"Molitva" | ||||
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Single by Marija Šerifović | ||||
from the album Molitva - The Best Of | ||||
Language | Serbian | |||
Released | 27 July 2007 | |||
Genre | Pop | |||
Length | 3:03 | |||
Label | Connective | |||
Composer(s) | Vladimir Graić | |||
Lyricist(s) | Saša Milošević Mare | |||
Marija Šerifović singles chronology | ||||
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Eurovision Song Contest 2007 entry | ||||
Country | ||||
Artist(s) | ||||
Language | ||||
Composer(s) | ||||
Lyricist(s) | Saša Milošević Mare | |||
Finals performance | ||||
Semi-final result | 1st | |||
Semi-final points | 298 | |||
Final result | 1st | |||
Final points | 268 | |||
Entry chronology | ||||
"Oro" (2008) ► | ||||
Official performance video | ||||
"Molitva" (Final) on YouTube |
"Molitva" (Serbian Cyrillic :Молитва;"Prayer") is a song recorded by Serbian singer Marija Šerifović with music composed by Vladimir Graić and Serbian lyrics written by Saša MiloševićMare. It represented Serbia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007,held in Helsinki,resulting in the country's only ever win at the contest.
The song marked the country's Eurovision debut as an independent nation,the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro having dissolved in June 2006. It was released as a CD single in nine different versions on 27 July 2007.
"Molitva" was composed by Vladimir Graić with Serbian lyrics by Saša MiloševićMare. It was recorded by Marija Šerifović in Serbian,English –as "Destiny" with lyrics by Jovan Radomir–,and Russian –as "Молитва" with lyrics by Andy Mikheev–. [1] It was released as a CD single in nine different versions on 27 July 2007 by Connective Records after its win at Eurovision. [2]
On 7–8 March 2007,"Molitva" performed by Šerifovićcompeted in Beovizija 2007,the national final organised by Radio Television of Serbia (RTS) to select its song and performer for the 52nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. The song won the competition becoming the Serbian entry –and Šerifovićthe performer–for Eurovision. [3]
On 10 May 2007,the Eurovision Song Contest semi-final was held at the Hartwall Areena in Helsinki. As this was Serbia's Eurovision debut as an independent nation,the song had to compete in the semi-final. Šerifovićperformed "Molitva" fifteenth on the evening. [4] and received 298 points,placing first in a field of twenty-eight field and qualifying for the final. [5] It was the highest number of points ever gained in the semi-final under the single semi-final format of the contest (2004–2007).
The song is memorable for its stage presentation because it lacked dance routines,revealing or showy costumes,pyrotechnics and other gimmicks –Eurovision is often accused of concentrating on these things instead of the music itself–. Many elements of "Molitva" contrasted with the previous winner,"Hard Rock Hallelujah". Šerifović's performance was complemented by the presence of the five backing singers –who after the contest joined together to form the group Beauty Queens.
On 12 May 2007,the final for the Eurovision Song Contest was held. Šerifovićperformed "Molitva" seventeenth on the evening. [6] and received 268 points,winning the contest. [7] It was the first song containing no English language lyrics to win since "Diva" by Dana International win for Israel in 1998. Molitva was the last entirely non-English song to win the contest until the 2017 contest,where Portugal won with "Amar pelos dois" by Salvador Sobral,as well as being the first time a ballad had won since televoting became the standard,and the first one of the so-called "Balkan ballads" that came to prominence since the late 1990s to win the contest.
It was succeeded as the Serbian entry by "Oro" by Jelena Tomašević and as the winning song by "Believe" by Dima Bilan for Russia.
As the winning broadcaster,the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) gave RTS the responsibility to host the following edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. On 24 May 2008,Šerifovićsang "Molitva" as the opening act of the grand final. [8]
On 24 May 2012,Šerifovićperformed her song during the interval act of the second semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 held in Baku accompanied by traditional Azeri musical instruments. [9] The television special Eurovision:Europe Shine a Light ,aired on 16 May 2020 throughout Europe,features Šerifovićperforming the song in an empty street in Belgrade. [10] [11]
Molitva was included in the list of the ten best Eurovision winners according to the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) in 2016 and to The Independent in 2019,while The Eurovision Times,a fan blog,ranked it as the third best Eurovision song of all time. [12] [13] [14]
Chart (2007) | Peak position |
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Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders) [15] | 4 |
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) [16] | 9 |
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) [17] | 19 |
UK Singles (The Official Charts Company) [18] | 112 |
The English version is titled "Destiny",the Russian version is titled "Молитва" (Molitva),and the Finnish version is called "Rukoilen";these were performed by the Beauty Queens,without Šerifović. The song has also been released as a dance remix and a remix named "Jovan Radomir mix" by Swedish TV-presenter Jovan Radomir,who also wrote the English lyrics. An instrumental version has also been released as well as a karaoke version. [19] The UK oompah band Oompah Brass recorded an instrumental version of "Molitva" on their album Oompocalypse Now (2008), [20] premiered at the 2007 Belgrade Beer Festival.
Molitva has been often played for many successes Serbia has had in the year 2007. It was played at a welcome party for Serbia's tennis players after their French Open successes.[ when? ] During Wimbledon 2007,Molitva was often used during clips displaying the courts and players on the BBC. It was mainly used before and after footage or interviews with the Serbian players.
The short 10-second instrumental theme of the song can be heard even today[ when? ] on RTS between scheduled broadcasts as short intermezzo or when presenting RTS programme/image.
In 2015,the chorus of the song was played on Day 102 of the soap opera parody Kalyeserye of the Philippine noontime variety show Eat Bulaga! . [21]
The State Union of Serbia and Montenegro participated in the Eurovision Song Contest twice:in 2004 and in 2005. Their debut appearance was a success,with the song "Lane moje" performed by Željko Joksimovićfinishing second. The following year,they placed seventh,with "Zauvijek moja" by the band No Name. The Serbian-Montenegrin participant broadcaster in the contest was Udruženje javnih radija i televizija (UJRT) which selected its entrant with the national selection Evropesma.
Serbia has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 16 times since making its debut in 2007. The Serbian participant broadcaster in the contest is Radio-televizija Srbije (RTS). Serbia won the contest on its debut with "Molitva" by Marija Šerifović. The country's other top five results are third place in 2012 with "Nije ljubav stvar" by Željko Joksimović,and fifth place in 2022 with "In corpore sano" by Konstrakta. Serbia's other top ten results are sixth place (2008) and tenth place (2015).
Bosnia and Herzegovina participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 with the song "Rijeka bez imena" written by Aleksandra Milutinovićand Goran Kovačić. The song was performed by Marija Šestić. On 16 January 2007,the Bosnian broadcaster Radio and Television of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BHRT) revealed that they had internally selected Marija Šestićto compete at the 2007 contest in Helsinki,Finland. Her song,"Rijeka bez imena",was presented to the public during a show entitled BH Eurosong 2007 on 4 March 2007.
Serbia was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 with the song "Molitva",composed by Vladimir Graić,with lyrics by Saša MiloševićMare,and performed by Marija Šerifović. The Serbian participating broadcaster,Radio-televizija Srbije (RTS),organised the national final Beovizija 2007 in order to select its entry for the contest. This was the first-ever entry from independent Serbia in the Eurovision Song Contest.
Marija Šerifović is a Serbian singer. Born in Kragujevac,she is best known for winning the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 in Helsinki,Finland with "Molitva",becoming Serbia's first and to date only winning entry.
Serbia was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 with the song "Oro",written by Željko Joksimovićand Dejan Ivanović,and performed by Jelena Tomaševićfeaturing Bora Dugić. The Serbian participating broadcaster,Radio-televizija Srbije (RTS),organised the national final Beovizija 2008 in order to select its entry for the contest. In addition,RTS was also the host broadcaster and staged the event at the Belgrade Arena in Belgrade,after winning the previous edition with the song "Molitva" performed by Marija Šerifović.
Vladimir Graić is a Serbian composer of popular,film and television music. Among other pieces,he composed the song Molitva,performed by Marija Šerifović,which won the 2007 Eurovision Song Contest.
Serbia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 with the song "Cipela" written by Aleksandar Kobac,Marko Kon and Milan Nikolić. The song was performed by Marko Kon and Milaan. The Serbian national broadcaster,Radio Television of Serbia (RTS) organised the national final Beovizija 2009 in order to select the Serbian entry for the 2009 contest in Moscow,Russia. The national final consisted of two shows:a semi-final and a final on 7 and 8 March 2009,respectively. Twenty entries competed in the semi-final where eleven qualified to the final following the combination of votes from a three-member jury panel and a public televote. The eleven qualifiers competed in the final which resulted in "Cipela" performed by Marko Kon and Milaan as the winner following the combination of votes from a three-member jury panel and a public televote.
Serbia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 with the song "Ovo je Balkan" written by Goran Bregović,Marina Tucakovićand Ljiljana Jorgovanović. The song was performed by Milan Stanković. The Serbian national broadcaster,Radio Television of Serbia (RTS) organised the national final Tri pa jedan za Oslo in order to select the Serbian entry for the 2010 contest in Oslo,Norway. Three entries competed in the national final on 13 March 2010,which resulted in "Ovo je Balkan" performed by Milan Stankovićas the winner following a public televote.
Serbia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 with the song "Čaroban" written by Kristina Kovač. The song was performed by Nina. The Serbian national broadcaster,Radio Television of Serbia (RTS) organised the national final Pesma za Evropu - Diseldorf 2011 in order to select the Serbian entry for the 2011 contest in Düsseldorf,Germany. Kornelije Kovačand his two daughters Aleksandra Kovačand Kristina Kovačwere selected to each compose a song for the national final on 26 February 2011,which resulted in "Čaroban" performed by Nina as the winner entirely by a public televote.
Serbia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 with the song "Nije ljubav stvar" written by Željko Joksimović,Marina Tucakovićand MilošRoganović. The song was performed by Željko Joksimović,who had previously represented Serbia and Montentegro in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2004 where he placed second with the song "Lane moje". The Serbian national broadcaster,Radio Television of Serbia (RTS) internally selected the Serbian entry for the 2012 contest in Baku,Azerbaijan. Joksimovićwas announced as the Serbian representative on 18 November 2011,while the song,"Nije ljubav stvar",was presented on 10 March 2012 during a show titled Evropska pesma.
Serbia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 with the song "Ljubav je svuda" written by Saša MiloševićMare and Marina Tucaković. The song was performed by Moje 3,which among its members included Nevena Božovićwho had previously represented Serbia in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in 2007 where she placed third with the song "Piši mi". The Serbian national broadcaster,Radio Television of Serbia (RTS) organised the national final Beosong 2013 in order to select the Serbian entry for the 2013 contest in Malmö,Sweden. The national final consisted of two shows:a semi-final and a final on 2 and 3 March 2013,respectively. Fifteen entries competed in the semi-final where a public televote selected the top five to qualify to the final. The five qualifiers competed in the final which resulted in "Ljubav je svuda" performed by Moje 3 as the winner entirely by a public televote.
Serbia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2015 with the song "Beauty Never Lies" written by Vladimir Graićand Charlie Mason. The song was performed by Bojana Stamenov. The Serbian national broadcaster,Radio Television of Serbia (RTS) organised the national final Odbrojavanje za Beč in order to select the Serbian entry for the 2015 contest in Vienna,Austria. Vladimir Graićwas selected to compose three songs for the national final which consisted of two shows on 14 and 15 February 2015. Two of the songs were performed by established artists,while one was performed by an undiscovered candidate selected through a scouting process. The second show resulted in "Ceo svet je moj" performed by Bojana Stamenov as the winner following the combination of votes from a three-member jury panel and a public televote. The song was later translated from Serbian to English for the Eurovision Song Contest and was titled "Beauty Never Lies".
Jovan Radomir is a Serbian-Swedish television presenter,best known for presenting music programmes for Sveriges Television (SVT). His family's origin is Bosnian Serb.
Serbia and Montenegro was to be represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2006. The Serbian-Montenegrin participant broadcaster,Udruženje javnih radija i televizija (UJRT),organised the national final Evropesma-Europjesma 2006 in order to select its entry for the contest. Serbian Radio-televizija Srbije (RTS) and Montenegrin Radio-televizija Crne Gore (RTCG) each submitted twelve entries from their respective selections Beovizija 2006 and Montevizija 2006 with twenty-four entries in total competing in the national final on 11 March 2006. The song "Moja ljubavi" (Мојаљубави),written by Milan Perićand Dalibor Nedović,and performed by the band No Name,won the national final following the combination of votes from an eight-member jury panel and a public televote. However the results were not recognized by UJRT due to controversy surrounding tactical voting of the Montenegrin jury,and the broadcaster ended up not submitting any entry.
Serbia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 with the song "In Too Deep" written by Borislav Milanov,Joacim Bo Persson,Johan Alkenäs and Lisa Desmond. The song was performed by Tijana Bogićević,who was internally selected by the Serbian national broadcaster,Radio Television of Serbia (RTS) to represent Serbia in the 2017 contest in Kyiv,Ukraine. Bogićevićwas announced as the Serbian representative on 27 February 2017,while the song,"In Too Deep",was presented on 11 March 2017.
Serbia originally planned to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 with the song "Hasta la vista" written by Nemanja Antonić,Kosana Stojićand Sanja Vučić. The song was performed by the group Hurricane,which among its members included Sanja Vučićwho had previously represented Serbia in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2016 where she placed eighteenth with the song "Goodbye (Shelter)". The Serbian national broadcaster,Radio Television of Serbia (RTS) organised the national final Beovizija 2020 in order to select the Serbian entry for the 2020 contest in Rotterdam,Netherlands. The national final consisted of three shows:two semi-finals on 28 and 29 February 2020 and a final on 1 March 2020. Twelve entries competed in each semi-final where the top six qualified to the final from each semi-final following the combination of votes from a five-member jury panel and a public televote. The twelve qualifiers competed in the final which resulted in "Hasta la vista" performed by Hurricane as the winner following the combination of votes from a five-member jury panel and a public televote.
Serbia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 with the song "Loco loco" written by Nemanja Antonić,Sanja Vučićand Darko Dimitrov. The song was performed by the group Hurricane,which were internally selected by the Serbian national broadcaster,Radio Television of Serbia (RTS) to represent Serbia in the 2021 contest in Rotterdam,Netherlands. Among the members of the group included Sanja Vučićwho had previously represented Serbia in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2016 where she placed eighteenth with the song "Goodbye (Shelter)". Hurricane was announced as the Serbian representative on 17 December 2020 after they were due to compete in the 2020 contest with "Hasta la vista" before the event's cancellation,while the song,"Loco loco",was presented on 5 March 2021.
Serbia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 in Turin,Italy,with "In corpore sano" performed by Konstrakta. The Serbian national broadcaster Radio Television of Serbia (RTS) organised the national final Pesma za Evroviziju '22 in order to select the Serbian entry for the 2022 contest. It was the first entry in the Eurovision Song Contest to contain a verse in Latin.
Serbia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 in Liverpool,United Kingdom,with "Samo mi se spava" performed by Luke Black. The Serbian national broadcaster,Radio Television of Serbia (RTS),organised the national final Pesma za Evroviziju '23 in order to select the Serbian entry for the 2023 contest. The final took place on 4 March 2023,with a combination of jury voting and televoting selecting Black to represent Serbia at the 2023 contest in Liverpool.