Romeo (song)

Infobox ESC entry
song = flagicon|Norway "Romeo"


caption =
year = 1986
country = Norway
artist = Ketil Stokkan
as =
with = Members of the "Great Garlic Girls" drag troupe
language = Norwegian
languages =
composer = Ketil Stokkan
lyricist = Ketil Stokkan
conductor = Egil Monn-Iversen
place = 12th
points = 44
place_semi =
points_semi =
lyrics = [http://www.diggiloo.net/?1986no from Diggiloo Thrush]
clip =
prev = "La Det Swinge"
prev_link = La Det Swinge
next = "Mitt Liv"
next_link = Mitt Liv"Romeo" was the Norwegian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1986, performed in Norwegian by Ketil Stokkan.

The song is a moderately up-tempo number, with Stokkan addressing the object of his desires. He sings about his elaborate preparations to "seduce you" - going to the lengths of borrowing clothes to look better. Unfortunately for him, his advances appear to have been over-eager, as he sings "My greatest pleasure was to touch you/My biggest stupidity was to feel you up". His paramour compares him unfavourably to Romeo, telling him that "the Gods shall know that you will never become a/Romeo, Romeo, try to take it easy", even as he is begging on his knees for the relationship to work.

Despite the somewhat unconventional lyrics - Eurovision entries tending to be about requited love - the song is more significant for the appearance onstage of a drag queen, a member of the Norwegian drag troupe "Great Garlic Girls", dressed in stylised clothing reminiscent of the 18th century.

The performance thus represented the first occasion on which a sexual minority was visible onstage. The Contest is frequently associated with a gay audience; however, there had been no displays of this sexuality in previous years, despite the fact that a number of entrants were gay themselves.

20 years later, the drag group Queentastic (composed of ex-Great Garlic Girls members) would enter the Melodi Grand Prix in their own right, losing out to Christine Gulbrandsen in their attempt to represent Norway at the Eurovision Song Contest 2006.

The song was performed fourth on the night (following France's Cocktail Chic with "Européennes" and preceding the United Kingdom's Ryder with "Runner In The Night"). At the close of voting, it had received 44 points, placing 12th in a field of 20.

It was succeeded as Norwegian representative at the 1987 Contest by Kate with "Mitt Liv".

References

*citeweb|url=http://www.diggiloo.net/?1986no|title=1986 Norway|author=Diggiloo.net|accessdate=2007-02-18
*citeweb|url=http://www.geocities.com/national_finals_90s_00s/Norway2006.html|title=NORWEGIAN NATIONAL FINAL 2006|accessdate=2007-02-18
*citebook|last=Kennedy O'Connor|first=John|year=2005|title=The Eurovision Song Contest: The Official History