#Kølig Kaj

[eurovision-revisited]

1997 Dublin - Number 4 - Kølig Kaj - "Stemmen I Mit Liv"

We all have guilty pleasures, and surely there are few things more guilty that a peroxide white Danish rapper in leopard-print trousers harassing the receptionists of Directory Enquiries because he likes the voice of one of their colleagues?

It nearly didn't make Eurovision. It pipped Jette Throp's Utopia by about 300 phone calls in a 100% televoted Dansk MGP. If there had been juries, I can't imagine that it would have won. In the national final, Stemmen I Mit Liv (The Voice in my Life) was presented more conventionally for a hip hop track with Kølig rapping over backing provided by a DJ with decks. The breaks were samples. But here, in Dublin, they got the full, live orchestra to provide the them and boy, that's a big difference. It gives what's a fun song a whole heap of wall of sound heft. The live strings especially add propulsion and urgency.

This could only achieve 25 points to finish 16th overall. As with Paul Oscar, this scored points from three of the five countries using 100% televoting for the final scores, in this case Switzerland, Sweden and the UK.

For Kølig, this was his year. This track did very well in the Danish charts and he release an album and two other singles of the back of it. He's continued to perform freestyle, continuing to win awards as recently as 2018. The song was written by Chief 1 aka Lars Pedersen, DJ, promoter, manager and pioneer of Danish hip hop and one of the founder members of Rockers By Choice - Denmark's first hip hop act.

However there's another accusation of plagiarism attached to Stemmen I Mit Liv. Here's the evidence. What do you think?

[eurovisionsongaday]

Okay so this is very old school, but it’s still pretty decent from my perspective.

[maschasrankings]

1997: Top 25

Turkey: Şebnem Paker - Dinle

Iceland: Páll Oskár - Minn Hinsti Dans

Estonia: Maarja-Liis Ilus - Keelatud Maa

Switzerland: Barbara Berta - Dentro Di Me

Cyprus: Hara & Andreas Konstantinou - Mana Mou

Italy: Jalisse - Fiumi Di Parole

Poland: Anna Maria Jopek - Ale Jestem

Greece: Marianna Zorba - Horepse

Ireland: Marc Roberts - Mysterious Woman

Portugal: Célia Lawson - Antes Do Adeus

Norway: Tor Endresen - San Francisco

United Kingdom: Katrina & The Waves - Love Shine A Light

France: Fanny - Sentiments Songes

Croatia: ENI - Probudi Me

Malta: Debbie Scerri - Let Me Fly

Spain: Marcos Llunas - Sin Rencor

Sweden: Blond - Bara Hon Älskar Mig

Bosnia & Herzegovina: Alma Čardžić - Goodbye

Denmark: Kølig Kaj - Stemmen I Mit Liv

Hungary: VIP - Miért Kell, Hogy Elmenj?

Germany: Bianca Shomburg - Zeit

Netherlands: Mrs. Einstein - Niemand Heeft Nog Tijd

Austria: Bettina Soriat - One Step

Russia: Alla Pugacheva - Primadonna

Slovenia: Tanja Ribič - Zbudi Se

[orum]

In the late 80ies and Early 90ies I spend most of my time listening to home made rap tapes by Danish rappers and distributed on cassette tapes. Artists such as Kølig Kaj, tue track and dasko D were great idols of mine. With their humourous and somewhat nerdy Danish rap lyrics they were miles away from the orthodoxy of oh so serious semi political East coast rap that I was immersed in at the time. Years later I got to know kølig and the others in real life and as to old hop hop heads we have lots of intersecting ideas. we have even made a rap track in collaboration for a show at Sydhavn a few years ago.And today kølig helped me map the wireless networks around @vejlekunstmuseum for an upcoming show. The network form a sort of wireless graffiti. Invisible and unregulated utterances in public space. His help it feels very much like an extension of the culture that created those old mixtapes in the last millennium. For sure it was back then a very misogynistic subculture and today it seems be have become completely subsumed by the commercialised mainstream culture. But no matter it's problematic aspects it's is still a culture that rest on a conception of art as collective endeavour, a community that relies upon helping each other out. And I can't help but think that what I my self make is made for other activly thinking and making nerds, rather than the generalized audience of passive everyman or woman that seems to be the most prevalent conception of what an art audience is. #3dprint #signalkrebs #signalcrayfish #workinprogress #wirelessinsurrection #animation #prod #køligkaj (her: Vejle Kunstmuseum) https://www.instagram.com/p/B8O1twuhGwV/?igshid=1f94ys8fo3wsr

[mexicaneurolover]

Eurovision 1997 my top 25

Hello, and welcome to another episode of this series of tops about the ESC, and I go back to May 3, 1997, when the contest was held again in Dublin, Ireland, after Eimear Quinn’s victory in Oslo last year. 25 countries took part, while Denmark, Italy, Germany, Hungary and Russia returned to the contest, Finland, Belgium and Slovakia were relegated because of their low scores. The contest was won by the United Kingdom with Katrina and the Waves with the song Love shine a light, making this their 5th and last win to date, also with a record score at the time. And now, let’s review the songs.

1st Place: TURKEY/Sebnem Paker & Grup Ethnic-Dinle (Real Placing: 3rd-121 points)  

I’M SO IN LOVE WITH THIS WONDERFUL SONG, this is so cooooool and catchy, since the first time I heard it I was stunned by this song, and her voice again is so nice and appropriate for this song. I must admit this is my favorite Turkish song and... wow. 

2nd Place: UNITED KINGDOM/Katrina & The Waves-Love shine a light (Real Placing: 1st-227 points)

The winning song... and I love it, the music is so inspiring and brights my attitude, it’s catch, effective and I enjoy this song so much, her voice is so stunning and yeah, it was a deserved winner and what a victory! 

3rd Place: ITALY/Jalisse-Fiumi di parole (Real Placing: 4th-114 points) 

Oh this entry is so amazing! She sings so good and the music is so nice in this one. I’m so stunned about this song, this is a very good Italian song and I like the lyrics as well, this was the last Italian entry for a loooong time, and I’ll see them many years later. 

4th Place: GREECE/Marianna Zorba-Horepse (Real Placing: =12th-39 points)

Another amazing song from Greece, the music is so ethnic and I want to dance along to it. I’m so hypnotized by the music and her voice is so good. Oh Greece, you are so good at making ethnic songs. I love this one so much. 

5th Place: ICELAND/Paul Oskar-Minn hinsti dans (Real Placing: 20th-18 points) 

I’m so crazy about this entry, he’s so wonderful on stage, the performance is effective but a bit dirty, the music is so modern and I must agree that if this song was on other year with full televote, like in 1998 or 1999, this would’ve done a lot better. 

6th Place: RUSSIA/Alla Pugacheva-Primadonna (Real Placing: 15th-33 points)

Oh what a wonderful song! Alla’s voice is so good and elegant, the music is such a delight to hear, this is so nostalgic and her performance is so classy, this song makes me cry because it’s very beautiful. 

7th Place: CYPRUS/Hara & Andreas Konstantinou-Mana mou (Real Placing: 5th-98 points) 

Also this song is very good, I like the ethnic elements on this one that mix so well with the modern elements. They sing so well and the chorus is so catchy, and the dabadabadam is so contagious. What a wonderful song!

8th Place: SPAIN/Marcos Llunas-Sin rencor (Real Placing: 6th-96 points)

This entry is so lovely, the music is so cool and his voice is great, the lyrics are so heartbreaking and overall, I love this song, everything here works so well and this makes me cry. 

9th Place: IRELAND/Marc Roberts-Mysterious woman (Real Placing: 2nd-157 points)

At first I thought this song was so mediocre and boring, and I always skipped it, but one day I listened the whole song and it’s so nice, I like the song and the lyrics are very good, also he has a nice voice, the chorus is so catchy and I enjoy it now. This song was Ireland’s last top 5 finish, and I hope the day they will make the top again, as in the 90′s. 

10th Place: ESTONIA/Maarja-Liis Ilus-Keelatud maa (Real Placing: 8th-82 points)

Oh she’s back! And with another amazing song, the music is sweet in the verses and the chorus is so powerful. Her voice is perfect, as it was indeed last year. This is such a nice song, it’s so relaxing. 

11th Place: FRANCE/Fanny-Sentiments songes (Real Placing: 7th-95 points)

Such a classy and elegant song, this music is so modern and she’s such a cute singer, her voice is amazing and this relaxes me so much, I like this song and the overall atmosphere is very French. 

12th Place: POLAND/Anna Maria Jopek-Ale jestem (Real Placing: 11th-54 points) 

Another magical song, the music is so wonderful and her voice is so good, I like the verses and the chorus is so powerful. This is such a catchy song and I love how Polish sounds in this song. 

13th Place: SLOVENIA/Tanja Ribič-Zbudi se (Real Placing: 10th-60 points)

A sweet song with a charming melody, this is like a song from an animated movie, her voice is so cute and enchanting and I’m mesmerized by it, the ending is one of the best parts and the verses are stunning. 

14th Place: PORTUGAL/Célia Lawson-Antes do adeus (Real Placing: =24th-0 points/last)

HOW THIS SONG FINISHED WITH 0 POINTS? This song is very good, the music is so dark but good, maybe the backing singers were the problem here but her voice is so stunning, I’m so confused about the result, such an undeserved last place. 

15th Place: BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA/Alma Čardžić-Goodbye (Real Placing: =18th-22 points)

This song is one of the songs I enjoy the most this year, the intro is very good and she sings so well, the chorus is lovely and I like the music so much. Overall this song is so nice and I don’t know how this didn’t do well in the night. 

16th Place: MALTA/Debbie Scerri-Let me fly (Real Placing: 9th-66 points)

This song isn’t that bad, and her voice is good, the music is very pleasant to hear and overall this is a nice song, but at the second listen I realized that it bored me after the chorus. Also, that dress is so colorful, and it’s like a hot-air balloon. 

17th Place: DENMARK/Kølig Kaj-Stemmen i mit liv (Real Placing: 16th-25 points)

Again, as with the UK entry in 1995, I’m not a big fan of rap, but this song somehow entertains me, the lyrics are funny and the performance is so crazy, also, what’s going on with his pants. 

18th Place: HUNGARY/V.I.P.-Miért kell, hogy elmenj? (Real Placing: =12th-39 points)

Oh a boyband! This song is lovely and current for the time, and this has a nice vibe to it and I like it, but as with the previous songs, I can’t say it’s awesome because it’s missing something that I don’t know what it is. 

19th Place: THE NETHERLANDS/Mrs. Einstein-Niemand heeft nog tijd (Real Placing: =22nd-5 points)

This song has one of the craziest melodies I’ve ever heard, and I like it so much, they sing nice but maybe this song needed a bit of a punch, I love the chorus and the key change makes this song better. 

20th Place: CROATIA/E.N.I.-Probudi me (Real Placing: 17th-24 points)

Oh the Croatian girl group, this song is very 90′s and it’s like a song from the Spice Girls, but sadly this fails to impress and their voices are bad, this song would’ve been better with another group of singers. 

21st Place: GERMANY/Bianca Shomburg-Zeit (Real Placing: =18th-22 points)

Another nice ballad with a wonderful singer, but the only thing I like about this one is the chorus, because it’s the most memorable part of this song. An average song in a quite strong field. 

22nd Place: SWITZERLAND/Barbara Berta-Dentro di me (Real Placing: =22nd-5 points)

Ok this is actually nice, but there were many better songs than this one, the music is so lovely and her voice is so good. This little song is nice but maybe in other year it would’ve placed higher. 

23rd Place: AUSTRIA/Bettina Soriat-One step (Real Placing: 21st-12 points) 

Ok, not another bad pop song, her voice isn’t pleasant and maybe this was too much. I want to like this one but I end up hating it more and more. 

24th Place: SWEDEN/Blond-Bara hon älskar mig (Real Placing: 14th-36 points) 

This is such a mediocre pop song, their voices aren’t that good and the overall performance is poor, and the song itself isn’t good. I don’t like this and IMO this, along with 1990 is one of the worst songs ever. 

25th Place: NORWAY/Tor Endresen-San Francisco (Real Placing: =24th-0 points/last)

Why Norway, you were doing amazing and then this came, the song is mediocre, Tor’s voice is good but not my taste and I don’t like this overall. That year, another band called Manjari deserved to go with the song Lys, it would’ve been better. 

[everyeurovisionsong]

Denmark 1997

'Stemmen i hit liv' (The voice in my life), performed by Kølig Kaj. Composition: Lars Pedersen: Lyrics: Thomas Lægård:

This is your classic stop, look at the screen, and think WTF. Just listing the elements is awkward enough; a telephone receptionist, a rapping answering machine, two backing dancers doing their best to look like teddy bears with yellow tops and dalek bumps in their hair, leopard print trousers, dial tones as musical backing, it's just all over the shop.

Still, it has the traditional 'keep the backing singers in as much darkness as possible' so there is something recognisable.

The probelm with trying to bring something modern to the Contest is that if you miss, even slightly, it feels even more uncomfortable and everyone is just goign to laugh at an older broadcaster attempting to be down with da kidz.

Points: 25. Placing: 16th.

[iloveeurovisionsongcontest]

Kølig Kaj - Stemmen i mit liv  ESC 1997 Denmark

Oh my. This is one of those songs that you just look at and think "Hell no!", then two minutes later you're singing along. I love danish, but due to the introduction of the free language rule, "Stemmen i mit liv" was the last song to be performed in danish in the ESC, which is really sad.

This was a really bad year for Norway (Tor Endresen - San Francisco). At the close of the  voting, we had received nul points, placing 24th (joint last) in a field of 25 and further extending our unwanted record of scoring zero points. Looking at the song, I can't blame people. It's crap, out of tune and he looks ridiculous. 

[eurovision-revisited]

Eurovision 1997: The actual result

RTÉ may not have required the help of the Northern Irish tourist board to fund Eurovision in 1997, but they couldn't stretch to a fully-virtual scoreboard like Oslo managed. It was back to the normal screen with flags and numbers, and a font of which I'm not fond.

Here is my regular spoiler warning for a competition that happened over 25 years ago. If you don't want to know who actually won Eurovision in 1997 don't read any further. Close the article and scroll on by.

Ireland's years of reigning are over but singing in English is still the advantage the Scandinavian countries have been claiming it was since the 1970s. The UK won for the fifth time and fairly easily. For the second year in a row, their singer was not British. Instead the BBC were relying on the anglophone world to provide, and after the Gina G hiccup, Katrina brought home the goods.

Ireland just about did the perfect thing, by managing to finish second. The best you can get without winning and for that RTÉ were truly happy. Below them come Turkey in third with by far their best result ever in over twenty years of trying. Italy on their return came fourth, but would that be enough to keep them coming back? Estonia maintained their good finish in 1996 by getting another top 10.

At the bottom there was that rarest of things with a double null-points from Norway and Portugal.

Here then is the full scoreboard.

United Kingdom - Katrina and the Waves - "Love Shine a Light"

Ireland - Marc Roberts - "Mysterious Woman"

Turkey - Şebnem Paker & Etnic - "Dinle"

Italy - Jalisse - "Fiumi Di Parole"

Cyprus - Chara and Andreas Konstantinou - "Mana Mou"

Spain - Marcos Llunas - "Sin Rencor"

France - Fanny - "Sentiments Songes"

Estonia - Maarja-Liis Ilus - "Keelatud Maa"

Malta - Debbie Scerri - "Let Me Fly"

Slovenia - Tanja Ribič - "Zbudi Se"

Poland - Anna Maria Jopek - "Ale Jestem"

Greece - Marianna Zorba - "Horepse"

Hungary - VIP - "Miert Kell, Hogy Elmenj?"

Sweden - Blond - "Bara Hon älskar Mig"

Russia - Alla Pugachova - "Primadonna"

Denmark - Kølig Kaj - "Stemmen I Mit Liv"

Croatia - ENI - "Probudi Me"

Germany - Bianca Shomburg - "Zeit"

Bosnia & Herzegovina - Alma Cardzic - "Goodbye"

Iceland - Paul Oscar - "Minn Hinsti Dans"

Austria - Bettina Soriat - "One Step"

Switzerland - Barbara Berta - "Dentro Di Me"

Netherlands - Mrs. Einstein - "Niemand Heeft Nog Tijd"

Norway - Tor Endresen - "San Francisco"

(24th equal) Portugal - Célia Lawson - "Antes Do Adeus"