So, here we have it: the UK’s first post-Brexit Eurovision entry. Is this the song to bridge all those divides? To win back hearts and minds on the other side of the Channel? To finally catapult us back to the halcyon days of 1997, when Katrina and the Waves were crowned Eurovision victors?
The answer is almost definitely no. Our British hopefuls have endured a torrid time at recent contests, with 2009 the last time we even managed to break into the top 10 — in 2019, we finished dead last, with Michael Rice’s Bigger Than Us the wimpering victim.
Now, we have a new contender: James Newman, brother of singer John Newman, and a BRIT Award-winning songwriter who has previously penned tracks for the likes of Ed Sheeran, Olly Murs and Calvin Harris. Unlike previous years, the choice of which song goes to represent these isles at the contest has been taken away from the public, and put into the hands of record label BMG.
The results are distinctly uninspiring. My Last Breath is a by-the-numbers slog of woah-oh balladry. Opening with a few bars of muted acoustic guitars, the lyrics — delivered in pleasant, husky tones — are clichéd and non-descript from the off. “Some people let go/ Some people let love slip away/ But I'm gonna hold on/ When no one believes, I'll keep the faith.” Is this about a fading relationship? Or the government’s post-Brexit negotiations with the EU? Possibly both? Who knows.
The chorus is a bit of a singalong, and the hook is fairly catchy — you can tell that Newman has experience in the songwriting game. As an album track on his own release, it would be fine. As a Eurovision entry, it’s surely going to fall flat. At just over two-and-a-half minutes, at least it all goes by rather quickly.
If we were serious about winning, surely we’d have chosen something more contest-friendly — something camp, fun and Europop-ish. This is anything but. Nil points.
