Home | Songs By Year | Songs from 1998
Diva (Dana International song)
Buy Diva (Dana International song) now from AmazonFirst, read the Wikipedia article. Then, scroll down to see what other TopShelfReviews readers thought about the song. And once you've experienced the song, tell everyone what you thought about it.
Wikipedia article
{{Infobox song
| name = Diva
| cover =
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Dana International
| album = Free
| released = 1998
| recorded =
| studio =
| venue =
| genre = Eurodance
| length = 3:02
| label = CNR Music, Dance Pool
| composer = Tzvika Pick
| lyricist = Yoav Ginai
| producer = Offer Nissim
| prev_title =
| prev_year =
| next_title = Makat hom (i la dirla da da)
| next_year = 2002
| misc =
}}
"'Diva'" is the winning song of the Eurovision Song Contest 1998, performed in Hebrew by Israeli singer Dana International representing . The music was composed by Svika Pick, with lyrics written by Yoav Ginai. The song was produced by Offer Nissim with music arrangements by Alon Levin[https://nocs.acum.org.il/acumsitesearchdb/work?workid=1087511 ACUM Website] and included on her fifth album, 'Free' (1999). It was Israel's third winning song in the Eurovision Song Contest, following the consecutive victories of and . Dana International's win is considered one of the most groundbreaking moments in Eurovision history.
Eurovision selection and victory
The song became the last entry entirely in a language other than English to win the contest until 2007. As the song did not have any live orchestral accompaniment, the interval act was the last time live music from an orchestra was used in the contest, as the 1999 contest lacked the necessary budget and was held in a venue not large enough to hold one.
The selection of Dana International's song caused so much controversy amongst conservative groups in Israel that on her arrival in Britain, police escorts and security were required continuously. The performance consisted of Dana International wearing a silver dress, backed by four other female singers wearing black. It involved no dancing.
The song was the eighth entry performed on the night, following 's Sixteen with "To takie proste" and preceding 's Guildo Horn with "Guildo hat euch lieb!". At the close of voting, it had received 172 points, placing 1st in a field of 25. This was Israel's third Contest victory and, as they had not entered the previous year's Contest, they achieved the unusual distinction of having won a Contest the year after not competing. also had this unusual bout of luck, having won in 2016 after missing the contest in Vienna a year before. The same would happen the following year with , missing the contest in 2016 but winning in 2017.
After the results were announced, Dana International caused a stir by arriving to the presentation late after a long delay, because she changed into an extravagant costume designed by Jean-Paul Gaultier adorned with bird feathers before performing the reprise.
The song was succeeded in 1999 as contest winner by Charlotte Nilsson, performing "Take Me to Your Heaven" for . It was succeeded as Israeli representative at the 1999 contest by Eden with "Yom Huledet (Happy Birthday)".
'Congratulations'
The song was chosen in an internet poll conducted by the European Broadcasting Union in 2005 as one of the 14 most popular songs in the history of the Eurovision, and was one of the entrants in the 'Congratulations' 50th anniversary concert in Copenhagen, Denmark, held in October 2005. It was re-enacted by Dana International along with six dancers equipped with giant feathered fans and a live orchestra as the original footage was shown in the background. "Diva" came 13th in the final voting.Digital release
Despite its legacy as a well remembered Eurovision winner, as of 2018, the song was unavailable on digital music platforms (with the sole exception of Scandinavia). Efforts were made to get the rights holders to release the song digitally; the efforts finally paid off, as on 11 April 2019 the English version of the song got released, with the Hebrew version to follow the week after.
Content
The song is a moderately uptempo number. It is an ode to powerful women of history and mythology: Victoria, the Roman goddess of victory or Queen Victoria, Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of beauty and love, and Cleopatra are named.
Track listings
* 'UK and Australian CD1'
# "Diva" (English radio version) 3:03
# "Diva" (Hebrew radio version) 3:03
# "Diva" (Handbaggers remix) 7:17
# "Diva" (G's Heavenly vocal) 6:04
# "Diva" (G's Heavenly dub) 7:28
* 'UK and Australian CD2'
# "Diva" (English radio version) 3:03
# "Diva" (Sleaze Sisters Paradise Revisited 7-inch) 3:26
# "Diva" (Sleaze Sisters Paradise Revisited 12-inch) 6:39
# "Diva" (Sleaze Sisters Euro Anthem) 7:08
# "Diva" (Sleaze Sisters Paradise Revisited instrumental) 6:39
* 'UK cassette single'
# "Diva" (English radio version) 3:03
# "Diva" (Hebrew radio version) 3:03
* 'European CD single'
# "Diva" (English version) 3:01
# "Diva" (Hebrew version) 3:01
* 'European remixes CD single'
# "Diva" (original English version) 3:01
# "Diva" (C & W Project mix) 7:10
# "Diva" (Handbaggers remix) 7:17
# "Diva" (Sleaze Sisters Paradise Revisited 12-inch) 6:38
* 'French remixes 12-inch single'
:A1. "Diva" (Handbaggers remix) 7:18
:A2. "Diva" (C & W Project mix) 7:10
:B1. "Diva" (Sleaze Sisters Paradise Revisited) 6:40
:B2. "Diva" (original English 7-inch version) 3:01
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
References
Footnotes
Category:Eurovision songs of Israel
Category:Israeli songs
Category:Eurovision songs of 1998
Category:Hebrew-language songs
Category:Congratulations Eurovision songs
Category:Eurovision Song Contest winning songs
Category:Dana International songs
Category:CNR Music singles
Category:LGBT-related songs
Category:1998 songs
Buy Diva (Dana International song) now from Amazon
<-- Return to songs from 1998