(Fwrd Axis) — After introducing our readers to the Eurovision Song Contest in general, it’s time to look at the 2022 edition of the contest. The songs competing this year all have different chances, and the oddsmakers have put them in various categories. In this series, we see each category.
With a contest of 40 songs, they can’t all be good, and that’s what the oddsmakers think about these bottom 10 ranked teams. While taste is different to the oddsmakers (your writer doesn’t feel all these songs are that bad), a consensus has come around these songs as non-qualifiers. One will almost certainly be at the bottom of the overall rankings.
The oddsmakers have that last-placed song as North Macedonia’s Circles. It feels fair, the song is slow, and it’s hard to see a broad enough appeal to get points by being in the top 10 of many countries. Lithuania, Slovenia, and Iceland are joining North Macedonia with that sort of song.
Also in the bottom 10 are two pop songs that aren’t hitting the mark for oddsmakers. Romania with the Spanish-inspired Llamame is perhaps being punished because it isn’t fitting in. Ireland’s That’s Rich was released early and has become tiresome to people so is struggling.
Also on the early released songs list is the first song announced, Bulgaria with Intention, which came across as a safe rock song from a very experienced rock band. This song isn’t helped by having the line “they were sending me to war,” given the current environment in Europe.
Denmark’s The Show is another rock band in the bottom 10, which hasn’t hit enough people. The all-woman rock band’s song has much going on at times, which is difficult in three minutes.
The final members of the bottom 10 are pop songs that have got a little out of hand, leading to pessimism around their chances. Israel with I.M feels like a song that has escaped Ru Paul’s Drag Race, and it will struggle with juries. Austria’s Halo is a catchy song in the studio. Still, Eurovision is a live singing contest and the live vocals haven’t been holding up.
