News - esctoday.com Award categories: Lyricists of the year | Eurovision Song Contest News - Germany 2011 

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ENGLISH LYRICS

1. Alexander Rybak (Norway)

Alexander Rybaks writes the lyrics to most of his own compositions. Among them are his two number one hits in Norway, Fairytale and Funny little world. 

The Norwegian entry is about Alexander's first girlfriend, who herself got some media attention when the song gained popularity. The lyrics themselves were inspired by the Scandinavian folkloristic creature Huldra, who seduces men just to put them under her spell and curse them for the rest of their lives:

                   Every day we started fighting
                   Every night we fell in love
                   No one else could make me sadder
                   But no one else could lift me high above

                   I'm in love with a fairytale
                   Even though it hurts
                   'Cause I don't care if I lose my mind
                   I'm already cursed

2. Óskar Páll Sveinsson, Tinatin Japaridze and Chris Neil (Iceland)

Óskar Páll Sveinsson and Chris Neil are mainly producers and composers, but have co-written the lyrics to the Icelandic entry Is it true?.  Tinatin Japaridze is a newcomer to the music scene. She co-wrote the English lyrics of the Icelandic entry but she also wrote the lyrics of the Russian version of the song on her own.

Is it true? is a break-up song. Two partners seem to deny that their relationship is no longer working out until one dares to ask if it is really over, which has become more of a rhethorical question:

                    So tell me about the rumours
                    Are they only rumours?
                    Are they only lies?
                    Falling out of a perfect dream
                    Coming out of the blue

                    Is it true?
                    Is it over?
                    Did I throw it away?
                    Was it you?
                    Did you tell me you would 
                    Never leave me this way?

3. Diane Warren and Andrew Lloyd Webber (United Kingdom)

Diane Warren is a successful songwriter writing both the music and the lyrics to most of her works. However, her first success as a songwriter was solely as a lyricist, when she wrote English lyrics to Martine Clémnenceau's (French Eurovision Song Contest representative 1973) song Solitaire for Laura Branigan. Andrew Lloyd Webber is mainly a composer and usually does not write the lyrics to his compositions, which is the reason why he suggested Diane Warren to co-write the UK entry. However, eventually they ended up witing both on the music and the lyrics together. 

The lyrics are about finding one's place in life and achieving whatever wanted. According to Diane Warren, it can be seen as being about a person but also about a whole country, which could well be a reference to the fact that the United Kingdom attempted to achieve a good result in the Eurovision Song Contest after years of low placings: 

                    I've got the will, I've earned the right
                    To show you it's my time tonight
 
                    It's my time, it's my time
                    My moment, I'm not gonna let go of it
                    My time, it's my time
                    And I stand proud
                    There's nothin' I'm afraid of
                    I'll show you what I'm made of
                    Show you all it's my time now

4. Adrian Sieber, Thomas Rechberger and Florian Senn (Switzerland)

Band members Adrian Sieber, Thomas Rechberger and Florian Senn co-write the music and lyrics to all Lovebugs songs. Adrian Sieber also co-wrote all of the songs he performs as a soloist. 

The highest heights is about taking a risk and the insecurities that come along with it. Swiss media interpreted in a way to say that the risk is taking part in the Eurovision Song Contest, but Lovebugs have stated that the song was already written before they considered representing their country. 

                    I climb this tree
                    The highest heights 
                    From beneath the stars
                    I see little lights
                    The dreams I dream
                    Demand their rights 
 
                    Will you catch me when I fall?
                    From the highest heights of all?

5. Nikolas Metaxas (Cyprus)

Nikolas Metaxas mainly writes his own material, but decided to write a song for his sister Chrisitina for the Cypriot national final. Previously, he had already competed with a song written and performed by himself. 

The lyrics of Firefly are about finding one's way and place in life. The image of a firefly, who seems to be scared not knowing where she is going but loses her fear when she flies away, is used to illustrate the quest for a light-hearted life:

                    The firefly, spreading her wings open wide
                    Thinks the sky will come crashing down, fall to her side
                    She is afraid, but her fear slowly fades
 
                    So fly with the firefly, fly side by side
                    Escaping the chains that held you from life 
                    Don't look down, you're over the edge

NON-ENGLISH AND MULTILINGUAL LYRICS

1. Sven Lõhmus (Estonia)

Sven Lõhmus has been a songwriter producer for various different Baltic acts including Vanilla Ninja and Laura. Most of the lyrics he writes are in English but occassionally, he also writes lyrics in Estonian. 

The lyrics of Rändajad (meaning Travellers) tell the story of some nomads who are making their way through the desert. The lyrics are to be interpreted in a metaphorical way as Urban Symphony lead singer Sandra Nurmsalu points out that we are all travellers: 

2. Anse Lazio (France)

Anse Lazio has previously a song in French for Australian singer Tina Arena. The pseudonym is based on the name of a beach on the Seychellois island Praslin.

Through the lyrics of Et s'il fallait faire (meaning And if it had to be done), the singer tells someone that she would do everything so that she is still loved herself. The tone seems to be passionate but can also be interpreted as desperate:

3. Aleksandar Covic (Bosnia & Herzegovina)

Aleksandar Covic writes music and lyrics for most Regina songs. He also writes the material that he performs as a soloist. 

The lyrics of Bistra voda (meaning Clear water) are about the longing for a time of love. This quest for a love revolution can be interpreted in various different respects:

4. Pedro Marques and Paulo Pereira (Portugal)

Two members of Flor-de-Lis wrote the lyrics to the Portuguese entry. Pedro Marques has written the lyrics to various songs, but he has also released some collections of poems written by him. Paulo Pereira has also contributed lyrics to other songs performed by the band.

Not only the music but also the lyrics of Todas as ruas do amor (meaning All the streets of love) remind of the days of the flower power, a theme that was also reflected in the stage performance. The romatic lyrics are a declaration of love full of metaphores referring to nature and the world in whole:

5. Noa, Mira Awad and Gil Dor (Israel)

Noa and Mira Awad are both singer-songwriters. Noa has also worked with Gil Dor on most of her solo projects.

There must be another way, also called Einaich (meaning Your eyes) is a trilingual song performed in English, Hebrew and Arabic. Like all songs in the Israeli national final, the lyrics bear a message of peace. This song tells about the hope that there must be another way than war and suffering:

Previous winners. 

Previously, there was only one award for the Lyricists of the year and it was given out in 2007 and 2008. In 2007, it went to the winning lyricist Saša Milošević Mare for Molitva while last year, Norway's Mira Craig took home the trophy for Hold on be strong. 

The complete results of the previous awards: 

Tomorrow, we will take a look at the Best male performance and Best male vocal performance categories.