"Dizzy" | ||||
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Single by Olly Alexander | ||||
from the album Odyssey | ||||
Written | 2023 | |||
Released | 1 March 2024 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length |
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Label | Polydor [5] | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) |
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Olly Alexander singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Dizzy" on YouTube | ||||
Eurovision Song Contest 2024 entry | ||||
Country | ||||
Artist(s) | ||||
Language | English | |||
Composer(s) |
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Lyricist(s) |
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Finals performance | ||||
Final result | 18th | |||
Final points | 46 | |||
Entry chronology | ||||
◄ "I Wrote a Song" (2023) | ||||
Official performance video | ||||
"Dizzy" (First Semi-Final) on
YouTube "Dizzy" (Grand Final) on YouTube |
"Dizzy" is a song by English singer-songwriter Olly Alexander. [7] It was released on 1 March 2024 through Polydor Records and marked Alexander's first release under his own name after the dissolution of Years & Years. The song pays homage to synth-pop music and received mixed reviews from critics. [8] It also represented the United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest 2024; [5] in the grand final, it finished in 18th place with 46 points.
After Alexander's participation announcement took place during the final of the twenty-first series of Strictly Come Dancing in 2023, he became a bookies favourite to win Eurovision. [5] [9] "Dizzy" is his first release under his own name after the dissolution of Years & Years. He first teased "Dizzy" after a video was posted on his social media channels which also featured a cameo appearance from Scottish weather presenter Carol Kirkwood. On 7 February 2024, he revealed the song's title and release date of 1 March 2024. [10] The song and music video were presented on the same day during Graham Meets Olly, a one-off special hosted by Graham Norton and broadcast on BBC One. [11]
Just like previous UK representatives, he embarked on a European promotional tour performing his song at Eurovision pre-parties and events. Alexander uploaded a version of the song being performed live at the Vevo studio [12] and on Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway. In May 2024, Olly Alexander's Road To Eurovision 24, aired on the BBC iPlayer and BBC One, showcasing his journey through the contest so far. He also addressed the rejection calls he received to boycott the contest over the Gaza–Israel conflict and Israel's participation. [13] In the same month, he made a cameo appearance in the soap opera, EastEnders. [14]
Alexander described the song as " electronic" and "something you can dance to". [15] [16] [17] It is musically inspired by 80s music sounds and by acts such as Erasure, Adamski, and Pet Shop Boys. [7] The song was written in the summer of 2023 and is lyrically about "feeling such an intense swell of emotion for someone that they totally turn your world upside down and inside out". [7]
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
The Independent | [18] |
The Guardian | [19] |
The Daily Telegraph | [20] |
The Times | [21] |
iNews | [22] |
"Dizzy" was met with mixed reviews from music critics. [23] Roisin O'Connor from The Independent wrote that "'Dizzy' is a dance anthem that takes its cues from Pet Shop Boys, Erasure, and Bronski Beat – whisked up with the ripe diet of Nineties cheese- pop that Alexander grew up on". [18] Laura Snapes from The Guardian stated that the chorus echoes that of the 1987 single " It's a Sin" by Pet Shop Boys, while also making comparisons to Dead or Alive single " You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)". They concluded that "'Dizzy' isn't a bad song – it's perfectly fine – but beyond its very literal, nauseatingly topsy-turvy video, it's far too safe to leave anyone reeling". [19]
Writing for The Daily Telegraph, Neil McCormick wrote "'Dizzy' is an interesting modern electronic dance pop song, a blend of Balearic beats and sugary sentiments delivering upbeat sentiments with a minor chord melodic tension". [20] While writing for Clash, Robin Murray described "it's as a full-blown extravaganza. Olly lives and breathes every word, with the ultra-catchy dose of future-facing pop digitalism leaning on his fantastic vocals. [24]
In a review for The Times, Will Hodgkinson described it as a "super-catchy and hi-energy disco smash that has real innovation in its burbling production”. It also has “pleasingly nostalgic shades of classic Eighties synth-pop: Erasure, Soft Cell and, yes, Pet Shop Boys". He referred to it as "the best Eurovision entry we've had in years". [21] In a review for PinkNews, Marcus Wratten said "'Dizzy' is one of the better songs the UK has sent to the contest in recent years". They further added "It's pulsating pop that is both simple yet effective. The fizzy '80s synths of Pet Shop Boys are a clear influence, but with a touch of Steps' playfulness, and – dare we say it – a hint of Aqua, too. That's all to say that 'Dizzy' is pop serving its primary purpose; it's catchy and the hook has sticking power". [25] Jon O'Brien of Vulture ranked "Dizzy" as ninth out of 37 Eurovision entries, but acknowledged that "it might just be a little too subtle to connect widely on first listen". [26]
Writing for BBC News, Mark Savage dubbed the song "a sleek, streamlined slice of modern pop" with an "instantly memorable" hook, but criticised the strength of the song, adding: "If there's a criticism, it's that the song could go harder. Instead of building to a climax, that final chorus is too polite". [27] i's Ed Power described the song as "a drearily orthodox Euro-banger" that "plays it safe", concluding that "Alexander and Harle are clearly capable of so much better" but "have gone risk-averse". [22]
Filmed in Tbilisi, Georgia, and directed by Colin Solal Cardo, [28] the music video for "Dizzy" was released simultaneously via Alexander's Vevo channel and the Eurovision Song Contest channel on YouTube at 08:00 GMT on 1 March, eight hours after the song's release. [29] Later that evening, Alexander appeared on a special broadcast on BBC One, titled Graham Meets Olly, which featured the first full televised broadcast of the music video. [11]
In the video, Alexander performs on three rotating sets, each individually designed as a deconstructed house, garden, and rooftop. [30] Writing for Metro, Brooke Ivey Johnson stated the video "reflects the song's theme of all-consuming love". [31] Sky News' Rachel McGrath described it as "head-spinning", while in a review for The Guardian, Laura Snapes dubbed the video "nauseatingly topsy-turvy". [19] [32]
Chart (2024) | Peak position |
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Greece International ( IFPI) [33] | 59 |
Lithuania ( AGATA) [34] | 12 |
South Korea BGM ( Circle) [35] | 98 |
Sweden Heatseeker ( Sverigetopplistan) [36] | 1 |
UK Singles ( OCC) [37] | 42 |
Region | Date | Format | Version | Label | Ref. |
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Various | 1 March 2024 | Single | Polydor | [38] | |
Italy | Radio airplay | Universal | [39] | ||
Various | 15 March 2024 |
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Extended | [40] | |
29 March 2024 | Lizot remix | [41] | |||
5 April 2024 | Prezioso remix | Polydor | [42] | ||
19 April 2024 | MONSS remix | [43] | |||
26 April 2024 | Acoustic | [44] | |||
Essel remix | [45] | ||||
7 May 2024 | Performance | [46] | |||
10 May 2024 | D.O.D remix | [47] | |||
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[48] [49] [50] | ||||
17 May 2024 |
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Ben Nicky remix | [51] |