Primaballerina

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“Primaballerina”
Single cover
Single by Siw Malmkvist from the album Primaballerina
B-side	Mir fehlt der Knopf am Pyjama
Released	1969
Format	Vinyl single
Recorded	1969
Genre	Schlager
Length	2:47
Label	Metronome
Writer(s)	Hans Blum
Siw Malmkvist singles chronology
“Zigeunerhochzeit” (1968) “Primaballerina” (2007) “Adiolé” (1970)
Audio sample
Info (help·info)
Primaballerina
Eurovision Song Contest 1969 entry
Country	Germany
Artist(s)	Siw Malmkvist
Language	German
Composer(s)	Hans Blum
Lyricist(s)	Hans Blum
Place	9th
Points	8
Lyrics	Lyrics
◄ Ein Hoch der Liebe (1968)    Wunder gibt es immer wieder (1970) ►

“Primaballerina” is a 1969 song performed by Siw Malmkvist and written by Hans Blum. It was the German entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1969.

Contents 1 Song information 1.1 Excerpt 1.1.1 German 1.1.2 English translation 2 At the national final 3 At the Eurovision Song Contest 4 Other versions 4.1 Other versions by Siw Malmkvist 4.2 Cover versions 5 Releases and commercial success 6 External Links 7 References

[edit] Song information

“Primaballerina” is a midtempo schlager song. It is addressed to a porcelain figure on a clock, who is asked why she is alone and has to pass through life without a lover. The singer tells that music is the life of the Primaballerina and that she just keeps turning to chimes. Nevertheless, in the final chorus she says that one day everything beautiful will fade and that the porcelaine figure will never understand that^[1].

[edit] Excerpt

[edit] German

Primaballerina, Primaballerina
Alles Schöne dieser Welt, das muss einmal vergehn
Primaballerina, Primaballerina
Kleine Porzellanfigur, das wirst du nie verstehn

[edit] English translation

Primaballerina, Primaballerina
Everything beautiful of this world has to fade one day
Primaballerina, Primaballerina
Little porcelaine figurette, you will never understand that

[edit] At the national final

Three singers took part in the German national final for the Eurovision Song Contest 1969, each of them performing three songs. It was the third song performed by Siw Malkvist and the seventh song performed overall in the first round of voting following Peggy March with “Aber die Liebe bleibt bestehn” and preceding Rex Gildo with “Festival der jungen Liebe”^[2] and first in the second round of voting with only three songs remaining. In the final round, the song was awarded seven out of 13 possible points sending the song to the Eurovision Song Contest in Madrid.

[edit] At the Eurovision Song Contest

The song was performed thirteenth on the night (following Norway's Kirsti Sparboe with Oj, oj, oj, så glad jeg skal bli and preceding France's Frida Boccara with Un jour, un enfant). At the close of voting, it had received 8 points, placing 9th in a field of 16. It was succeeded as German representative at the 1970 Contest by Katja Ebstein with Wunder gibt es immer wieder.

[edit] Other versions

[edit] Other versions by Siw Malmkvist

Siw Malkvist has recorded another two versions of the song: in her nativa language Swedish^[3] and in Spanish^[4]. The title was kept for both versions.

[edit] Cover versions

Many cover versions of the song were recorded:

• Estonian singer Heli Lääts covered the song as “Kaunid Baleriinid” in Estonian. A dance remix of that version was also released^[5].
• Two Dutch singers recorded Dutch versions of the song: Imca Marina^[6] and Patricia Dee^[7].
• Finnish singer Robin covered the song in Finnish as “Prinsessa”.
• Paul Mauriat recorded an instrumental version of the song.

[edit] Releases and commercial success

The song was released on a vinyl single with the song “Mir fehlt der Knopf am Pyjama” as B-Side. The song entered the German single charts and eventually peaked at #13^[8]. It is Siw Malkvists third last charted single today</ref>. It was the most succesful German Eurovision Song Contest entry since “Zwei kleine Italiener” in 1962 and the second most succesful one overall at the time of its release. The song later appeared on various Siw Malmkvist greatest hits compilations and on German Eurovision Song Contest compilations.

[edit] External Links

• Siw Malmkvist discography
• Primaballerina on diggiloo.net

[edit] References