Wolves of the Sea
This article needs additional citations for verification. (April 2010) |
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Eurovision Song Contest 2008 entry | |
Country | |
Artist(s) | |
Language | English |
Composer(s) | Jonas Liberg, Johan Sahlen, Claes Andreasson, Torbjörn Wassenius |
Lyricist(s) | Jonas Liberg |
Finals performance | |
Semi-final result | 6th |
Semi-final points | 86 |
Final result | 12th |
Final points | 83 |
Entry chronology | |
◄ "Questa notte" (2007) | |
"Probka" (2009) ► |
"Wolves of the Sea" is a song mostly known by performances by the Latvian musical project Pirates of the Sea and the studio recordings of the Scottish heavy metal band Alestorm. According to the Swedish company Sunday Music the song was created by four Swedish composers: Claes Andreasson, Jonas Liberg, Johan Sahlen and Torbjörn Wassenius.
The song was originally intended for Swedish Melodifestivalen where it, entitled Här mellan himmel och jord ("Here, between Heaven and Earth") was intended to be performed by Drängarna. However, Sweden rejected the song and instead it was chosen to represent Latvia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 in Belgrade, Serbia. When sent to Latvia, the song was given lyrics in English, and piracy-themed lyrics.[1][2]
It was very popular with the audience in the UK, receiving 10 points from them and with the Irish audience from whom they received 12 points. Eventually the song became 12th of 25th in the final. The song uses part of the melody from an American folk song called "Turkey in the Straw" for its intro and chorus melody.[citation needed]
The song has been covered by the Scottish folk metal band Alestorm and was released in 2009 on a split album titled "Black Sails Over Europe", published by Napalm Records.
The song also became popular in South Africa, where it has become an anthem for the South African rugby team, the 'Springboks'. In Afrikaans the song is known as Hi Hi Ho, and it is regularly sung by fans during matches.[3]
Chart positions
Chart (2008) | Peak position |
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Denmark Singles Chart[4] | 40 |
References
- ^ Marianne Hedenryd (3 March 2008). "Boråsares låt vann lettiska Melodifestivalen". Borås Tidning (in Swedish). Retrieved 8 March 2020.
- ^ Maria Niklasson (14 May 2008). "Glada pirater på plats i Belgrad" (in Swedish). Melodifestivalklubben. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
- ^ "Big in South Africa!", eurovision.tv (Eurovision Song Contest official website), 14 May 2009. Access date 13 May 2010.
- ^ Denmark Singles Chart