Good Evening, Europe!
Encyclopedia
Good Evening, Europe! is a national final song for the Eurovision Song Contest
. It was performed by musical theatre
singer Birgitte Einarsen
in the Norwegian Melodi Grand Prix
2003, where it ended third, placing after Jostein Hasselgård
and Alfie
. It has since become a tiny gay anthem
in parts of Europe
, particularly in Scandinavia
and Northern Europe
. Birgitte performed the song at a concert during EuroPride
2005 in Oslo
.
The song is an uptempo disco
tune. As the title indicates, Good Evening, Europe!, the song plays on the phrase used every year when the Eurovision hosts are addressing the millions of televiewers across Europe. The lyrics have plenty of references to the contest and lyrical parts are direct "steals" or copies of Eurovision song titles, and/or lyrics, plus songs performed by famous Eurovision participants like ABBA
.
Good Evening, Europe! is composed by Arve Furset, who among other songs also penned Jostein Hasselgård's I'm Not Afraid To Move On which did a great fourth place in the Eurovision Song Contest 2003
in Latvia
.
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
. It was performed by musical theatre
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
singer Birgitte Einarsen
Birgitte Einarsen
Birgitte Einarsen is a Norwegian singer and musical theatre artist from Helgeroa in Larvik, Vestfold county. She was born in 1975. Birgitte has performed in popular musicals like Grease, Fame and The Little Shop of Horrors...
in the Norwegian Melodi Grand Prix
Melodi Grand Prix
Melodi Grand Prix is an annual music competition organised by Norwegian public broadcaster Norsk Rikskringkasting . It determines the country's representative for the Eurovision Song Contest, and has been staged almost every year since 1960.The festival has produced three Eurovision winners and...
2003, where it ended third, placing after Jostein Hasselgård
Jostein Hasselgård
Jostein Hasselgård was the winner of Norway's national pre-selection for the Eurovision Song Contest and he won Norway a fourth place in the finals of the Eurovision Song Contest 2003 with the ballad "I'm Not Afraid To Move On"....
and Alfie
Alfie
Alfie is a 1966 British film directed by Lewis Gilbert, starring Michael Caine. It is an adaptation by Bill Naughton of his own novel and play of the same name. The film was released by Paramount Pictures....
. It has since become a tiny gay anthem
Gay anthem
A gay anthem is a song that has become widely popular among, or has become identified with, the LGBT community; usually with gay men. The lyrics of gay anthems are often marked with hope against the odds, pride, unity, or defiance...
in parts of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, particularly in Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
and Northern Europe
Northern Europe
Northern Europe is the northern part or region of Europe. Northern Europe typically refers to the seven countries in the northern part of the European subcontinent which includes Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Finland and Sweden...
. Birgitte performed the song at a concert during EuroPride
Europride
Europride is a pan-European international event dedicated to LGBT pride, hosted by a different European city each year. The host city is usually one with an established gay pride event or a significant LGBT community....
2005 in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
.
The song is an uptempo disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
tune. As the title indicates, Good Evening, Europe!, the song plays on the phrase used every year when the Eurovision hosts are addressing the millions of televiewers across Europe. The lyrics have plenty of references to the contest and lyrical parts are direct "steals" or copies of Eurovision song titles, and/or lyrics, plus songs performed by famous Eurovision participants like ABBA
ABBA
ABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1970 which consisted of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog...
.
Good Evening, Europe! is composed by Arve Furset, who among other songs also penned Jostein Hasselgård's I'm Not Afraid To Move On which did a great fourth place in the Eurovision Song Contest 2003
Eurovision Song Contest 2003
The Eurovision Song Contest 2003 was the forty-eighth Eurovision Song Contest, held at the Skonto Hall in Riga, Latvia on 24 May 2003. The hosts were Marie N and Renārs Kaupers. Sertab Erener, the Turkish entrant, won the contest with "Everyway That I Can", scoring 167 points. The winning...
in Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
.
Allusions
- CarolaCarola HäggkvistCarola Maria Häggkvist , better known as simply Carola, is a Swedish singer and occasional songwriter. She has been among Sweden's most popular performers since the early 1980s, and has released albums ranging from pop and disco to hymns and folk music...
(Captured in a lovestorm)Fångad av en stormvind"Fångad av en stormvind" is a 1991 single by Swedish pop singer Carola which was the winning Swedish entry to the Eurovision Song Contest 1991 in Rome, with the smallest margin of victory since 1969.... - Charlotte Nilsson (Take me to your heavenTake Me To Your HeavenTake Me to Your Heaven is a 1999 album from Swedish dansband Wizex. The album included Charlotte Nilsson's hit "Tusen och en natt/Take Me to Your Heaven", and the album sold 235 000 copies...
) - ABBAABBAABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1970 which consisted of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog...
(The winner takes it allThe Winner Takes It All"The Winner Takes It All" is a song recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA. Released as the first single from the group's Super Trouper album on July 21, 1980, it is a ballad in the key of F-sharp major, reflecting the end of a romance...
) - CharmedCharmed (group)-Overview:The group Charmed made their debut in the Norwegian national final of the Eurovision Song Contest with the song "My Heart Goes Boom". Charmed were three girls in their mid-twenties....
(My Heart Goes BoomMy Heart Goes Boom"My Heart Goes Boom" was the Norwegian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2000, performed in English by Charmed.The song is an up-tempo number, with the lyrics describing the first time a young woman saw her lover. Attracting most attention, however, were the lines "You were standing in the...
) - Katrina & The Waves (Love Shine a Light)
- Olsen BrothersOlsen BrothersOlsen Brothers are a Danish rock/pop music duo, and are brothers Jørgen and "Noller" Olsen. They formed their first band, The Kids, in 1965. The Kids warmed up for The Kinks in the K.B...
(Fly on the wings of loveFly On The Wings Of Love"Fly on the Wings of Love" is a song by the Olsen Brothers, which was the winner of Eurovision Song Contest 2000, performed for Denmark, singing in English....
) - RuslanaRuslanaRuslana Stepanivna Lyzhychko is a World Music Award winning and MTV Europe Music Award nominated artist, and the winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 2004....
(Wild DancesWild DancesWild Dances is a 2004 studio album by the Ukrainian singer and winner of the 2004 Eurovision Song Contest Ruslana. The album has been certified 7x platinum in Ukraine, selling 700,000+ copies.-Track listing:Basic album...
; The Same StarThe Same Star"The Same Star" is a single by Ruslana, featured on her 2004 studio album Wild Dances. The arrangement and recording were done by EGO WORKS /HIT FACTORY, Miami, USA.Ruslana devoted The Same Star to her husband, the love of her life....
)