France: Madame Monsieur – Mercy

Shi: This year saw the return of the French national final, and I’m eternally grateful if only because it actually gave me some songs to listen to this year, something pretty much all other selections failed in doing.

Like the rest of their NF, “Mercy” actually sounds like a song straight off French radio. It manages to be current and modern and, at the same time, so very French – and not just because of the language. The lyrics and the story add a lot to the song, but I actually don’t think a translation or a presentation that explains it would help the song in any way. I think the song holds up musically as it is, and trying to explain it to those who don’t understand it will make it come across as tacky more than emotional.

My main concern about this, apart from the usual French difficulty in staging songs effectively, is that both members of Madame Monsieur, while photogenic, don’t exactly burn the screen with their presence. They are sympathetic, but also come across as shy, reserved and laid-back – and I hope that won’t hurt their ability to connect to the audience, especially in regions that tend to prefer more expressiveness.

Felix: I first knew the middle eight (from a snippet I’d seen), loved it while thinking it was the chorus, and only afterwards got to know the whole song and was slightly disappointed. Nevertheless, I like France a lot and, depending on the staging, it can achieve a great deal on Saturday night.

Martin: If there’s one thing I’ve learned this season, it’s that you can judge a person by whether they see “Mercy” as a warm humanitarian message or pro-immigration virtue signalling. Anyway, I’m delighted to see France making a real try of things this year. I don’t know if “Mercy” is a winner, but it’s a lovely song and it’ll continue their run of decent results.

video and title image source: eurovision.tv