Diggi-Loo Diggi-Ley
Encyclopedia
"Diggi-Loo Diggi-Ley" was the winning song in the Eurovision Song Contest 1984
performed in Swedish
by a trio of brothers named Herrey's. Lyrics were written by Britt Lindeborg, and the tune by Torgny Söderberg
. It was produced by Anders Engberg and Torgny Söderberg.
The song is a perfect illustration of the time period in which it was performed; a very upbeat 1980s-style dance song, performed by three impossibly clean cut young men - fellow Swedish Eurovision participant Tommy Körberg
famously dubbed them "the dancing deodorant
s" in the press, a derogatory nickname that stuck with them for the rest of their career in their home country
- and the nonsensical title harking back to previous entries such as "Boom Bang-a-Bang
", "Ding-A-Dong
" and "La La La
". The song has achieved considerable fame among Eurovision Song Contest fans, with a well-known archive of Contest lyrics using the domain name diggiloo.net, named after it. Despite the reception the song receives today, in the run-up to the Contest it was not an immediate favorite to win; bookmakers Ladbrokes
had Ireland's "Terminal 3
" and Italy's "I treni di Tozeur
" as higher favourites, so the song winning came as a surprise to many.
According to author John Kennedy O'Connor's The Eurovision Song Contest - The Official History, The Herrey's opened the contest and thus became the third winners of the competition to sing from pole position, following Teach-In in 1975 and Brotherhood of Man
in 1976. No song sung first or second has won since.
The song itself deals with the lead singer discovering a pair of golden shoes in the street one day. He puts them on and immediately feels like dancing in the street, entering a "magical world". Thus, he wishes for everyone to have a pair.
The English translation, released some time after the Contest, took much the same theme, titling the song "Golden Shoes".
Richard Herrey, lead singer of the band, performed at the Congratulations
special in late 2005.
The song was succeeded as winner in 1985 by Bobbysocks
representing Norway
with "La det swinge
".
"Diggi-Loo Diggi-Ley" as best reached a 2nd place at the Swedish singles charts.
Eurovision Song Contest 1984
The Eurovision Song Contest 1984 was the 29th Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 5 May 1984 in Luxembourg. The presenter was Désirée Nosbusch. Nosbusch, only 19 years old at the time, hosted the show in a lax manner, which was quite unusual for this show back then...
performed in Swedish
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
by a trio of brothers named Herrey's. Lyrics were written by Britt Lindeborg, and the tune by Torgny Söderberg
Torgny Söderberg
Sten Torgny Söderberg is a Swedish songwriter. He has worked a lot together with Lena Philipsson and written schlager songs such as 100%, Kärleken är evig and Diggi-loo diggi-ley. Diggi-loo diggi-ley won the Swedish Melodifestivalen 1984 and even the Eurovision Song Contest 1984.- References :...
. It was produced by Anders Engberg and Torgny Söderberg.
The song is a perfect illustration of the time period in which it was performed; a very upbeat 1980s-style dance song, performed by three impossibly clean cut young men - fellow Swedish Eurovision participant Tommy Körberg
Tommy Körberg
Bert Gustav Tommy Körberg is a Swedish singer, actor, and musician. In 1969, he won Swedish Recording Industry Award Grammis in a category Best Debut Performance. English-speaking audiences know him best for his role in the Benny Andersson–Björn Ulvaeus–Tim Rice musical Chess...
famously dubbed them "the dancing deodorant
Deodorant
Deodorants are substances applied to the body to affect body odor caused by bacterial growth and the smell associated with bacterial breakdown of perspiration in armpits, feet and other areas of the body. A subgroup of deodorants, antiperspirants, affect odor as well as prevent sweating by...
s" in the press, a derogatory nickname that stuck with them for the rest of their career in their home country
- and the nonsensical title harking back to previous entries such as "Boom Bang-a-Bang
Boom Bang-a-Bang
"Boom Bang-a-Bang" was the United Kingdom entry to the Eurovision Song Contest 1969It was sung by Lulu, and was co-written by Alan Moorhouse and Peter Warne aka Michael Julien, the latter of who also wrote "Kiss Me, Honey Honey, Kiss Me" for Shirley Bassey....
", "Ding-A-Dong
Ding-A-Dong
Ding-A-Dong was the title of the winning song in the Eurovision Song Contest 1975...
" and "La La La
La La La
"La, la, la" is a song which was performed by the Spanish singer Massiel at the Eurovision Song Contest 1968, winning the contest for Spain in that year. It was the first of Spain's two Eurovision wins to date. The song was composed by Ramón Arcusa and Manuel de la Calva, otherwise known as the...
". The song has achieved considerable fame among Eurovision Song Contest fans, with a well-known archive of Contest lyrics using the domain name diggiloo.net, named after it. Despite the reception the song receives today, in the run-up to the Contest it was not an immediate favorite to win; bookmakers Ladbrokes
Ladbrokes
Ladbrokes plc is a British based gambling company. It is based in Rayners Lane in Harrow, London owned by Bhavin Kakaiya. From 14 May 1999 to 23 February 2006, when it owned the Hilton hotel brand outside the United States, it was known as Hilton Group plc...
had Ireland's "Terminal 3
Terminal 3
"Terminal 3" was the Irish entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1984, performed in English by Linda Martin.The song was written and composed by previous Contest winner Johnny Logan, who had won for Ireland in the 1980 Contest and would later go on to win the 1987 Contest as a performer before...
" and Italy's "I treni di Tozeur
I Treni Di Tozeur
"I treni di Tozeur" is an Italian song, written by Franco Battiato, Rosario Cosentino and Giusto Pio. It was the Italian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1984, performed in Italian by Alice and Franco Battiato.In a studio version sung only by Battiato, the song was later to be included on his...
" as higher favourites, so the song winning came as a surprise to many.
According to author John Kennedy O'Connor's The Eurovision Song Contest - The Official History, The Herrey's opened the contest and thus became the third winners of the competition to sing from pole position, following Teach-In in 1975 and Brotherhood of Man
Brotherhood of Man
Brotherhood of Man are a British pop group who achieved success in the 1970s, most notably by winning the 1976 Eurovision Song Contest with "Save Your Kisses for Me"....
in 1976. No song sung first or second has won since.
The song itself deals with the lead singer discovering a pair of golden shoes in the street one day. He puts them on and immediately feels like dancing in the street, entering a "magical world". Thus, he wishes for everyone to have a pair.
The English translation, released some time after the Contest, took much the same theme, titling the song "Golden Shoes".
Richard Herrey, lead singer of the band, performed at the Congratulations
Congratulations (Eurovision)
Congratulations: 50 Years of the Eurovision Song Contest was a television programme organised by the European Broadcasting Union to commemorate the Eurovision Song Contest's fiftieth anniversary and to determine the Contest's most popular entrant of its fifty years. It took place at Forum,...
special in late 2005.
The song was succeeded as winner in 1985 by Bobbysocks
Bobbysocks
For the 1950s teen rage see Bobby soxerBobbysocks! were a Norwegian pop duo consisting of Norwegian Hanne Krogh and Swedish-Norwegian Elisabeth Andreassen. They won the Eurovision Song Contest 1985 with the song "La det swinge" ....
representing 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...
with "La det swinge
La det swinge
"La det swinge" is a song in Norwegian, sung by the pop duo Bobbysocks!. It was the winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 1985 - Norway's first victory in the contest.- Background :...
".
"Diggi-Loo Diggi-Ley" as best reached a 2nd place at the Swedish singles charts.
Chart positions
| Chart (1984) | Position |
|---|---|
| Norway | 5 |
| Switzerland | 10 |
| Sweden | 2 |
| Austria | 10 |
Covers
- The Swedish heavy metal band Black IngvarsBlack IngvarsBlack Ingvars is a Swedish humorist heavy metal group. Black Ingvars is famous for cover versions of songs from other musical styles, like pop, children's song, "dansband" music, Christmas songs and gospel...
covered "Diggi-Loo Diggi-Ley" on their 1998 album Schlager MetalSchlager MetalSchlager Metal is a 1998 album by Swedish heavy metal band Black Ingvars. On the album, they cover Melodifestivalen songs in heavy metal version...
.