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Vodka (song)
Encyclopedia
"Vodka" was the song that represented Malta
at Eurovision Song Contest 2008
, in Belgrade
, Serbia
. It was sung by Gozitan
singer Morena
.
The authors of the song, Gerard James Borg
(lyrics) and Philip Vella
(music) have had songs in Eurovision
five times (2000, 2002, 2004, 2007 & 2008).
"Vodka" won the Malta Song for Europe 2008
with total 78 points (49 votes from the jury and 16,979 from the public). The jury gave the same (not maximal) number of points to two other songs, but public sympathies were on the side of "Vodka" to beat the runner-up by a wide margin.
The song speaks of a spy in Gorky Park
in Moscow
, "in a danger zone" where everywhere is "pitch dark". She is being chased because she deciphered the code which everyone wants so badly, and the word is "Vodka
".
"Vodka" is sung in English
, but starts with the word Na Zdarovye, a supposedly Russian word for "Cheers!" toast
.
The song sparkled comments that it was crafted to attract Eastern Europe
ans' votes, but the authors denied the accusations saying that the song was not even intended to enter the competition.
The song title is a source of numerous puns in newspaper titles, but Morena in her interview says she does not like vodka and in fact rarely drinks alcohol.
In the Eurovision Song Contest 2008, "Vodka" was sung in the 2nd semifinal on Thursday 22 May 2008, where it received 38 points and placed 14th in the semifinal, with Malta
failing to qualify for the final for the second time.
The song will be succeeded as Maltese representative
at the 2009 contest
by Chiara with "What If We
".
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
at Eurovision Song Contest 2008
Eurovision Song Contest 2008
The Eurovision Song Contest 2008 was the 53rd edition of the Contest. It was hosted in Belgrade, Serbia after Marija Šerifović won the 2007 Contest in Helsinki, Finland. This year was the first contest to have two semi-finals which were held on 20 and 22 May, and the final held on 24 May 2008...
, in Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
, Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
. It was sung by Gozitan
Gozo
Gozo is a small island of the Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. The island is part of the Southern European country of Malta; after the island of Malta itself, it is the second-largest island in the archipelago...
singer Morena
Morena (singer)
Morena is a singer from Sannat, Gozo, Malta. "Morena" means "brunette", which fits her complexion.Morena became to be known as the "Mediterranean Volcano"....
.
The authors of the song, Gerard James Borg
Gerard James Borg
Gerard James Borg is one of Malta's most successful song writers and concept creators for the last decades. Borg has penned five of the Maltese entries for the annual Eurovision Song Contest with Philip Vella, besides several Eurovision national final entries....
(lyrics) and Philip Vella
Philip Vella
Philip Vella is one of the most successful composers in Malta. He has won the main national festivals of Malta several times such as the Song for Europe festival, International Festival of Maltese song as well as Ghanja tal-poplu festival...
(music) have had songs in Eurovision
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...
five times (2000, 2002, 2004, 2007 & 2008).
"Vodka" won the Malta Song for Europe 2008
Malta Song for Europe 2008
The Malta Song for Europe is an annual music show in which Malta selects its entry for the Eurovision Song Contest. The edition was held at the Malta Fairs & Conventions Centre in Ta' Qali...
with total 78 points (49 votes from the jury and 16,979 from the public). The jury gave the same (not maximal) number of points to two other songs, but public sympathies were on the side of "Vodka" to beat the runner-up by a wide margin.
The song speaks of a spy in Gorky Park
Gorky Park (Moscow)
Gorky Central Park of Culture and Leisure is an amusement park in Moscow, named after Maxim Gorky.-History:...
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...
, "in a danger zone" where everywhere is "pitch dark". She is being chased because she deciphered the code which everyone wants so badly, and the word is "Vodka
Vodka
Vodka , is a distilled beverage. It is composed primarily of water and ethanol with traces of impurities and flavorings. Vodka is made by the distillation of fermented substances such as grains, potatoes, or sometimes fruits....
".
"Vodka" is sung in English
English language
English 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...
, but starts with the word Na Zdarovye, a supposedly Russian word for "Cheers!" toast
Toast (honor)
A toast is a ritual in which a drink is taken as an expression of honor or goodwill. The term may be applied to the person or thing so honored, the drink taken, or the verbal expression accompanying the drink. Thus, a person could be "the toast of the evening," for whom someone "proposes a toast"...
.
The song sparkled comments that it was crafted to attract Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
ans' votes, but the authors denied the accusations saying that the song was not even intended to enter the competition.
The song title is a source of numerous puns in newspaper titles, but Morena in her interview says she does not like vodka and in fact rarely drinks alcohol.
In the Eurovision Song Contest 2008, "Vodka" was sung in the 2nd semifinal on Thursday 22 May 2008, where it received 38 points and placed 14th in the semifinal, with Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
failing to qualify for the final for the second time.
The song will be succeeded as Maltese representative
Malta in the Eurovision Song Contest
Malta has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest since 1971. At first the island state sent songs in its native language, Maltese, but it failed to rank highly, and withdrew after the 1975 contest. Since its return in 1991, however, it has achieved eight top ten placings in a row, including...
at the 2009 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....
by Chiara with "What If We
What If We (song)
"What If We" is a song by Maltese singer Chiara, and was the Maltese entry to the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 in Moscow, Russia. The song was composed by Belgian songwriters Marc Paelinck and Gregory Bilsen....
".