| "Sanomi" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Single byUrban Trad | |
| from the album Sanomi | |
| Language | Imaginary |
| B-side | "Get Reel" |
| Released | 2003 |
| Genre | ModernCeltic |
| Length | 4:08 |
| Label | Mercury Records |
| Songwriter(s) | Yves Barbieux [fr] |
| Producer(s) |
|
| Eurovision Song Contest 2003 entry | |
| Country | |
| Artist(s) |
|
| As | |
| Language | |
| Composer(s) | Yves Barbieux |
| Lyricist(s) | Yves Barbieux |
| Finals performance | |
| Final result | 2nd |
| Final points | 165 |
| Entry chronology | |
| ◄ "Sister" (2002) | |
| "1 Life" (2004) ► | |
"Sanomi" is a song recorded by Belgian bandUrban Trad, written byYves Barbieux [fr]. Itrepresented Belgium in theEurovision Song Contest 2003, held inRiga. It was the first song not in anatural language ever performed at the contest.
"Sanomi" was written in an imaginary language byYves Barbieux [fr], a member of the Belgian folk music bandUrban Trad, of which he was a part along withVerónica Codesal [es], Marie-Sophie Talbot, Didier Laloy,Dirk Naessens [fr], Cédric Waterschoot,Soetkin Collier [fr],Philip Masure [fr], and Michel Morvan.[1]
TheRadio Télévision Belge de la Communauté Française (RTBF)internally selected "Sanomi" asits entry for the48th edition of theEurovision Song Contest.[2] For the song to participate in the contest, it had to be shortened to fit into three minutes, and since only six people are allowed on stage, Collier, Masure, and Morvan would not perform at Eurovision.[1]
Both versions, the standard 4:08 album version and the Eurovision 2:59 version, were released on record, the latter with Collier's vocals removed. This was because RTBF dropped Collier on the advice of the Belgian security services, who claimed that she had hadfar right sympathies in the past. She vigorously denied the claims, and after an investigation later that year it was concluded that the accusations were exaggerated and based on outdated information.[3]
On 24 May 2003, the Eurovision Song Contest was held in theSkonto Hall inRiga hosted byLatvian Television (LTV) and broadcast live throughout the continent. Urban Trand performed "Sanomi" twenty-second on the evening, followingLatvia's "Hello From Mars" byF.L.Y. and precedingEstonia's "Eighties Coming Back" byRuffus.[4] It was the first occasion that a song not in anatural language was performed at the contest.[5]
At the close of voting, it had received 165 points, placing second in a field of twenty-six, in one of the closest finishes in the contest's history, finishing with just two fewer points than the eventual winner –"Everyway That I Can" bySertab Erener forTurkey– and only one point above third-placed –"Ne Ver', Ne Boysia" byt.A.T.u. forRussia–.[6] This was the second time that Belgium finished as the runner-up, the first being "L'amour ça fait chanter la vie" byJean Vallée in1978, and it was also the country's best placing in the contest since "J'aime la vie" bySandra Kim victory in1986.
| Chart (2003) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[7] | 3 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[8] | 3 |
8 - 'They've got four languages in Belgium…and they're singing in an imaginary one. The very essence of the Euro.'...very nearly won the contest...
