UPDATE: WE HAVE A WINNER!
Check the video of the winner here.

For the fifth time Eurostory will present the Best Lyrics Award, an award for the best song lyrics from this year’s Eurovision songs.

Past winners are:

As in previous years the winner will be chosen by a large international expert jury, and also by you, visitors of our website!

Eurostory asked a small committee of poets to compile a shortlist, and today we announce the nominees. These are, in random order:

Bulgaria – Growing up is getting old (VICTORIA, lyrics by: Victoria Georgieva/Maya Nalani/Helena Larsson/Oliver Björkvall)
Italy – Zitti e buoni (Måneskin, lyrics by: Damiano David/Ethan Torchio/Thomas Raggi/Victoria De Angelis)
The Netherlands – Birth of a new age (Jeangu Macrooy, lyrics by: Jeangu Macrooy)
Russia – Russian woman (Manizha, lyrics by: Manizha)
Belgium – The wrong place (Hooverphonic, lyrics by: Alex Callier/Charlotte Foret)

You can read the jury reports below.

Start voting now!
And this is where you come in! Which song from the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 do you think has the best lyrics? Read our jury reports and cast your vote in our poll. You can vote until May 6, 11:59 PM.

Professional jury
Beside the public vote there is also a large expert jury, which consists of international writers, journalists, publishers and past contestants – people who work with written texts and lyrics professionally. They will also cast their vote over the coming weeks, and right before Eurovision kicks off in Rotterdam we will announce the winner of the Eurostory Best Lyrics Award 2021.

Will you help us decide the winner?

Bulgaria – Growing up is getting old (VICTORIA, lyrics by: Victoria Georgieva/Maya Nalani/Helena Larsson/Oliver Björkvall)

For the complete lyrics, click here.

Jury report:

‘A clever title, a pun and a truism. The mirror effect in the text (‘getting up is growing old’) could have been a weakness, but it isn’t. It actually works, maybe because after a full year of living in a pandemic we’re all a little tired of getting up every day. ‘Playing Tetris with my feelings’ is a really descriptive opening line. It’s a convincing start of the song, which uses striking metaphors to address the loneliness and fear young people sometimes feel. A coming of age story in three minutes.’

Italy – Zitti e buoni (Måneskin, lyrics by: Damiano David/Ethan Torchio/Thomas Raggi/Victoria De Angelis)

For the complete lyrics (plus English translation), click here.

Jury report

‘Whoa, that first sentence! ‘They don’t know what I’m talking about. Bro, clothes dirty with mud’. So subversive, and it draws you right in. The use of the word ‘bro’ is interesting: it suggests an intimacy and a distance. At that point the lyrics have already disarmed you, and with the next lines you’re convinced: the yellow stains on their fingers, from smoking cigars. An evocative image! When images in songs are well-chosen they speak to you. This is not a sweet song, and therefore the imagery isn’t pretty, but purposely disruptive. A raw cry from the misfits of this fake society.’

The Netherlands – Birth of a new age (Jeangu Macrooy, lyrics by: Jeangu Macrooy)

For the complete lyrics, click here.

Jury report:

‘In these unique bilingual lyrics Dutch colonial history is brought into Eurovision. The Sranantongo saying about the half-cent, the joy of sculpting images that sparkles in every line, and sonorous parts such as ‘We are the fruit, adorning the legacy of every forgotten revolutionary’ – these are all ingredients for a song as rich as a starlit night. The rhythm becomes part of the lyrics and grows into an act of rebellion. A pleading, activist song that keeps a light tone, swelling into an unobtrusive anthem. And the smartest segment may very well be the chorus in Sranantongo: “Yu no man broko mi – you can’t break me”.’

Russia – Russian woman (Manizha, lyrics by: Manizha)

For the complete lyrics (plus English translation), click here.

Jury report:

‘This song doesn’t just describe the strength and march of the Russian woman, but also deals with (subconscious) female stereotypes all over the world. It’s one of the few lyrics this year that actually tells a story, which, in this case, they do by building a certain tension. The little girl who doesn’t dare to cross an open field by herself suddenly appears to be more than a memory. She’s a metaphor for all the women worldwide who can’t cross the street without the fear of getting harassed. This song was written on International Women’s Day 2020, and saw its first performance exactly one year later. Could this be any more powerful?’

Belgium – The wrong place (Hooverphonic, tekstschrijvers: Alex Callier/Charlotte Foret)

For the complete lyrics, click here.

Jury report:

‘A song about a one night stand, that is actually far more complex. The lyrics not only describe the initial excitement that slowly gives way to discomfort – descriptive words soon give the setting a sinister feel. It’s beautiful how this is more than an assembly of nice lines – it’s a short movie. The lyrics are scantily clad and avoid using clichés; a strong atmosphere is created in a few brush strokes. And then that last line about the Johnny Cash T-shirt…’

The shortlist commission consisted of the poets Nikki Dekker, Roelof ten Napel, Iduna Paalman and Yentl van Stokkum.