The Nation on Stage

Since 1956, the Eurovision Song Contest is broadcasted annually across Europe and other countries belonging to the European Broadcasting Union (Eurovision Song Contest, 2019). With only three minutes to perform on stage, countries showcase themselves through costuming, lighting, staging, genre, and language to enhance the performance. However, while the visual aspect of a performance can contribute to the meaning of the song, there are often messages within the lyrics that capture the artist or country. In a span of two years, Greece submitted different styles of songs in terms of lyrical message, but similarities between the two include mythological and traditional religious references and music style. These performances share Greek cultural references that contribute to the country’s attitudes toward diversity in their own identity.

The first performance, “Watch My Dance,” was performed by the duo Loucas Yiorkas and Stereo Mike in the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest. The song is sung in Greek and English combining hip-hop style music with traditional Greek pop. When Yiorkas sings the chorus, he sings it in Greek and the instruments in the background change to a traditional Greek instrument that imitates the sound of a bouzouki. The added element of traditional Greek-style music could suggest that Greece wanted to uphold their cultural identity. This combination of hip-hop music plus the traditional instruments were used to model Greece while appealing to the current trends in Greek and Eurovision-style music. The performance contains many components that contribute to Greek culture with religious references to God, Greek-sounding instruments, and the use of the Greek language. While some Eurovision songs from other countries express a political or social issue within the lyrics or performance, other songs like “Watch My Dance” represent a personal struggle from the artist. Musically, the beat of the song gives off a serious impression which complements the lyrics that represent overcoming adversity using phrases like “should I fall, I’ll rise again” or “head up high hands like wings and I’ll fly” (Eurovision Song Contest, 2011). In terms of costuming, Stereo Mike’s costume represents street-style clothing while Yiorkas is wearing a suit. It is also worth noting that when Stereo Mike sings his rap-style verses the background dancers are breakdancing which may suggest that hip-hop musicians must dress and perform in a way that pertains to that style of music. Additionally, the style of dancing changes when the song transitions to a more traditional style of music during Yiorkas’ choruses. Wide camera angles are used especially during the first line of the second chorus that states, “my soul has the fire to burn all the fears” and at this point, a pyrotechnic ring of flames bursts from the stage and it seems as if the singer is on fire. The use of pyrotechnic equipment emphasizes the lyrics and the power of the overall song. Consistently throughout the song, the color scheme of the stage and the background—with columns representing classical Greek architecture—remains blue which could represent the sky or “the heaven and sea” (Eurovision Song Contest, 2011). In Athens, Greece, these columns can be found on the Parthenon which is the home for the Greek goddess of war and wisdom, Athena (Britannica, 2019). Lyrics such as “the duty I’ve got is my war against fear” could be a reference to Athena because the artist is singing about his internal struggles that have helped him gain wisdom for future problems. Contrary to these potential Greek mythology references, Yiorkas refers to God in the choruses singing “I’m walking my way to God” (Eurovision Song Contest, 2011). Mentioning God in the song is an important characteristic of Greek culture, because 81-90% of the population identifies as Greek Orthodox Christians (CIA, 2019). Based on these inferences, the artist may be religious in some ways, because he turns to God amidst the difficult times in life. Keeping the elements of this song in mind, the next performance expresses a completely different message lyrically but incorporates traditional Greek instruments and mythological references.

In this next performance, “Aphrodisiac,” a traditional Greek pop song sung in English by Greek vocal artist, Eleftheria Eleftheriou, in 2012, is comparable to the last song due to the use of traditional Greek instruments and references to Greek mythology. The artist’s performance is very theatrical with background dancers and provocative dancing. It is also important to note that there are elements of traditional Greek dancing during the performance. Eleftheriou was dressed in an upper-thigh length shimmery black and orange dress, while the female dancers wore tattered dark gray bohemian-style dresses and the men wore tattered sleeveless shirts and black pants. This costuming contributes to the overall performance along with color scheme of the lighting and background all consisting of warm earthy tones which meshed well with such a light-hearted, energetic performance. Focusing on the song, it is similar the previous song where the concept does not necessarily pertain to a social or political problem within the country. Instead, this is a love song referencing the Greek goddess of love, Aphrodite (Britannica, 2018). Although a woman is singing the song, it is not clear as to whether the song is about a man or woman because she uses “baby” and “you” to reference the person. It is possible that the song is generic, because it can apply to both men and women open to all types of love. When Eleftheriou sings the lyric “you make me want your aphrodisiac,” a large oyster shell appears on the background of the stage alluding to the famous painting of Aphrodite standing in an oyster shell (Eurovision Song Contest, 2012). An aphrodisiac can something that stimulates sexual desire and an example of an aphrodisiac, is an oyster—appropriate for the song and stage background (Oxford English dictionary, n.d.). The artist stays in the middle of the stage during the performance and it appears that she is standing in the oyster shell like Aphrodite. Analyzing the camera angles during the performance, there were instances when the cameras used wide angles and zoomed in. When the camera zooms in, it points directly to the singer while she dances in a suggestive manner with the dancers and with herself. Overall, this song does not necessarily represent Greece by expressing a national issue, but there are components that do contribute to Greek culture.

Greece’s Eurovision entries from 2011 to 2012 have a strong contrast to one another, but both songs contribute to different aspects of Greek diversity. Focusing on the genre of the songs, both were different in that one was an upbeat pop song while the other was a powerful ballad with elements of hip-hop. While Greece’s song entries have been diverse each year, the genres represented did not steer away from the trends of Eurovision songs which include upbeat, pop music and ballads. However, these songs could potentially represent Greece as a country in terms of popular music genres in the country itself suggesting that Greece is musically diverse. Each of these songs take on a popular style of music—hip-hop and pop—but then add a twist of traditional Greek-style music with Greek instruments such as the bouzouki. Combining a popular style of music with traditional instruments is a way where the artist can represent his or her country by not only connecting to the Eurovision audience, but the Greek community as well. Since the songs are sung in English it is possible that the Greece is open to showing diversity by speaking a non-native language. On the other hand, the performances showed no racial diversity because the artists and dancers were all Greek. This lack of racial diversity may suggest that Greece only wants to showcase artists of Greek descent or citizenship. The diversity shown in each Greek performance sends an overall message of mixing popular trends while still pertaining to traditional Greek culture.

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References:

Aphrodisiac. (n.d.). In Oxford English dictionary. Retrieved from

http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/9158?redirectedFrom=aphrodisiac#eid

Aphrodite. (2018, December 28). In Encyclopedia Britannica online. Retrieved from

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Aphrodite-Greek-mythology

Athena. (2019, February 13). In Encyclopedia Britannica online. Retrieved from

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Athena-Greek-mythology

Central Intelligence Agency. (2019). Greece. The World Factbook. Retrieved from

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/gr.html

Parthenon. (2018, November 1). In Encyclopedia Britannica online. Retrieved from

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Parthenon