| "Alcohol Is Free" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byKoza Mostra feat.Agathonas Iakovidis | ||||
| from the album Keep Up The Rhythm | ||||
| Released | February 11, 2013 (2013-02-11) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 2:58 | |||
| Label | Platinum Records | |||
| Songwriter | Ilias Kozas | |||
| Producer | Koza Mostra | |||
| Koza Mostra singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Eurovision Song Contest 2013 entry | ||||
| Country | ||||
| Artist | ||||
| Languages | ||||
| Composer | Ilias Kozas | |||
| Lyricist | Stathis Pahidis | |||
| Finals performance | ||||
| Semi-final result | 2nd | |||
| Semi-final points | 121 | |||
| Final result | 6th | |||
| Final points | 152 | |||
| Entry chronology | ||||
| ◄ "Aphrodisiac" (2012) | ||||
| "Rise Up" (2014) ► | ||||
| Official performance video | ||||
| "Alcohol Is Free (Second Semi-Final) onYouTube "Alcohol Is Free (Final) onYouTube | ||||
"Alcohol Is Free" is a song performed byKoza Mostra andAgathonas Iakovidis. It was theGreek entry for theEurovision Song Contest in 2013, where it eventually came 6th at the finals.[1] It was composed as a mix ofska,punk andrebetiko music styles.[2] The song's chorus is sung in English while the rest of it is in Greek.[3] It was performed at Eurovision with the performers wearingkilts.[4] The song also included a number of allusions to theGreek government-debt crisis and a feeling of suffering as a result of it.[5]
At the Eurovision Song Contest, "Alcohol is Free" was placed in the second semi-final where it was performed 9th in the running order.[3] The song was voted through to compete in the final.[6] There it was selected to play 21st in the Eurovision final running order.[7] The song eventually finished 6th in the competition after receiving the maximum of 12 points fromCyprus andSan Marino while also receiving high marks fromAlbania,Armenia,Russia, and theUnited Kingdom.[8] "Alcohol is Free" was also the highest-ranking song not sung primarily in English.[9]
The song was praised by critics, with the BritishDaily Mirror newspaper calling it "certifiably brilliant madness".[4] A panel of music critics rated it as 67%. Czech musician Stano Simor criticized its melody as being too similar toRussian folk songs.[10]Neos Kosmos, aGreek-Australian newspaper, opined that "Alcohol is Free" had gained acult following because it contrasted withEuropop music while maintainingGreek folk music.[11]
| Chart (2013) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Greece Digital Songs (Billboard)[12] | 1 |
| Germany (GfK)[13] | 85 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[14] | 95 |
| UK Indie (OCC)[15] | 30 |
