Eric Saade – Winning Ground

Football?

Tim: Football!

Tom: Football?

Tim: Nope, me neither. But here’s a song about it anyway, or at least vaguely associated with it – UEFA Women’s Euro 2013.

Tom: Crikey, that’s a minute or two longer than it needs to be.

Tim: You reckon? See, I really like this, but weirdly it took the fake ending to make me realise that. When it ‘finished’, I thought, “Oh, that’s it. Oh well, move on,” but suddenly found myself very happy when it came back for that closing section.

Tom: The middle-eight “look at the stars” was really the only standout part for me: that middle eight promises so much, and the rest of the song just didn’t deliver it.

Tim: Well, I really liked the “oh-oh, we’re winning” chant, but the chorus had seemed somewhat damp and dreary until the end bit, when it suddenly made sense and struck me as somewhat euphoric, especially once I realised the literalness of “calling out for another round, won’t stop now”.

Tom: That final chorus isn’t too bad, I suppose, but it took its time getting there.

Tim: It also became apparent that they missed a trick by not making more of the speedy “calling out for another round” that closes the song, because that’s a very good bit and it should have been used more. So overall, good, but if I hadn’t stuck with it to the end I probably wouldn’t have known that.