“At the beginning of May of 2023, I was completely burned out. Then I watched Eurovision and this awesome Finnish dude with a bowl cut, a lime green bolero, and a name that’s a multi-level pun (Käärijä = wrapper) reminded me why I love performing and gave me some desperately needed inspiration with a song called ‘Cha Cha Cha.’ […]
“We had a fun day in the recording studio and I hope that fans of Käärijä, of which I am one, will catch the small details musically, in the translation effort, and in the accompanying lyric video.
“It’s my sincere hope that Käärijä fans who know nothing about Star Trek or Klingon enjoy this acoustic cover as much as my nerdy Trekkie fans.”
Wow—they got the spirit down pat! I mean, Klingons aren’t my cup of tea, but as far as I can tell, bang on. And how amazing is it that cha means ‘torpedoes’ in Klingon?
Cha cha cha! 🙂
Hey, look! We found a thing on the internet! We thought it was cool, and wanted to share it with you.
This week Käärijä is represening Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest with Cha Cha Cha. Here’s his performance at the Uuden musiikin kilpailu (New Music Competition) where the song was chosen.
Käärijä – Cha Cha Cha | Finland | National Final Performance | Eurovision 2023 by Eurovision Song Contest via YouTube
Here’s a link to the Finnish lyrics. I’ve tried my hand at translating them into English in a way that fits the rhythm and rhymes of the song:
What a week it’s been, the days behind have just been crawling.
Pina coladas and the open road are now calling.
The night is young, so listen, it’s time to get plastered.
This frozen shell around me has got to get shattered.
Grab my drink with both hands and get loaded, I’m like
cha cha cha, cha cha, cha cha!
Blow off tomorrow, just go out and get totaled, I’m like
cha cha cha, cha cha, cha cha!
I wanna lose my mind, forget all my cares, I’m like
cha cha cha, cha cha, cha cha!
And I’ll keep going til I’m out of my chair, I’m like
A couple pina coladas are down already.
Still my face is like a mask, unmoving and steady.
The night is young, so listen, it’s time to get plastered.
This frozen shell around me has got to get shattered.
The floor is calling me, my inhibitions need numbing.
I’m like cha cha cha, watch out, I’m coming!
Grab my drink with both hands and get loaded, I’m like
cha cha cha, cha cha, cha cha!
Blow off tomorrow, just go out and get totaled, I’m like
cha cha cha, cha cha, cha cha!
I wanna lose my mind, forget all my cares, I’m like
cha cha cha, cha cha, cha cha!
And I’ll keep going til I’m out of my chair, I’m like, woah.
And now I’m dancing free,
I’m like cha cha cha,
and I’m not afraid of this world, you see,
I’m like cha cha cha,
when I pour champagne all over me.
Cha cha cha, and it’s getting hard to see,
and now I slur my speech when I hand the keys to this other me.
Cha cha cha, and you know that I’m not like this usually,
oh no, but I am today, but I am today.
And now I’m dancing free,
I’m like cha cha cha,
and I’m not afraid of this world, you see,
I’m like cha cha cha,
when I pour champagne all over me.
I’m like cha cha cha,
cha cha cha, cha cha, cha cha-ah-ah
I’m like cha cha cha,
cha cha cha, cha cha, cha cha,
cha cha cha, cha cha, cha cha.
Here’s hoping we’ll see Käärijä go all the way to the final!
An occasional feature on music and sound-related notions.
Have you ever asked yourself: “I wonder what it would be like if there were a Eurovision-style song contest in Azeroth?” No? Just us? Well, okay then.
If you’re not familiar with the Eurovision Song Contest, it’s an annual competition in which countries around Europe (and a few beyond) present songs in a wide variety of styles and genres. It’s good for inventive songs, wild stage shows, and good-spirited competition among nations. What if we had the same thing in the lands of World of Warcraft? Here are our ideas of what songs might represent the various realms and lands of the Shadowlands.
Oribos – La Forza by Elina Nechayeva (Estonia, 2018)
An ethereal, soaring, operatic melody from Estonia in 2018 befitting the mystical city surrounded by The Inbetween. (Probably helps if you like opera.)
In English, the Italian lyrics start something like “You know in the night for me / There is a star / It lights up my way / For eternity / It is my guide / In the immensity / That never leaves me” (someone else’s translation). Very apt!
Bastion – Visionary Dream by Sopho Khalvashi (Georgia, 2007)
Georgia’s Eurovision contribution from 2007 is a hypnotic song. Among its lyrics: “I will fly away / To reach the heights I’ve ever dreamed / Beneath the sun / No sense of time and space.” Sounds like Bastion to us.
Maldraxxus – Hard Rock Hallelujah by Lordi (Finland, 2006)
Finland won in 2006 with this hard rock song. It’s got monsters, pyrotechnics, and a head-banging beat. What else could you hope for from the Necrolords of Maldraxxus?
Ardenweald – Spirit in the Sky by KEiiNO (Norway, 2019)
Norway’s song from 2019 has a magical fairy-tale feel and features a yoik performance evoking the spirits of the northern lights. It feels like something the Night Fae of Ardenweald would be into.
Revendreth – It’s My Life by Cezar (Romania, 2013)
In 2013, Romania blessed us with this levitating falsetto vampire drama king. If that’s not right for the Venthyr of Revendreth, I don’t know what could be.
The Maw – Hatrið mun sigra by Hatari (Iceland, 2019)
Content note: The Icelandic group Hatari is described on the official Eurovision site as “Award-winning, anti-capitalist, BDSM, techno-dystopian, performance art collective”. The music pretty much matches that description—in English, the song name apparently translates “hate will prevail”. Be warned.
The lyrics start with “The revelry was unrestrained / The hangover is endless / Life is meaningless / The void will get us all” (someone else’s translation), and the stage show includes chains and spikes. Yep; as bleak as playing through The Maw.
Torghast – Warrior by Nina Sublatti (Georgia, 2015)
Representing Georgia for the 2015 contest we find another Eurovision song where the lyrics and stage show seem to fit WoW uncannily well (Sublatti’s outfit certainly does!) and certainly suit the desolation of Torghast.
Korthia – Higher Ground by Rasmussen (Denmark, 2018)
The Belgian entry from 2003 is sung in an imaginary language and also has a bit of an otherworldly quality to it, making it the perfect song for Zereth Mortis.
Finally, as an honorable mention, if there is a Eurovision song for the Shadowlands expansion as a whole, it’s Sweden’s Heroes from 2015.
Shadowlands – Heroes by Måns Zelmerlöw (Sweden, 2015)
Any favorites among these or other Eurovision songs, or suggestions for additional WoW zone pairings? Do share!
P.S. The 2022 Eurovision Song Contest semifinals are finished, and the final is held this Saturday, May 14, in Turin, Italy, should you want to follow along.
Of Dice and Dragons is an occasional feature about games and gaming.
Perfection can be improved on occasion. Bearing witness is this inventive mashup of various themes from The Lord of the Rings by Howard Shore and the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Avengers by Alan Silvestri:
The mashup was arranged and orchestrated by Samuel Kim. I don’t have enough formal musical education to tell you why it works—both movie scores certainly are epic enough—I just know it does. 🙂 Kudos!
An occasional feature on music and sound-related notions.
For the pure joy of having our sea container finally arrive with our moving goods, I’ve been re-reading all of Martha Wells’ Murderbot books in the past few weeks. That reminded me of a playlist Meghan Ball made to accompany the Murderbot novelNetwork Effect. I gave it a listen, and found it conveyed a very different idea of Murderbot than my impression.
So, I made my own playlist. It starts with a concert version of Darude’s “Sandstorm”, which I thought appropriate due to the reference of Murderbot visiting the Preservation planet for a cultural festival with concerts and operas in the beginning of the book.
Darude: “Sandstorm”, performed by Synthony and the Auckland Symphony Orchestra
Armin van Buuren: “Blah Blah Blah”
Paul Ruskay featuring Kokia: “Strike Suit Zero Main Theme”
Linkin Park: “Numb”
Darude’s “Sandstorm” and Rammstein’s “Du Hast” mashup by Monsterovich
Clint Mansell: “Lux Aeterna” (soundtrack from Requiem for a Dream, directed by Darren Aronofsky)
The “Blah Blah Blah” and “Numb” lyrics remind me of the doubts some humans (especially Thiago in this story) have about Murderbot, and Murderbot’s attitude towards those kinds of humans. The mashup of “Sandstorm” and “Du Hast” nicely marries action-paced music with the weirdness that comes with Murderbot finally finding targetControlSystem and the thread of targetContact contamination and the crystalline growth / alien hivemind taking over Murderbot. Ending the list with a piano piece brings some calm again.
Note: the creator’s content warning’s are: blood, guns, scopophobia, slight body horror, and injuries. There are also slight spoilers for Network Effect.
I’m Not Your Hero – The Murderbot Diaries Animatic by mar on YouTube
The animatic is set to Sara Quin and Tegan Quin’s “I’m Not Your Hero”. The song wasn’t familiar to me, but I have to admit it fits pretty well.
And, seriously, someone please buy the rights and develop a fantastic longform Murderbot screen adaptation. Like, now! *standing with money in my outstretched hand*
Most of the bardcore versions I’ve seen are in plain modern English, some in ye olde faux medievale Englisshe, and some even in Old French. But so far there seems to be only one in Classical Latin: “Smells Like Teen Spirit”.
Game Music Collective is a Finland-based orchestra, band, and studio production company lead by cellist Lukas Stasevskij. As the name implies, they produce and perform game and other soundtracks.
Their latest project is a cover version of Ellie’s song “Through the Valley” from the PlayStation4 game The Last of Us Part II. The music video for the cover was filmed in Helsinki, Finland.
The original song was written by Shawn James; the Game Music Collective version features Mokka Laitinen (vocals and guitar), Sujari Britt (cello), Leonardo Carrillo (oboe), and Eeti Nieminen (drums).
Pretty neat, isn’t it? (Although strictly speaking I would’ve been happier to see outdoor locations, too.) #FinlandNerd 🙂
Anybody else who grew up in the 1980s and remembers the song “Danger Zone” by Kenny Loggins? Here’s a treat: Jackson McKay mashed it up with X-wing clips from Star Wars movies for a really thrilling video.
Co-Geeking 