Switzerland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010
Encyclopedia
Switzerland participated at the Eurovision Song Contest 2010, that was held in Oslo
, Norway
. On 18 December SRG SSR idée suisse
, following internal selection again, announced that they had selected Swiss singer Michael von der Heide
to represent the country with "Il pleut de l'or", sung in French
.
Certain criteria for competing artists are being set by SRG SSR, alongside the rules set by the European Broadcasting Union
(EBU) for the Contest. Artists competing for Switzerland must have:
There was also no limitations on the nationality of the performers, lyricists or composers. Submissions were allowed to be submitted to the broadcasting group until 22 October.
A panel, made up of experts from the three national broadcasters (SF
, TSR
and RSI
), selected the winner from those submitted to the group, and announced their decision in December 2009.
On 18 December, SRG SSR announced that they had selected Michael von der Heide
to represent Switzerland with the French language
song "Il pleut de l'or
" (It's raining gold), out of over 60 entries received by the broadcaster. Von der Heide had previously participated in the 1999 German national final
, coming in fifth place with "Bye Bye Bar". The song was revealed on 9 January at the SwissAwards show, broadcast on all channels in SRG SSR.
on 27 February. Von der Heide also released a music video with the studio version of the new version of the song in March 2010.
Von der Heide released German
and English
versions of "Il pleut de l'or"; "Es regnet Gold" and "It's Raining Gold" respectively.
Von der Heide performed at the "Eurovision in Concert" preview concert in the Amsterdam
municipality of Zaanstad
in the Netherlands
on 24 April, along with 17 other competitors. He performed "Il pleut de l'or" as well as his German national final entry in 1999, "Bye Bye Bar".
Switzerland was drawn to perform in the second semi-final, held on 27 May, at the semi-final allocation draw on 7 February, performing in the first half of the show. At the running order draw on 23 March, Switzerland was chosen as a "wildcard", allowing the Swiss delegation to select the country's draw in the semi-final. The delegation chose to perform 5th on the night, following Denmark
and preceding Sweden
.
At the end of the voting Switzerland failed to qualify to the final for the 4th consecutive time, finishing last out of the 17 entries, receiving only two points from Georgia
. This was Switzerland's 6th last place finish in their history in the contest, after finishing last in 1964
, 1967
, 1974
, 1998
and the 2004
semi-final.
singer and former Eurovision winner Carola
.
Several Eurovision songs charted in the Swiss Music Charts
. The winning song, Lena
's "Satellite
" for Germany
, reached number one, having previously peaked at number 2 in April 2010. "Satellite" is the first Eurovision winning song to reach the top of the Swiss charts since 1982, with Nicole's "Ein bißchen Frieden
", also for Germany.
Entries from Denmark
, Azerbaijan
, Belgium
, Romania
, Armenia
, Turkey
, Sweden
, Iceland
, Ukraine
and the Swiss entry itself also charted. "Il pleut de l'or", which charted at #65, was Michael von der Heide's first ever song to chart on the Swiss singles chart after 12 years in the music business.
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...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. On 18 December SRG SSR idée suisse
SRG SSR idée suisse
SRG SSR is the Swiss public broadcasting organisation, founded in 1931 as SRG-SSR. Headquartered in Bern, SRG SSR is a non-profit organisation, funded mainly through radio and television licence fees and making the remaining income from advertising and sponsorship.Switzerland's system of direct...
, following internal selection again, announced that they had selected Swiss singer Michael von der Heide
Michael von der Heide
Michael von der Heide is a Swiss musician, singer and actor.- Eurovision Song Contest 1999 :In 1999, Von der Heide participated in the German national final with the song "Bye Bye Bar", eventually finishing fifth, and did not go on to represent Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest...
to represent the country with "Il pleut de l'or", sung in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
.
Selection
SRG SSR announced plans for the 2010 Contest which, as with every year since 2005, the broadcaster would hold an internal selection to select the Swiss entry. The group announced that they are looking for "a strong song of an international standard", with a public invitation to submit entries to the broadcaster, alongside the broadcaster inviting artists from the music industry to compete.Certain criteria for competing artists are being set by SRG SSR, alongside the rules set by the European Broadcasting Union
European Broadcasting Union
The European Broadcasting Union is a confederation of 74 broadcasting organisations from 56 countries, and 49 associate broadcasters from a further 25...
(EBU) for the Contest. Artists competing for Switzerland must have:
- Television and stage experience (live performances)
- Made at least one video
- Released at least one CD which placed among the top 50 in an official chart.
There was also no limitations on the nationality of the performers, lyricists or composers. Submissions were allowed to be submitted to the broadcasting group until 22 October.
A panel, made up of experts from the three national broadcasters (SF
Schweizer Fernsehen
Schweizer Fernsehen is the German language division of SRG SSR, in charge of production and distribution of television programmes in German for German-speaking Switzerland...
, TSR
Télévision Suisse Romande
Télévision Suisse Romande is a TV network with 2 channels: TSR 1 and TSR 2. They are the main French language channels in Switzerland, part of SRG SSR idée suisse...
and RSI
Radiotelevisione svizzera di lingua italiana
Radiotelevisione svizzera di lingua italiana is a Swiss public broadcasting organisation, part of SRG SSR. RSI handles production and broadcasting of radio and television programs in Italian for Switzerland...
), selected the winner from those submitted to the group, and announced their decision in December 2009.
On 18 December, SRG SSR announced that they had selected Michael von der Heide
Michael von der Heide
Michael von der Heide is a Swiss musician, singer and actor.- Eurovision Song Contest 1999 :In 1999, Von der Heide participated in the German national final with the song "Bye Bye Bar", eventually finishing fifth, and did not go on to represent Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest...
to represent Switzerland with the French language
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
song "Il pleut de l'or
Il pleut de l'or
"Il pleut de l'or" is a song sung by Michael von der Heide and composed by the singer, Pele Lorriano and Heike Kospach. It represented Switzerland at the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 in Oslo, Norway...
" (It's raining gold), out of over 60 entries received by the broadcaster. Von der Heide had previously participated in the 1999 German national final
Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest 1999
For the Eurovision Song Contest 1999, Germany was represented Reise nach Jerusalem - Kudüs'e Seyahat, performed by Sürpriz. The song received 140 points, finishing 3rd....
, coming in fifth place with "Bye Bye Bar". The song was revealed on 9 January at the SwissAwards show, broadcast on all channels in SRG SSR.
Promotion
Von der Heide promoted his song for Eurovision before competing in the second semi-final. A new version of "Il pleut de l'or" was performed during the Latvian national finalLatvia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010
Latvia and Latvijas Televīzija has confirmed participation at the Eurovision Song Contest 2010, to be held in Oslo, Norway in May 2010. This came after financial instability in Latvia and LTV, which could have resulted in a withdrawal of the country...
on 27 February. Von der Heide also released a music video with the studio version of the new version of the song in March 2010.
Von der Heide released German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
versions of "Il pleut de l'or"; "Es regnet Gold" and "It's Raining Gold" respectively.
Von der Heide performed at the "Eurovision in Concert" preview concert in the Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
municipality of Zaanstad
Zaanstad
Zaanstad is a municipality in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. Its main town is Zaandam. It is part of the metropolitan area of Amsterdam.-Population centres:...
in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
on 24 April, along with 17 other competitors. He performed "Il pleut de l'or" as well as his German national final entry in 1999, "Bye Bye Bar".
At Eurovision
As Switzerland had not competed in the final of the contest since 2006, and was not one of the "Big Four", it was obliged to compete in one of the two semi-finals of the contest.Switzerland was drawn to perform in the second semi-final, held on 27 May, at the semi-final allocation draw on 7 February, performing in the first half of the show. At the running order draw on 23 March, Switzerland was chosen as a "wildcard", allowing the Swiss delegation to select the country's draw in the semi-final. The delegation chose to perform 5th on the night, following Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
and preceding Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
Semi-final
Michael von der Heide was joined on stage by three female backing singers: Amanda Nikolić, Freda Goodlett and Sybille Fässler; and co-author Pele Loriano singing and playing the balalaikaBalalaika
The balalaika is a stringed musical instrument popular in Russia, with a characteristic triangular body and three strings.The balalaika family of instruments includes instruments of various sizes, from the highest-pitched to the lowest, the prima balalaika, secunda balalaika, alto balalaika, bass...
.
At the end of the voting Switzerland failed to qualify to the final for the 4th consecutive time, finishing last out of the 17 entries, receiving only two points from Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
. This was Switzerland's 6th last place finish in their history in the contest, after finishing last in 1964
Eurovision Song Contest 1964
The Eurovision Song Contest 1964 was the ninth Eurovision Song Contest. It was held in Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark after the Danish victory the previous year. Sweden did not participate because of a boycott by singers. They did however broadcast it...
, 1967
Eurovision Song Contest 1967
The Eurovision Song Contest 1967 was the twelfth Eurovision Song Contest. The presenter became confused whilst the voting was taking place, and declared the United Kingdom's entry to be the winner before the last country, Ireland, had announced its votes...
, 1974
Eurovision Song Contest 1974
The Eurovision Song Contest 1974 was the 19th Eurovision Song Contest. It was held in the seaside resort of Brighton on the south coast of the United Kingdom...
, 1998
Eurovision Song Contest 1998
The Eurovision Song Contest 1998 was the 43rd Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 9 May 1998 at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, United Kingdom. The presenters were Terry Wogan and Ulrika Jonsson...
and the 2004
Eurovision Song Contest 2004
The Eurovision Song Contest 2004, was the 49th Contest and it was held in the Abdi İpekçi Arena in Istanbul, Turkey. This was the first occasion in which the contest was held in Turkey after they had won the competition in 2003 with Sertab Erener singing "Everyway That I Can"...
semi-final.
After Eurovision
After failing to qualify, von der Heide joked that he would go again for Switzerland with a duet with SwedishSweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
singer and former Eurovision winner Carola
Carola Häggkvist
Carola 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...
.
Several Eurovision songs charted in the Swiss Music Charts
Swiss Music Charts
The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75...
. The winning song, Lena
Lena Meyer-Landrut
Lena Meyer-Landrut , known professionally as Lena, is a German singer-songwriter. She represented Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 in Oslo, Norway, and won the contest with the song "Satellite"...
's "Satellite
Satellite (Lena Meyer-Landrut song)
"Satellite" is a song performed by German singer Lena Meyer-Landrut, written by American Julie Frost and Dane John Gordon. It was Germany's entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 2010. The song was chosen via televoting during the national Eurovision pre-selection show Unser Star für Oslo on 12...
" for Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, reached number one, having previously peaked at number 2 in April 2010. "Satellite" is the first Eurovision winning song to reach the top of the Swiss charts since 1982, with Nicole's "Ein bißchen Frieden
Ein Bißchen Frieden
"Ein bißchen Frieden" is a song in German, written by prolific German Eurovision-writing duo Ralph Siegel and Bernd Meinunger for the Eurovision Song Contest 1982 in Harrogate, Yorkshire, England....
", also for Germany.
Entries from Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
and the Swiss entry itself also charted. "Il pleut de l'or", which charted at #65, was Michael von der Heide's first ever song to chart on the Swiss singles chart after 12 years in the music business.
External links
Rules for 2010 selection SRG SSR idée suisseSRG SSR idée suisse
SRG SSR is the Swiss public broadcasting organisation, founded in 1931 as SRG-SSR. Headquartered in Bern, SRG SSR is a non-profit organisation, funded mainly through radio and television licence fees and making the remaining income from advertising and sponsorship.Switzerland's system of direct...