Fairytale (Alexander Rybak song)
Encyclopedia
"Fairytale" is a song written and composed by Norwegian
violinist/singer Alexander Rybak
, and the first single from Rybak's debut album Fairytales
. This song was the winner of the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest
in Moscow
, Russia
.
in Oslo. Rybak has since confirmed this. At a press conference in May, 2009 he revealed that the song's inspiration came from the Huldra
, a beautiful female creature from Scandinavian folklore
, who lures young men to her, and then may curse them for all time. The Russian language version of the song is entitled "Skazka" .
's third Eurovision Song Contest
win.
The backing dancers for the Eurovision performance, Sigbjørn Rua, Torkjell Lunde Børsheim and Hallgrim Hansegård
, are from the Norwegian dance company Frikar, performing the folk dance halling
.
The backing singers, Jorunn Hauge and Karianne Kjærnes, wore long pink dresses designed by Norwegian designer Leila Hafzi.
A video of Rybak's performance of the song at the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest final in Moscow, was chosen by YouTube
as one of its 31 most memorable videos of 2009.
At the Eurovision Song Contest 2009
, Rybak won with the highest recorded score since the contest began, with 387 points (out of a maximum of 492) and also the highest record of 12 points by having 16 scores of 12 points (from a possible 41 countries). The previous record was United Kingdom
's Katrina and the Waves
in 1997 and Greece's Helena Paparizou
with 10 scores of 12 points in 2005, and the previous score record was Lordi
with 292 points.
, debuting at number 47, before rising to number 7 in its third week, the week of Eurovision - eventually reaching the top spot. After the song gaining the Top Spot on Eurovision, it entered the Top Ten of many Charts across Europe, and also the No. 1 position in many countries. The song debuted on the UK charts at #10 on Downloads Alone and then dropped to #38 the next week, it also reached Number 3 on the Download Chart. "Fairytale" is the ninth non-UK Eurovision entry to reach the top ten in the UK charts since the contest began in 1956, most recently Johnny Logan
reached #2 representing Ireland in 1987. It sold over 8,000 copies in Finland
which means it received a Gold
certification, 20,000 copies in Norway
thus getting a Gold
certification and 200,000 copies in Russia
and therefore it was certified platinum.
Combined sales of the song are 500,000 copies without online downloads.
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...
violinist/singer Alexander Rybak
Alexander Rybak
Alexander Igoryevich Rybak or in Belarusian Alyaksandr Igaravich Rybak , born 13 May 1986 in Byelorussian SSR is a Norwegian singer-composer, violinist, pianist, writer, and actor...
, and the first single from Rybak's debut album Fairytales
Fairytales (Alexander Rybak album)
Fairytales is the debut studio album by the Belarusian-Norwegian artist Alexander Rybak. It was released in Norway and most of Europe on May 29, 2009 . Most of the songs on the album are written and/or composed by Rybak himself....
. This song was the winner of the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest 2009
The Eurovision Song Contest 2009 was the 54th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest and was hosted by Russia after their win in 2008. It took place between 12 and 16 May 2009 at the Olympic Indoor Arena in Moscow, Russia....
in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
.
Writing and inspiration
In February 2009, Norwegian media reported that "Fairytale" is about Rybak's ex-girlfriend Ingrid Berg Mehus whom he got to know through the Barratt Due Institute of MusicBarratt Due Institute of Music
Barratt Due Institute of Music is located in Oslo, Norway. It was established in 1927 by pianist Mary Barratt Due and violinist Henrik Adam Due. It is a private foundation which receives government funding for parts of its activities...
in Oslo. Rybak has since confirmed this. At a press conference in May, 2009 he revealed that the song's inspiration came from the Huldra
Huldra
In Scandinavian folklore, the Huldra , or the skogsrå or skogsfru/skovfrue or Tallemaja in Swedish culture, is a seductive forest creature...
, a beautiful female creature from Scandinavian folklore
Scandinavian folklore
Scandinavian folklore is the folklore of Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, and the Swedish speaking parts of Finland.Collecting folklore began when Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden sent out instructions to all of the priests in all of the parishes to collect the folklore of their area...
, who lures young men to her, and then may curse them for all time. The Russian language version of the song is entitled "Skazka" .
Eurovision 2009
The song was elected through the Norwegian festival Melodi Grand Prix 2009 on 21 February, winning in the biggest landslide of the contest's history, and competed against eighteen other Eurovision entries in the second semi-final on 14 May 2009, where it qualified for the final. The final took place on May 16, and the song won with 387 points – a new ESC record. It was NorwayNorway
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...
's third Eurovision Song Contest
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...
win.
The backing dancers for the Eurovision performance, Sigbjørn Rua, Torkjell Lunde Børsheim and Hallgrim Hansegård
Hallgrim Hansegård
Hallgrim Hansegård is a Norwegian choreographer and dancer whose background is rooted in his traditional halling dance training and contemporary dance.-Career:...
, are from the Norwegian dance company Frikar, performing the folk dance halling
Halling (dance)
The Halling is a folk dance traditionally performed in rural Norway, although versions of the halling can also be found in parts of Sweden. It is the most ancient documented dance of North Europe, and its roots go back to 2500 years old cave paintings.The dance is traditionally performed by...
.
The backing singers, Jorunn Hauge and Karianne Kjærnes, wore long pink dresses designed by Norwegian designer Leila Hafzi.
Music video
The first official music video for the song, which was used to present the song before the Eurovision final, was Alexander Rybak's Performance at the Melodi Grand Prix 2009 in Norway. The most recent video was of Alexander Rybak playing the Violin and singing with his backing dancers behind him, where the background occasionally changes from white to black.A video of Rybak's performance of the song at the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest final in Moscow, was chosen by YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
as one of its 31 most memorable videos of 2009.
Record
In the Norwegian preselection, Melodi Grand Prix 2009, Rybak's "Fairytale" won with a combined televote and jury score of 747,888, in the biggest victory of the contest's history. The song received over 600,000 votes more than the runner-up, which made it the clearest win in the history of Melodi Grand Prix.At the Eurovision Song Contest 2009
Eurovision Song Contest 2009
The Eurovision Song Contest 2009 was the 54th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest and was hosted by Russia after their win in 2008. It took place between 12 and 16 May 2009 at the Olympic Indoor Arena in Moscow, Russia....
, Rybak won with the highest recorded score since the contest began, with 387 points (out of a maximum of 492) and also the highest record of 12 points by having 16 scores of 12 points (from a possible 41 countries). The previous record was United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
's Katrina and the Waves
Katrina and the Waves
Katrina and the Waves was an English pop rock band, best known for their 1985 hit "Walking on Sunshine" and their 1997 Eurovision Song Contest victory with the song "Love Shine a Light".-Pre-history: The Waves and Mama's Cookin' :...
in 1997 and Greece's Helena Paparizou
Elena Paparizou
Eleni "Elena" Paparizou , usually referred to abroad as Helena Paparizou, is a Greek-Swedish singer and occasional songwriter, who was born and raised in Sweden by Greek parents. She began her career there in 1999 as a member of the duo Antique, while she also worked briefly as a model for a...
with 10 scores of 12 points in 2005, and the previous score record was Lordi
Lordi
Lordi is a Finnish hard rock/heavy metal band, formed in 1996 by the band's lead singer, songwriter and costume-designer, Mr. Lordi. The band is known for wearing monster masks and using pyrotechnics during concerts...
with 292 points.
Charts
The song also debuted on the Norwegian Singles Chart on the week of 11 February 2009 at number 3, before rising to number one on the following week, the week of the Melodi Grand Prix final. This was the first time that the Melodi Grand Prix winner reached number 1 before winning the contest. The song remained at number 1 for 8 consecutive weeks. The song has since entered the Swedish SverigetopplistanSverigetopplistan
Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association ....
, debuting at number 47, before rising to number 7 in its third week, the week of Eurovision - eventually reaching the top spot. After the song gaining the Top Spot on Eurovision, it entered the Top Ten of many Charts across Europe, and also the No. 1 position in many countries. The song debuted on the UK charts at #10 on Downloads Alone and then dropped to #38 the next week, it also reached Number 3 on the Download Chart. "Fairytale" is the ninth non-UK Eurovision entry to reach the top ten in the UK charts since the contest began in 1956, most recently Johnny Logan
Johnny Logan (singer)
Johnny Logan , is an Australian-born Irish singer and composer. He is regarded as "Mister Eurovision", having participated in the Eurovision Song Contest many times since the 1970s, and, since 1992, has been the most successful artist in Eurovision history.Logan has won the international contest on...
reached #2 representing Ireland in 1987. It sold over 8,000 copies in Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
which means it received a Gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
certification, 20,000 copies in 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...
thus getting a Gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
certification and 200,000 copies in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and therefore it was certified platinum.
| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... ) |
67 |
| Czech Republic (IFPI IFPI The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a not-for-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland... ) |
95 |
| European Hot 100 Singles | 3 |
| French Digital Singles Chart | 29 |
| Iceland (Tónlist) | 1 |
| Slovakia (IFPI IFPI The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a not-for-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland... ) |
34 |
| Ukrainian Airplay Chart 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... |
1 |
Russian certification
The single went multi-platinum in different formats in Russia. It first went platinum as realtone/ full track and sold 100,000 copies. Then it was certified 2x platinum as ring-back tone with another 400,000 copies sold.Combined sales of the song are 500,000 copies without online downloads.
Year-end charts
| End of year chart (2009) | Position |
|---|---|
| German Singles Chart | 46 |
| Swedish Singles Chart Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
1 |
Chart procession and succession
Release history
| Region | Date | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Norway | 12 January 2009 | Digital download |
| Germany | 15 May 2009 | |
| United Kingdom | 17 May 2009 | Digital download |
External links
- Alexander Rybak - "Fairytale" at the official Eurovision Song Contest channel on YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....