World Song Contest
when Music rules the World
The Story Goes On...
We already had some close victories. Sometimes 1 point was enough to make a winner. But for its 30th edition, the World Song Contest had still some surprises to offer. This edition started in September 2007 with a record of 55 participants from all over the world, including New Zealand, which took part for the first time.
It's always hard to say if the quality of an edition was better than an other. But with the results, we can see if it was hard to vote or not. And this time, songs which had more than 70 points didn't reach the top 20, while in some previous edition it was enough for a top 10. So does it gives hints ? Well maybe not. It just show that this edition had so many different kind of songs that people couldn't really have the same way to vote.
It's also not that often we have a so "intercontinental" results with three European countries (if we say Turkey is a European country), two Asian countries and one African country in the top 6.
So the results were full of surprises. For the first time ever, we had a tie for the first position. Liechtenstein took an early lead during the live coverage but Luxembourg, and then South Africa came back to share the trophy. But we have rules. And rules say the victory go to the country which received votes from the higher number of countries. South Africa received votes from 18 countreis, Luxembourg from 16 countries. So with 109 points, Freshlyground with the song "Doo Bee Doo" took the victory. But as it's always hard to see something like this, both song will be considered as winner. It's only for the statistics that it matters... But WSC is not about statistics, it's about music !
It's always hard to say if the quality of an edition was better than an other. But with the results, we can see if it was hard to vote or not. And this time, songs which had more than 70 points didn't reach the top 20, while in some previous edition it was enough for a top 10. So does it gives hints ? Well maybe not. It just show that this edition had so many different kind of songs that people couldn't really have the same way to vote.
It's also not that often we have a so "intercontinental" results with three European countries (if we say Turkey is a European country), two Asian countries and one African country in the top 6.
So the results were full of surprises. For the first time ever, we had a tie for the first position. Liechtenstein took an early lead during the live coverage but Luxembourg, and then South Africa came back to share the trophy. But we have rules. And rules say the victory go to the country which received votes from the higher number of countries. South Africa received votes from 18 countreis, Luxembourg from 16 countries. So with 109 points, Freshlyground with the song "Doo Bee Doo" took the victory. But as it's always hard to see something like this, both song will be considered as winner. It's only for the statistics that it matters... But WSC is not about statistics, it's about music !
The Results
click here to see the scoreboard
| 1 |  | South Africa | Freshlyground: Doo Bee Doo | 109 pts |
| 2 |  | Luxembourg | Sébastien Tellier: La Ritournelle | 109 pts |
| 3 |  | Liechtenstein | Krypteria: Victoriam Speramus | 107 pts |
| 4 |  | Iran | Nazanin: Someday (The Revolution Song) | 104 pts |
| 5 |  | Turkey | Grup Hepsi: Aşk Sakızı | 100 pts |
| 6 |  | China | Han Hong: Tian Lu | 99 pts |
| 7 |  | Serbia | Sanja Ilic & Balkanika: Balkan Vocals | 98 pts |
| 8 |  | Norway | Sandra Lyng Haugen: Døgnvill | 95 pts |
| 9 |  | United States of America | Tori Amos: Big Wheel | 93 pts |
| 10 |  | Ireland | Dolores O'Riordan: Ordinary Day | 92 pts |
| 11 |  | Israel | Maya Buskila: Say That You Will | 86 pts |
| 12 |  | Puerto Rico | Chayanne: Torero | 86 pts |
| 13 |  | Italy | Gigi D'Alessio & Lara Fabian: Un Cuore Malato | 85 pts |
| 14 |  | Poland | Mosqitoo: Celebrate | 84 pts |
| 15 |  | Colombia | Fanny Lú: No Te Pido Flores | 82 pts |
| 16 |  | Iceland | Amiina: Hilli | 81 pts |
| 17 |  | Belgium | Ozark Henry & Martina Topley-Bird: We Were Never Alone | 80 pts |
| 18 |  | United Kingdom | Hard-Fi: Suburban Knights | 79 pts |
| 19 |  | Canada | Conjure One ft. Sinead O'Connor: Tears From The Moon | 77 pts |
| 20 |  | Argentina | Diego Torres & Juan Luis Guerra: Abriendo Caminos | 77 pts |
| 21 |  | Germany | Miss Platnum: Give Me The Food | 73 pts |
| 22 |  | France | Claire Diterzi: Princesse Arabe | 71 pts |
| 23 |  | The Philippines | Lea Salonga: Triumph Of The One | 69 pts |
| 24 |  | Uzbekistan | Sogdiana: Serdce Magnit | 65 pts |
| 25 |  | The Netherlands | After Forever: Energize Me | 59 pts |
| 26 |  | Austria | Bernhard Eder: Cute | 57 pts |
| 27 |  | Denmark | Julie: Every Little Part Of Me | 51 pts |
| 28 |  | Japan | YUI: Good-Bye Days | 50 pts |
| 29 |  | Spain | El Canto Del Loco: Besos | 43 pts |
| 30 |  | Monaco | Emmanuel Moire: Le Sourire | 43 pts |
| 31 |  | Malta | Ira Losco: Arms Of The Ones... | 32 pts |
| 32 |  | Lebanon | Karina Nawaly: Ya Rayt Bshoufak | DNQ |
| 33 |  | Venezuela | Etronica: Cosa Divina | DNQ |
| 34 |  | Sweden | September: Can't Get Over | DNQ |
| 35 |  | Lithuania | Rasa & Jonas: Anoj Pusėj Nemuno | DNQ |
| 36 |  | South Korea | Nemesis: Rose De Versailles | DNQ |
| 37 |  | Andorra | Whiskyn's: Silenci | DNQ |
| 38 |  | Australia | Cosima De Vito: One Night Without You | DNQ |
| 39 |  | Bosnia & Herzegovina | Hari Mata Hari: Zar Je To Jos Od Nas Ostalo | DNQ |
| 40 |  | F.Y.R. of Macedonia | Tose Proeski: Igri Bez Granici | DNQ |
| 41 |  | Portugal | Mané: As I Call You Up | DNQ |
| 42 |  | Mexico | Gloria Trevi: Todos Me Miran | DNQ |
| 43 |  | Greece | Despina Vandi: Gia | DNQ |
| 44 |  | Vatican City | Romina Falconi: Ama | DNQ |
| 45 |  | Russia | Elena Terleeva: Solnce | DNQ |
| 46 |  | Brazil | Adryana & A Rapaziada: Anjo Do Amor | DNQ |
| 47 |  | Hungary | Desperado: Csak Egy Perc... | DNQ |
| 48 |  | New Zealand | Pearl: Fallacy | DNQ |
| 49 |  | Albania | Luiz Ejlli: I Besoj | DNQ |
| 50 |  | Finland | Kalmah: The Groan Of Wind | DNQ |
| 51 |  | San Marino | Gianni Fiorellino: Ricomincerei | DNQ |
| 52 |  | Romania | El Negro: Ploaia | DNQ |
| 53 |  | Slovenia | Atomik Harmonik: Goveja Župca | DNQ |
| 54 |  | Ukraine | Verka Serduchka: Kievskiy Vokzal | DNQ |
| 55 |  | Estonia | Def Räädu & J.O.C. feat. Sofia Rubina: Kuningas Ei Eksi | DNQ |
Semi Final A
click here to see the scoreboard
| 1 | | The Netherlands | After Forever: Energize Me | 199 pts |
| 2 | | Israel | Maya Buskila: Say That You Will | 197 pts |
| 3 | | Japan | YUI: Good-Bye Days | 179 pts |
| 4 | | United States of America | Tori Amos: Big Wheel | 170 pts |
| 5 | | Denmark | Julie: Every Little Part Of Me | 157 pts |
| 6 | | The Philippines | Lea Salonga: Triumph Of The One | 151 pts |
| 7 | | Luxembourg | Sébastien Tellier: La Ritournelle | 141 pts |
| 8 | | Argentina | Diego Torres & Juan Luis Guerra: Abriendo Caminos | 133 pts |
| 9 | | Lithuania | Rasa & Jonas: Anoj Pusėj Nemuno | 129 pts |
| 10 | | Andorra | Whiskyn's: Silenci | 122 pts |
| 11 | | Bosnia & Herzegovina | Hari Mata Hari: Zar Je To Jos Od Nas Ostalo | 115 pts |
| 12 | | F.Y.R. of Macedonia | Tose Proeski: Igri Bez Granici | 107 pts |
| 13 | | Portugal | Mané: As I Call You Up | 105 pts |
| 14 | | Mexico | Gloria Trevi: Todos Me Miran | 99 pts |
| 15 | | Russia | Elena Terleeva: Solnce | 93 pts |
| 16 | | Finland | Kalmah: The Groan Of Wind | 83 pts |
| 17 | | San Marino | Gianni Fiorellino: Ricomincerei | 82 pts |
Semi Final B
click here to see the scoreboard
Semi Final C
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The Winner
SOUTH AFRICA
Freshlyground: Doo Bee Doo
Freshlyground is a South African Afro-Fusion band that was formed in Cape Town in 2002. The band members hail from South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. Stylistically, Freshlyground incorporates elements of traditional South African music (such as kwela and African folk), blues and jazz, as well as features of indie rock. The lead singer is Zolani Mahola whose distinctive voice contributes much to the band's unique sound.
Band members
- Zolani Mahola – Lead vocals
- Simon Attwell – Flute, Mbira, Harmonica
- Peter Cohen – Drums
- Kyla Rose Smith – Violin, Vocals
- Julio "Gugs" Sigauque – Acoustic Guitar
- Josh Hawks – Bass Guitar, Vocals
- Aron Turest-Swartz – Keyboards, Percussion, Vocals
Freshlyground launched their debut album, Jika Jika, in early 2003. The great success of this album ultimately kick-started their career and re-affirmed their reputation as a fresh and vibrant young face in South African music. The much-needed exposure from the album resulted in an invitation for the band to perform at both the Harare International Festival of the Arts and the Robben Island African Festival. Early in 2004, Freshlyground participated in the opening of Parliament of South Africa by performing before President Thabo Mbeki in an event organised as a celebration of ten years of democracy in South Africa. At the Harare International Festival of the Arts, Freshlyground performed with Zimbabwean musician Oliver Mtukudzi, who is also renowned for his diverse blending of different African music genres. The band went on to perform alongside local legends Miriam Makeba, Stanley Clarke and Femi Kuti at the North Sea Jazz Festival, held during April in Cape Town. July also marked a break from the recording studio for the band, who had been working hard on their then unreleased album Nomvula. The band took this time to perform at the Villa Celimontana Festival in Rome, Italy. Finally, in late 2004, Freshlyground released their most recent album Nomvula. Although the uptake of the album was initially slow, it eventually went on to achieve double platinum status locally. Initial success was largely due to the catchy, feel-good, lyrics of Doo Be Doo, which enjoyed significant play on local radio. Follow-up hits included I'd like and the signature track Nomvula, the former achieving unprecedented success on radio charts such as the 5FM Top 40, where it remained at No. 1 for several weeks. Freshlyground's new album Ma' Cheri will be released on September 3, 2007. The album will again be produced by JB Arthur and Victor Masondo, and was recorded in Cape Town. The first single is called Potbelly.
Official website: http://www.freshlyground.com/
Lyrics
Did you hear the news on the radio today?
People have agreed to give their love away.
I can't wait to be there in line!
Politicians have agreed to honour and obey.
They'll come down and listen to what the people say.
I can't wait to be there in line, no no!
Doo be doo be doo be doo bye
Doo be doo be doo be doo bye
Children will play in the streets,
Loving everyone they meet.
Open hearts will be the rhythm of the day .
Neighbours will greet each other,
Sisters and the brothers.
Even enemies will come to be friends.
I can't wait to be there in line, no no !
Doo be doo be doo be doo bye
Doo be doo be doo be doo bye
If you are ready,
Feel free to come around
If you are ready,
Vem cá amigo, irei levar-te lá.
If you are ready...
Say you want to live and grow in kindness every day.
Say you know the meaning of love.
See every person that you meet,
As every you and every me
And then I'll know you feel the rhythm of love!
I can't wait to be there in line, no no!
I can't wait to be there in line, no no!
Doo be doo be doo be doo bye
Doo be doo be doo be doo bye
People have agreed to give their love away.
I can't wait to be there in line!
Politicians have agreed to honour and obey.
They'll come down and listen to what the people say.
I can't wait to be there in line, no no!
Doo be doo be doo be doo bye
Doo be doo be doo be doo bye
Children will play in the streets,
Loving everyone they meet.
Open hearts will be the rhythm of the day .
Neighbours will greet each other,
Sisters and the brothers.
Even enemies will come to be friends.
I can't wait to be there in line, no no !
Doo be doo be doo be doo bye
Doo be doo be doo be doo bye
If you are ready,
Feel free to come around
If you are ready,
Vem cá amigo, irei levar-te lá.
If you are ready...
Say you want to live and grow in kindness every day.
Say you know the meaning of love.
See every person that you meet,
As every you and every me
And then I'll know you feel the rhythm of love!
I can't wait to be there in line, no no!
I can't wait to be there in line, no no!
Doo be doo be doo be doo bye
Doo be doo be doo be doo bye
The Other Winner
LUXEMBOURG
Sébastien Tellier: La Ritournelle
Sébastien Tellier is a highly personal artist, echoing such other one-offs as Robert Wyatt, Syd Barrett or Serge Gainsbourg. An individual, a Parisian poet and a wild man of many talents. Thanks to his two remarkable albums released on Record Makers, L’Incroyable Vérité (2001) and Politics (2004, re-issued in 2005 due to a strong popular demand), Sebastien Tellier toured with the likes of Air, Moby, Royksöpp and The Magic Numbers and played his acoustic set all over the world. His performances have now reached an artistic peak, becoming a bare and intense live experience. That is why, in one day (December 30th), an acoustic session of his whole repertoire was recorded together with pianist Simon Dalmais. The result of this session is precisely called ‘Sessions’, an intimate and essential album. ‘Sessions’ is a collection of out of time tracks, in the tradition of the most gifted singers/songwriters. As a bonus for this recording with French producer Alf (Air, Phoenix…), Sebastien Tellier recorded one cover of rare song « La Dolce Vita » from French artist Christophe, and an unreleased track « Classic » !
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/sebastientellier
Lyrics
Oh nothing’s gonna change my love for you
I wanna spend my life with you
So we make love on the grass under the moon
No one can tell, damned if I do
Forever journeys on golden avenues
I drift in your eyes since I love you
I got that beat in my veins for only rule
Love is to share, mine is for you
