From 2009 to 2011 Iceland performed a series of songs for the annual Eurovision singing contest. The songs were eclectic in genre, but all had similar themes about emotion and found ways to make interesting material out of the familiar concept of the love song.
“Is It True?” (2009, Iceland) by Yohanna is a soft rock ballad that portrays a troubled relationship. The premise is that the narrator has just ended a bad relationship and is struggling to cope with reality. The cause of this breakup is left vague, however we know that there were lies involved when Yohanna sings, “Tell me ‘bout the rumors /… / Are they only lies?” and “If one of us is lying / There’s no use in trying.” The distortion of truth and reality is a major theme in “Is It True” as is evident by the narrator’s confusion throughout the song. She is constantly asking questions such as, “Is it true? / Is it over? / Did I throw it away?” She wants to know, indeed, if the relationship is over, but also who is at fault. The line “Did I throw it away?” implies that she blames herself, but there is also antipathy for the partner when she sings, “If you really knew me / You wouldn’t do this to me / You would be my friend.” These questions and conflicting emotions illustrate the turmoil she feels, and is finalized at the end of the song when, after the music died down, Yohanna reprises the line “Is It True”, only with a desperate and sombre tone.
This inner turmoil is coated by an innocent, fairy tale motif in accordance with the line, “Falling out of a perfect dream, coming out of the blue.” Indeed, the stage and performers are coded blue and white, creating a relaxing tone. The performance also feels like something out of a dream, with clouds projected on the rear screen and appearances by a flying dolphin and boat. Yohanna’s costume also evokes fairy tales as her long, ruffled blue dress and makeup make her look like a princess. All of this defines Yohanna’s identity as someone fragile and wistful. She wallows in past tragedies and wishes she could return to a time romanticised as a perfect fairy tale.
Hera Bjork’s electropop dance song “Je Ne Sais Quoi” (2010, Iceland) is similar to the previous entry in many ways, but has a different message overall. It actually has the exact opposite premise, as it opens by saying the narrator was once in a dark place, but has since found happiness, “I am standing strong / I’ve overcome the sadness / in my life.” She is infatuated with someone she just met and expresses her love with the French phrase “Je ne sais quoi” which is used to refer to favorable features in a romantic partner that are difficult to explain. It is appropriate that this phrase was turned into a dance song as they succeed at portraying raw emotion. The verses of “Je Ne Sais Quoi” consist of Bjork singing with an piano riff that steadily builds to the drop in the chorus. When Bjork shouts “Je Ne Sais Quoi!” the synthesized music and the back up singers kick in. The relative energy of the chorus and the verses is represented by the LED lights in the background: During the verses the lights are scant, but during the chorus they light up and display arrows pulsating away from the stage.
Despite how passionate “Je Ne Sais Quoi” is, there are warning signs of the relationship’s volatility. There is no indication the narrator is in love because she knows this person well, but rather she is operating on intuition. She says, “It’s like I’ve known you all my life.” In the chorus she admits, “And when I see your face / I want to follow my emotions / Je ne sai pas pourquoi [I don’t know why].” The energy in the music and Bjork’s voice portray this character as someone fearless and headstrong, but some of the lyrics imply that she is also reckless.
On January 17th, 2011 Icelandic singer Sigurjon “Sjonni” Brink died suddenly before he could audition to represent Iceland in the Eurovision Song Contest. Six of Sjonni’s musician friends decided, at the last minute, to form a tribute band called Sjonni’s Friends and sing his song “Coming Home” (2011, Iceland). The song in question is about a man who is separated from his partner, but promises that he is coming home soon. It is easy to see the parallels between the story and the unfortunate real life events surrounding it, intentional or otherwise. These parallels are made even more apparent by the fact that the lyrics imply that the partner in this song is dead. Most notably, they sing, “‘And when my time on this Earth comes to an end, / Then I’ll find you and I know that you will be my love again.” The implication is that the partner is already dead, which is why he says “my time” instead of “our time.” With the knowledge that the partner is in the afterlife, this quickly becomes a song about suicide. Cheerful lines like, “Oh oh oh It’s time to go, I’ll see you. I’ll see you soon,” and “I can’t wait. I’m coming soon,” are turned morbid.
The dark subtext of “Coming Home” is in contrast with the tone of the performance. The piece is performed as a chincy folk song, with high pitched backing vocals and a trombone that dominates the goofy melody. The staging does even more to lighten the tone, with a set that looks like the sun, the phrase “Love is You” printed on the drum, and the time where the group all stand up and wave their arms comedically.
There is a strong sense of comradery alongside this silly tone. The band consists of three guitarists, a pianist, a drummer, and a singer, but despite this the verses are passed off between the members, two lines each, and the chorus is sung in unison by all six. This friendship is sealed when, in the middle of the song, the singer leans to his neighbor and gives him a kiss on the cheek. The upbeat tone and sense of comradery forms a message of staying happy even in the darkest of times, just like Sjonni’s Friends do in spite of the recent death and dark subject matter of the song.
In terms of diversity, it is unavoidable to mention that all of the singers and musicians in the 2009, 2010, and 2011 Icelandic Eurovision entries are white. Iceland’s population is over 90% white (Central Intelligence Agency, 2017), and while that may explain the lack of racial diversity, it doesn’t change it. More diverse, however, is the representation of gender. Half the people onstage in “Is it True” and “Je Ne Sais Quoi” are women, although all the performers of “Coming Home” are men. This is likely because the band was chosen from the small group of friends who worked with Sjonni, who happen to be men, rather than from the Icelandic population. The three performances suggest that Iceland is willing to portray diversity representative of their own country, but not Europe, otherwise we would have seen more people of color onstage.
As for the songs, the tone and genres are wildly different: A soft rock ballad, an electropop dance song, and a folk song by a six piece band. Despite this, there is a clear thoughline of troubled relationships. Songs about love are all too common, especially in Eurovision, but these three songs deal with relationships by hiding behind emotions. Yohanna tries to forget the reality of a breakup by reminiscing about the past, Bjork tries to ignore her hesitation by embracing the love she feels, and Sjonni’s Friends try to overcome grief through gleeful friendship. If we take these songs as a representation of music in Iceland, it suggests there are expected themes, such as love, but they can take these themes and follow them in different directions.
Central Intelligence Agency. (2017) Iceland. The World Factbook. Retrieved from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ic.html
Hera Bjork. (2010). Je Ne Sais Quoi (Iceland) Eurovision Song Contest 2010 Oslo. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXLqw4UpJ1w
Sjonni’s Friends. (2011) Coming Home (Iceland) Eurovision Song Contest 2011 Dusseldorf. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apc_qJf3nws
Yohanna. (2009). Is It True? (Iceland) Eurovision Song Contest 2009 Moscow. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBEpub4qE9c
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