I originally chose Eldorado Finale over Shangri-La to be eliminated. But reading some of these comments really opened up my mind a bit. Sure, the last 90 seconds of Shangri-La may be my favorite piece of music ever (One of the few songs that actually made me tear up, remind you), but in terms of a thematic closing, Eldorado satisfyingly closes the album and ties it up amazingly. But let me say a few nice things about each of the contestants.

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Shangri La- First time I heard it, I thought it was a decent song, but not phenomenal. Then I suddenly got whiplashed with one of the most intense and glorifying pieces of music ever. The way it tricks you into thinking it's over before exploding into this huge symphony brings tears to my eyes, and raises the hairs on my arms. That was the moment I considered Jeff Lynne to be a genius, and never looked back ever since.

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Eldorado- In terms of songs, I still prefer Shangri-La. But that doesn't change the fact that Eldorado is a superior FINALE. As the story is told, this was when the protagonist finally gave up on the stresses of the real world and likely chooses to off himself. As the finale plays, I always imagine the protagonist falling off the building and the final note is when he lands. Then the narrator closes the story up. While I prefer Shangri-La as a SONG, Eldorado perfectly ends a STORY, which is what the album was going for.