Marija Magdalena
Encyclopedia
"Marija Magdalena" was the Croatia
n entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1999
, performed in Croatian
by Doris Dragović
.
The song was performed fourth on the night (following Spain
's Lydia
with "No quiero escuchar
" and preceding the United Kingdom
's Precious
with "Say It Again
"). At the close of voting, it had received 118 points, placing 4th of 23.
This song is a love song, Dragović singing she "belongs to you" and swearing this by the names both of God and the Biblical character. For a dramatic appearance, she appeared dressed in a white gown
and cloak
. She was accompanied on stage by one female backing singer dressed in black. At the start of the second verse, she removed the cloak, to reveal a tight bodice
.
When the number of countries wishing to enter the contest
increased sharply, Eurovision began calculating an average
of each country's scores from previous years; countries with the best marks could compete in following years. When it emerged that Dragović used offstage accompaniment (i.e. vocals by a male voice choir not on stage), Croatia was penalized by removal of third of its marks average. It was too late to dock points off of that night's score.
Dragović said if she won with this song, she would release a Hebrew
version. She did not win and a Hebrew version remains unreleased; however, it is believed that it was recorded.
Goran Karan
with "Kad zaspu anđeli" succeeded Dragović as Croatian representative
at the 2000 Contest
.
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
n entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1999
Eurovision Song Contest 1999
The Eurovision Song Contest 1999 was the 44th Eurovision Song Contest, held on 29 May 1999 in Jerusalem, Israel after Dana International won the contest the previous year in the United Kingdom. The venue for the contest was the International Convention Center...
, performed in Croatian
Croatian language
Croatian is the collective name for the standard language and dialects spoken by Croats, principally in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Serbian province of Vojvodina and other neighbouring countries...
by Doris Dragović
Doris Dragovic
Dorotea "Doris" Dragović is a Croatian singer-songwriter. She represented Yugoslavia in the Eurovision Song Contest 1986 with the song "Željo moja", finishing the 11th with 49 points, and Croatia in the Eurovision Song Contest 1999 with the song "Marija Magdalena", finishing fourth with 118...
.
The song was performed fourth on the night (following Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
's Lydia
Lydia (singer)
Lydia Rodríguez Fernández , better known as Lydia, is a Spanish pop singer.-Career:When Fernández was 16 years old, she released her first album, Lydia, which went platinum in Spain. She became famous after dedicating a song to her musical idol Alejandro Sanz...
with "No quiero escuchar
No Quiero Escuchar
"No quiero escuchar" was the Spanish entry for the Eurovision Song Contest in the year 1999, sung in Spanish by Lydia....
" and preceding the 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 Precious
Precious (band)
Precious were a British girl group, comprising Louise Rose, Anya Lahiri, Sophie McDonnell, Kalli Clark-Sternberg and Jenny Frost. They first achieved fame as the UK's entry for the Eurovision Song Contest and went on to become a moderately popular act until they decided it was time to go their own...
with "Say It Again
Say It Again (Precious song)
"Say It Again" was the United Kingdom entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 1999, written by Paul Varney and performed by girl band Precious.The song was performed 5th on the night of the contest, following Croatia's Doris Dragović with "Marija Magdalena" and preceding Slovenia's Darja Švajger with...
"). At the close of voting, it had received 118 points, placing 4th of 23.
This song is a love song, Dragović singing she "belongs to you" and swearing this by the names both of God and the Biblical character. For a dramatic appearance, she appeared dressed in a white gown
Gown
A gown is a loose outer garment from knee- to full-length worn by men and women in Europe from the early Middle Ages to the 17th century ; later, gown was applied to any woman's garment consisting of a bodice and attached skirt.A long, loosely-fitted gown called a Banyan was worn by men in the 18th...
and cloak
Cloak
A cloak is a type of loose garment that is worn over indoor clothing and serves the same purpose as an overcoat; it protects the wearer from the cold, rain or wind for example, or it may form part of a fashionable outfit or uniform. Cloaks are as old as human history; there has nearly always been...
. She was accompanied on stage by one female backing singer dressed in black. At the start of the second verse, she removed the cloak, to reveal a tight bodice
Bodice
A bodice, historically, is an article of clothing for women, covering the body from the neck to the waist. In modern usage it typically refers to a specific type of upper garment common in Europe during the 16th to the 18th century, or to the upper portion of a modern dress to distinguish it from...
.
When the number of countries wishing to enter the 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...
increased sharply, Eurovision began calculating an average
Average
In mathematics, an average, or central tendency of a data set is a measure of the "middle" value of the data set. Average is one form of central tendency. Not all central tendencies should be considered definitions of average....
of each country's scores from previous years; countries with the best marks could compete in following years. When it emerged that Dragović used offstage accompaniment (i.e. vocals by a male voice choir not on stage), Croatia was penalized by removal of third of its marks average. It was too late to dock points off of that night's score.
Dragović said if she won with this song, she would release a Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
version. She did not win and a Hebrew version remains unreleased; however, it is believed that it was recorded.
Goran Karan
Goran Karan
Goran Karan , is a Croatian singer from Split. He specializes in songs influenced by Dalmatian folk music and is known for his powerful and refined tenor voice...
with "Kad zaspu anđeli" succeeded Dragović as Croatian representative
Croatia in the Eurovision Song Contest
Croatia has participated at the Eurovision Song Contest 18 times, participating every year since their debut in 1993. Together with Sweden and Malta, and the 5 countries that are for financial reasons entitled to take part every year, Croatia is one of the few countries that has not missed a...
at the 2000 Contest
Eurovision Song Contest 2000
The Eurovision Song Contest 2000 was the 45th Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 13 May 2000 at the Ericsson Globe in Stockholm, Sweden, following Charlotte Nilsson's victory in Jerusalem the previous year. It was the first time since 1996 that the contest was held on mainland Europe. The...
.