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Sanomi - Belgium 2003 entry

NemesisNick

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Who remembers the 2003 entry for Belgium - "Sanomi"? To the best of my knowledge, it was the first song in the history of the ESC to be in an imaginary language.

I had the BBC subtitles on during the songs of the ESC 2003. Whereas all other songs had the on-screen lyrics in English (regardless of original language, i.e French, German etc) the subtitles for "Sanomi" were, for obvious reasons, the original imaginary language lyrics. At the end Terry Wogan said "Well we didn't know what that was about".

What did the song mean in English, French, or whatever other language you speak? If Urban Trad produced an imaginary language, surely each individual word was meant to translate to a word in a real language, was it not?

I've just been through the song on The Diggiloo Thrush and here are (just about) all the words, I've sorted it into alphabetical order and deduplicated it as best I can.

aliya
delamaoré
helé
irema
kenatu
keranu
lago
léala
madilé
manilla
narilé
nia
niamo
pasema
sanisi
sanomi
saro
soléo
sorimana
sorimanao
ture

Surely each of the above made-up words was meant to mean something in English, French, Flemish, German, Dutch etc. Does anyone know what?
 

Avalon

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Absolutely not, it was pure imaginary and had no meaning.

On the other way, O Julissi had actually somehow a meaning they made it sound more Eastern-European to get more votes. Failed.
 

Milos-BC

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Serbia
One of my favorite :be: entries! :D I have goosebumps from the first moment when I heard it, and I have now as well :D Fantastic song. Should have won too.
 

DanielLuis

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Absolutely not, it was pure imaginary and had no meaning.

On the other way, O Julissi had actually somehow a meaning they made it sound more Eastern-European to get more votes. Failed.

All they had to do to grab more votes was make a better song :lol: The song wasn't that bad, but it wasn't anything special. "Sanomi" was much better, such a relaxing amazing song!
 

NemesisNick

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Dorchester, Dorset, United Kingdom
Absolutely not, it was pure imaginary and had no meaning.
Really Avalon? What on Earth, in the world, is the point in that?

If someone wants to make up words, you'd surely want them to translate into real language words, wouldn't you? About 10 years or so ago I remember a kids' programme on TV, The Hoobs. They had several made up words, e.g.

Hoobledoop! = Hello
Tiddlypeep = Child
Peep = Adult
Wazzlewafter = Fan

At least each of those "Hoob language" words meant something in English. It just seems daft and pointless to have made up words that I listed in my opening post for the song "Sanomi" if not one of them was intended to map to a word in a real language e.g. English, French etc.

At least "Sanomi" in 2003 was a near success, 2nd place and 165 points; just 2 points behind winners Turkey. On the other hand, "O Julissi" in 2008 finished 17th out of 19 participants in semi-final 1 with just 16 points, and thus failed to qualify to the final. One extreme to the other with made up language songs.
 

NemesisNick

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Well I have commented on other parts of ESC United Forums during the last 7 months, and elsewhere on the internet and done plenty of other things away from my computer (some of which themselves inspired me to post short and in-depth write-ups and sometimes also photos on-line) since.

It just seems odd that Urban Trad would want to make up words that don't men anything in a real language. If they wanted to make up words like I listed in my opening post, surely they'd want them to each men something in a real language.

Did the words of "O Julissi" (julissi , ditini, krokodili etc.) mean anything in French, German etc.?
 
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