Phil: A work of genius. Quiet genius, but genius nonetheless. Yes, yes, I am aware that I am doing the whole “Croatia is ace” thing – but clearly, it is fantastic. Croatia’s Eurovision 2009 entry is so understated and is a good old-fashioned “what?!” moment that they may well get the punters at home thinking, “That seems fun – I’ll vote for that.” 75 Cent is brilliant – he doesn’t do too much and is clearly the class of the song, and the woman dancer does not do anything you would expect and takes the eye of those who like this kind of thing. As has been mentioned, it is the song of the second semi-final that should get people talking because it’s in a different class from anything else. It doesn’t have pyros, or masks, or guitars … It has an older boy band, singing about “this is how it used to be” – and essentially, what’s wrong with that?? It is going through and has been mentioned as a possible winner in some circles …
Nick: Croatia has got a ‘water-cooler moment’ going on. If it qualifies, those who watched the semifinal will be at work on Friday morning saying, “You have got to look out for Croatia, it’s bizarre and brilliant!” And they will be right. To the winning – perhaps. Or perhaps not – but it’s guaranteed to make even the grumpiest of viewers raise a smile, and that’s good enough for me.
