Satellit
Encyclopedia
"Satellit" was the Swedish
entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1979
, performed in Swedish
by Ted Gärdestad
.
Gärdestad's first four albums were produced by Benny Andersson
and Björn Ulvaeus
of ABBA
, featured backing vocals by Agnetha Fältskog
and Anni-Frid Lyngstad
, and were released on the Polar Music
label. He had previously competed in Melodifestivalen
, the Swedish pre-selections, three times before winning; in 1973 with "Oh Vilken Härlig Dag" (#4), in 1975 with "Rockin' 'n' Reelin'" (#7) and in 1977 when he and brother Kenneth wrote Lena Andersson's entry "Det Bästa Som Finns" (#8).
The midtempo rock track, originally composed with English lyrics, has a chorus that goes "I feel like a satellite, high in the sky, and now I understand how small the world really is" and the verses include phrases like "Just like the earth and the moon we're attracted to each other" and "when the sun sets I really need your warmth". The song, which was arranged and produced by guitarist Janne Schaffer
, features a guitar and bass riff influenced by Toto
's 1978 hit "Hold the Line
", and four of the band members - Jeff Porcaro
, Steve Porcaro
, David Hungate
and Steve Lukather
- were in fact among the musicians playing on Gärdestad's preceding album Blue Virgin Isles
, recorded in Los Angeles
, and released in late 1978. The English language version of the track, "Satellite", was included on subsequent editions of the album, which was issued in both Europe, Australasia
and Japan.
The song was performed as entry number fifteen on the night, following Netherlands
's Xandra
with "Colorado
" and preceding Norway
's Anita Skorgan
with "Oliver
". At the close of voting, it had received 8 points, placing it 17th in a field of 19, making it Sweden's second lowest placing in the contest at that point in time. Despite this the song counts as one of Gärdestad's signature tunes, the Swedish version of the song was a Top 10 hit on the singles chart and it also spent two weeks on the Svensktoppen
radio chart.
Gärdestad returned to Melodifestivalen the following year with "Låt Solen Värma Dig" ("Let The Sun Warm You"), sung as a duet with then girlfriend Annica Boller. The song finished fifth in the pre-selections and "Satellit" was succeeded as Swedish representative
at the 1980 Contest
by Tomas Ledin
with "Just nu!". An English language solo version of "Låt Solen Värma Dig", entitled "Let The Sun Shine Through", was included on Gärdestad's second international album I'd Rather Write a Symphony
and a Swedish solo version on 1981's Stormvarning
.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1979
Eurovision Song Contest 1979
The Eurovision Song Contest 1979 was the 24th Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 31 March 1979 in Jerusalem, Israel. The presenters were Daniel Pe'er and Yardena Arazi, and the event was staged at the International Convention Center. Representing Israel, Gali Atari and Milk and Honey were the...
, 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 Ted Gärdestad
Ted Gärdestad
Ted Gärdestad , internationally known as Ted Gardestad, Ted Gaerdestad or just Ted was a Swedish singer, songwriter and musician.-Early career:...
.
Gärdestad's first four albums were produced by Benny Andersson
Benny Andersson
Göran Bror "Benny" Andersson is a Swedish musician, composer, a former member of the Swedish musical group ABBA , and co-composer of the musicals Chess, Kristina från Duvemåla, and Mamma Mia!...
and Björn Ulvaeus
Björn Ulvaeus
Björn Kristian Ulvaeus is a Swedish songwriter, composer, musician, writer, producer, a former member of the Swedish musical group ABBA , and co-composer of the musicals Chess, Kristina från Duvemåla, and Mamma Mia!...
of ABBA
ABBA
ABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1970 which consisted of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog...
, featured backing vocals by Agnetha Fältskog
Agnetha Fältskog
Agnetha Åse Fältskog is a Swedish recording artist. She achieved success in Sweden after the release of her début album Agnetha Fältskog in 1968, and reached international stardom as a member of the pop group ABBA, which to date has sold over 375 million records worldwide, making it the fourth...
and Anni-Frid Lyngstad
Anni-Frid Lyngstad
Anni-Frid Prinzessin Reuss von Plauen , is a Norwegian-born Swedish pop singer...
, and were released on the Polar Music
Polar Music
Polar Music is a Swedish record company founded in 1963 by Stig Anderson and his friend Bengt Bernhag. The first act that it signed was the Hootenanny Singers featuring Björn Ulvaeus. Polar eventually gained prosperity producing Ulvæus' next group, international superstars ABBA...
label. He had previously competed in Melodifestivalen
Melodifestivalen
Melodifestivalen is an annual music competition organised by Swedish public broadcasters Sveriges Television and Sveriges Radio . It determines the country's representative for the Eurovision Song Contest, and has been staged almost every year since 1959...
, the Swedish pre-selections, three times before winning; in 1973 with "Oh Vilken Härlig Dag" (#4), in 1975 with "Rockin' 'n' Reelin'" (#7) and in 1977 when he and brother Kenneth wrote Lena Andersson's entry "Det Bästa Som Finns" (#8).
The midtempo rock track, originally composed with English lyrics, has a chorus that goes "I feel like a satellite, high in the sky, and now I understand how small the world really is" and the verses include phrases like "Just like the earth and the moon we're attracted to each other" and "when the sun sets I really need your warmth". The song, which was arranged and produced by guitarist Janne Schaffer
Janne Schaffer
Jan Erik Tage Janne Schaffer is a Swedish songwriter and guitarist. He is best known for his work as a session guitarist for ABBA but he has also recorded with artists such as Bob Marley, Johnny Nash, Art Farmer and Tony Williams...
, features a guitar and bass riff influenced by Toto
Toto (band)
Toto is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1977. The group currently consists of Joseph Williams , David Paich , Steve Porcaro , Steve Lukather , Mike Porcaro , and Simon Phillips . Toto is known for a musical style that combines elements of pop, rock, soul, funk, progressive rock, hard...
's 1978 hit "Hold the Line
Hold the Line
Hold the Line is a song written by David Paich and recorded by the American rock group Toto. The song was the band's first single, and was featured on their debut eponymous album...
", and four of the band members - Jeff Porcaro
Jeff Porcaro
Jeffrey Thomas "Jeff" Porcaro was an American session drummer and a founding member of the Grammy Award winning band Toto. Porcaro was one of the most recorded drummers in history, working on hundreds of albums and thousands of sessions...
, Steve Porcaro
Steve Porcaro
Steven Maxwell "Steve" Porcaro is an American keyboardist and composer, who was an original member of the rock/pop band Toto....
, David Hungate
David Hungate
David Hungate is a bass player noted as a member of Los Angeles pop-rock band Toto from 1977-1982. Boz Scaggs's Silk Degrees album of 1976 included Hungate and several other future members of Toto...
and Steve Lukather
Steve Lukather
Steve "Luke" Lukather is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, arranger, and record producer best known for his work with the rock band Toto. Lukather has played with many artists, released several solo albums, and worked as a composer, arranger, and session guitarist on more than 1,500 albums...
- were in fact among the musicians playing on Gärdestad's preceding album Blue Virgin Isles
Blue Virgin Isles
Blue Virgin Isles was the fifth album and the international debut from Swedish singer/songwriter Ted Gärdestad, released in late 1978 on the Epic Records label in the UK and Polar Music in Scandinavia....
, recorded in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, and released in late 1978. The English language version of the track, "Satellite", was included on subsequent editions of the album, which was issued in both Europe, Australasia
Australasia
Australasia is a region of Oceania comprising Australia, New Zealand, the island of New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes...
and Japan.
The song was performed as entry number fifteen on the night, following Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
's Xandra
Xandra
Xandra is a given name or a nickname for Alexandra . Xandra is the feminine equivalent of Xander .* Xandra, a Dutch musical group fronted by Dutch singer Sandra Reemer representing Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1979*Xandra no Daibōken: Valkyrie to no Deai, , an...
with "Colorado
Colorado (song)
"Colorado" was the Dutch entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1979, performed in Dutch by the six-piece group Xandra, fronted by Sandra Reemer....
" and preceding 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...
's Anita Skorgan
Anita Skorgan
Anita Skorgan is a Norwegian singer-songwriter. She was once married to Jahn Teigen, another successful Norwegian singer-songwriter...
with "Oliver
Oliver (song)
"Oliver" was the Norwegian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1979, performed in Norwegian by Anita Skorgan. This was Skorgan's second participation in the Contest; in 1977 she had placed 14th out of 18 entries with "Casanova"....
". At the close of voting, it had received 8 points, placing it 17th in a field of 19, making it Sweden's second lowest placing in the contest at that point in time. Despite this the song counts as one of Gärdestad's signature tunes, the Swedish version of the song was a Top 10 hit on the singles chart and it also spent two weeks on the Svensktoppen
Svensktoppen
Svensktoppen is a record chart at Sveriges Radio. Until January 2003, the songs had to be in the Swedish language. Svensktoppen has aired since 1962, except for the years 1982-1985. Svensktoppen airs once a week...
radio chart.
Gärdestad returned to Melodifestivalen the following year with "Låt Solen Värma Dig" ("Let The Sun Warm You"), sung as a duet with then girlfriend Annica Boller. The song finished fifth in the pre-selections and "Satellit" was succeeded as Swedish representative
Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest
Sweden has participated at the Eurovision Song Contest 51 times since their debut in 1958. Since 1959, the Swedish representative has been chosen through an annual televised competition, known since 1967 as Melodifestivalen. Three times – 1964, 1970, and 1976 – Sweden didn't participate...
at the 1980 Contest
Eurovision Song Contest 1980
The Eurovision Song Contest 1980 was the 25th Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 19 April 1980 in The Hague. The presenter was Marlous Fluitsma, although each song was introduced by a presenter from the nation represented...
by Tomas Ledin
Tomas Ledin
Tomas Folke Jonas Ledin is a Swedish singer, songwriter, guitarist, and producer. He grew up in the town of Sandviken.Tomas Ledin started his career in 1972 when his first single, Då ska jag spela, was a big hit...
with "Just nu!". An English language solo version of "Låt Solen Värma Dig", entitled "Let The Sun Shine Through", was included on Gärdestad's second international album I'd Rather Write a Symphony
I'd Rather Write a Symphony
I'd Rather Write A Symphony was the sixth album and the second international release from Swedish singer/songwriter Ted Gärdestad, released in 1980 on the Polydor label in West Germany and The Netherlands, promoted by the single "Don't Treat Me This Way" backed with "Mindblower"...
and a Swedish solo version on 1981's Stormvarning
Stormvarning
Stormvarning was the sixth album from Swedish singer/songwriter Ted Gärdestad, released on the Polar Music label in Sweden in early 1981. Stormvarning was an expanded and partly re-recorded version of the international album I'd Rather Write a Symphony, released in West Germany and the Netherlands...
.