| "Shake It" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single bySakis Rouvas | ||||
| from the albumTo Hrono Stamatao (Re-release) | ||||
| Released | 20 April 2004 (2004-04-20) | |||
| Recorded | 2004 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:00 | |||
| Label | Minos EMI | |||
| Composer | Nikos Terzis | |||
| Lyricist | Nektarios Tirakis | |||
| Producer | Nikos Terzis | |||
| Sakis Rouvas singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Shake It" onYouTube | ||||
| Audio sample | ||||
| Eurovision Song Contest 2004 entry | ||||
| Country | ||||
| Artist | ||||
| Language | English | |||
| Composer | Nikos Terzis | |||
| Lyricist | Nektarios Tirakis | |||
| Finals performance | ||||
| Semi-final result | 3rd | |||
| Semi-final points | 238 | |||
| Final result | 3rd | |||
| Final points | 252 | |||
| Entry chronology | ||||
| ◄ "Never Let You Go" (2003) | ||||
| "My Number One" (2005) ► | ||||
| Official performance video | ||||
| "Shake It" (Final) onYouTube | ||||
"Shake It" is a song recorded by Greek singerSakis Rouvas and released in 2004. It was written by Nikos Terzis with lyrics by Nektarios Tirakis. The song representedGreece in the Eurovision Song Contest 2004, held inIstanbul, Turkey, where it placed third in the contest's final.
"Shake It" was composed by Nikos Terzis with lyrics by Nektarios Tirakis. It is an up-tempo song, fully in English language. The music also features sometraditional Greek instrumentation as well as the heavy dance beats.[1]
The "Shake It"music video was directed by Kostas Kapetanidis, assisted by the production labelCream. The director had collaborated with Rouvas for the first time in 1995 for the video of the song "Ela Mou" and had produced many other videos for him since. The video itself was shot on location in the Greek island ofSantorini, and features Rouvas singing in the water. The storyline was uncomplicated, featuring Rouvas and friends dancing and having a good time, with its objective being to put emphasis on the song's summer feeling through the dramatic natural beauty of the setting, representing a Greek identity.[2] The video consists of eight scenes, while Rouvas can be seen changing outfits five times. The video for "Shake It" was one of the most-played videos of that year according toMAD TV and is one of Rouvas' most successful videos.
On 12 March 2004, theHellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT) produced anational final to select its performer for the49th edition of theEurovision Song Contest –selection won by Apostolos Psichramis–, with the song to be selected on 17 March 2004. But on 13 March 2004, ERT instead announced thatSakis Rouvas had been internally selected as theGreek performer for Eurovision. On 20 March 2004, Rouvas performed "Shake It" for the first time during a special program onNET, as the song internally selected for the contest.[3]
On 12 May 2004, the semi-final for the Eurovision Song Contest was held at theAbdi İpekçi Arena inIstanbul hosted by theTurkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT), and broadcast live throughout the continent. As Greece had not finished in the top 10 at theprevious contest, the song had to compete in the semi-final. Rouvas performed "Shake it" tenth on the night, accompanied by the three national final finalists –Psichramis, Antonis Dominos, and Gianna Fafaliou– as backing singers, followingMonaco's "Notre Planète" byMaryon and precedingUkraine's "Wild Dances" byRuslana.
Fokas Evangelinos choreographed the Greek performance.[4] It was sexualised, with Rouvas beginning by dancing with two girls wearing suits. As he sang the line "my world's on fire", he pulled red scarves from the trousers of his backing dancers. Later, he removed the suits from his dancers, revealing skimpy gold costumes. They later returned the favour by tearing his white jacket from him at the start of the final chorus, leaving him wearing a singlet and jeans. Live recordings of the performance feature loud cheers from the crowd as well as audible panting from Rouvas at the end of his athletic dance routine.
The song qualified for the final,[5] with its placing revealed shortly after as third of the 22 entries, with 238 points.[6] On 14 May 2004, the final for the Eurovision Song Contest was held and Rouvas performed "Shake it" 16th on the night, followingMacedonia's "Life" byToše Proeski and precedingIceland's "Heaven" byJónsi.[7] At the close of voting, it had received 252 points, placing third in a field of 24.[8]
In 2006, Greece hosted the contest, and Rouvas co-hosted it. He made a slight reference to "Shake it" when asked by co-hostMaria Menounos how he had felt waiting for the results to be known when he participated. He told her that "I was shaking... brrrrrr... all over", prompting cheers from some of the audience.[9] Rouvas would represent Greece again in the2009 contest with the song "This Is Our Night", placing seventh.[10]
| Region | Date | Label | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greece | March 2004 | Minos EMI | Radio single |
| 20 April 2004 | Minos EMI | CD single | |
| Cyprus | March 2004 | Minos EMI | Radio single |
| 20 April 2004 | Minos EMI | CD single | |
| Turkey | May 2004 | Minos EMI | CD single |
| Europe | May 2004 | Universal Music | CD single |
| Scandinavia | June 2004 | Minos EMI | CD single |
"Shake It" was a successful song in both Greece and Cyprus, peaking at the top of both countries' charts for several weeks, while charting in a number of neighboring countries. It peaked at number one on both the Greek singles and airplay charts for nearly one year, making it one of the longest-charting songs in Greek music history. Being certified 4× platinum, it is considered to be one of the most successful CD singles in Greek history. The single also managed to gain success in further regions of Europe, such as Sweden, where it broke the Top 40 on the national singles chart, charting for one week at number 32.
| Chart | Peak position | Certification |
|---|---|---|
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[11] | 14 | — |
| Cyprus (All Records - airplay) | 1 | — |
| Greece (Nielson - airplay) | 1 | — |
| Greece (IFPI - singles)[12] | 1 | 4× Platinum |
| Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[13] | 32 | — |
