Vi Maler Byen Rød
Encyclopedia
"Vi maler byen rød" was the Danish
entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1989
, written by Søren Bundgaard (music) and Keld Heick (lyrics) performed in Danish
by Birthe Kjær
. The English version of the song is called "I'm Chasing Butterflies".
The song was performed twelfth on the night, following Luxembourg
's Park Café
with "Monsieur
" and preceding Austria
's Thomas Forstner
with "Nur ein Lied
". At the close of voting, it had received 111 points, placing 3rd in a field of 22. It was succeeded as Danish representative
at the 1990 Contest
by Lonnie Devantier with "Hallo Hallo
", with lyrics also by Keld Heick.
The song qualified as the Danish entry into the Eurovision Song Contest by the usual means of winning that year's Dansk Melodi Grand Prix. All of the contributors were Dansk Melodi Grand Prix regulars - although for Birthe it was the first, and only, time to win after three unsuccessful attempts, Keld Heick had by then authored lyrics to five winning songs, and Søren Bundgaard wrote music and co-performed three of them, although with another female vocalist, Kirsten Siggaard, as part of the duo Hot Eyes
. Heick also authored the lyrics to three 1990s Danish entries, and entered the Dansk Melodi Grand Prix numerous times from 1970s to 1990s as both lyricist, composer and performer (with his wife Hilda), while Søren Bundgaard also tried his luck as composer a few other times, including two unsuccessful Hot Eyes entries.
"Vi maler byen rød" is an evocation of good times, with Kjær describing the fun that can be had by "painting the town red". Musically, it is something of a throwback to an earlier time as well, sounding like a more unabashed vocal performance than the more modern numbers starting to achieve success at the Contest at the time. It is also memorable for the fact that Kjær was one of the older contestants to have performed in many years. The performance was unique for the fact that not only the song's author's, but also the conductor, Henrik Krogsgaard (also a Eurovision regular), joined Birthe on stage as backup singers and dancers. Krogsgaard was "invited" by Birthe to join her by a gesture referring to the song's lyrics, which he promptly did leaving the orchestra to be conducted by the host country's backup conductor, to the surprise of the TV viewers.
The song has become known as one of the stronger Danish entries, and Birthe Kjær herself was originally slated to perform it as part of a medley of favourites at the Congratulations
special in late 2005, but had to withdraw due to ill health. Her place was taken by Thomas Thordarsson (from the 2004 Contest
) and the song was still greeted enthusiastically.
In 2009 it was announced that the song would be used as the title for the Danish musical "Vi Maler Byen Rød: The Musical". The show (written by Rasmus Mansachs) played in Copenhagen, Denmark in April 2010 and was based on and filled with more than 20 of the biggest Danish Eurovision Song from the 1950's up to the present. The show gained cult status long before its premiere, becoming the Danish show with most fans on Facebook ever. Birthe Kjær
herself was in the audience in the premiere weekend. Since then, the show has been performed several times around Denmark by different theatre groups.
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1989
Eurovision Song Contest 1989
The Eurovision Song Contest 1989 was the 34th Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 6 May 1989 in Lausanne, Switzerland. Switzerland gained the hosting rights after Celine Dion's victory in Dublin the previous year. The presenters were Lolita Morena and Jacques Deschenaux. Riva was the winner of...
, written by Søren Bundgaard (music) and Keld Heick (lyrics) performed in Danish
Danish language
Danish is a North Germanic language spoken by around six million people, principally in the country of Denmark. It is also spoken by 50,000 Germans of Danish ethnicity in the northern parts of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, where it holds the status of minority language...
by Birthe Kjær
Birthe Kjær
Birthe Kjær is a Danish singer who began her career in the late 1960s. Kjær had made previous bids to represent Denmark in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1980, 1986 and 1987, before being chosen in 1989 with the cabaret-style song "Vi maler byen rød"...
. The English version of the song is called "I'm Chasing Butterflies".
The song was performed twelfth on the night, following Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
's Park Café
Park Café
Park Café is a Luxembourgian band that represented Luxembourg in the Eurovision Song Contest 1989 with the song Monsieur . With 8 points, she came in 20th position.- References :...
with "Monsieur
Monsieur (song)
"Monsieur" was the Luxembourgish entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1989, performed in French by Park Café, a six-piece band fronted by American singer Maggie Parke....
" and preceding Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
's Thomas Forstner
Thomas Forstner
Thomas Forstner is a singer who has represented Austria in the Eurovision Song Contest twice. In 1989 he performed "Nur ein Lied" in Lausanne, giving Austria the fifth place — their highest position since their last win in 1966 - and in all subsequent contests. Forstner was selected to represent...
with "Nur ein Lied
Nur Ein Lied
"Nur ein Lied" was the Austrian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1989, performed in German by Thomas Forstner.The song was performed thirteenth on the night, following Denmark's Birthe Kjær with "Vi maler byen rød" and preceding Finland's Anneli Saaristo with "La dolce vita"...
". At the close of voting, it had received 111 points, placing 3rd in a field of 22. It was succeeded as Danish representative
Denmark in the Eurovision Song Contest
Denmark has competed in the Eurovision Song Contest from 1957 to 1966 and from 1978 to the present day and has a good record, finishing in the top three six times and winning twice. From 1967 until 1977, Denmark didn't participate in the contest....
at the 1990 Contest
Eurovision Song Contest 1990
The Eurovision Song Contest 1990, the 35th in the series, was held in Zagreb, Yugoslavia on 5 May 1990. The presenters were Helga Vlahović Brnobić and Oliver Mlakar. Toto Cutugno was the winner of this contest with the song "Insieme: 1992"...
by Lonnie Devantier with "Hallo Hallo
Hallo Hallo (Lonnie Devantier song)
"Hallo Hallo" was the Danish entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1990, performed in Danish by Lonnie Devantier.The song was performed eleventh on the night, following Israel's Rita with "Shara Barkhovot" and preceding Switzerland's Egon Egemann with "Musik klingt in die Welt hinaus"...
", with lyrics also by Keld Heick.
The song qualified as the Danish entry into the Eurovision Song Contest by the usual means of winning that year's Dansk Melodi Grand Prix. All of the contributors were Dansk Melodi Grand Prix regulars - although for Birthe it was the first, and only, time to win after three unsuccessful attempts, Keld Heick had by then authored lyrics to five winning songs, and Søren Bundgaard wrote music and co-performed three of them, although with another female vocalist, Kirsten Siggaard, as part of the duo Hot Eyes
Hot Eyes
Hot Eyes was the name adopted for international acts by the Danish singing duo known in their home country as Kirsten and Søren. It was formed by Kirsten Siggard and Søren Bundgaard ....
. Heick also authored the lyrics to three 1990s Danish entries, and entered the Dansk Melodi Grand Prix numerous times from 1970s to 1990s as both lyricist, composer and performer (with his wife Hilda), while Søren Bundgaard also tried his luck as composer a few other times, including two unsuccessful Hot Eyes entries.
"Vi maler byen rød" is an evocation of good times, with Kjær describing the fun that can be had by "painting the town red". Musically, it is something of a throwback to an earlier time as well, sounding like a more unabashed vocal performance than the more modern numbers starting to achieve success at the Contest at the time. It is also memorable for the fact that Kjær was one of the older contestants to have performed in many years. The performance was unique for the fact that not only the song's author's, but also the conductor, Henrik Krogsgaard (also a Eurovision regular), joined Birthe on stage as backup singers and dancers. Krogsgaard was "invited" by Birthe to join her by a gesture referring to the song's lyrics, which he promptly did leaving the orchestra to be conducted by the host country's backup conductor, to the surprise of the TV viewers.
The song has become known as one of the stronger Danish entries, and Birthe Kjær herself was originally slated to perform it as part of a medley of favourites at the Congratulations
Congratulations (Eurovision)
Congratulations: 50 Years of the Eurovision Song Contest was a television programme organised by the European Broadcasting Union to commemorate the Eurovision Song Contest's fiftieth anniversary and to determine the Contest's most popular entrant of its fifty years. It took place at Forum,...
special in late 2005, but had to withdraw due to ill health. Her place was taken by Thomas Thordarsson (from the 2004 Contest
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"...
) and the song was still greeted enthusiastically.
In 2009 it was announced that the song would be used as the title for the Danish musical "Vi Maler Byen Rød: The Musical". The show (written by Rasmus Mansachs) played in Copenhagen, Denmark in April 2010 and was based on and filled with more than 20 of the biggest Danish Eurovision Song from the 1950's up to the present. The show gained cult status long before its premiere, becoming the Danish show with most fans on Facebook ever. Birthe Kjær
Birthe Kjær
Birthe Kjær is a Danish singer who began her career in the late 1960s. Kjær had made previous bids to represent Denmark in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1980, 1986 and 1987, before being chosen in 1989 with the cabaret-style song "Vi maler byen rød"...
herself was in the audience in the premiere weekend. Since then, the show has been performed several times around Denmark by different theatre groups.