In the meanwhile the number two of the Eurovision song contest is number one in the hit parades of 14 European countries.
Half of the Netherlands dismissed the song beforehand, because it wasn't sensational enough, no real climax, no bla bla etc
It's a nice song, but I understand why people had qualms about it. It's overtly C&W/New Country and in the past stuff like that has bombed if people in national juries and the viewers felt that it was not the "real thing" because the country in question was not really known for that type of music. The German C&W/New Country entry from a couple of years (2006) bombed terribly though it was a well-crafted and catchy, uplifting tune, everybody (in Germany at least) expected great things from it.
There is a rule for Eurovision winners in general: It's either the big melodramatic musical-type ballad or something extremely catchy, uplifting and fun to watch:
Everybody knew those Swedes would win 5 seconds into their song:
And it was the same thing with these Dutchmen here:
Not to mention these Brits and their contribution to impromptu changing skirt fashions:
There are exceptions to the rule of course, but to many contestants "big ballad" and "catchy happy tune presented in a fresh way by a boy/girl group" are still regarded as safe bets.
