It’s our first Big 5 country and automatic qualifier in the countdown – Germany. Now while the UK has had a rough run in recent Eurovision (Sam Ryder excepting), take a thought for poor Germany – since 2015, they’ve come either last or second from last every year bar 2018 when they came 4th. Even the spectacular stage show of Lord of the Lost last year didn’t prevent a second consecutive last place. Is there any way that their entry this year, “Always on the Run” by Isaak can avoid the same fate?

---

Isaak is a singer-songwriter who has featured in a couple of TV talent shows, winning one (“Show Your Talent”) and had a top-10 hit in the German charts in 2022 in collaboration with German DJ David Puentz. He’s one of the co-writers of “Always on the Run”, the song that unexpectedly won the German national final. I say unexpectedly, but he actually ran out as winner of both the international jury and the German public vote, with the fan favourite coming third.

The song is, I have to say, very pleasant and easy to listen to – midtempo, catchy, well sung, inoffensive/uncontroversial. Some people were comparing Isaak and this song to Michael Rice and his 2019 entry for the UK, “Bigger than Us” and while I can see why the comparison is made, I think Isaak’s song is a stronger and more appealing entry. What it is not, is especially groundbreaking and it does rather fall into that “mid” style, pleasant pop songs that Germany and also the UK have had the tendency to send in recent years.

Being a Big 5 country, we don’t need to talk about qualification and can move on to the chances in the final. With Germany (as with UK), it’s often more a question of whether they will finish in last place rather than win. It would be a hattrick of last places if this did come last, but I think his vocal might attract some jury points. Televote could be trickier – not because it’s a bad song, but just it’s that classic decent song that won’t attract enough people to actively vote for it. He’s half Icelandic though, so perhaps can hope for a few points from them in the public vote.

I think Isaak does have a path to not finish last, given there will be songs that are less favourable to juries, but it’s whether that jury vote will be enough to keep him ahead if those low scoring jury songs get bigger televote points. It’s doable for sure, but I suspect it won’t be enough to avoid a bottom 5 result. A shame, as I think he’s a good singer and song is decent, but that is just the way the voting goes in Eurovision.

---

---

Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest