Doomsday Blue

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"Doomsday Blue"
Intimate version cover artwork
Single by Bambie Thug
from the EP Cathexis
Released13 October 2023 (2023-10-13)
GenreElectro-metal
Length3:03
LabelSelf-released
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Tylr Rydr
Bambie Thug singles chronology
"Last Summer (I Know What You Did)"
(2023) 		"Doomsday Blue"
(2023)
Music video
"Doomsday Blue" on
YouTube

"Doomsday Blue" is a song by Irish singer-songwriter Bambie Ray Robinson, known by their

Sam Matlock, and Tylr Rydr. The song was self-released on 13 October 2023, as part of their first extended play, Cathexis. The song represented Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024, where it finished in sixth place at the final with 278 points. It marked the first time since 2018 that Ireland
had qualified for the final.

The song was met with a heavily divided reaction amongst Irish society, becoming a highly polarising song between various political and social groups in Ireland. It was met with praise from numerous past Irish contestants and media personalities, who remarked that the song was more unique than past Irish Eurovision entries. However, it has been derided by numerous Irish conservative personalities, claiming it was pushing LGBTQ+ ideologies amongst Irish society, along with viewing the song as a detriment to Ireland's national culture, particularly its Christian heritage. "Doomsday Blue" drew commercial success, becoming Robinson's first charting song in their home country.

Background and composition

"Doomsday Blue" was composed by

queer community".[3]

The song's lyrics feature numerous "spells", including the Aramaic incantation "

her views on transgender topics, but instead a "fan of being clever with language".[‡ 1][4]

According to Robinson, they initially applied for Eurosong 2024 to "curse out" memories of being raped in May 2023 by an unnamed acquaintance, around three weeks before they were set to make their debut festival performance.[5] When applying for Eurosong, they decided that out of the songs they had considered, "Doomsday Blue" worked best for Eurovision and the Irish audience.[2] On 11 January 2024, Robinson was officially announced as a participant in Eurosong 2024.[6]

Music video and promotion

An accompanying music video was released on 8 March 2024, and was produced by Dublin-based production company CAMP. According to Robinson, they initially intended for the video to be "very dark" but relented after hearing that children liked their song, instead making it "a little more cutesy, spooky and comedic".[7] The music video features a young witch writing in a "blaze bible" to cast a boyfriend, later transferring into a "candy-coloured dream world" that Robinson claims was inspired by the colours of the transgender flag. The boyfriend later ends up turning into a creature with the world breaking down, signalling the start of a toxic relationship, and for Robinson, "how quickly a situation can turn unsafe [for queer people]".[8]

To further promote the song, Robinson confirmed their intent to participate in several Eurovision pre-parties throughout the months of March and April, including Pre-Party ES 2024 on 30 March,[9] the London Eurovision Party 2024 on 7 April,[10] and Eurovision in Concert 2024 on 13 April.[11]

Critical reception

Irish media and personalities

"Doomsday Blue" has drawn praise from numerous past Irish Eurovision entrants. Johnny Logan, who won Eurovision for Ireland in 1980 and 1987, stated in the Sunday World that he believed the song could win the contest, praising the song's uniqueness and staging visuals.[12] Ireland's 2022 entrant, Brooke Scullion, also believed that the song could win.[13] Multiple beat reporters have also praised the song; Rita Dabrowicz, a writer for the indie music review site Vanadian Avenue, praised the song, stating beliefs that "[Robinson] will bring a hell of a spectacle with them that surely will be remembered for a long time."[14] Ed Power, writer for The Irish Times, praised the song as a "sugar-and-spice mix of pop and industrial metal [that] will undoubtedly land with a splash in Malmö."[15] Power later wrote that he thought that the song was "a thrilling throwback to Ireland's pre-Christian heritage."[16]

Numerous conservative personalities and groups have criticised the song and Robinson.

Catholic priest, also heavily criticised the song and Robinson, stating in a sermon that "the poor devil can neither sing nor dance", while also claiming that Robinson was trying to push "certain orientations" on the Irish public and declaring that "[Ireland] is finished as a country".[19] Tony Wilson, a writer for British Christian magazine Premier Christianity, admitted that while he thought Robinson had good intentions writing the song, he wrote that "how the lyrics support this theme is beyond me... We should all be concerned when the occult is normalised." However, he also criticised the Catholic Church, stating that "Christians need to acknowledge that this movement has been spurred on by the serious past failings of Christendom... The Church has been guilty of abuse and repression. We are witnessing something of a backlash to this."[20]

Eurovision-related and other outlets

Amongst other news outlets, reception to the song has been mixed. In a

pastoral-folk chorus is this year's Eurovision at its prettiest".[24] ESC Beat's Doron Lahav ranked the song 16th overall, praising the uniqueness of the song compared to past Irish Eurovision entries.[25]

Eurovision Song Contest

Main article: Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024

Eurosong 2024

Ireland's national broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ) broadcast a Eurosong 2024 special episode of The Late Late Show on 26 January 2024, to select the Irish entrant for the Eurovision Song Contest 2024. This edition was the eighth iteration of the national final in this format. The winning song was selected via a combination of international jury, national jury, and public voting, with each group having a third of the total vote.[26]

Robinson performing "Doomsday Blue" on The Late Late Show after winning Eurosong 2024.

"Doomsday Blue" was announced to compete in Eurosong 2024 and premiered on 11 January 2024, on an episode of The Ray D'Arcy Show broadcast on RTÉ Radio 1.[6] It was drawn to perform second.[27] In the grand final, Robinson came in third with the international jury, scoring eight points. However, Robinson was able to win both the televote and the national jury votes, securing two sets of 12 points, combining for a total of 32 points. The total was eight more than the second-place finisher, Ailsha, with "Go Tobann". As a result, the song won rights to perform as the Irish entrant for the Eurovision Song Contest 2024.[28][29]

At Eurovision

The Eurovision Song Contest 2024 took place at the Malmö Arena in Malmö, Sweden, and consisted of two semi-finals held on the respective dates of 7 and 9 May, and the final on 11 May 2024. During the allocation draw on 30 January 2024, Ireland was drawn to compete in the first semi-final, performing in the first half of the show.[30] Robinson was later drawn to perform fourth in the semi-final, behind Lithuania's Silvester Belt and ahead of Ukraine's duo of Alyona Alyona and Jerry Heil.[31]

For the Eurovision performance of "Doomsday Blue", Sergio Jaén was appointed as the staging director.

pro-Palestinian, also faced numerous calls to withdraw from the contest due to Israel's participation in that year's contest; they rejected it, stating that withdrawing "would mean one less pro-Palestinian voice at the contest".[40] "Doomsday Blue" finished in third, receiving 124 points and securing a spot in the grand final.[41][42] The qualification was the first for Ireland since 2018.[43]

Robinson performing "Doomsday Blue" in a dress rehearsal before the Eurovision 2024 grand final.

Robinson performed a repeat of their performance in the grand final on 11 May, with the notable exception that at the end of their grand final performance, Robinson proclaimed, "Love will triumph over hate!"[44] The song was performed in tenth, ahead of Estonia's duo of 5miinust and Puuluup and before Latvia's Dons.[45] After the results were announced, Robinson finished sixth with a total of 278 points, with a split result of 142 points from the juries and 136 points from televoting.[46] Regarding the former, the song managed to receive one set of the maximum 12 points from Australia. No sets of 12 points were given by the televote; the maximum given was 10 points by the United Kingdom.[47]

After the contest, Robinson expressed frustrations with the EBU, stating that they were still "waiting for an official update" regarding the line makeup they were forced to remove. They later added, "The EBU is not what the

Nemo Mettler, who won the contest. They further stated, "the world has spoken [and] the queers are coming, non-binaries for the fucking win".[49]

Track listing

Digital download/streaming[‡ 2]

  1. "Doomsday Blue" – 3:03

Digital download/streaming – Intimate version[‡ 3]

  1. "Doomsday Blue (Intimate)" – 4:16

Charts

Chart performance for "Doomsday Blue"
Chart (2024) Peak
position
Finland (
Suomen virallinen lista)[50]
 40
Greece International (IFPI)[51] 12
Ireland (IRMA)[52] 23
Latvia (LAIPA)[53] 13
Lithuania (AGATA)[54] 9
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[55] 86
Poland (Polish Streaming Top 100)[56] 60
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[57] 64
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[58] 77
UK Singles (OCC)[59]
 67
UK Indie (OCC)[60] 13

Release history

Release history and formats for "Doomsday Blue"
Country Date Format(s) Version Label Ref.
Various 13 October 2023
EP track Self-released [‡ 2]
22 April 2024 Intimate version [‡ 3]

Notes

  1. fae/faer
    pronouns; this article uses they/them pronouns for consistency.

References

  1. ^ Ten Veen, Renske (11 January 2024). "Ireland: Bambie Thug releases Eurosong 2024 song "Doomsday Blue"". Wiwibloggs. Archived from the original on 13 March 2024. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  2. ^ a b c ESCBubble (22 January 2024). Bambie Thug - Doomsday Blue / Eurosong 2024 Ireland Eurovision / Interview (Video). Archived from the original on 28 January 2024. Retrieved 28 January 2024 – via YouTube.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  3. ^ Savage, Mark (5 May 2024). "Eurovision 2024: Your guide to all 37 songs". BBC. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
  4. ^ Ó Liatháin, Concubchar (27 January 2024). "From Macroom to Malmo: Cork's Bambie Thug chosen to represent Ireland at Eurovision 2024". Echo Live. Archived from the original on 31 January 2024. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  5. ^ Hammond, Saoirse (31 January 2024). "IRISH EUROVISION STAR BAMBIE THUG OPENS UP ABOUT THEIR 'BATTLE TO GET THROUGH EVERYDAY' FOLLOWING SEXUAL ASSAULT NIGHTMARE". Goss.ie. Archived from the original on 31 January 2024. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  6. ^ a b "Bambie Thug revealed as fifth Eurosong hopeful". RTÉ. 11 January 2024. Archived from the original on 11 January 2024. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  7. ^ Adams, William Lee (8 March 2024). "Hex on the ex! Bambie Thug shares "Doomsday Blue" music video — and gives Eurovision song a cutesy twist". Wiwibloggs. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  8. ^ Reilly, Nick (8 March 2024). "Eurovision: Ireland's Bambie Thug shares 'Doomsday Blue' video". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 7 April 2024. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  9. ^ Garnett, Georgia (16 March 2024). "🇮🇪 Bambie Thug to perform at Pre-Party ES 2024". That Eurovision Site. Archived from the original on 7 April 2024. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  10. ^ Melvan, Mario (13 March 2024). "Bambie Thug from Ireland will bewitch at London Eurovision Party 2024". Wiwibloggs. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  11. ^ Gannon, Rory (6 March 2024). "🇮🇪 Bambie Thug to perform at Eurovision in Concert 2024". That Eurovision Site. Archived from the original on 7 April 2024. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  12. ^ Rowley, Eddie (28 January 2024). "Johnny Logan says Bambie Thug could 'win Eurovision with this song'". Sunday World. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  13. The Irish Mirror. Archived
    from the original on 31 January 2024. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  14. ^ Dabrowicz, Rita (24 January 2024). "Bambie Thug – Doomsday Blue single review". Vanadian Avenue. Archived from the original on 31 January 2024. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  15. ^ Power, Ed (27 January 2024). "Late Late Show's Eurosong special review: Bambie Thug wins as Patrick Kielty avoids any cringe moments". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 27 January 2024. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  16. ^ Power, Ed (8 May 2024). "Bambie Thug is the most Irish Eurovision act in years". i. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
  17. ^ Fetherstonhaugh, Neil (27 January 2024). "Bambie Thug's Eurosong victory strikes sour note for far-right". Sunday World. Archived from the original on 27 January 2024. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  18. ^ Cunningham, Kieran (6 February 2024). "Kieran Cunningham: Bambie Thug is nothing new in the world of music". Irish Daily Star. Archived from the original on 7 February 2024. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  19. Irish Mirror. Archived
    from the original on 8 February 2024. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  20. ^ Wilson, Tony (14 May 2024). "Bambie Thug's Eurovision song was drenched in darkness. Stop normalising the occult". Premier Christianity. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
  21. ^ "Wiwi Jury: Israel's Eden Golan with "Hurricane"". Wiwibloggs. 9 April 2024. Archived from the original on 28 April 2024. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
  22. ^ Vautrey, Jonathan (7 April 2024). "Eurovision 2024: Reviews and rankings by the Wiwi Jury". Wiwibloggs. Archived from the original on 1 May 2024. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  23. ^ Juhász, Ervin (23 April 2024). "The Public Reacts to Sweden: Marcus and Martinus – Unforgettable". ESC Bubble. Archived from the original on 2 May 2024. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
  24. ^ O'Brien, Jon (6 May 2024). "Every 2024 Eurovision Song, Ranked". Vulture. Archived from the original on 7 May 2024. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  25. ^ Lahav, Doron (30 March 2024). "Eurovision 2024 Songs Review – Part 2 (Croatia, Ireland, Portugal, Serbia, Slovenia)". ESC Beat. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
  26. ^ Matthews, Jane (26 January 2024). "'Same energy as Russia': Two of Ireland's Eurovision hopefuls say Israel should be cut from contest". TheJournal.ie. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  27. ^ Conte, Davide (26 January 2024). "🇮🇪 Ireland: Eurosong 2024 Running Order Revealed". Eurovoix. Archived from the original on 26 January 2024. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  28. ^ O'Donoghue, Denise (26 January 2024). "Revealed: Cork singer Bambie Thug will represent Ireland at the 2024 Eurovision in Sweden". Irish Examiner. Archived from the original on 26 January 2024. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
  29. ^ Veen, Renske ten (26 January 2024). "Bambie Thug will represent Ireland at Eurovision 2024". Wiwibloggs. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  30. ^ "Eurovision 2024: Semi-Final Draw results". Eurovision.tv. EBU. 30 January 2024. Archived from the original on 30 January 2024. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  31. ^ Adams, William Lee (26 March 2024). "Eurovision 2024 Semi-Final Running Order Revealed". Wiwibloggs. Archived from the original on 27 April 2024. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  32. ^ Álvarez, Jesús (12 March 2024). "¿Cuáles son los equipos de trabajo de las diferentes candidaturas de Eurovisión 2024?" [What are the working teams behind the various entries for Eurovision 2024?]. ESCplus España (in European Spanish). Archived from the original on 12 March 2024. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  33. ^ a b O’Donoghue, Anna (7 May 2024). "'Crown the Witch': Bambie's Eurovision show will be like something from a fantasy film". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  34. ^ Power, Ed (7 May 2024). "Eurovision 2024: Ireland's entry Bambie Thug performs tonight in first semi-final – can they win and who are the favourites?". The Irish Times. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  35. ^ Wilson, Davy (11 May 2024). "Bambie Thug: Meet the designer behind their look". BBC. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
  36. The Irish Independent
    . Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  37. ^ Ampatzidis, Ioannis (6 May 2024). "Ireland: Bambie Thug calls for ceasefire from Eurovision stage!". Eurovision Fun. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  38. ^ Brophy, Daragh (8 May 2024). "Bambie Thug says EBU 'ordered' change to make-up that spelled out pro-Palestine messages in Ogham". TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  39. ^ "Eurovision 2024: Organisers asked Bambie Thug to change secret Ogham body markings before performance". Irish Independent. 8 May 2024. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  40. ^ Becker, Kendra (7 May 2024). "Ireland's Eurovision Entrant Bambie Thug Calls For 'Ceasefire' During Dress Rehearsal For Semi-Final". Goss.ie. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  41. ^ Hilliard, Mark (8 May 2024). "Eurovision 2024: Bambie Thug goes through to Saturday's final, Ireland's first since 2018". The Irish Times. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
  42. ^ Vautrey, Jonathan (12 May 2024). "Eurovision 2024 semi-finals: Detailed results show Croatia and Israel won each show". Wiwibloggs. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
  43. ^ O’Donoghue, Anna (7 May 2024). "Bambie Thug takes Ireland to Eurovision Grand Final for the first time since 2018". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
  44. ^ Rigotti, Alex (11 May 2024). "Watch Bambie Thug proclaim "love will triumph over hate!" at the end of their powerful Eurovision performance". NME. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
  45. ^ Vautrey, Jonathan (10 May 2024). "Eurovision 2024 grand final running order: Ukraine in second, Austria closes". Wiwibloggs. Archived from the original on 10 May 2024. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
  46. ^ Slattery, Laura (11 May 2024). "Eurovision: Switzerland wins in Malmö as Bambie Thug finishes sixth for Ireland". The Irish Times. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
  47. ^ "Grand Final of Malmö 2024 - Ireland Grand Final Results Allocation". Eurovision Song Contest. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
  48. ^ Brophy, Daragh (12 May 2024). "'The EBU is not what the Eurovision is - f**k the EBU' - Bambie Thug". TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
  49. ^ O’Donoghue, Denise (12 May 2024). "'Now that I'm free I can talk about everything': Bambie Thug breaks silence on absence from Eurovision dress rehearsal". Irish Examiner. Archived from the original on 12 May 2024. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
  50. ^ "Bambie Thug: Doomsday Blue" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  51. ^ "Official IFPI Charts − Digital Singles Chart (International) − Εβδομάδα: 20/2024" (in Greek). IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on 22 May 2024. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  52. ^ "Official Irish Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
  53. ^ "Straumēšanas TOP 2024 – 20. nedēļa" [Streaming TOP 2024 – Week 20] (in Latvian). LAIPA. 20 May 2024. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
  54. ^ "2024 20-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. 17 May 2024. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
  55. ^ "Bambie Thug – Doomsday Blue" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  56. ^ "OLiS – oficjalna lista sprzedaży – single w streamie" (Select week 10.05.2024–16.05.2024.) (in Polish). OLiS. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  57. ^ "Veckolista Singlar, vecka 20". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
  58. ^ "Bambie Thug – Doomsday Blue". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  59. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
  60. ^ "Official Independent Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 May 2024.

Primary sources

In the text these references are preceded by a double dagger (‡):

  1. ^ @Bambiethug (11 January 2024). "ts origins can be traced back thousands of years to the Aramaic language it means ' to destroy'. I was a Harry Potter fan as a kid but obviously as a nonbinary person I am not a JK Terf fan. I am however a fan of being clever with language xx" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  2. ^ a b "Doomsday Blue - Song by Bambie Thug". Apple Music (US). 13 October 2023. Archived from the original on 31 January 2024. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Doomsday Blue (Intimate) - Single by Bambie Thug". Spotify. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
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