I Can Say I'm Sorry, But I Don't Wanna Lie

One Song + One Mic = Substack Sessions SS0035

May 29, 2025

Available for iOS and Android

Sometimes less is more

Every year millions of people turn on their TV sets to witness something that started back in 1956 - The Eurovision Song Contest. Almost all the countries in Europe participate and send their best horse in this race. Tiny Liechtenstein with its 40’000 residents doesn’t compete. Switzerland won it three times - the first one in 1956 (Lys Assia), in 1988 (Celine Dion - that was the kickstart to her world famous career) and last year (Nemo). Over the decades this contest turned into a multimedia circus, where every country wants to win with a song that hopefully stands out and attracts attention. Go down this rabbit hole on YouTube and your summer is gone. It seems every year everything goes up a notch on the oddity scale. Everything from monsters to alpenchic is trying to win. I probably told you in a previous post, that I prefer listening to a song without the visuals and for me music is not about competing. Either you like or you don’t. At the ESC - that’s impossible!

Nowadays the stage is one giant LED-screen and everything is larger than life. In 2014 Austria won with a flamboyant performance by Conchita Wurst. But who remembers the runner-up? It was a kind of low-key Americana-style performance by a band from the Netherlands - The Common Linnets - with their song - Calm After The Storm - Apple Music | YouTube Music.

Exactly that made it stand out. More than ten years later I still hear this song on the radio, while ESC winners are gone and forgotten. Sometimes less is more.

My morning version for my ‘Start Your Day With A Song’-series on my YouTube channel.

Substack Sessions SS0035 - Calm After The Storm

Years ago I wouldn’t be able to accept this performance as good enough because all the little details in it would drive me nuts. Now I’m glad that I can accept it in times of the A.I. frenzy. That’s why I even like it when my voice breaks during the performance. It’s in a weird sense perfect for this song.

Calm After The Storm - will be released on Spotify | YouTube Music and other platforms in August 2025.

Previous Substack Session Songs

SS0001 - Waiting In Vain
SS0002 - Big Yellow Taxi
SS0003 - Green-Tinted Sixties Mind
SS0004 - Testing My Temper
SS0005 - Use Somebody
SS0006 - Walking In Memphis
SS0007 - I Han Es Zündhölzli azündt
SS0008 - Enjoy The Silence
SS0009 - Blue Door
SS0010 - The Way You Make Me Feel
SS0011 - The Ballad Of Jenny Ledge
SS0012 - Tomorrow Never Dies
SS0013 - Casual Conversations
SS0014 - It’s My Life
SS0015 - In Your Eyes
SS0016 - If I Ain’t Got You
SS0017 - Time & Again
SS0018 - Appreciate
SS0019 - Roll To Me
SS0020 - Home
SS0021 - Things Have Changed
SS0022 - Old Time’s Sake
(will be released tomorrow May 30th 2025 on Spotify, YouTube Music and other platforms)
SS0023 - Hand It Over
SS0024 - Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
SS0025 - Until You Come Back To Me
SS0026 - Stop This Train
SS0027 - Somewhere Tonight
SS0028 - I Will
SS0029 - Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours)
SS0030 - Drop A Line
SS0031 - Susie Q
SS0032 - God Only Knows
SS0033 - Everybody Be Yo’self
SS0034 - Precious