Takes 2 To Tango
Encyclopedia
"Takes 2 To Tango" was the Finnish
entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2004
, performed in English
by Jari Sillanpää
. The song was composed by Mika Toivanen, and Sillanpää wrote the lyrics himself.
As Finland had not participated in the 2003 Contest
, the song was performed in the semi-final. Here, it was performed first (preceding Belarus
' Aleksandra and Konstantin
with "My Galileo
"). At the close of voting, it had received 51 points, placing 14th in a field of 22 - four places outside the top ten which would qualify for the final, thus requiring Finland to perform in the semi-final at their next appearance.
As implied in the title, the song is inspired by tango music
, and deals with a mythical meeting between "the angel
s and devil
s", at which both groups "dance, they caress each other holding on so tight". It can be argued that the song describes the balance and close relationship between good (the angels) and bad (the devils) in the world. The performance of the song also featured several pairs of tango dancers.
It was succeeded as Finnish representative
at the 2005 Contest
by Geir Rönning
with "Why?".
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...
entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2004
Eurovision Song Contest 2004
The Eurovision Song Contest 2004, was the 49th Contest and it was held in the Abdi İpekçi Arena in Istanbul, Turkey. This was the first occasion in which the contest was held in Turkey after they had won the competition in 2003 with Sertab Erener singing "Everyway That I Can"...
, performed 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 Jari Sillanpää
Jari Sillanpää
Jari Sillanpää a Finnish singer. With over 820,000 records sold, he is the fourth-best-selling music artist and best-selling solo artist in Finland....
. The song was composed by Mika Toivanen, and Sillanpää wrote the lyrics himself.
As Finland had not participated in 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 was performed in the semi-final. Here, it was performed first (preceding Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
' Aleksandra and Konstantin
Aleksandra and Konstantin
Aleksandra and Konstantin a Belarussian is the musical duo of singer Aleksandra Kirsanova and guitarist Konstantin Drapezo. They represented Belarus in their inaugural entry in the Eurovision Song Contest, singing "My Galileo" in the 2004 Contest....
with "My Galileo
My Galileo
"My Galileo" was the first entry by Belarus in the Eurovision Song Contest, performed at the 2004 Contest in English by Aleksandra and Konstantin...
"). At the close of voting, it had received 51 points, placing 14th in a field of 22 - four places outside the top ten which would qualify for the final, thus requiring Finland to perform in the semi-final at their next appearance.
As implied in the title, the song is inspired by tango music
Tango music
Tango is a style of ballroom dance music in 2/4 or 4/4 time that originated among European immigrant populations of Argentina and Uruguay . It is traditionally played by a sextet, known as the orquesta típica, which includes two violins, piano, double bass, and two bandoneons...
, and deals with a mythical meeting between "the angel
Angel
Angels are mythical beings often depicted as messengers of God in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles along with the Quran. The English word angel is derived from the Greek ἄγγελος, a translation of in the Hebrew Bible ; a similar term, ملائكة , is used in the Qur'an...
s and devil
Devil
The Devil is believed in many religions and cultures to be a powerful, supernatural entity that is the personification of evil and the enemy of God and humankind. The nature of the role varies greatly...
s", at which both groups "dance, they caress each other holding on so tight". It can be argued that the song describes the balance and close relationship between good (the angels) and bad (the devils) in the world. The performance of the song also featured several pairs of tango dancers.
It was succeeded as Finnish representative
Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest
Finland first entered the Eurovision Song Contest in 1961, and has participated a total of 45 times. Finland won the contest for the first time in 2006 with Lordi's "Hard Rock Hallelujah"...
at 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,...
by Geir Rönning
Geir Rönning
Geir Rönning is a professional singer-songwriter from Ålesund, Norway. He later moved to the capital Oslo in the 1980s, and later on to Stockholm, Sweden, where he found opportunity to start a musical career. He later moved to Finland, which he represented in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2005...
with "Why?".