Released February 2010 Genre Levenslied Label NRGY | Recorded 2010 Length 2:59 | |
Format CD single, digital download | ||
"Ik ben verliefd (Sha-la-lie)" ( [ɪk bɛn vərˈlift ‖ ʃɑlɑli], I'm in love (Sha-la-lie)) is a song written by Pierre Kartner which represented the Netherlands at the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 in Oslo, Norway. 18-year-old singer Sieneke was chosen to perform the song at Oslo after winning the Nationaal Songfestival contest. The song was performed in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 semi-final but failed to place in the finals.
Contents
In August 2010 the Swedish dansband Drifters released a cover of the song with a Swedish lyrics Called "Sha-la-lie" on the album "Stanna Hos Mig"
Critical reception
The song was widely criticised by the Dutch press and the general public after being chosen to represent the Netherlands at the Eurovision Song Contest. The criticisms included accusations that the song was "too old" and the strange way in which the final winner was chosen after the competition had ended in a tie. The Dutch audience also wondered why the vote by the audience did not count, but only the vote by the four jurors, which had resulted in a tie between two of the contestants. Songwriter Kartner was forced to decide after he had initially refused, stating that he was unable to do so and would decide the matter by a coin flip–something not allowed by the rules. Pressed, he finally reluctantly said that Sieneke was his favourite choice.
Plagiarism
Pierre Kartner was accused of stealing the melody and complete tune of the 1994 song 'Angelien' by Dutch musician Dick van Altena. Van Altena filed a complaint with Buma Stemra regarding plagiarism. The verdict was due on June 23 and the claim could have led to disqualification of Sieneke's performance, about a month after the competition. However, on May 6, it became known that Van Altena had withdrawn his complaint after a suitable settlement, although he stated that the whole matter could have been handled more clearly.
Charts
The song reached number one in the Dutch Single Top 100 and number 12 in the Dutch Top 40.