Denmark, having entered the ESC back in 1957, was the first Scandinavian entry to enter the contest, and they were also the first Nordic nation to chalk up a win, with 1963's timeless and elegant "Dansevise", performed by husband-and-wife team Grethe (vocals) and Jørgen Ingmann (guitars). (And, just as a point of trivia, Jørgen's 1961 version of "Apache" hit #1 on the US Singles list, making him one of the few Eurovision stars to find success on the American charts. The song was later covered and/or sampled by The Shadows, The Sugarhill Gang, Fatboy Slim, Amy Winehouse, M.I.A., and The Roots.)
Despite Denmark's long history in Eurovision, they've only won once more, with 2000's "Fly on the Wings Of Love" sung by the Olsen Brothers (coincidentally, one of whom was also named Jørgen). The following year, they scored a respectable 2nd place with "Never Ever Let You Go", co-written by Søren Poppe. Last year, they sent a fantastic pop-rock song, "Believe Again", co-written by Irish superstar Ronan Keating (and later recorded in Dutch and Afrikaans, hitting the charts in the Netherlands and South Africa), but it only made it to 13th place. So, as far as I can tell, Denmark's key to success is the letter Ø!
Sø, if my theøry stacks up at all, Denmark may have already shøt themselves in the føøt by submitting a sadly "ø-free" søng, "In a Moment Like This", sung nøt by American Idøl-winner Kelly Clarksøn, but by Chanée and N'Evergreen.
Eurovision 2010 Denmark - Chanée & N'Evergreen - In A Moment
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It seems almost tailor-made for Eurovision, with familiar pop hooks that bring to mind The Police's "Every Breath You Take" and Tina Turner's "Simply the Best". Just add an appropriate key change, two good-looking singers, and a good stage presentation, and you may end up with a frontrunner for this year's title. It's not my personal favorite this year (although I'd definitely put it in my top dozen or so, and it's growing on me quickly), but the bookies seem to favor it, and ESC fan clubs all over the continent are definitely supporting it, with or without the Scandinavian Voting Bloc advantage. I'd be surprised if it didn't hit the Top 5 in this year's Finals!
Gøø∂ Lüçk, ∂éñmå®k!
Monday, April 26, 2010
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Is Chanée the first participant of Asian extraction we have seen in Eurovision?
ReplyDelete-Finland
Stefanos:
ReplyDeleteThe first Asian contestant was Anneke Grönloh, was born in what is now Indonesia and sang for the Netherlands back in 1964. The 1989 Dutch singer, Justine Pelmelay, was also of Asian descent, but was born in the Netherlands to Indonesian parents.