"Ninanajna" was the Macedonian
entry in the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest, performed in
MacedonianMacedonian is a South Slavic language spoken as a first language by approximately 2–3 million people principally in the region of Macedonia but also in the Macedonian diaspora...
and
EnglishEnglish 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...
by
Elena RisteskaElena Risteska is a Macedonian singer and song-writer. She represented Macedonia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006, held in Athens with the song "Ninanajna" and finished on the 12th place. That is the best result made by Macedonia in the Eurovision Song Contest ever...
, composed and produced by
Darko DimitrovDarko Dimitrov ) is a Macedonian record producer, songwriter, arranger and record executive. Highly acclaimed for revitalising the Macedonian mainstream pop music scene, which also influenced the surrounding Balkan countries, he also received international recognition for working with many popular...
and with lyrics by Rade Vrčakovski. Versions were also recorded entirely in each of the two languages. The lyrics for the English version was written by
Leroy ChambersLeroy Edna Chambers in Sheffield, England, is a retired English professional footballer. He made appearances in the Football League for Chester City and Macclesfield Town and turned out for a large number of non-league sides. He also spent time with Sheffield Wednesday without making any league...
, he also, play bass guitar and produced the English vocal production in San Francisco USA and at Shaman Studio in Alencon France.
The song is an
urbanUrban contemporary is a music radio format. The term was coined by the late New York DJ Frankie Crocker in the mid 1970s. Urban contemporary radio stations feature a playlist made up entirely of hip hop/rap, contemporary R&B, pop, electronica such as dubstep and drum and bass and Caribbean music...
-inspired track, although the lyrics in Macedonian and English have quite different meanings. In the Macedonian-language version, Risteska tells her lover that she does not like the turbo folk fan he has become and that the facts that he sings "Nanani nananajna" to her and has "replaced
EminemMarshall Bruce Mathers III , better known by his stage name Eminem or his alter ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer, songwriter and actor. Eminem's popularity brought his group project, D12, to mainstream recognition...
with Planet Folk" as well as preventing her from listening to
ShakiraShakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll , known professionally as Shakira , is a Colombian singer who emerged in the music scene of Colombia and Latin America in the early 1990s...
and
MadonnaMadonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
are proof that he is no longer the man for her.
The English version, on the other hand, features Risteska telling her lover that she will do whatever he wants her to ("I'll open up your fantasies and make your dreams come true") but that "If you wanna ninana with me, I'll tell you what to do". The reference to Shakira is maintained, although in this version Risteska promises that "I can make Beyoncé and Shakira dance for you".
The version as performed at the Contest featured the English lyrics until the final chorus, when Risteska switched to Macedonian to express much the same sentiments as she had been throughout the song.
At the performance Risteska was wearing a red shirt with beads and a pair of hot pants. Risteska had three dancers dressed in casual clothing along with two backing singers who remain at the back and were incorporated into the dancing at certain points of the performance. The backing singers were Aleksandra PilevaAleksandra Pileva is a rock / pop-rock singer and songwriter from the Republic of Macedonia. Pileva's music contains elements of modern rock, pop rock, blues / rock ballads and alternative rock.-Biography:...
and Maja Sazdanovska.
As Macedonia had not finished in the top 10 at the 2005 ContestThe Eurovision Song Contest 2005 was the 50th Eurovision Song Contest, which was held at the Palace of Sports, Kiev, Ukraine. The winner was Greece's My Number One, written by Christos Dantis and Natalia Germanou and performed by Swedish-born Greek singer Elena Paparizou, who scored 230 points,...
, the song was performed in the semi-final. Here, it was performed eleventh, following MonacoMonaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...
's Séverine FerrerSéverine Ferrer is a French singer.-Biography:Ferrer was born in Montpellier and grew up on the island of Réunion. In 1991, Ferrer and her family moved to Paris. She began her career by appearing in television series. In 2004, Ferrer released a new album and a clothing line for pregnant women...
with "La Coco-Dance"La Coco-Dance" was the Monegasque entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006, performed in French and Tahitian by Séverine Ferrer. This was the first - and to date, the only - occasion on which the Tahitian language was used at the Contest....
and preceding PolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
's Ich TrojeIch Troje is a Polish pop band.Former members are Magdalena Pokora , Justyna Majkowska , Elli Mücke and Ania Wisniewska ....
& The Real McCoyReal McCoy, originally known as M.C. Sar & The Real McCoy, is a German band, best known for their 1993/1994 singles "Another Night" and "Run Away", which were both Top 10 hits in the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom.-Formation:...
" with "Follow My Heart"Follow My Heart" was the Polish entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006, performed in English, Polish, German, Russian and Spanish by Ich Troje and Real McCoy...
". At the close of voting, it had received 76 points, placing 10th in a field of 23 and qualifying Macedonia for the final for the third consecutive year.
In the final, it was performed eleventh, following RussiaRussia 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...
's Dima Bilan' is a Russian actor and pop singer . Bilan represented Russia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 with "Never Let You Go", finishing second, and he won the contest in 2008 in Belgrade, with the song "Believe". He has had several Russian no. 1 hits....
with "Never Let You Go"Never Let You Go" is a pop/rock song that was performed by Dima Bilan at the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest. He was representing Russia and ended up in 2nd place....
" and preceding RomaniaRomania 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...
's Mihai TrăistariuMihai Trăistariu is a Romanian singer and musician. He represented Romania at the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 held in Athens, Greece, with the song "Tornero". Since that competition the song has been broadcast in over 30 countries in Europe.- Biography :...
with "TorneròTornerò was the Romanian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006, performed in English and Italian by Mihai Trăistariu and composed by Mihai Traistariu and Eduard Cîrcotă. Tornero was ranked first in the Romanian national selection on 26 February 2006, receiving 22 points in total.The song is an...
". At the close of voting, it had received 56 points, placing 12th in a field of 24 and returning Macedonia to the semi-final for the third consecutive year - although the twelfth-place finish was the country's best Contest result.
The unusual spelling of the title - with the j intended to be pronounced like the "y" in yes, rendering the song closer to "Ninanayna" - caused both BBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
commentators some difficulty. The title was variously pronounced "Ninanyanya" and "Ninanarna", as well as being misinterpreted to be the name of a British news reporter, with one commentator remarking "Nina Nannar, wherever you are, she wants to dance for you".
It was succeeded as Macedonian representative at the 2007 ContestThe Eurovision Song Contest 2007 was the 52nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It was won by first-time appearance as an independent country Serbia and was held at the Hartwall Areena in Helsinki, Finland from 10 May to 12 May. The host broadcaster was YLE.Finland earned the right to host...
by KarolinaKarolina Gočeva, often credited as Karolina Gocheva is a Macedonian singer. She represented Macedonia in the 2002 and 2007 Eurovision Song Contests, ranking 19th and 14th, respectively...
with Mojot svet"Mojot svet" was the Macedonian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007, performed in Macedonian and English by Karolina Gočeva. The song was composed by Grigor Koprov and written by Ognen Nedelkovski, both of whom have previous Contest experience. Karolina, too, has previous Eurovision...
.
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