| "Zemrën e lamë peng" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byOlta Boka | ||||
| Language | Albanian | |||
| Released | 2008 (2008) | |||
| Length | 2:57 | |||
| Label | RTSH | |||
| Composer | Adrian Hila | |||
| Lyricist | Pandi Laço | |||
| Olta Boka singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Eurovision Song Contest 2008 entry | ||||
| Country | ||||
| Artist | ||||
| Language | ||||
| Composer | Adrian Hila | |||
| Lyricist | ||||
| Finals performance | ||||
| Semi-final result | 9th | |||
| Semi-final points | 67 | |||
| Final result | 17th | |||
| Final points | 55 | |||
| Entry chronology | ||||
| ◄ "Hear My Plea" (2007) | ||||
| "Carry Me in Your Dreams" (2009) ► | ||||
"Zemrën e lamë peng" (Albanian pronunciation:[ˈzɛmɾənɛˈlaməˈpɛŋɡ];transl. "We gambled our hearts") is a song by Albanian singerOlta Boka, written byPandi Laço and composed by Adrian Hila. It was released as aCD single in 2008 throughRadio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH). Musically, it is anAlbanian-languageballad, lyrically revolving around lovesickness and the pain of separation from a loved one. The song representedAlbania in theEurovision Song Contest 2008 inBelgrade, Serbia, after winning the country's pre-selection competitionFestivali i Këngës 46. The country reached the 17th place in a field of 25, gathering a total of 55 points. During her dark-themed show, Boka was on stage accompanied by threeinstrumentalists, while theLED screens displayed various violet and yellow-coloured hearts.
In 2007, Olta Boka was announced as one of the contestants selected to compete in the 46th edition ofFestivali i Këngës, a competition to determine Albania's entrant for the Eurovision Song Contest 2008. Following the competition's rules, the lyrics of the participating entries had to be in the Albanian language. Boka took part with the song "Zemrën e lamë peng", composed by Adrian Hila and written by Pandi Laço.[1] For the purpose of the singer's Eurovision Song Contest participation, the song was remastered and reworked inItaly with few modifications leading to a more "rhythmic version".[2] Musically, it was described as aballad, which lyrically revolves around lovesickness and the pain of separation.[2][3][4]
The song was released as a CD single in 2008 through Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH), while approximately 1000 promotional CD's were distributed to radio stations.[5] An accompanyingmusic video for the song premiered prior to the start of theEurovision Song Contest 2008.[6] For promotional purposes, Boka made diverse live appearances on multiple occasions in April that year to perform the song, including inAzerbaijan,Georgia andUkraine.[7] In the same month, she also appeared to perform on the Turkish television showsAynadan yansıyanlar andMichael show.[8] Israel'srepresentative for the Eurovision Song Contest 2008,Boaz Ma'uda, released in 2009 aHebrew version of the song titled "Sha'ar Libach" (שער ליבך).[9]
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The national broadcaster of Albania, Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH), organised the 46th edition of Festivali i Këngës to determine the country's participant for the Eurovision Song Contest 2008. The former consisted of two semi-finals on 14 and 15 December, and the grand final on 16 December 2007, which included Boka being chosen to represent the country in the contest, after the votes of an expert jury were combined, resulting in 67 points.[10] Boka's victory was surrounded by controversy after several observers accused the Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH) ofconspiracy and manipulation.[3]
The 53rd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest took place inBelgrade, Serbia, and consisted of two semi-finals on 20 and 22 May, and the grand final on 24 May 2008.[11] According to theEurovision rules at the time, each participating country, apart from the host country and the "Big Four", consisting ofFrance,Germany,Spain, and theUnited Kingdom, were required to qualify from one of the two semi-finals to compete for the grand final. However, the top ten countries from the respective semi-final progressed to the grand final. On 28 January 2008, it was announced that "Zemrën e lamë peng" would be performed in the second semi-final of the contest.[12]
Albania performed sixth in the second semi-final, followingLithuania and precedingSwitzerland, and qualified for the grand final in ninth place with 67 points.[13][14] At the grand final, it performed third, followingUnited Kingdom and precedingGermany. Albania reached the 17th place in a field of 25 with 55 points.[15] During her dark-themed show of the song, Boka was accompanied on stage by twoguitarists and adrummer. TheLED screens in the background displayed various violet and yellow-toned hearts throughout the performance.[16]
| Region | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Various | 2008 | CD | RTSH | [17] |
| 14 February 2018 | Digital download |
| [18] |