OPA!
Encyclopedia
"OPA!" is a song by Greek
singer Giorgos Alkaios
and Friends. It represented Greece
in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010
. The song was released by broadcaster Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT) on 26 February 2010 along with the other candidate songs from the national final, while a digital download
was released on 12 March 2010 in association with Universal Music Greece
.
since 1998
to be sung entirely in Greek.
"Opa" is a Greek interjection
used to express joy or high spirits, especially when dancing. According to Alkaios, 'Opa' is a happy word and just what people need in a time of trouble. The song is all about leaving the past behind and starting all over again. In a world shaken by the current economic circumstance, Alkaios believes people just need to say 'Opa' and move on. Pertaining to the tie of 'Opa' in the song with the current economic situation in the world, Alkaios stated:
. The song was performed fourth in the final by Alkaios along with "Friends", which consisted of musicians Gogua Iakovos, Evgenios Buli, Petros Zlatkos and Anastasios Kanaridis who acted as backing vocalists and backing dancers, along with Lazos Ioannidis who plays the lyre
during the song's break.
At the end of voting, "OPA" was revealed as the winner.
, Norway
. The performance in the contest differed from the one in the national final. Alkaios passed the first semi-final, coming in 2nd place behind Belgium, and went on to perform in the final on 29 May 2010. Friend Dionisis Schinas stated that the performance will feature a surprise on stage which has never happened before in any other live music event worldwide. Following the semi-final, Alkaios revealed that they would change the routine and present a surprise midway through the song in the final. In the end, Greece
came 8th, with 141 points, while for most of the duration of the voting, Greece
was in the top 3 (and even came 1st for a while). It was the highest placing non-English song of the contest.
OPA was the most popular song for the jury in the United Kingdom, being awarded the full 12 points and has since acquired a cult following in many clubs. Following Eurovision, OPA was formally adopted by Bournemouth University
in the UK as their fieldwork anthem on the excavation programme throughout June and July 2010 .
channel. Although ERT released a music video for the song from the live performance, Alkaios had to pay himself for the production of a proper music video. The music video was shot in Milos
.
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
singer Giorgos Alkaios
Giorgos Alkaios
Giorgos Alkaios is a Greek recording artist. His career began in 1989 after appearing on a Greek reality show. Following a brief period of stage acting, Alkaios dedicated himself to music. His first single, "Ti Ti", made him popular in Greece. His distinctive musical style fuses Greek and Oriental...
and Friends. It represented Greece
Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010
Greece, in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010, selected the song "Opa" sung by Giorgos Alkaios & Friends as their entry, by a national selection on 12 March 2010....
in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010
Eurovision Song Contest 2010
The Eurovision Song Contest 2010 was the 55th annual Eurovision Song Contest, broadcast from the Telenor Arena in Bærum, Greater Oslo, Norway. It was the third time Norway had hosted the contest, having previously done so in 1986 and 1996. The 2010 winner was Germany with Lena singing "Satellite",...
. The song was released by broadcaster Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT) on 26 February 2010 along with the other candidate songs from the national final, while a digital download
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
was released on 12 March 2010 in association with Universal Music Greece
Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...
.
Production history
Alkaios had originally written the music to the song about two year prior, with no intention of submitting it for the Eurovison Song Contest at the time. After lyricist Giannis Antoniou heard the music a year earlier, he was smitten with the song and asked Alkaios to write lyrics for it. In the process, other musicians and employees from Friends Music Factory including Dionisis Schinas, Kassiani Kargiule, Dimitris Hortarias, Stavros Apostolou, Tolis Schinas, and Manos Hortarias amongst others, also wrote and contributed half of the lyrics to the song. Upon completion, good friend and musician Dionysis Schinas along with Giannis Antoniou urged Alkaios to submit the song to broadcaster ERT to take part in the national final. Originally only intending to be the composer of the song, Alkaios agreed to submit the song, and Schinas hand delivered the song to ERT's offices. Later, it was decided that Alkaios would perform the song on stage along with "friends".Lyrical content
The entry marks the first Greek Eurovision entryGreece in the Eurovision Song Contest
Greece has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 32 times since 1974, with the exception of 1975, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1999 and 2000. Greece won for the first time in 2005 with "My Number One" song by Elena Paparizou. Following the introduction of a semi-final round for the 2004 contest, Greece...
since 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...
to be sung entirely in Greek.
"Opa" is a Greek interjection
Interjection
In grammar, an interjection or exclamation is a word used to express an emotion or sentiment on the part of the speaker . Filled pauses such as uh, er, um are also considered interjections...
used to express joy or high spirits, especially when dancing. According to Alkaios, 'Opa' is a happy word and just what people need in a time of trouble. The song is all about leaving the past behind and starting all over again. In a world shaken by the current economic circumstance, Alkaios believes people just need to say 'Opa' and move on. Pertaining to the tie of 'Opa' in the song with the current economic situation in the world, Alkaios stated:
National final
Seven acts competed on 12 March 2010 in the Greek National FinalGreece in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010
Greece, in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010, selected the song "Opa" sung by Giorgos Alkaios & Friends as their entry, by a national selection on 12 March 2010....
. The song was performed fourth in the final by Alkaios along with "Friends", which consisted of musicians Gogua Iakovos, Evgenios Buli, Petros Zlatkos and Anastasios Kanaridis who acted as backing vocalists and backing dancers, along with Lazos Ioannidis who plays the lyre
Lyre
The lyre is a stringed musical instrument known for its use in Greek classical antiquity and later. The word comes from the Greek "λύρα" and the earliest reference to the word is the Mycenaean Greek ru-ra-ta-e, meaning "lyrists", written in Linear B syllabic script...
during the song's break.
At the end of voting, "OPA" was revealed as the winner.
| Draw | Artist | Song | Place |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Christos Hatzinasios | "Illusion" | - |
| 2 | Sunny Baltzi & Second Skin | "Game of Life" | - |
| 3 | Manos Pyrovolakis | "Kivotos tou Noe" (Noah's ark) | 2 |
| 4 | Giorgos Alkaios Giorgos Alkaios Giorgos Alkaios is a Greek recording artist. His career began in 1989 after appearing on a Greek reality show. Following a brief period of stage acting, Alkaios dedicated himself to music. His first single, "Ti Ti", made him popular in Greece. His distinctive musical style fuses Greek and Oriental... & Friends |
"OPA" | 1 |
| 5 | Yorgos Karadimos | "Polemao" (I'm fighting) | 3 |
| 6 | Melisses | "O Kinezos" (Chinese) | - |
| 7 | Émigré | "Touch me Deep Inside" | - |
Eurovision
Greece competed 13th in the second half of the first semi-final of the contest on 25 May in OsloOslo
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...
. The performance in the contest differed from the one in the national final. Alkaios passed the first semi-final, coming in 2nd place behind Belgium, and went on to perform in the final on 29 May 2010. Friend Dionisis Schinas stated that the performance will feature a surprise on stage which has never happened before in any other live music event worldwide. Following the semi-final, Alkaios revealed that they would change the routine and present a surprise midway through the song in the final. In the end, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
came 8th, with 141 points, while for most of the duration of the voting, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
was in the top 3 (and even came 1st for a while). It was the highest placing non-English song of the contest.
OPA was the most popular song for the jury in the United Kingdom, being awarded the full 12 points and has since acquired a cult following in many clubs. Following Eurovision, OPA was formally adopted by Bournemouth University
Bournemouth University
Bournemouth University is a university in and around the large south coast town of Bournemouth, UK...
in the UK as their fieldwork anthem on the excavation programme throughout June and July 2010 .
Music video
Due to economic difficulties faced by ERT, the broadcaster was only willing to use the national final performance as the official music video for the song. On 19 March 2010, ERT released a music video using the national final performance on their official YouTubeYouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
channel. Although ERT released a music video for the song from the live performance, Alkaios had to pay himself for the production of a proper music video. The music video was shot in Milos
Milos
Milos , is a volcanic Greek island in the Aegean Sea, just north of the Sea of Crete...
.
Release history
| Region | Date | Label | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greece Greece Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe.... |
Friends Music Factory | Airplay Airplay * Airplay is the amount of time a song is played on the radio.It may also refer to:* AirPlay, an audio & video streaming technology from Apple Inc.* Airplay , Foster & Graydon music project from 1980* Citroën C1, Citroën C1 Airplay... |
|
| Cyprus Cyprus Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the... |
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| Greece Greece Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe.... |
Universal Music Universal Music Group Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations... , Friends Music Factory |
Digital download Music download A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment... |
|
| Cyprus Cyprus Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the... |
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Charts
| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgian (Flanders) Singles Chart Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts... |
37 |
| Finnish Singles Chart | 20 |
| Greek Digital Singles Chart Greece Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe.... |
4 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
110 |