| "Fall from the Sky" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single byArilena Ara | ||||
| Released | 9 March 2020 (2020-03-09) | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 3:08 | |||
| Label | Independent | |||
| Composers |
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| Lyricists |
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| Producers |
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| Arilena Ara singles chronology | ||||
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| Alternative covers | ||||
 Official cover of "Shaj" | ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Fall from the Sky" onYouTube | ||||
| Eurovision Song Contest 2020 entry | ||||
| Country | ||||
| Artist | ||||
| Language | English | |||
| Composers |
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| Lyricists |
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| Finals performance | ||||
| Semi-final result | Contest cancelled | |||
| Entry chronology | ||||
| ◄ "Ktheju tokës" (2019) | ||||
| "Karma" (2021) ► | ||||
"Fall from the Sky" is a song by Albanian singerArilena Ara,independently released as asingle on 9 March 2020. The song was composed byDarko Dimitrov and Lazar Cvetkoski, and written byMichael Blue, Robert Stevenson and Sam Schummer. Musically, it is apopballad with the instrumentation incorporatingviolins and apiano. TheEnglish-language song makes lyrically reference to Arilena's hopeless desire to overcome deep and perplexingemotions.
"Fall from the Sky" was scheduled torepresent Albania in theEurovision Song Contest 2020 inRotterdam, the Netherlands, before the contest's cancellation due to thepandemic ofCOVID-19 andits spread throughoutEurope. Arilena had been previously selected as the country's representative, after winning the pre-selection competition,Festivali i Këngës, with the song'sAlbanian-language version "Shaj".
Both versions were met with favourable response frommusic critics, receiving praise for their compositions and Arilena's vocal delivery. An accompanyinglyric video for the song was officially premiered to theYouTube channel of theEurovision Song Contest on 10 March with themusic video being ultimately released on 11 May 2020. Footage of Arilena performing the song at theMother Teresa Square inTirana, Albania, was broadcast among others during theEurovision Home Concerts series on 8 May 2020.
In 2019,Arilena was announced as one of the twenty contestants selected to compete in the58th edition ofFestivali i Këngës, a competition for determining Albania's participant for theEurovision Song Contest 2020. As part of the competition's rules, the lyrics of the participating entries had to be in theAlbanian language. Arilena participated with the song "Shaj" written byAlbanian singer and songwriterLindon Berisha, and composed byMacedonian producersDarko Dimitrov and Lazar Cvetkoski.[1] After winning Festivali i Këngës, Arilena revealed that "Shaj" initially came to her in theEnglish language, and she had envisioned the possibility of remastering the song for her participation in theEurovision Song Contest.[2] However, in February 2020, following several months spent inLos Angeles, she eventually confirmed the aforementioned.[3][4] "Fall from the Sky" was then revealed as the title of the song after three weeks on 8 March 2020 through asocial media post.[5]
Lasting three minutes and eight seconds, "Fall from the Sky" was written byMichael Blue, Robert Stevenson and Sam Schummer, and composed byDarko Dimitrov and Lazar Cvetkoski.[6] Musically, the song is apopballad with an instrumentation consisting of traditionalviolin andpiano sounds.[7][8] Lyrically, it expresses Arilena's hopeless desire to overcome deep and perplexing emotions that she could not forget.[9]
Following its release and victory atFestivali i Këngës, "Shaj" received favourable response frommusic critics.Eurovision.de writer, Irving Wolther, referred to the song as a "melancholic powerballad".[1] Mark Savage fromBBC opined that "she belts out the high notes with all the subtlety of a klaxon in an elevator shaft" and went on into praising the composition and Arilena's vocal delivery.[10] Following the premiere of the remastered version, entitled "Fall from the Sky",Wiwibloggs writer Luis Fuster elaborated, saying that "the song does keep the essence of 'Shaj'; in fact, it feels more like a good revamp year for Albania".[8] Another editor gave the song three stars out of five, writing "the song is an elegantBond theme packed with dramatic theatrics" while simultaneously praising the song's instrumentation.[11]
"Fall from the Sky" wasindependently released ondigital platforms andstreaming services as asingle on 9 March 2020. On the following day, an accompanyinglyric video for the song was officially premiered to theYouTube channel of theEurovision Song Contest.[12][13] The officialmusic video was ultimately released to YouTube on the aforementioned channel on 11 May 2020.[14] The dramatic-characterised video depicts Arilena all alone against a white backdrop with slightly blue lights in three different settings, most notably signing next to apiano, a white-coloured tree, and a white human-size bird cage.[15][16] For promotional and supporting purposes, Arilena was scheduled to embark on a small tour with performances inAmsterdam,London andMadrid.[17][18][19] However, the tour was canceled alongside the cancellation of the contest, due to thepandemic of thecoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).[20][21] Footage of the singer performing the song for the first time was broadcast during herSounds of Silence concert at theMother Teresa Square inTirana on 2 May as well as during theEuropean Broadcasting Union's (EBU)Eurovision Home Concerts series on 8 May 2020.[22][23]
The national broadcaster of Albania,Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH), organised the58th edition ofFestivali i Këngës to determine thecountry's representative for theEurovision Song Contest 2020 inRotterdam, the Netherlands. It opened a submission period where artists, bands and composers were able to submit their songs to the broadcaster between 28 May and 15 September 2019, while a jury panel internally selected 20 songs to participate in the competition's semi-finals.[24] During the grand final,Arilena and herAlbanian-language song "Shaj" was chosen to represent Albania at the contest after receiving 67 total points.[25][26][27] After her victory at the competition, mixed reactions followed with multiple individuals criticising the competition itself and attributing the singer's victory toarranged voting.[28]
The65th edition of theEurovision Song Contest was scheduled to take place inRotterdam, the Netherlands, consisting of two semi-finals on 12 May and 14 May 2020, and the grand final on 16 May 2020.[29] According to theEurovision rules, each participating country, except the host country and the "Big Five" includingFrance,Germany,Italy,Spain and theUnited Kingdom, were required to qualify from one of two semi-finals to compete for the grand final.[30] On 28 January 2020, it was announced that "Fall from the Sky" would be performed in the second half of the second semi-final of the contest on 14 May 2020.[31][32] However, on 18 March 2020, theEuropean Broadcasting Union (EBU) announced the contest's cancellation due to thepandemic of thecoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and its spread throughout Europe.[33] Soon after, the EBU confirmed that intended 2020 entries were not eligible to compete in the following edition of thecontest in 2021.[34]
Broadcasters who were scheduled to take part in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 have organised alternative music competitions. Austrian broadcaster,Österreichischer Rundfunk (ORF), who organisedDer kleine Song Contest in April 2020, saw every entry being assigned to one of three semi-finals. A jury, consisting of ten members that had representedAustria at the contest before, was hired to rank each song, however, the highest-placed in each semi-final advanced to the final.[35] In the third semi-final on 18 April, "Fall from the Sky" placed fourth in a field of thirteen participants, achieving a total of 62 points.[36] On 9 May 2020, the song unsuccessfully took part on the SwedishSveriges 12:a organised by the country's national broadcasterSveriges Television (SVT).[37]
Credits adapted fromTidal.[38]
| Region | Date | Format(s) | Version | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Various | 20 December 2019 | Festivali i Këngës | Independent | [39] | |
| 9 March 2020 | Eurovision Song Contest | [40] |