Amambanda
Encyclopedia
"Amambanda" was the Dutch
entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006
, performed predominantly in an imaginary language
but with some words in English
by Treble
. This was the second occasion on which a song had been performed with lyrics in an invented language - Belgium
having entered Sanomi
by Urban Trad
at the 2003 Contest
.
The song is an up-tempo number, with many influences from African and flamenco music. The lyrics explain that "There is a way/To understand without a language", in keeping with the musical theme of exuberant joy in spite of an apparently insurmountable language barrier.
The title was the cause of much confusion prior to the Contest, with the official CD of entries titling the track "Amanbanda" (with an "n" instead of an "m"). BBC commentary referred to the song as "Amamdangda" briefly, as well as describing the group as "a mother and her two daughters", which was also incorrect as Caroline Hoffman was not the mother of the two van Dijk sisters.
As the Netherlands had not finished the 2005 Contest
in the top 10, the song was performed in the semi-final. Here, it was performed seventeenth, following Finland
's Lordi
with "Hard Rock Hallelujah
" and preceding Lithuania
's LT United
with "We Are The Winners
". At the close of voting, it had received 22 points, placing 20th in a field of 23 and thus missing out on the final and requiring the Netherlands to qualify from the semi-final at the next Contest.
Immediately following this result, rumours began to circulate that the Netherlands would opt out of the next Contest. These rumours were, however, proven to be untrue as the country began qualification for the 2007 Contest.
It was succeeded as Dutch representative
at the 2007 Contest
by Edsilia Rombley
with "On Top of the World
".
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006
Eurovision Song Contest 2006
The Eurovision Song Contest 2006 was the 51st Eurovision Song Contest, held at the Olympic Indoor Hall in Athens, Greece on 18 May and 20 May 2006 . The hosting national broadcaster of the contest was Ellinikí Radiofonía Tileórasi . The Finnish band Lordi won the contest with the song "Hard Rock...
, performed predominantly in an imaginary language
Constructed language
A planned or constructed language—known colloquially as a conlang—is a language whose phonology, grammar, and/or vocabulary has been consciously devised by an individual or group, instead of having evolved naturally...
but with some words in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
by Treble
Treble (girl group)
-Biography:The group started in 1995 when Caroline Hoffman and sisters Niña and Djem van Dijk met during a party, where Caroline was performing with a friend. The parents of the van Dijk sisters asked Caroline to become the music teacher of the two girls...
. This was the second occasion on which a song had been performed with lyrics in an invented language - Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
having entered Sanomi
Sanomi
"Sanomi" was the Belgian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2003, which ranked second in the Contest, performed in a constructed language by the six-piece band Urban Trad....
by Urban Trad
Urban Trad
Urban Trad is a Belgian folk music group, consisting of both Flemish and French speaking people and a close connection with Galicia.-Members:*Yves Barbieux: flutes and Galician bagpipe*Veronica Codesal: vocals*Soetkin Collier: vocals...
at the 2003 Contest
Eurovision Song Contest 2003
The Eurovision Song Contest 2003 was the forty-eighth Eurovision Song Contest, held at the Skonto Hall in Riga, Latvia on 24 May 2003. The hosts were Marie N and Renārs Kaupers. Sertab Erener, the Turkish entrant, won the contest with "Everyway That I Can", scoring 167 points. The winning...
.
The song is an up-tempo number, with many influences from African and flamenco music. The lyrics explain that "There is a way/To understand without a language", in keeping with the musical theme of exuberant joy in spite of an apparently insurmountable language barrier.
The title was the cause of much confusion prior to the Contest, with the official CD of entries titling the track "Amanbanda" (with an "n" instead of an "m"). BBC commentary referred to the song as "Amamdangda" briefly, as well as describing the group as "a mother and her two daughters", which was also incorrect as Caroline Hoffman was not the mother of the two van Dijk sisters.
As the Netherlands had not finished the 2005 Contest
Eurovision Song Contest 2005
The Eurovision Song Contest 2005 was the 50th Eurovision Song Contest, which was held at the Palace of Sports, Kiev, Ukraine. The winner was Greece's My Number One, written by Christos Dantis and Natalia Germanou and performed by Swedish-born Greek singer Elena Paparizou, who scored 230 points,...
in the top 10, the song was performed in the semi-final. Here, it was performed seventeenth, following Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
's Lordi
Lordi
Lordi is a Finnish hard rock/heavy metal band, formed in 1996 by the band's lead singer, songwriter and costume-designer, Mr. Lordi. The band is known for wearing monster masks and using pyrotechnics during concerts...
with "Hard Rock Hallelujah
Hard Rock Hallelujah
"Hard Rock Hallelujah" is a song by the Finnish heavy metal band Lordi, which won the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest with 292 points. It was also Finland's first placement in the top five. It was voted as the most popular Finnish Eurovision entry in the forty years the country has participated...
" and preceding Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
's LT United
LT United
LT United is a six-piece alternative-pop musical group created in 2006 for the sole purpose of representing Lithuania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006...
with "We Are The Winners
We Are the Winners
"We Are the Winners" was the 2006 entry into the Eurovision Song Contest for Lithuania, sung by Lithuanian all-star group LT United.The song, thematically reminiscent of Queen's "We Are the Champions", is a cheery tongue-in-cheek celebration of their supposedly inevitable victory at the Eurovision...
". At the close of voting, it had received 22 points, placing 20th in a field of 23 and thus missing out on the final and requiring the Netherlands to qualify from the semi-final at the next Contest.
Immediately following this result, rumours began to circulate that the Netherlands would opt out of the next Contest. These rumours were, however, proven to be untrue as the country began qualification for the 2007 Contest.
It was succeeded as Dutch representative
Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest
The Netherlands was one of the seven countries competing in the very first Eurovision Song Contest in 1956. It has missed only four contests so far...
at the 2007 Contest
Eurovision Song Contest 2007
The Eurovision Song Contest 2007 was the 52nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It was won by first-time appearance as an independent country Serbia and was held at the Hartwall Areena in Helsinki, Finland from 10 May to 12 May. The host broadcaster was YLE.Finland earned the right to host...
by Edsilia Rombley
Edsilia Rombley
Edsilia Francisca Rombley is a Dutch singer. She participated in the Soundmixshow in 1996. She represented the Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest twice, in 1998 and 2007.-Biography:...
with "On Top of the World
On Top of the World (song)
"On Top of the World" was the Dutch entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007, performed in English by Edsilia Rombley. The song was written by Tjeerd Oosterhuis, Maarten ten Hove and Martin Gijzemijter...
".