then doesn’t really lead to anything different afterwards. The musical climax at the end is fleeting,… Read more »
Hey, I think it’s time William and the Wiwibloggs Team consider the opening of a new section on this website: A discussion forum (of course, with the necessary regulations). It would be interesting to read and take part in discussions. For example, is Liverpool 2023 a weak edition of ESC? -among many other topics. Of course, without removing this comment box for the regular Wiwibloggs posts.
Agreed
Yeah – but oh my god why give an example of such a negative question – if you don’t like it- get over it and do something better with your day xxx ?
I watched the video and enjoyed.I listened to it without the visuals and wasn’t as impressed.
To put it in a nutshell, the staging will have to be good to elevate the song ,give his beautiful voice a great platform and offer Switzerland a chance to qualify.
*…and enjoyed it.
Remo has a beautiful voice and the track is very well produced, but I’m afraid Switzerland made the same mistake from last year, in the sense the message is important but the lyrics aren’t nearly as good as the intentions behind them.
did he really name his song WATERGUN?? ahahahahahahaa
No, because he did not write it. Argyle Singh, Ashley Hicklin, and Mikolaj Trybulec did.
I’m gonna pass this one too. It’s pleasant but it doesn’t really make me wanting to listen to it again. It will definitely struggle to qualify without the juries.
Don’t wanna sound rude, but the lyrics feel too virtue signaling and preachy for me, and the song overall isn’t any better 🙁
I thought Switzerland were on a roll with Luca and Gone, but it doesn’t seem to be the case anymore :/
* Gjon, freaking autocorrect
Completely off topic I’m so sorry but this randomly jumped into my head so I did it.
If I was in charge of splitting the 32 semifinalists into two semis manually this is what I would do. Thoughts?
Sorry this is very random but felt like sharing.
SF1
Albania
Austria
Azerbaijan
Croatia
Cyprus
Czechia
Denmark
Iceland
Ireland
Latvia
Lithuania
Netherlands
Norway
Portugal
Romania
Ukraine
SF2
Armenia
Australia
Belgium
Estonia
Finland
Georgia
Greece
Israel
Malta
Moldova
Poland
San Marino
Serbia
Slovenia
Sweden
Switzerland
I’ve tried doing something similar actually, but it’s not easy when we don’t know all the songs. It feels somewhat more balanced than the current semis we have so far though and I could totally see some countries benefiting from your split semis (Latvia or Croatia for example, both I hope will get through). Also small correction, Ukraine is not in any of the semis as they won last edition. 🙂 I would be interested to know your reasoning in some of those choices you made!
I did not think of ANY songs while making this. Purely country based. I looked at the pods and split them evenly, split up most best friends (Cyprus & Greece, Moldova & Romania) and also split enemies (Armenia & Azerbaijan)
Yeah, I thought about it about friend countries. Thinking about it, I feel like the biggest loser of this split would be Belgium as they would have a much harder time going through with your SF2.
I made sure to separate the two German speakers in Swiss & Austria, the two English speakers in Ireland & Aussie. Put Greece & Israel together to help each other and Azerbaijan & Cyprus together since they are separated from Greece & Israel. Ukraine is separated from Poland, Estonia & Finland are together cus Latvia & Lithuania are together. Finland also got Sweden who I wanted to split from the other two Scandi’s in Denmark & Norway so Iceland was left with them cus Finland is with Sweden. That way Estonia has one ally as do the other two Baltics… Read more »
I’m actually going to try and use a random generator and see what it comes up with. Can be fun.
And we got this:
SF1:
Austria
Azerbaijan
Belgium
Czechia
Cyprus
Finland
Greece
Iceland
Ireland
Israel
Lithuania
Poland
Slovenia
Serbia
Sweden
SF2:
Albania
Armenia
Australia
Croatia
Denmark
Estonia
Georgia
Latvia
Malta
Moldova
Netherlands
Norway
Portugal
Romania
San Marino
Switzerland
SF1 being tough once again.
How does San Marino keep avoiding death semis lmao
Well they didn’t last year actually nvm lol
It’s the underdog power, they are shielded by sheer support from all ESC fans.
Jokes aside, with these draws I’d have a feeling Poland and Iceland are the ones that have the most to lose here. And Malta dodged a bullet.
Ukraine is automatic qualifierq
I like it. It’s a really nice ballad with a good message. Unlike ”Boys Do Cry”, I feel like this hits the right tone. Not sure about the competitive aspect, though, especially in the slaughterhouse of semi 1, but good luck anyway! I can see this as a grower.
I’m not with you about the message. I think it’s done with a good intent but the message comes across as really preachy given the context Europe is in at the moment. And I can tell from Ukrainian people’s reactions on other platforms related to ESC that they do not like this song at all… :/
I can understand why. They don’t want to be soldiers either, but it’s not like it’s a choice.
Yeah that’s the problematic part indeed. I kinda hope they’ll change some of the poor wording choices here because I’m still convinced that they had good intentions.
It’s their right not to like it. I can understand that. However, I see it as a general rejection of the state of warfare from the younger generation who are often unwillingly pulled into it. The Russo-Ukrainian war is just the newest and the nearest example. It sadly happens a lot. It can also be seen as a rejection of mandatory military service, a practice some countries, Switzerland included, still have to this day (*I mean, sure all European countries offer a Civilian service too, but still…). I personally don’t agree with mms being a thing, so I can support… Read more »
Finally someone who understands the lyrics! 🙂
It can also be interpreted that way and I agree 100% with you about the mms. In France it’s being talked a lot lately and they’re trying to find a way to enforce it back, so I understand the concern. But I definitely see the other side about this song and I think the timing is kinda problematic. I’m torn on this to be honest, and I wouldn’t mind them rewriting some parts if needed to clarify the intent because I definitely see your point and your interpretation but it’s not what comes to mind to most reactors I’ve seen… Read more »
I am so glad I never had to do MMS. I would have not have coped, unless I was put in the military band playing an instrument or something like that. Like Netta.
Me too. In my country it has been over before it was my turn. If I had to do it, I’d definitely go into a Civilian service, helping around some school, hospice or public kitchen, or something like that. I respect those who choose to serve, but it has to be their choice.
In Greece we have mandatory military service for all men for 9-12 months. There have even been talks lately to make it even lengthier.
I think that after what happened in Ukraine, I believe that every country in Europe has had internal talks about returning or prolonging mms, but I hope that most will come to conclusion that forcing people to fight against their will is counterproductive, and that they should invest more in the professional army instead. At least I hope that Greece also offers Civilian service. In Croatia, before it was removed, the majority opted on that, which is another reason why the government found it pointless. But not offering it is against the UN Human rights regulations (I checked, and Armenia… Read more »
Finally!!
In my current top 10. Song by itself not extraordinary, but I do love his voice that boosts the song and text. Hope, he’ll deliver live with good staging.
Oof. The music isn’t bad, his voice is excellent but those are to be the most tone-deaf lyrics of ESC 2023.
TBH I’m more than satisfied if there are three songs I properly love in any year – that makes it a good year as far as I’m concerned – and I already have that with Finland, Sweden (if they choose Loreen) and Czechia so Switzerland can send whatever drivel they want.
Pleasant song, but something is missing
Tarts churning fondue to the beat of some exciting tinny rubbish next year please.
I’m not sure why this is being downvoted. Televoters will lap it up!
It’s a no for me.
Not terribly exciting, is it. Can we have Gjon’s Tears back, please?
It’s quite clear now that Gjon’s Tears was actually the exception for Switzerland, they have had much more success in terms of results but their other songs were still uninspired, including that annoying drivel from 2019 that’s one of the most overrated entries of all time.
I am really surprised that this doesn’t move the needle that much from last year’s entry…I think the worst thing that you can present at this year’s Eurovision is generic pop ballad because you won’t be able to count on juries to just keep you in the top 10–remember juries give points to 10 songs in prior semis, televoters just vote on 1-3 songs…so there was more breathing room for reasonably good songs with strong vocals to secure a spot in the final…this year, not so much–I think both this and the Netherlands could be vulnerable and really need to… Read more »
I am not sure even the jury will favour the Netherlands or Switzerland. They are not bad songs, but nothing special either. There is no vocal showing off, for example. So the impressions on the jury may be just the same as on the general audience. (And, by contrast, we do have very powerful vocals in this field, such as Alika of Estonia.) Thus, even if either of the two enters the final, I believe they will only finish in the middle, or below.
Am I the only one who absolutely loves this song??
No, I do too 🙂
Well, that’s at least two people then.
I like it, much better than some of the other ballads
I like it too. Very cinematic and rich instrumentation and I mean his voice is amazing
No, this is really great. A top 5 for me.
The way that some people keep saying that it’s a weak year only because the song from their countries or from their fav countries have not already been released and saying this country or this country will save Eurovision lol….I don’t agree, for example Norway is stronger than last year, Finland, Slovenia, Switzerland, France, Germany, Czechia too, Italy is as strong as last year, Moldova, Serbia and Spain too among others examples so what do you want more? If Sweden didn’t come stronger than ever with the personification of Eurovision herself there would be more potential winners in the running… Read more »
The songs chosen thus far from other countries are not of the same lad as previous years though. Most of the songs chosen this year would finish mid table in an ordinary year, or maybe even NQ like look at Norway for example one of the faves this year but the song is outdated and cliche it wouldn’t be a favourite in any of the previous 5-6 ESC’s. Also some people, myself included look for songs that transcend the ESC bubble and could be hits on their own outside the fandom, or to add to my mainstream Spotify playlist, that… Read more »
And I disagree with you. I have many of the songs from this year on my playlists, b/c I like them. But I’m getting used to it. When majority of the fans says it’s a weak year it’s a good year according to my taste. And when the majority of fans are satisfied, you’ll most likely see me grumbling over a edition with few songs to like 😉
On the contrary, I’ve added so many songs to my playlist from this year…so just because something isn’t your taste doesn’t mean it’s not amazing for someone else. I think ESC Addict is trying to make a point that calling this year “weak” is subjective. Don’t forget that during this time last year a lot of people were pessimistic about Moldova and even Serbia and look how both did at the live show! Let’s all just try to enjoy listening to some new music and root for your favorites to do well at the live contest. No need for all… Read more »
It’s not hate it’s a valid opinion.
I never said everyone has to find ESC this year weak, I was speaking if my own opinion, my comment explicitly stated “on my opinion”.
ESC addict made a point, I made mine, I don’t hate them, I don’t hate ESC, I don’t hate whatever you think I do.
Just giving my opinion.
I think you’re a bit too difficult and too demanding, that’s not true, there are great songs in the running, I know you’re disappointed for your country but it doesn’t mean that all the countries are disappointing imo.
Moreover the irish entry this year is among my favs maybe I’m weird compared to the majority but I really like We are one, it’s anthemic for me.
I’m not even on about Ireland I’m speaking in general about the other 20+ songs we have so far too.
We agree to disagree on that then ?, but let’s see the overall shows in May before, an outstanding show maybe could save this “weak” Eurovision in your eyes.
A guy who can’t sing without autotune and pre-recorded vocals better than The Rasmus. On what Planet ? It’s easy to pick 10 songs you think better than last year, that still leaves more than 25 worst and 2022 was not a strong year to begin with. I was watching some ESC tops on Youtube and I’m still shocked how poor this year is.
Idk. We have two incredibly competitive years in a row, when we have over half a dozen winning materials and even the middle ranks are very crowded. Even if you put Loreen, Käärijä, and Blanca Paloma back to these two years, I would not be certain that they could win, or even in top 5. Meanwhile, Alessandra is also around on a par with Elena Tsagrinou, Efendi, Stefania, and Eden Alene, let alone Chanel.
I can only say it just does not feel that competitive. Maybe this is on the same level as the 2019 or some earlier years though.
And ironically, I’d say there are many N(S)Fs that may be better than the ESC this year. Spain, Finland, and Serbia are all very competitive – at least most of their candidates can be easily imagined performing in the GF. Belgium also presents a very nice show.
What makes this even worse is the extremely unbalanced distribution. SF1 is literally a bloodbath, while for SF2, it is even difficult to find ten well-deserved qualifiers.
I’ve seen such comments ever since I started following ESC, I don’t take them too seriously anymore
I hear the same things every year so I think you’re right
Like I have said before in this conversation this song is good and if the staging is similar to the music video I could see this qualifying however let be real the semi final one has more songs that are likely to get the public vote because right now they are showcasing a more unforgettable package. For example Norway, Finland, Serbia, Czech, Sweden (if pick Loreen) definitely look like they are qualifying. Other songs that very likely to qualify is Netherlands, Moldova and Israel ( I would say she definitely qualifying because she does seem like she has a huge… Read more »
I can’t not think of the todrick hall song of the same name with that title and theme.
Boring song… are there any female singers in Switzerland??
I thought that this was gonna be boys do cry part two but it added a bit of dynamism towards the middle and the end. Overall this is middle of the road, nothing mold breaking. So with good staging and a killer live vocal this *could* qualify, but I would be shocked to see this on the left side of the scoreboard
Well written well sung but it feels like mor mode. Not a winner im afraid.
Quite good – Switzerland 8,5/12
This song is nothing spectacular, it should struggle to qualify considering the semi it is in, the only way this would be a 100% Q is with it having great staging and great vocals.
Anyway Poland’s representative Blandka has reached a new low by liking a comment talking trash about Ochman, and making fun of Jann for coming from a poor family.
All I wanna say is that this spoiled, rich and annoying personality deserves all the hate she is getting and I hope and pray she NQ.
Hopefully with a last place too.
Well she sounds simply charming. I cannot WAIT for her tat to not qualify.
Man, I had already disliked her entry for being unbearably bland and –also, her vocals were dreadful.
But now it sounds like she’s the Polish Angela Aguilar ffs
Who is Angela Aguilar?
A Mexican-American singer, the daughter of Pepe Aguilar (a renowned singer), but she’s more known for saying she’s 25% Argentine
Watergun sounds like what Snap was last year: a song which will do average at the contest (like a 22th place or something) and then somehow ends up going viral.
I’m pressing x to doubt on that one
Not at all ?
I always found the fanbase tepid response to ‘Snap’ a bit weird. I thought it was fantastic on first listen. If I remember rightly it came out the same day as some other songs and got a bit lost. Glad it found justice in the end.
Snap was infinitely more memorable than this.
I mean, it’s yet another ballad with the same mid-tempo recipe but, honestly, not that bad, the lyrics aren’t crigny either and the melody is enjoyable although missing a climax. 7/10, good luck, Switzerland!
Meh. Very meh. I really hope that Britain and Azerbaijan come heavy this year. If they don’t I’m rooting either for Czechia (who did the war theme right) or Slovenia for bringing joy as the world burns.
“Britain” *skull face emoji*
They have the biggest music industry in the world and they’re hosting. I think they’ll come out fighting.
Azerbaijan will most likely be meh.
And UK is most likely Birdy, with raincatchers.
I must say her song is good
If they go with ‘Raincatchers’ UK will probably win this year. That song will have a lot of appeal and there’s a lot more positive energy for the UK at the moment.
“Hoping for Azerbaijan” *skull face emoji*
Songwriters. Ashley Hicklin, English, representing his sixth country at the contest. Previously represented Belguim in 2010 and 2014, Lithuania in 2019, Spain 2020, Austria 2021, and Poland 2022. Argyle Singh, a Scottish singer songwriter. Mikolaj Trybulec, a Polish producer and songwriter, also representing his home country this year with “Solo”.
I like it!
Right?
Nice but definitely not exciting. Another entry this year that seem to focus on showcasing the artist talent rather than make a serious attempt at winning. Remember the C in ESC is “Contest….
It’s not that the songs this year are bad but they are so bland and forgettable even before the contest.
Nice song but I would prefer Italy’s song over this.
Finland deserves to win after hearing all these boring and depressing songs.
Let’s not forget than Marius Bear got 0 points in the televote last year, and this ballad, just like Marius’s, lacks any distinct personality. It’s not “Tout l’Univers” by any stretch of the imagination.
Its definitely not Tout L’univers but i prefer Remo’s song to Marius’ personally
Remo is better looking and the song is also not a skip for me (unlike Marius’s). But it’s still not something I’d remember after hearing it once.
Now that most songs have been released, I must say this: ESC 2023 has the least interesting songs since I started following Eurovision, back in 2009. Not even Loreen and Cha cha cha can save us.
This year easilly competes with the 1998-2002 weak era.
I must agree, almost nothing entered my playlist this year. Please Israel save the day with an infectious bop!
The only song to enter my “everyday playlist” so far is Loreen and Connolly. One isn’t selected yet and the other didn’t even make the cut.
It is a bit if a slow ESC year, it’s like everyone just expected someone like Ukraine to win again for obvious reasons and just didn’t try.
I really find Loreen’s song overhyped just because of the popularity of Loreen
I like the song what can I say?
If it’s selected it’ll be one of my favorites this year that’s just the way it goes.
Yes, Sir!!!
Yes, I too am optimistic that Israel will save us
I do think this unfortunately a weaker year. The only songs atm that I like that I think could be looked back on fondly are Czechia, Spain and Estonia. I do like others but I think those ones stand out as being unique and quality ( I like norway for example but there are other songs thst sound like it).
Also, theres so many bands this year, currently theres only 2 songs in the first half of semi 1 not performed by a band.
Totally agree. the third weakest in my opinion after 2020 which was a total disaster and 2011 that was such weak it was easy for AzerBUYjan to buy votes.
Nothing interesting, nothing that stands out. For now, I only like Czechia that could win, Norway (although it is nothing new on the scene, honestly) and Finland.
Still better then 2016 now that was a weak year. That and we got a taste of what really good years can do back to back.
Nah. There are still about 10 songs from 2016 I listen to regularly. So far this year, I have have only found three to even download (this being #3). One I am already beginning to tire of and may not still be on my playlist by the tome the contest comes around. This is by far the weakest year since I started watching ESC, also in 2009. I have no confidence in the public only vote in the semis. Some real undeserving trash is going to get through.
I wonder if this song was sent by Switzerland in the Pre-Luca Hanni and Gjon era would it be so well liked?
Seems those two entries made Switzerland the flavour of the month with the fandom. Two good entries and now they’re treated like some kind of ESC powerhouse.
Personally, this entry, while nice, doesn’t feel competitive enough. It’s not grabbing me in. Switzerland sent these kind of songs before Luca and Gjon and they NQd…however I wish Switzerland all the best, probably will qualify. But it’s not my style per say
Well, despite the emotional song and the lovely visual effects, Marius Bear did not receive any points from the televoting last year …
Doesn’t stop the fandoms on sites like this though