The Wiwi Jury — our in-house team of music unprofessionals — is reviewing and rating the 37 competing songs in Eurovision 2024. Next we review the United Kingdom, who have chosen Olly Alexander with “Dizzy”.
Did the song put us in a spin? Read on to find out!
Olly Alexander – “Dizzy” (United Kingdom Eurovision 2024)
Review: Olly Alexander – “Dizzy”
Deban: Whilst Olly Alexander’s vocal aesthetic is distinctly 80s, the production on his records sounds fresh. “Dizzy” is faithful to his Years and Years signature, and packs a pulsating Eurovision sound. However, the secret ingredient here is well-timed, and won’t unveil itself until the live performances commence. With tons of experience on the festival circuit, Olly is an outstanding live act. Fasten your seatbelts because when “Dizzy” takes off, you’ll be transported to giddy highs.
Score: 7
Scarlett: We know Olly Alexander can deliver a radio-friendly song, which “Dizzy” absolutely is. There are a few standout moments where Olly’s falsetto shines, and the subtle key changes throughout the song are an intriguing, if slightly puzzling, touch. There is a lot of emotion bubbling beneath the melody, yet that emotion never quite breaks the surface. Instead, “Dizzy” feels a bit too timid and contained.
Score: 4
Pablo: This is quite possibly the sneakiest song of the year. What first comes across as a nice pop song, if a bit understated, becomes a loop one replays for hours on end without getting tired at all. Breezy verses, an interesting spoken-word bridge, and a chorus that gets stuck in your head at first listen — it’s pure, strong British pop through and through, a package to be proud of. If the staging is creative and the live performance makes the song appear bolder and punchier, “Dizzy” could be a real good treat for juries and public alike.
Score: 9
Tom: After a huge build up, initially, I was a little disappointed. Dizzy felt to me a little on one level. However, all of a sudden, I was singing it in the car, on the street, and in my house. It is living in my head, is sleeping in my bed, and it just won’t leave. The song is good, the production is on point, it is incredibly catchy and I feel that Olly has something special up his sleeve in Malmö – I can’t wait.
Score: 7
United Kingdom Eurovision 2024 ranking
In the Eurovision 2024 Wiwi Jury, we have 17 jurors but only have room for four reviews. The remaining scores are below:
|
Antranig: 3.5 Cinan: 7 Georgia: 4.5 Jonathan: 6.5 Lucy: 8 Ron: 6 Ruxandra: 9 |
Sebastian: 7 Simon: 7 Suzanne: 6 Tomas: 9.5 William: 6.5 Youyou: 6.5 |
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 3.5 and a high of 9.5.
Wiwi Jury verdict: 6.73/10
What do you think of the United Kingdom’s Eurovision 2024 entry? Share your own score and review for Olly Alexander’s “Dizzy” below!
Este Un Jeg Împu?it
I think people should realize there are some songs which will be a wow on the night and the final performance will be better than the studio version. First of all Sam Ryder had a mediocre song , but he delivered to the highest level giving me goose bumps. Do we honestly think man’s zelmerlow would have won without his balloon man ? . Olly has a song which is simple in lyrics , easier to sing and better to deliver with live movements and performance . He knows what he is doing , and I won’t be surprised if… Read more »
It has nothing going on for it. So much so you forget it while you are listening to it. He will be bottom 3. Not because it is terrible but because it is so meh. Then all the Brexit nonsense will start
Olly Alexander it Has No Woice!
It’s a dud and will be bottom 3 . And that is the song not Olly. Then we will get all the nonsense about Europe hating us for Brexit and supporting Israel and calls for the UK to withdraw. Yawn. I knew the wiwibloggers would wildly overmark it though. A 9??? Puhlease. Anything remotely gay and they just wet themselves
Is Robyn still in the jury?
UK can do so much better… This is so forgettable. UK is lucky to be a Big-5 as this would be a sure NQ. Look out for another nill point. 3/10
Firstly, kudos to Olly for stepping forward by approaching the BBC, expressing his desire to take part in eurovision. Here we know him as the credible frontman of a cool pop band. His live performances, particularly high budget ones at music award shows, rank him high as someone that pays attention to detail. The star quality doesn’t get much bigger in our current british music industry where the charts are normally filled with faceless, paint by numbers flash in the pans. releasing the same generic algorithm pleasing songs over and over again. Olly stands out as an artist. Onto the… Read more »
Great analyse.
Think you rather overstate Olly’s status there. He’s not exactly Harry Styles level. And the song is a total dud (very disappointingly)
We know it wasn’t written with the contest in mind, and that for me is the problem. It does not have a memorable moment or hook which will get people voting for it. That’s more important than ever with voting opening earlier. This could change with the staging, but if not I predict 22-26.
I agree, staging is going to be key. I get bored and hit <<next>> before the song finishes most of the time when it comes up on the playlist. But I don’t hate the song. It just isn’t captivating.
You know when people start fretting about staging that what they really mean is that song is crap
It is not awful but it struggles to hold my interest all the way through.
Pretty decent song 6.5/12
Regarding Eden. The song is phenomenal. In fact my score is 10/12
Too bad WiFi don’t give an honest review. This is against the spirit of Eurovision. Shame
UNITED KINGDOM – Olly Alexander is probably the biggest name to represent the UK since Bonnie Tyler. BBC isn’t playing around, and the fact that they are more frequently mentioned among potential winners this year than as a potential last place just confirms how far they’ve come. For me, Dizzy didn’t leave a huge first impression. It’s pleasant, but also structurally linear and without that much variety. The biggest shift comes within the third minute when the spoken part starts, and granted, it’s neat. Until then, there’s a lot of repetition, but on a plus side, the hook is quite… Read more »
Forgettable. Bottom 3
We definitely need another Sam Ryder (or equal talent) to bring the UK back to where it belongs since it has such a big and diverse music industry.
I keep thinking of up and comers I think should try Eurovision but then I think of how that usually works out and I don’t want them to take such a hard hit when they may not be able to absorb it and overcome. . . .
It could have been a masterpiece like King or Houdini, and I think that was the main problem. We all expected that. Nonetheless, I wish Olly a good result in May so many big names in UK dare to go to the contest in the future.
First of all, I have to praise the acquisition of an artist with as much popularity as Ollie Alexander has. After last year’s result, there was a real danger of the UK completely losing the momentum that Sam Ryder had built up. However, once again, the UK has an artist who actually has some sort of career in the UK music scene and is relevant. The song offered up by Ollie Alexander is absolutely full of his personality and musical preferences. Obviously, there’s no getting away from the obvious and quite deliberate comparisons to the Pet Shop Boys (the instrumental… Read more »
Obviously, am unable to share my review of the Israeli song here. I do also post my reviews (along with others) on the Grootyvision Discord server. So if you’re there, you can read it!
Why are you unable to share your review of the Israeli song? Have they banned people on here from talking about it? That is pretty messed up and it isn’t their job to censor your views. If that is the case then there is a strong case for discrimination here. I think the Israeli entry this year is fantastic, amazing voice. Just a shame that what’s going on outside the contest is affecting it
No comments in the Eden thread.
The Israeli song is extraordinary . Any other year it would be the favourite
Continental Europe will kill off any effort and motivation the bbc did have if they down vote Olly it’ll be on the bottom 5 road for another decade…
While it is going to need some work on the stage too make it more appealing and visual, I find the song itself very enjoyable and not harmful and Olly is a powerhouse that will make the song x100 interesting.
I guess my doubt is if, all in all, it really has what it needs to make an impact on the audience. It may get lost among other entries.
7/10
1. United Kingdom (7/10)
2. Georgia (6/10)
3. Israel (6/10)
4. Cyprus (4/10)
For this song, I’m going to talk about what makes it go round in circles musically and what makes it a pleasure to do so. I’m talking about the magic that is the incomplete “circle of fifths” (dizzy), combined with a raised third shift to the tonic major key (pleasure). Let’s look at the Chorus of “Dizzy”. If you start on a C and go down by the interval of a 5th each time, you get F, B-Flat, E-Flat, A-Flat, D-Flat – these exactly match the Bass Line and the chord sequence so far. Then the Chorus skips out half… Read more »
Staging idea. Kaa from The Jungle Book looming large on LED screen, colourfully hypnotic snake eyes swirling, with Olly as the delicious man cub Mowgli.
Why??? ???
Colour and fun! No revolving camerwork to make the viewers dizzy too, please. Just an idea… one of many I have!
What happened at LEP? Olly looked bored, uninterested! Rylan tried to cheer him up but Olly didn’t smile. BBC need to support him and give him a big boost. I have a feelin that Olly regrets taking part in ESC (at least this year) i truly hope it does not distract him from giving his 100% on stage. Please don’t flop!
Well you can’t blame him for wondering why his picked THIS year, with such a huge elephant in the room set to overshadow the entire contest. I do hope that something will happen in the next 30 days to prove me wrong.
I bet antranig and Scarlett are baby lasagna fans … taste level questionable
There’s no questionable taste level. Everybody has their opinion and preferences.
Olly Alexander is the only charting Eurovision-picked artist (however, barely reaching a TOP-20) in Lithuania besides Silvester Belt, who managed to stay in the first place for 55 days already. We usually have a good sense for viral songs since Kaarija and Loreen last year started charting in Lithuania way before the contest day. I think Olly will do just fine if he manages to maintain the hype.
Interestingly, “Un Ragazzo Una Ragazza” by The Kolors (Sanremo 2024) is the other song from the Eurovision season to be charting at the moment.
Lithuanians have great taste! Olly, Silvester, and The Kolors are great.
Which charts? I would bet most are on some chart somewhere. In their home countries to be sure but also likely in neighboring countries and there’s always some song that randomly strikes a chord with the people somewhere no one really expected.
Grossly underscored
I understand that the wiwi team (the core team) is from the UK, and there’s a positive tendency towards all UK entries, which is fair enough. I can’t see how this song is a treat for both juries and the public. It’s a good song, radio-friendly and easy to listen. This is my opinion on the song per se. When it comes to the contest, I am not sure how competitive it is and how much it can stand out from the rest. Compared to the other entries, it’s a safe pop song, but it’s kind of repetitive. Plus, we… Read more »
Yeah, but the purpose of these scores is to evaluate song quality, not chances of winning… so we shouldn’t!t focus too much on odds or chances.
True. Odds are just trends not predictions. And (as a data person here), even if a song has 99% chances of winning, that 1% is equally likely to happen (or not happen). It’s pure statistics.
In my top 10 this year but man, that LEP clips scared the s*** out of me. Sorry, Olly.
His mental health has taken a battered due to these protesters hassling him, he’s a human being he had an off night.
Yeah, I kinda figured that must’ve been the case. Terrible.
UK ,Dizzy by Olly 7.5/10 for me.
Would do beter than the last spot this year!!
All the best.
When there are no names for those who rated and commented, the meaning of this is fear, and by the way, the rating is very low, which does not reflect the quality of the song at all, and when there are no names in addition, it feels like a biased and unreflective score. An excellent ballad, develops beautifully and catchy. They need to invest in the staging; I really hope it will be captivating and unusual that has not yet been seen in the competition, think outside the box. There are not many ballads in this year’s competition; in the… Read more »
Silver star.
P.S. All these Pet Shop Boys comparisons… they actually released a new 3 minute track themselves this week, Dancing Star. If that were the U.K. entry, how would it fare? Honorary bronze star.
Ironically Dizzy sounds more like Pet Shop Boys than Dancing Star.
You know what Dizzy reminds me of? Dana International’s Ding Dong. Dunno, must be the bells…but there’s something in the melody as well.
Ding Dong would have done better if she hadn’t given it such a stupid title. People immediately stop taking it seriously. It’s actually not that bad.
I like it much better than Diva, actually.
Layla Tov Europa 1995 is still my favourite, I think…
She was a writer on Israel’s 2008 song too, also great. Ding Dong just sound silly as a name.
Me too!
It was my fav back in 2011. Overall terrible year, tho.
True!
Anyone know if the OGAE groups have started giving their results yet? I know they don’t usually get it right and the same kind of songs always get the high marks but it’s a fun part of the season.
Wiwibloggs usually cover it but don’t seem to be this year.
Check out the OGAE website, the votes have started to come in
Cheers Andrew I’ll check it out 😀
Surprised Wiwi aren’t reporting on it
I understand their policy.
They are saving Grace!~!
if they do this it isnt good , if the choose for option that , it isnt good either.
OGAE Sweden are releasing an “official” theme song for this year’s contest. Called ‘We Are One (United By Music)’, it comes out next week and is sure to be… um… special! Look out for it.
Seriously?
If you’re not joking I’ll actually be all over that
Seriously! I got an email about it and I’m not even a member. Damn cookies.
I think they’re trying to make it an annual thing, where the “host” OGAE provides an annual theme song to be played at all Eurovision week events.
This just made my night.
Sheer curiosity alone has me so ready for that
You guys are so overreacting with Eden…
Not allowing people to comment and not exposing the scores and names?
You know what? Forget the names, the scores though? What’s the problem?
You’re just adding more fuel to the hatred this year…
Lemme just add one more thing
I hope we all know that they’re afraid of those who hate Israel
The Wiwi jurors wouldn’t dare say a good thing about us publicly now, because of the haters, as they know – that’s the violent group
I think your comments have justified the anonymity. Maybe it’s best to just accept that they’re simply reviewing the song, nothing else. Most of us don’t want yet another political debate on here 😉
They wouldn’t even let the people have a debate on the song though.
I want them to treat us fairly, like all other countries and like every other year.
I don’t want to attack them for their opinions, neither about the song nor the war.
The fact they didn’t want to reveal anything was because of people who hate on Israel who can’t stand an article about us or a positive critisicm on the song.
I even said they could literally at least reveal the scores without the jurors, those are just numbers…
Fair point. Agree that we should be able to discuss the song. Unfortunately I think the discussion would go beyond the song. For what it’s worth, I rather like it 🙂
There is many places on the internet where you can discuss Eden‘s song.
It’s understandable why people would want anonymity. Say something good, people assume one thing. Say something bad, people assume something else. Maybe people just want to review a song and not have political motives attached to it? Seems reasonable to me.
Very disappointing. One of the few songs this year I had lots of positive things to say about.
It’s widely known that the P*lestine supporters are as peaceful as a school of piranhas. Wiwi are scared sh*tless and their anonymous cowardly “reviews” are absolutely pathetic. Less than a year ago they drooled over the Israeli entry by the way. It’s not as if the P*lestinian Israeli conflict just happened in October 2023.
My favourite this year . The minute it starts it feels like you are being transported back into the 80’s but staying in the present at the same time . Looking forward to the staging in finals as I’m positive Olly will deliver . Will be listening to this song long after Eurovision end .
I think it’s more the 90’s..
I’m afraid it won’t do that well, the song itself is not spectacular as his previous Years&Years bangers…
When I first heard this song, I didn’t think much to it. Then I heard it again this week without any hype and without recognising the song, it sounded a great song! Just shows the hype has a negative impact on first listening.
UK 6,5/12
20. UK – Olly Alexander – Dizzy – 6.5/10 – a suitably spiraling production, I like that the melody and structure are not predictable. The spoken part is great, I needed much more of that. On an overall basis, the track is a little uninspiring so it needs a strong visual presentation to succeed in Malmo.
Could you stop using this particular photo? It really does make Olly look annoying and unattractive. He has so many good pics online.
Bit rude
This is a very good pop song regardless.
Fair rating and also the fact thst it is first so far on your rankings. I personally am not such a big fun of the entry but I agree that it has been umderrated for quite some time now.
Ah, the UK, been playing it safe with pop songs for years now, and while for Sam Ryder they had a really good entry, I fear that other than that, none of the recent UK entries were particularly interesting. That trend keeps on going this year, despite Olly’s interesting vocal sound, the song just doesn’t do much to keep me engaged for its runtime. The minimalistic instrumentation gets repetitive and the vocal doesn’t do much either. While Olly has got some good songs in his discography, this one is definitely not among his best for me. I’m gonna give this… Read more »
UK really do play it too safe. I prefer the old novelty acts they sent compared to generic pop! Yes, I mean SCOOCH!
7TH PLACE: UNITED KINGDOM: First things first, I find Olly to be a great artist. The song is exactly what I expected it to be, to be honest: a modernized but 80s kind of pop song, really reminiscent of the 80s British pop/synth hits, and as a result I am not disappointed. I agree with the parallelisms many people in the comments have made between Dizzy and the music of the Pet Shop Boys. Perhaps it needed a bit more of a climax, or more twists and a less predictable development, as it can feel flat towards the end but… Read more »
Stripping the Pet Shop Boys’ “It’s a Sin” of its dark grandeur and recasting it as a sweet song of infatuation is actually a pretty brilliant idea. That song’s “sense of shame” is gone, except for a lingering streak of melancholy in the melody. I wished for a fuller sound when this was released, but now it sounds just right to me– this isn’t a song that needs to feel earth-shattering, I don’t think. The bridge still sounds like a placeholder for something better, though. This has grown on me a lot in the last couple of weeks, and right… Read more »
I think at least some sense of shame lingers, what with the gender-neutral lyrics. As usual. Just a minor gripe I often have.
olly surely should be able to get us out of the bottom 5 please! i’d be happy with top 15 if that’s at a push. personally, really quite like the song, not a winner but not dreadful and makes you hate our entry like others in the past (not naming names lol)
I actually have it 7th. I also like the pet shop boys vibe and it’s a great production. Knowing that UK songs are usually overrated by bookies, I fear how it will do on the night. I hope juries save it.
12) “Dizzy” – Olly Alexander (United Kingdom) There’s always a place where to like British pop in Eurovision. Dizzy is in the right place here, with lyrics and melody playing on the theme of some perpetual uncertain restart and gimmickly saying “mmm” to all of this ; that’s enough to make my head spin for three vertiginous minutes. Olly is an artist with ultra-charisma potential and I discovered the excellent “It’s a sin” thanks to its selection for the UK. My impression nowadays is that the song could very well have appeared on the soundtrack to the serie. Score :… Read more »
I like it, it’s a very good pop song but it is a bit generic. Won’t do as well as Sam Ryder but will do better than Mae Muller – probably high on right side of the leaderboard
Olly will definitely be a great presence in Eurovision and I’m glad about this finally happening. Shame about the song tho, it could’ve been better but it’s good enough to not be last place contender so he’s safe.
It’s a good song. Not particularly strong, but catchy and with personality. It serves its purpose and I’m sure the UK can do nicely with it.
Like a nice cup of tea. Shame though, because the UK could really send something more adventurous.
This is definitely a radio song. It’s got a real catchy element to it, that can get stuck in the head. However, lyrically again I struggle with it, the eternal garden and flower. I also at times find it chorus heavy.
Score 5.5/10
I like this song a lot and I have the impression that it’s not so well rated because people expected more from Olly Alexander.
Me personally, I am not British and not a big follower from this kind of music, so I basically did not know Olly Alexander before, and I think it is a great song. In my top 10 this year.
If this song was performed by an unknown artist it would be considered one of the weakest entries this year and nobody would rate it higher than 5. It’s just so meh that is hurts. Being meh is worse than being bad in ESC.
This is the kind of music I like to hear while I’m working or relaxing. Really just my kind of musicl. But unfortunately I don’t think this’ll work at Eurovision, a real highlight is missing. If they don’t do something exceptionally with the stage I’m afraid this won’t do too well.
This song is addictive!! If anyone knows anything about Theo Adams, you know the staging is going to be wilddddd. The song is a good base for that. The song is also quite short, there’s a whole 10/15 seconds to play with. I am READY.
I agree with this. Team Olly and the UK delegation know what they are doing. Some songs (a lot of them in fact) we now have a good picture of what they’ll be like on the night. With Dizzy, there is a good part of the product we simply haven’t seen yet and that is throwing things off for now. This is going to go somewhere else, and it won’t be anything like the video, and nor the simple performances of the parties. I think this is one of the bigger transformations we’re going to see. It’s making it very… Read more »
I do like the pet-shop boys sound. It is a professional song and you can tell that Olly is an experienced performer.
I think UK will finish 10-15
Beside “Luktelk”, this is the song i listen to mostly. I love this Pet-Shop-Boys-Vibe and can´t get enough of it. And i love Olly as an artist. It´s one of four songs, i will definetly call for.