OK, the Group Stages of Songs has ended, spewing forth the following
Group A |
Played |
W |
D |
L |
F |
A |
GD |
% |
Pts |
Live and Let Die |
4 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
65 |
9 |
56 |
87.9 |
12 |
TWINE |
4 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
40 |
32 |
8 |
56.63 |
7 |
FYEO |
4 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
36 |
36 |
0 |
50.45 |
7 |
TND |
4 |
1 |
0 |
3 |
24 |
46 |
-22 |
34.18 |
3 |
All Time High |
4 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
15 |
57 |
-42 |
20.83 |
0 |
It’s not so much the fact that Live and Let Die came out on top and gave the other fellas hell here - that, one could have predicted - but the margin of its victory is immense, albeit it was drawn in a group of pretty insipid old tat, All Time High, perhaps the last song to date with a generally sunshine-and-apples outlook on life, and nothing to say about death from what I recall, meets a grisly fate. What a miserable bunch we all are. That gulf between Winner and Runner-Up, though - yikes…
Group B |
Played |
W |
D |
L |
F |
A |
GD |
% |
Pts |
We Have All / World |
4 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
49 |
23 |
26 |
68.1 |
12 |
YOLT |
4 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
44 |
28 |
16 |
61.13 |
7 |
TBall |
4 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
42 |
39 |
12 |
58.35 |
7 |
GoldenEye |
4 |
1 |
0 |
3 |
35 |
37 |
-2 |
48.58 |
3 |
TWotW |
4 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
10 |
64 |
-54 |
13.9 |
0 |
That said, a love song can top the charts so it may just be down to the quality, after all. GoldenEye - a song about stalking someone, delivered by a victim of horrendous domestic abuse - will probably make it through as a Lucky Loser but this was quite a tight group - with one exception. Yes, I know The Writing’s on the Wall was deemed worthy of an Oscar but one suspects it may have been pity, or an attempt to just get it to sod off sideways. Not popular, is it?
Group C |
Played |
W |
D |
L |
F |
A |
GD |
% |
Pts |
DAF |
4 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
61 |
11 |
50 |
84.7 |
12 |
Goldfinger |
4 |
3 |
0 |
1 |
51 |
21 |
30 |
70.83 |
9 |
TLD |
4 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
32 |
38 |
-6 |
46.5 |
6 |
AWtD |
4 |
1 |
0 |
3 |
16 |
54 |
-38 |
23.3 |
3 |
LTK |
4 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
17 |
53 |
-36 |
24.78 |
0 |
Hmm. A brace of Basseys one might have predicted, but the outcome does go against form and does give Live and Let Die a run for its money - perhaps. Although Licence to Kill does have a better goal difference and average than Another Way to Die, Another Way to Die did actually win a match. By one vote. Things are looking up. Ish. Note Goldfinger’s goal difference and percentage…
Group D |
Played |
W |
D |
L |
F |
A |
GD |
% |
Pts |
Skyfall |
4 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
53 |
19 |
34 |
73.63 |
12 |
Moonraker |
4 |
3 |
0 |
1 |
51 |
21 |
30 |
70.83 |
9 |
AVTAK |
4 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
47 |
25 |
22 |
65.25 |
6 |
TMwtGG |
4 |
1 |
0 |
3 |
18 |
54 |
-36 |
25 |
3 |
Mango Tree |
4 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
11 |
61 |
-50 |
15.3 |
0 |
…because Moonraker has an identical result, and placing. Bit of a tumble for A View to a Kill given its seeding, but a strong Lucky Loser performance nonetheless. Perhaps it is unfair to include Underneath the Mango Tree but it’s not the worst performance of the bottom-feeders. Note Moonraker’s goal difference and percentage…
Group E |
Played |
W |
D |
L |
F |
A |
GD |
% |
Pts |
NDIB |
4 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
59 |
12 |
47 |
83 |
12 |
YKMN |
4 |
3 |
0 |
1 |
51 |
21 |
30 |
70.83 |
9 |
FRWL |
4 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
34 |
38 |
-4 |
47.23 |
6 |
NTTD |
4 |
1 |
0 |
3 |
26 |
45 |
-19 |
36.4 |
3 |
DAD |
4 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
9 |
63 |
-54 |
12.5 |
0 |
…because You Know My Name has an identical result, and placing. Sorted out below. Ah well, it’s “the Group with Die Another Day in it”, but even then, No Time to Die won’t score highly enough to make it as a Lucky Loser. Curse of Oscar, maybe. Or just a bit rubbish. Die Another Die hits the bum notes for yet another year; you don’t need Sigmund Freud to analyze this.
Form table - Group Stage - Songs
|
Song(seed) |
Form % |
Group Stage outcome |
1 |
Live and Let Die (1) |
87.4 |
Winner A |
2 |
Diamonds are Forever (8) |
84.7 |
Winner C |
3 |
Nobody Does It Better (6) |
83 |
Winner E |
4 |
Skyfall (7) |
73.63 |
Winner D |
5 |
Moonraker |
70.83 |
Runner-Up D |
6 |
You Know My Name (5) |
70.83 |
Runner-Up E |
7 |
Goldfinger (3) |
70.83 |
Runner-Up C |
8 |
We Have all the Time in the World (2) |
68.1 |
Winner B |
9 |
A View to a Kill (4) |
65.25 |
Lucky Loser 1 |
10 |
You Only Live Twice (9) |
61.13 |
Runner-Up B |
11 |
Thunderball |
58.35 |
Lucky Loser 2 |
12 |
The World is Not Enough (10) |
56.63 |
Runner-Up A |
13 |
For Your Eyes Only |
50.45 |
Lucky Loser 3 |
14 |
GoldenEye |
48.58 |
Lucky Loser 4 |
15 |
From Russia with Love |
47.23 |
Lucky Loser 5 |
16 |
The Living Daylights |
46.5 |
Lucky Loser 6 |
17 |
No Time to Die |
36.4 |
|
18 |
Tomorrow Never Dies |
34.18 |
|
19 |
The Man with the Golden Gun |
25 |
|
20 |
Licence to Kill |
24.78 |
|
21 |
Another Way to Die |
23.2 |
|
22 |
All Time High |
20.83 |
|
23 |
Underneath the Mango Tree |
15.3 |
|
24 |
The Writing’s on the Wall |
13.9 |
|
25 |
Die Another Day |
12.5 |
|
The waffer-theen difference between the three songs on 70.83% finally sorted by how many votes they scored against the winner of their Group - with Moonraker doing best. Also, as it’s unseeded, possibly needs a bit of assistance into a higher orbit. Not that massive a lead this time for Live and Let Die, so it could all get a bit frilly in the rounds to come - if it makes it. A few jiggeries and a handful of pokeries were required to redistribute the Lucky Losers around the default Second Round draw structure, to avoid immediate replays of Group matches - this may yet come to have an effect…