My Last Breath

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My Last Breath
James Newman
publication February 27, 2020
length 2:34
Genre (s) pop
Author (s) James Newman, Adam Argyle, Ed Drewett , Iain James
Producer (s) Adam Argyle
Label BMG Rights Management (UK) Ltd.

My Last Breath ( English for my last breath ) is an English-language pop song that was interpreted by James Newman . He wrote it with Adam Argyle, Ed Drewett, and Iain James. The United Kingdom would have taken part in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 in Rotterdam with the title .

Background and production

At the end of February 2020 it was announced that James Newman would represent the United Kingdom in the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest. A public preliminary decision was not made, instead the title and artist were selected internally by the BBC TV channel in cooperation with BMG . The title was written by him, Ed Drewett, Iain James and Adam Argyle while staying at Loch Linnhe . The latter also produced it. In addition, Argyle played the bass guitar , guitar and piano in the title .

Iain James already composed the Grand Prix titles Running Scared and Love Kills , Newman wrote the lyrics for Dying to Try (Ireland 2017).

Music and lyrics

According to Newman, they were inspired by the documentary The Last Breath - Caught on the Sea Bed, which is about a diver who lost contact with his team in the North Sea . The original title of the film is the eponymous Last Breath . Newman and his team then wondered how far you would go to achieve something for another person.

The title consists of two stanzas, which alternate after a refrain. The pre-chorus is sung only once before the first repetition of the chorus. Then it acts as a bridge, which is sung before the last repetition of the chorus.

Music video

The music video, which was released at the same time as the song, shows Wim Hof swimming and Newman himself in the landscape around Schneekoppe . They were inspired by Hof's breathing method to shoot the video. The director was Charlie Lightening.

At the Eurovision Song Contest

As a member of the so-called “Big Five”, the United Kingdom would have been eligible to start directly in the final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2020. However, due to the advancing COVID-19 pandemic , the competition was canceled.

reception

Alexis Petridis, critic at the Guardian , did not think the title had a good chance at the Grand Prix and drew a comparison with various successful British artists. The song is not out of place if you put it on the BBC Radio 2 playlist, but it would not attract attention either. The in-house criticism did better: Mark Savage described the premiere of the title as a comical moment when it was played between Dua Lipa and Harry Styles and it was not even given the appearance that the show had been hacked. The title is neither a winner nor an embarrassment, but a step forward in contrast to the last few years. Like Petridis, he compared the chorus to Coldplay's style .

The fan magazine ESCXtra also praised the quality of the title, but you are playing it too safe with it. The German-language blog ESC Kompakt criticized the refrain.

publication

The single was released on February 27, 2020. With a length of 2:34 minutes, it is also the shortest track in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b credits. In: TIDAL . Retrieved June 10, 2020 .
  2. ^ A b Pedro Santos: James Newman to represent United Kingdom in Eurovision 2020: "My Last Breath". In: Eurovisionworld.com. February 27, 2020, accessed June 10, 2020 .
  3. ↑ a b c Steve Holden: Eurovision 2020: James Newman announced as United Kingdom's entry. In: BBC . February 27, 2020, accessed June 10, 2020 .
  4. ^ Graham Clark: From Settle To The Eurovision Song Contest - James Newman To Represent The UK In: Yorkshire Times. February 29, 2020, accessed June 18, 2020 .
  5. ↑ James Newman Unveils UK Eurovision Song Contest 2020 Entry 'My Last Breath'. In: Essentially Pop. February 27, 2020, accessed on June 15, 2020 .
  6. ↑ Which country performs in which Eurovision 2020 Semi-Final? In: eurovision.tv. January 28, 2020, accessed March 26, 2020 .
  7. ↑ Eurovision 2020 in Rotterdam is canceled. In: eurovision.tv. March 18, 2020, accessed on March 26, 2020 .
  8. ↑ Alexis Petridis: James Newman: My Last Breath - UK Eurovision 2020 entry is serviceably bland. In: The Guardian . February 27, 2020, accessed June 17, 2020 (English).
  9. ↑ Luke Malam: Xtra Insider 2020: We Review the United Kingdom! In: ESCXtra. April 25, 2020, accessed June 19, 2020 .
  10. ↑ Benjamin Hertlein: ESC-Songcheck compact (41) - United Kingdom: "My Last Breath" by James Newman. In: ESC compact. April 30, 2020, accessed June 19, 2020 .
  11. ↑ My Last Breath - Single. In: iTunes . Retrieved June 19, 2020 .
  12. ↑ Eurovision 2020 - A Tribute To The Artist And Songs - Featuring The Songs From All 41 Countries. In: iTunes . Retrieved June 19, 2020 .