B-side "That Again" Recorded 2011 | Released 22 February 2011 Genre Electropop
pop | |
Format CD single
Digital download Length 3:23 (single version)
3:24 (album version)
3:02 (ESC version) | ||
"Taken by a Stranger" is a song recorded by German recording artist Lena for her second studio album, Good News. It was written by Gus Seyffert, Nicole Morier and Monica Birkenes, while production was handled by Stefan Raab and Reinhard Schaub. It represented Germany at the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 in Düsseldorf, placing 10th with 107 points.
Contents
- Production and song selection
- Release
- Music video
- Eurovision Song Contest
- Credits and personnel
- References
The song was selected through televoting during Germany's Eurovision pre-selection programme Unser Song für Deutschland (Our Song for Germany) on 18 February 2011. It was made available for digital download the following day. The maxi-single was released on 22 February 2011.
Production and song selection
"Taken by a Stranger" has been described as an electropop song. It was written by American songwriters Gus Seyffert and Nicole Morier, and Norwegian songwriter Monica Birkenes. Seyffert has said the song was created when he played some of his ideas for Nicole Morier on the guitar. Both worked on a basic structure and the lyrics for a few days, before sending it to Monica Birkenes in London. The final production then took Seyffert several weeks. He has commented on the song's lyrics: "We decided on a story of a stranger, who seems a little threatening, or to whom the singer might become threatening. I think it is about expressing a fantasy to be together with a stranger".
The song was one of approximately 500 titles submitted for consideration for Unser Song für Deutschland (Our Song for Germany), the television programme created to find Lena Meyer-Landrut's song for her attempted title defence at the Eurovision Song Contest 2011. It was selected by Meyer-Landrut and Stefan Raab as one of twelve potential Eurovision songs. In the final of Unser Song für Deutschland it won over the ballad "Push Forward" with 79% of the televotes.
The final version of the song was produced by Reinhard Schaub and Stefan Raab.
Release
"Taken by a Stranger" was released for digital download on 18 February 2011, in the night after the final of Unser Song für Deutschland. The maxi-single, which also includes the song "That Again" from Meyer-Landrut's second album Good News, was released on 22 February 2011. The song was published through the record label USFO, a cooperation between Universal Music Germany and Raab TV/Brainpool, created one year earlier.
The song peaked at number two in the German singles chart, and reached number 32 in Austria and number 45 in Switzerland. "Taken by a Stranger" is included on Meyer-Landrut's second album Good News, which was released on 8 February 2011.
Music video
The music video for "Taken by a Stranger", directed by Wolf Gresenz, was filmed in Berlin. It is set in a hotel and depicts Meyer-Landrut wandering around, looking at reflections of herself in mirrors. The video captures the mysterious atmosphere of the song through dark lighting and the use of special effects, such as false reflections of her. During the second half of the video, Meyer-Landrut is also seen in a room full of mirrors dancing alongside several silver-dressed alien-like dancers. The video ends with Meyer-Landrut jumping into a mirror, which breaks and she disappears.
On 24 February 2011, the video premiered on public broadcaster Das Erste right before Germany's most watched evening news bulletin Tagesschau. That day it was also made available on Meyer-Landrut's official website. Two versions of the video are available, the original cut which was aired by Das Erste, and a newer version released about one week later. The newer cut misses some of the scenes featuring the additional dancers, while the CGI scene of the breaking mirror at the end was improved.
Eurovision Song Contest
"Taken by a Stranger" was Germany's entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2011. By representing a "big five" country, it was automatically qualified for the final on 14 May 2011. Germany was drawn into position 16 out of the 25 available spots during the running order draw. The song came 10th place in the final.