Watergun (song)

2023 song by Remo Forrer

"Watergun"

Single by Remo Forrer
from the EP  Favorite Kind of Lonely
Language| English
Released| 7 March 2023
Genre| Pop[1]
Length| 2:52
Label| Manifester Music
Songwriter(s)|

* Argyle Singh
* Ashley Hicklin
* Mikołaj Trybulec [pl]

Producer(s)|

* Mikołaj Trybulec
* Pele Loriano
* Tom Oehler

Remo Forrer singles chronology
| "Out Loud"
(2022)  | "Watergun"
(2023)  | "Not Okay"
(2023)

|
|

Music video
"Watergun" on YouTube
Eurovision Song Contest 2023 entry
Country|

Switzerland

Artist(s)|

Remo Forrer

Language|

English

Composer(s)|

* Argyle Singh
* Ashley Hicklin
* Mikołaj Trybulec [pl]

Lyricist(s)|

* Argyle Singh
* Ashley Hicklin
* Mikołaj Trybulec

Finals performance
Semi-final result|

7th

Semi-final points|

Final result|

20th

Final points|

Entry chronology
◄ "Boys Do Cry" (2022)
"The Code" (2024) ►
Official performance video
"Watergun" (First Semi-Final) on YouTube
"Watergun" (Grand Final) on YouTube

"Watergun" is a song by Swiss singer Remo Forrer, released as a single on 7 March 2023.[2] The song represented Switzerland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 after being internally selected by SRG SSR, Switzerland's broadcaster for the Eurovision Song Contest.[3] The song reached number two in Switzerland.

## Background

[edit]

The song is described as a power ballad "about powerlessness in the face of conflicts in this world." In an article, Forrer said: "My generation has to live with the consequences of decisions that we didn't make. It's frustrating, but I still have hope that changes are possible." The song is further described as an appeal for peace.[2]

## Release

[edit]

The music video for the song was released on 7 March 2023 on the official YouTube channel of the Eurovision Song Contest. The song was also released on digital platforms on the same day.[4]

## Eurovision Song Contest

[edit]

Main article: Switzerland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023

### Selection

[edit]

SRG SSR opened a submission period between 25 August 2022 and 8 September 2022 for interested artists and composers to submit their entries. Artists and songwriters of any nationality were able to submit songs; however those with a Swiss passport or residency were given priority.[5] Songs shortlisted from the received submissions were then tested by their music producers with various artists and the combination of a 100-member public panel (50%) and the votes of a 23-member international expert jury (50%) selected the Swiss entry. The members of the public panel were Swiss residents put together according to selected criteria in cooperation with Digame, while the international jury consisted of members who had been national juries for their respective countries at the Eurovision Song Contest.[6]

Remo Forrer was announced as the Swiss entrant for the contest on 20 February 2023.[7] Forrer had previously participated in and won both the third season of the Swiss reality singing competition The Voice of Switzerland and one episode of German music game I Can See Your Voice.[8][9] Forrer's song for the contest was revealed on 7 March 2023.[10]

### At Eurovision

[edit]

According to Eurovision rules, all nations with the exceptions of the host country and the "Big Five" (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom) are required to qualify from one of two semi-finals in order to compete in the final; the top ten countries from each semi-final progress to the final. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) split up the competing countries into five different "pots" based on voting patterns from previous contests, with countries with favourable voting histories put into the same pot. On 31 January 2023, an allocation draw was held to place each country into one of the two semi-finals, and determine which half of the semi-final show they would perform in. Switzerland was placed into the first semi-final and scheduled to perform in the second half of the show.[11] At the end of the first semi-final, held on 9 May 2023, Switzerland qualified to the final,[12] being the third nation to be announced as qualified and set to perform in the final on 13 May 2023. For the grand final, Switzerland was drawn to compete on the first half.[13] Switzerland was subsequently placed to perform in position 3, following the entry from Portugal and before the entry from Poland.[14]

## Charts

[edit]

Chart performance for "Watergun"  Chart (2023)  | Peak
position

|

Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[15] | 70
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[16] | 26
Iceland (Tónlistinn)[17] | 27
Lithuania (AGATA)[18] | 27
Netherlands (Single Tip)[19] | 17
Sweden Heatseeker (Sverigetopplistan)[20] | 1
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[21] | 2
UK Singles Downloads (OCC)[22] | 26

## Certifications

[edit]

Certifications and sales for "Watergun"  Region  | Certification | Certified units/sales

|
|

Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[23] | Platinum  | 15,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Remo Forrer tritt mit Pop-Ballade an". persoenlich.com (in German). Persoenlich. 7 March 2023. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
2. ^ a b ""Watergun" von Remo Forrer - Wie viele Punkte holen wir mit diesem ESC-Song?". srf.ch (in German). Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen (SRF). 7 March 2023. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
3. ^ "«The Voice»-Gewinner - Eurovision Song Contest 2023: Remo Forrer singt für die Schweiz". srf.ch (in German). SRF. 20 February 2023. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
4. ^ Cassellini, Stefano (7 March 2023). "Switzerland: Remo Forrer releases Watergun!". esctoday.com. ESCToday. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
5. ^ "ESC - Herzlichen Dank für die zahlreichen Songs!". Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen (SRF) (in German). 12 July 2022. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
6. ^ Granger, Anthony (29 November 2022). "🇨🇭 Switzerland: Final Round of Jury Assessment for Eurovision 2023 Entry Underway". Eurovoix. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
7. ^ "Remo Forrer will represent Switzerland at Eurovision 2023". eurovision.tv. 20 February 2023. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
8. ^ "St. Galler gewinnt "The Voice of Switzerland"". Blick (in Swiss High German). 7 April 2020. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
9. ^ Bernet, Remo (1 August 2022). "Corona versaute "The Voice"-Sieger den Durchbruch". Blick (in Swiss High German). Retrieved 7 March 2023.
10. ^ Bijuvignesh, Darshan (7 March 2023). "🇨🇭 Switzerland: Eurovision 2023 Entry to be Revealed on March 7". Eurovoix. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
11. ^ "Eurovision 2023: Allocation Draw results". eurovision.tv. 31 January 2023. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
12. ^ "Eurovision 2023: The First Semi-Final Qualifiers". eurovision.tv. 9 May 2023. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
13. ^ "Eurovision 2023: The Grand Finalists draw their halves in the running order". Eurovision.tv. EBU. 6 May 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
14. ^ "Eurovision 2023: The Grand Final running order". Eurovision.tv. EBU. 11 May 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
15. ^ "Single Charts vom 23. Mai 2023". Ö3 Austria Top 40. 8 November 2019. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
16. ^ "Remo Forrer: Watergun" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
17. ^ "Tónlistinn – Lög" [The Music – Songs] (in Icelandic). Plötutíðindi. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
18. ^ "2023 20-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. 19 May 2023. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
19. ^ "Dutch Single Tip 20/05/2023". dutchcharts.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 20 May 2023.
20. ^ "Veckolista Heatseeker, vecka 20". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
21. ^ "Remo Forrer – Watergun". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
22. ^ "Official Singles Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
23. ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Watergun')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 September 2024.

Awards and achievements

Preceded by

Marius Bear
with "Boys Do Cry"

|  Switzerland in the Eurovision Song Contest
2023 | Succeeded by

TBD

* v
* t
* e

Switzerland in the Eurovision Song Contest

Participation|

* 1956
* 1957
* 1958
* 1959
* 1960
* 1961
* 1962
* 1963
* 1964
* 1965
* 1966
* 1967
* 1968
* 1969
* 1970
* 1971
* 1972
* 1973
* 1974
* 1975
* 1976
* 1977
* 1978
* 1979
* 1980
* 1981
* 1982
* 1983
* 1984
* 1985
* 1986
* 1987
* 1988
* 1989
* 1990
* 1991
* 1992
* 1993
* 1994
* 1996
* 1997
* 1998
* 2000
* 2002
* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* 2007
* 2008
* 2009
* 2010
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* ~~2020~~
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023
* 2024
* 2025

Artists|

* Lys Assia
* Daisy Auvray
* Marius Bear
* Barbara Berta
* DJ BoBo
* Jane Bogaert
* Annie Cotton
* Paola del Medico
* Henri Dès
* Franca di Rienzo
* Céline Dion
* Simone Drexel
* Duilio
* Egon Egemann
* Piero Esteriore and the MusicStars
* Mariella Farré
* Remo Forrer
* Furbaz
* Pino Gasparini
* Géraldine
* Gjon's Tears
* Luca Hänni
* Michael von der Heide
* Kathy Leander
* Pepe Lienhard Band
* Lovebugs
* Gianni Mascolo
* Véronique Müller
* Jean Philippe
* Francine Jordi
* Patrick Juvet
* Piera Martell
* Paolo Meneguzzi
* Nemo
* Esther Ofarim
* Madeleine Pascal
* Peter, Sue and Marc
* Pfuri, Gorps and Kniri
* Rainy Day
* Mélanie René
* Carol Rich
* Anna Rossinelli
* Rykka
* Sebalter
* Sandra Simó
* Daniela Simons
* Sinplus
* six4one
* Takasa
* Timebelle
* Anita Traversi
* Vanilla Ninja
* Carole Vinci
* Christa Williams
* Yovanna
* Zibbz
* Arlette Zola

Songs|

* "Das alte Karussell"
* "Amour on t'aime"
* "Apollo"
* "Bonjour, Bonjour"
* "Boys Do Cry"
* "Canzone per te"
* "Celebrate"
* "C'est la chanson de mon amour"
* "Cielo e terra"
* "Cinéma"
* "The Code"
* "Cool Vibes"
* "Dans le jardin de mon âme"
* "Dentro di me"
* "Djambo, Djambo"
* "L'Enfant que j'étais"
* "Era stupendo"
* "Giorgio"
* "Guardando il sole"
* "The Highest Heights"
* "Hunter of Stars"
* "I miei pensieri"
* "If We All Give a Little"
* "Il pleut de l'or"
* "In Love for a While"
* "Io così non ci sto"
* "Io senza te"
* "Les Illusions de nos vingt ans"
* "Irgendwoher"
* "Je vais me marier, Marie"
* "Lass ihn"
* "The Last of Our Kind"
* "Mikado"
* "Mein Ruf nach dir"
* "Mister Music Man"
* "Moi, tout simplement"
* "Moitié, moitié"
* "Mon cœur l'aime"
* "Musik klingt in die Welt hinaus"
* "Ne partez pas sans moi"
* "Ne vois-tu pas ?"
* "Non, à jamais sans toi"
* "Nous aurons demain"
* "Pas pour moi"
* "Piano, piano"
* "Quel cœur vas-tu briser ?"
* "Refrain"
* ~~"Répondez-moi"~~
* "Retour"
* "Le Retour"
* "She Got Me"
* "Sto pregando"
* "Stones"
* "Swiss Lady"
* "T'en va pas"
* "Time to Shine"
* "Tout l'univers"
* "Trödler und Co"
* "Unbreakable"
* "Vampires Are Alive"
* "La vita cos'è?"
* "Viver senza tei"
* "Vivre"
* "Watergun
* "Welche Farbe hat der Sonnenschein?"
* "You and Me"

Note: Entries scored out signify where Switzerland did not compete. Italics indicate an entry in a future contest.

* v
* t
* e

Eurovision Song Contest 2023

Countries|

| Final|

* Albania
* Armenia
* Australia
* Austria
* Belgium
* Croatia
* Cyprus
* Czechia
* Estonia
* Finland
* France
* Germany
* Israel
* Italy
* Lithuania
* Moldova
* Norway
* Poland
* Portugal
* Serbia
* Slovenia
* Spain
* Sweden
* Switzerland
* Ukraine
* United Kingdom

|

Semi-finals|

* Azerbaijan
* Denmark
* Georgia
* Greece
* Iceland
* Ireland
* Latvia
* Malta
* Netherlands
* Romania
* San Marino

Artists|

| Final|

* Alessandra
* Luke Black
* Blanca Paloma
* Blanka
* Brunette
* Remo Forrer
* Gustaph
* Joker Out
* Käärijä
* Albina and Familja Kelmendi
* Noa Kirel
* Andrew Lambrou
* Let 3
* Monika Linkytė
* Lord of the Lost
* Loreen
* Marco Mengoni
* Alika Milova
* Mimicat
* Mae Muller
* Pasha Parfeni
* Teya and Salena
* Tvorchi
* Vesna
* Voyager
* La Zarra

|

Semi-finals|

* Theodor Andrei
* The Busker
* Diljá
* Iru
* Mia Nicolai and Dion Cooper
* Piqued Jacks
* Reiley
* Sudden Lights
* TuralTuranX
* Victor Vernicos
* Wild Youth

Songs|

| Final|

* "Ai coração"
* "Because of You"
* "Blood & Glitter"
* "Break a Broken Heart"
* "Bridges"
* "Carpe Diem"
* "Cha Cha Cha"
* "Due vite"
* "Duje"
* "Eaea"
* "Évidemment"
* "Future Lover"
* "Heart of Steel"
* "I Wrote a Song"
* "Mama ŠČ!"
* "My Sister's Crown"
* "Promise"
* "Queen of Kings"
* "Samo mi se spava"
* "Soarele și luna"
* "Solo"
* "Stay"
* "Tattoo"
* "Unicorn"
* "Watergun"
* "Who the Hell Is Edgar?"

|

Semi-finals|

* "Aijā"
* "Breaking My Heart"
* "Burning Daylight"
* "D.G.T. (Off and On)"
* "Dance (Our Own Party)"
* "Echo"
* "Like an Animal"
* "Power"
* "Tell Me More"
* "We Are One"
* "What They Say"

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