Growing Up Is Getting Old by Victoria
Victoria is all up in her own head. She’s struggling with all her overwhelming emotions, using the engaging metaphor of them falling like a game of Tetris and having to be guided into their right spaces. It’s a powerful image. She has to delve deep into happier memories, knowing that ultimately the answers are all to be found there alongside the anxiety, once everything is processed. Her message for any listener in similar distress is that you’re worth saving, and this ultimately turns a song of despair into one of hope and optimism.
Gentle, pizzicato strings underline the fragility of both the melody and the lyrics, and the result is another beautiful song, though one which doesn’t quite replicate the magic in Tears Getting Sober. The video starts with a crackling TV set announcing the news of 2020’s cancellation, cleverly linking this to last year, and suggesting the jumble of emotions the song deals with may be the impact of it.
It’s undeniably Victoria’s signature style: there are strong echoes of last year’s entry in the sound of this, and all her options in this year’s selection were clearly sonic siblings. If I have a gripe about the selection it’s this: comparing 6 similar songs back-to-back it was difficult to tell them apart. Once you’re listening to one of them in isolation you can better appreciate its own qualities. I feel any of the choices would have had similar impact and chance if chosen, and in that it all feels somewhat less of a meaningful choice.
My marks: 7 points
Will it qualify? Yes