Live: Second semi final in Germany

by Marcus Klier 110 views

The second semi final of Unser Song für Deutschland, the German national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 is about to be held. Lena Meyer-Landrut will perform six songs and three of them will qualify for the national final.

The songs

The following list of songs has leaked on the internet. However, the song titles and songwriters have not been confirmed by the broadcaster.

  1. A million and one
    (Errol Rennalls, Stavros Ioannou)
  2. Mama told me
    (Stefan Raab, Lena Meyer-Landrut)
  3. Push forward
    (Daniel Schaub, Per Lämmers)
  4. A good day
    (Audra Mae, Todd Wright, Scott Simons)
  5. Teenage girls
    (Viktoria Hansen)
  6. At all
    (Aloe Blacc)

How to watch?

There will be no official webcast, but all performances are expected to be published on the official website ater the show.

Pro Sieben is available on satellite. You can find detailed information on how to receive the channel here.

Live

The show has started.

Sabine Heinrich and Matthias Opdenhövel welcome the audience remembering everyone about the format of the 2011 German national selection.

Head judge Stefan Raab enters the stage. He receives and huge response from the people in the hall. A recap of last week's qualifiers is shown: Maybe, Taken by a stranger and What happened to me.Stefan Raab says that he is satisfied with the choices. Again he highlights that the songs does have to suit the singer, which is the reason why Lena was included into the process of choosing and writing the songs.

All songs will be included on Lena's new album, which will be released tomorrow. Good news is currently at number one of the amazon.de sales charts and at number thirteen of the itunes charts.

The protagonist of the show now enters the stage. She says that she likes the fact that she can rush backstage right after performing the songs and that she doesn't have to listen to a jury verdict. After she is being presented a copy of her new album, she returns backstage to change.

The two guest judges are introduced: Joy Denalane is a successful soul singer. Anke Engelke is one of Germany's most popular comedy actresses. In May she will co-host the Eurovision Song Contest.

Joy Denalane says that her outfit was picked by her ten year old son. Anke Engelke says that they are looking forward to listening to the songs.

Matthias Opdenhövel causes some laughter when he accidentally names the wrong mobile phone brand talking about the prizes you can win when calling tonight.

The first song will be performed after a commercial break.

1. A million and one

This song was written by Errol Rennalls and Stavros Ioannou from Hannover, who are known for their Mousse T. hits.Lena says that she thinks the song is super and she likes the fact that the show opens witha song that includes the line "Hi, how are you?". She also likes how the song progresses. It is explained that the song is about a million and one reasons to stay together instead of separating.

A million and one is a Lily Allen style song with an orchestral arrangement. Lena's performance is charming and she seems more secure than last week. The song does explode after the first half into a more radio friendly pop song. Although it is a rather catchy tune in total it probably needs a bit too long to develop on stage.

Joy Denalane says that the song has something personal and hopeful and that Lena did perform it well. Anke Engelke says that it takes very long to get into the song. She says that it isn't a song you like right away but that it is able to show Lena's skills.

2. Teenage Girls

This song was written by Yacine Azzegaggh, Viktoria Hansen and Lili Tarkow-Reinisch, who had previously written songs for acts like Ellie Goulding. Lena says that she liked the song right away because the song is kind of special. She also likes the lyrics.

The second song is an intimate but catchy mid-tempo guitar pop song with clever lyrics. The very simple performance suits the song perfectly. If Germany wants to go for the exact opposite of last year's entry, i.e. a slower song, this could well be an option. Nevertheless, it is not the kind of music you usually would expect to reach a high placing in Eurovision.

Anke Engelke says that the lyrics are stupid because teenagers usually don't talk at all. She still says that she was nodding along to the melody. Joy Denalane doesn't like the lyrics either and she says that the song was much too slow. In fact, she did not like the song at all. Stefan Raab says that slow entries are always dangerous. He makes a joke at Anke Engelke saying that she probably can't comprehend anymore what it is like to be a teenage girl. He also says that not all of the song tonight are supposed to be potential ESC entries.

3. Push forward

This song was written by Daniel Schaub and Per Lämmers, whose song Maybe qualified for the final alst week. They say that the song is romantic but not kitschy. Lena agrees. The song was orignally more up-tempo but the team and Lena later agreed to record it as a ballad.

Another slow song now. Lena delivers an emotional but not overblown performance of the song. The melody is memorably. Maybe a strong contender to reach the final, but this whole effort might just be a tad too radio friendly and perfect – both for Lena and the Eurovision Song Contest. Nevertheless, it has to be mentioned that this is probably the strongest vocal performance in both semi finals so far. The burst at the end of the song is rather expected. The audience loves this song.

Joy Denalane says that she was touched by the song's lyrics and the music. She says that the song might be too classy for the Eurovision Song Contest. Anke Engelke says that the song is beutiful but she isn't sure if it actually captivates people. She also loves the lyrics. Stefan Raab says that it is a song for women and he likes the atmosphere.

4. At all

This song was written by Aloe Blacc, who scored a huge hit with I need a dollar last year. He met Lena at Stefan Raab's show and she asked him to submit an entry. It is the first song he wrote for someone else. The song is about not believing in everything that is written and said. Lena says that the song is really cool because it stuck to her head after she had heard it for the first time.

At all is a laid-back mid-tempo song. The chorus is rather repetitive (yet catchy) but the verses seem to be a bit too long. The actual highlight of the song seems to be the bridge part, which works very well on stage. Lena seems to be out of breath, which is a surprise considering that the song is less demanding than others she had already performed.

Stefan Raab likes the song and he notes the 70s feeling and the arrangement. Joy Denalane says that the song is very nice but she likes the bridge better than the hook. She also doesn't see it in the Eurovision Song Contest. Anke Engelke just repeats what Joy Denalane had said and she adds that she misses something.

5. A good day

Audra Mae, Todd Wright and Scott Simons. Audra Mae's song Good news did not make it to the final last week. She says that she feels that Lena is going to perform her song. Lena herself says that there is no perfect day, but that there are good days. The songwriter says that the song is about those days when everything goes smoothly.

This mid-tempo song is very catchy and it seems to be perfect for Lena. Definitely an entry with a positive aura. Some may miss a climax at the end.

Joy Denalane says that Lena was very charming. She also says that it is a good song. Anke Engelke says that she already liked the song when the composer sang it. She says the song is too "retro" and "shallow" but that it has many Eurovision elements. Stefan Raab says that the song is different from the others and that is has a long chorus.

6. Mama told me

This song was written by Lena and Stefan Raab, whose song What happened to me qualified for the final last week. Stefan Raab says that he had performed his original song to Lena and she says that she had later sung the chorus to it.

Again, the Raab/Lena collaboration is performed last. Although still mid-tempo, it is the fastest song tonight and the one with the most bombastic arrangement. A catchy retro-style song that might work less well without live music. Lena seems very happy performing this song. Although it does include a bunch of clichés – music-wise and in the lyrics – it is obviously a strong contender for the final.

Joy Denalane says that Lena was sexy and she likes the song. Anke Engelke is surprised that Lena enjoyed the song so much. She also adds that it was the "happy" song everyone was waiting for tonight. Stefan Raab won't comment on his own song, but he enjoyed the performance.

A recap of all songs is shown.

The voting has closed.

Push forward has qualified for the final.

Mama told me has qualified for the final.

A million and one has qualified for the final.