Monday, February 21, 2011

Bosnia and Herzegovina: Dino's "Love in Rewind"

Well, the Bosnian presentation show just wrapped up a few minutes ago, and after a number of great performances from last year's representative Vukasin Brajic, 1997 Italian representatives Jalisse, and Turkish superstar Mustafa Sandal, we finally got to hear what we had been waiting for:

Dino Merlin, who represented Bosnia and Herzegovina back in 1999 with "Putnici" and wrote the nation's 1993 entry "Sva Bol Svieta", will sing, surprisingly enough, in English this year with "Love in Rewind".  This mid-tempo song has a positive feel...it's really quite lovely, actually!  But that being said, I'm not a huge fan of the choreography.  I loved Laka's childlike performance back in 2008, but somehow it doesn't quite work as well for Dino. 

Watch his performance below, and let me know what you think!


All in all, I think that Dino Merlin's done Bosnia and Herzegovina proud once again.  He's a well-respected veteran performer known all throughout the region, and I would be shocked to not see him not qualify out of his semifinal on May 12th.  (But, in all honesty, I would have loved to have heard "Love in Rewind" sung in Bosnian...)

(Edit: I've had a few days to let "Love in Rewind" sink in, and as I review the song and the video, I've come to the realization that in a strange way, the carnivalesque atmosphere presented this week with the song actually works really well.  The song and performance keep steadily growing on me, and it doesn't even matter anymore if he's singing in English, Bosnian, Esperanto or Korean.  In my eyes, this song is absolutely beautiful as it is.  I disavow my previous doubts and congratulate Dino on a masterful composition!)

12 comments:

  1. I completely agree!! Good song, but it would have been nice to hear it in Serbo-Croatian.. ah well.... His english is not the best, ha.

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  2. The more I listen to it, the more I like it...and considering I liked it the first time I heard it, that says a lot! This goes near top of my list!

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  3. I'm dissapointed about everything songs for it's time. "Lejla", "Bistra voda", and "Pokusaj" were much better. I think that ESC becomes weak. ESC in 2006,7,8 is more, more interesting that could be in Duesseldorf....

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  4. Well, keep in mind, my Anonymous friend, that there are still 27 songs, as of today, that are to be decided or released, and a few more that are going to be revised, translated, or updated...I'm sure that there will be something that will wow you! :-)

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  5. I really like this song; it is comedic and romantic at the same time. For some reason, though, it seems rather short for a Eurovision entry. I checked it, and it is indeed three minutes, but why does it sound shorter than it actually is? It could just be me, but...

    Yes, I would have preferred it in Serbo-Croatian (that is the language spoken Bosnia, is it?), but that is no reason to hate the song. I caught you commenting on the web stream, so you must have seen the slew of negative comments that suddenly appeared once the song began. I was surprised myself, but I do not hate the song just because of that.

    Besides, it is not all in English; check it:
    One to a hundred multiplied by you
    It all looks great, it all looks cool
    Healthy children go to school
    My daughter’s in love, my son loves, too

    Oh, on the surface, oh in the distance
    It’s all the same
    Oh, in the darkness, oh don't you notice
    What a different game

    If you take this life from me today
    Tear it up and bury me away
    You'll just find two, three songs of mine
    Hundred worries of mine
    Your love, your love in rewind
    You'll just find two, three songs of mine
    Hundred worries of mine
    And all your love in rewind
    (Sito)

    One to a hundred multiplied by two
    It's less about me, it's less about you
    We keep on running from certainty
    But don't know where to run from reality

    If you take this life from me today
    Tear it up and bury me away
    You'll just find two, three songs of mine
    Hundred worries of mine
    Your love, your love in rewind
    You'll just find two, three songs of mine
    Hundred worries of mine
    And all your love

    Kad se moj zivot malo prosije
    Pa na vrhu ostane najkrupnije...

    By the way, I really love the fancy ending.

    As far as I am concerned, Bosnia and Herzegovina is back on track in terms of what I expect from it. Last year was a disappointment since Thunder and Lightning was not an example of why I love this country so much in Eurovision.

    I think he could keep some lyrics in English like "oh on the surface, oh in the distance" and "love in rewind", and change the rest to Serbo-Croatian. What do you think?

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  6. One more thing: I liked the performance and choreography, too! I think it suited the comedic and romantic air of the song.

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  7. I was commenting on the web stream, yes...I definitely don't hate the song, not by a long shot. It's actually very quickly risen to my Top 5! I was more surprised than anything else to hear Dino singing primarily in English, as I had never heard him do so before. I'm also a linguistics nerd, so the more diversity in language that I hear in Eurovision, the happier I tend to be.

    But yeah, there were definitely some folks on the board who reacted negatively when they first heard it...but they've had a day to let the song sink in, and I'd think (or at least hope) that a more than a few of them have likely come around! ;-)

    I actually really liked "Thunder and Lightning" (although I preferred it as "Munja i Grom")...it was a departure from BiH's normal style, but as a rock fan, I appreciated it. But "Love in Rewind" is definitely a return to what they seem to do best. I can't wait to see it live in Düsseldorf!!

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  8. The only ones who seem to like Thunder and Lightning seem to be rock fans. But does it really differentiate itself from other rock songs? Lyrics were also quite awkward sounding in English, so Serbo-Croatian would have hidden any awkward vibes effectively. Why did the juries go for this as much as they did? I hope these juries are not comprised of snobs who think they are doing a service to us by shoving "classical rock" down our throats! I think we are entitled to a detailed explanation from the juries as to how they make their choices.

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  9. Dear Samantha,

    the song is gorgeous. People from Bosnia want to hear it in bosnian, too. But Ihink English is such a good choice. Bosnians are very interested to get into contact with other people and to integrate. Singing in English is a Sign to show this Purpose.

    Greet from Germany :)

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  10. Hi Samantha,
    Terrific blog I am reading for the first time this evening here in the UK. I loved 'Love In Rewind' from the first time I heard it, and with each listen I love it even more and it keeps putting a smile on my face. There is nothing else in this year's ESC that comes close to the quality of this song imo. Dino has wonderful charisma and I do not have a problem with the staging. It fits the tune perfectly and his joy is infectious. It's an authentic, catchy, feel-good tune and highly original. What this song has is a true heart. I think it speaks to anyone with a soul. I really hope it wins.

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  11. Thanks for stopping by...I appreciate the compliment! :-)

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  12. Just a heads up:

    I can now see Love In Rewind winning it all! He comes across as such a natural performer, whose performance should flow compellingly (like Paparizou's, Rybak's, and Meyer-Landrut's performances), as if the music is playing out of his body. His winner's reprise would come just as naturally. Do you see it? The whimsical song itself sounds totally natural, to boot!

    Just thought to let you know, I suddenly had that vision! Dino winning in Düsseldorf makes perfect sense to me, from all I can piece together. What do you think? Is it a bit early to make such a prediction? I know we still await more entries, but I cannot imagine any of the remaining countries topping the Bosnian effort, not even the revered Sweden!

    -Finland

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