| "Fairytale" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byAlexander Rybak | ||||
| from the albumFairytales | ||||
| Released | 12 January 2009 | |||
| Recorded | 2008 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:03 | |||
| Label | EMI | |||
| Songwriter | Alexander Rybak | |||
| Producer | Kim Bergseth | |||
| Alexander Rybak singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Fairytale" onYouTube | ||||
| Eurovision Song Contest 2009 entry | ||||
| Country | ||||
| Artist | ||||
| Language | English | |||
| Composer | Alexander Rybak | |||
| Lyricist | Alexander Rybak | |||
| Finals performance | ||||
| Semi-final result | 1st | |||
| Semi-final points | 201 | |||
| Final result | 1st | |||
| Final points | 387 | |||
| Entry chronology | ||||
| ◄ "Hold On Be Strong" (2008) | ||||
| "My Heart Is Yours" (2010) ► | ||||
| Official performance video | ||||
| "Fairytale" (Final) onYouTube | ||||
"Fairytale" is a song composed, written, and recorded by Belarusian-Norwegian singer-songwriterAlexander Rybak. Itrepresented Norway in theEurovision Song Contest 2009 held inMoscow, winning the contest. It is the first single from Rybak's debut albumFairytales released on 29 May 2009 just after the contest.
"Fairytale" was composed and written byAlexander Rybak. In February 2009, Norwegian media reported that the song is about Rybak's ex-girlfriend Ingrid Berg Mehus whom he got to know through theBarratt Due Institute of Music in Oslo.[1][2][3] Rybak has since confirmed this. At a press conference in May 2009 he revealed that the song's inspiration came from theHulder, a beautiful female creature fromScandinavian folklore, who lures young men to her, and then may curse them for all time.[4] The Russian-language version of the song is entitled "Skazka" (Russian:Сказка).
Between 24 January and 21 February 2009, "Fairytale" performed by Rybak competed in the47th edition of theMelodi Grand Prix, the national final organised byNorsk Rikskringkasting (NRK) to select its song and performer for the54th edition of theEurovision Song Contest. The song won the competition in the biggest landslide of the contest's history,[5] becoming theNorwegian entrant –and Rybak the performer– for Eurovision.[6][7]
"Fairytale" won with a combined televote and jury score of 747,888, in the biggest victory of the Melodi Grand Prix's history. The song received over 600,000 votes more than the runner-up, which made it the clearest win in the history of the competition.[6][5]
The first official music video for the song, which was used to present the song before the Eurovision final, was Rybak's performance at the Melodi Grand Prix. The most recent video was of Rybak playing the violin and singing with his backing dancers behind him, where the background occasionally changes from white to black.
On 14 May 2009, the second semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest was held in theOlimpiysky Arena inMoscow hosted byChannel One (C1R) and broadcast live throughout the continent. Rybak performed "Fairytale" sixth on the evening, followingPoland's "I Don't Wanna Leave" byLidia Kopania and precedingCyprus's "Firefly" by Christina Metaxa.[8] After the grand final it was revealed that it had received in its semi-final 201 points, placing first in a field of nineteen and qualifying for the final.[9]
On 16 May 2009, the grand final for the Eurovision Song Contest was held. Rybak performed again "Fairytale" twentieth on the evening, followingAlbania's "Carry Me in Your Dreams" byKejsi Tola and precedingUkraine's "Be My Valentine! (Anti-Crisis Girl)" bySvetlana Loboda.[10]
The backing dancers for the Eurovision performances, Sigbjørn Rua, Torkjell Lunde Børsheim andHallgrim Hansegård, were from the Norwegian dance companyFrikar,[11] performing the folk dancehalling. The backing singers, Jorunn Hauge[12] and Karianne Kjærnes,[13] wore long pink dresses designed by Norwegian designer Leila Hafzi.[14]
"Fairytale" won with the highest recorded score until then in Eurovision, with 387 points –out of a maximum possible of 492–, surpassing "Hard Rock Hallelujah"2006 record of 292 byLordi. It held this record until2016 when "1944" byJamala forUkraine, the first self-written winner after Rybak, won with a record 534 points –but because of the new scoring system with separate sets of televotes and jury votes, the results are not comparable with each other–. Its average score of 9.4 points from every voting nation was the highest since the wide use of televoting began in 1998. "Fairytale" received sixteen scores of 12 points, also a new record, surpassing the previous record of ten held by "Love Shine a Light" byKatrina and the Waves in1997 and "My Number One" byHelena Paparizou in2005; this record was surpassed in2012, by "Euphoria" byLoreen, who received eighteen. This was Norway's first Eurovision win since1995 and third win in overall.
The song was the first single from Rybak's debut albumFairytales released on 29 May 2009 just after the contest.
A video of Rybak's performance of the song at the Eurovision Song Contest final was chosen byYouTube as one of its 31 most memorable videos of 2009.[15]
The song also debuted on the Norwegian Singles Chart on the week of 11 February 2009 at number 3,[16] before rising to number one on the following week, the week of the Melodi Grand Prix final.[17] This was the first time that the Melodi Grand Prix winner reached number 1 before winning the contest. The song remained at number 1 for 8 consecutive weeks.[18] The song has since entered the SwedishSverigetopplistan, debuting at number 47, before rising to number 7 in its third week, the week of Eurovision - eventually reaching the top spot. After the song gaining the Top Spot on Eurovision, it entered the Top Ten of many Charts across Europe, and also the No. 1 position in many countries.[19] The song debuted on the UK charts at #10 on Downloads Alone and then dropped to #38 the next week, it also reached Number 3 on the Download Chart. "Fairytale" is the ninth non-UK Eurovision entry to reach the top ten in the UK charts since the contest began in 1956, most recentlyJohnny Logan reached #2 representingIreland in 1987.[20] It wascertified Gold in Finland[21] and Norway.[22] The single went multi-platinum in different formats in Russia. It first went platinum as realtone full track and sold 100,000 copies.[23] Then it was certified 2× platinum as ring-back tone with another 400,000 copies sold.[24]Combined sales of the song are 500,000 copies without online downloads.
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[56] | Gold | 45,000‡ |
| Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[21] | Gold | 6,887[21] |
| Germany (BVMI)[57] | Gold | 150,000‡ |
| Norway (IFPI Norway)[22] | Gold | 5,000* |
| Sweden (GLF)[58] | Platinum | 20,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[59] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
 |
| Region | Date | Format | Version |
|---|---|---|---|
| Norway | 12 January 2009 | Digital download | Original |
| Germany[60] | 15 May 2009 | Digital download | Original |
| United Kingdom | 17 May 2009 | Digital download[61] | Original |
| Germany[62] | 20 October 2017 | CD-Maxi | Duet with Franziska Wiese |
| Preceded by "Believe" byDima Bilan | Eurovision Song Contest winners 2009 | Succeeded by |
