"Shake It"
Single by Sakis Rouvas
from the album To Hrono Stamatao (Re-release)
ReleasedApril 20, 2004 (2004-04-20)
Recorded2004
Genre
Length3:00
LabelMinos EMI
Songwriter(s)Nektarios Tyrakis
Producer(s)Nikos Terzis
Sakis Rouvas singles chronology
"Feelings"
(2003)		 "Shake It"
(2004)		 "Se Thelo San Trelos"
(2004)
Audio sample
  • file
  • help
Alternative cover
Scandinavian cover
Eurovision Song Contest 2004 entry
Country
Artist(s)
Language
English
Composer(s)
Nikos Terzis
Lyricist(s)
Nektarios Tirakis
Finals performance
Semi-final result
3rd
Semi-final points
238
Final result
3rd
Final points
252
Entry chronology
◄ "Never Let You Go" (2003)
"My Number One" (2005) ►
Official performance video
"Shake It (Semi-Final) on YouTube
"Shake It (Final) on YouTube

"Shake It" is a song recorded by Greek singer Sakis Rouvas, written by Nikos Terzis and Nektarios Tirakis. It is best known as the Greek entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 2004, in Istanbul.

Background

The song is an up-tempo number, fully in English language, with Rouvas telling his lover that "I would trade my life for a night with you" and asking the lover to "shake it" for him. The lyrics were somewhat controversial as it was thought to be about sex, with "shake it" referring to the wiggling movements of the male genitalia. Rouvas declined these claims. The music – by Nikos Terzis – also features some traditional Greek instrumentation as well as the heavy dance beats increasingly prominent at the Contest.

Eurovision

Rouvas performing the song in Istanbul

The performance at Eurovision, choreographed by Fokas Evangelinos,[1] was similarly sexualised, with Rouvas beginning by dancing with two girls wearing suits. As he sang the line "my world's on fire", he pulled red scarves from the trousers of his backing dancers. Later, he removed the suits from his dancers, revealing skimpy gold costumes. They later returned the favour by tearing his white jacket from him at the start of the final chorus, leaving him wearing a singlet and jeans. Live recordings of the performance feature loud cheers from the crowd as well as audible panting from Rouvas at the end of his athletic dance routine.

Semi-final

As Greece had not finished in the top 10 at the 2003 contest, the song was first performed in the semi-final. Here, it was performed tenth, following Monaco's Maryon with "Notre Planète" and preceding Ukraine's Ruslana with "Wild Dances". At the close of voting, it had received 238 points, placing 3rd in the 22-strong field and qualifying for the final.

Final

In the final, it was performed sixteenth, following Macedonia's Toše Proeski with "Life" and preceding Iceland's Jónsi with "Heaven". At the close of voting, it had received 252 points, placing 3rd in a field of 24. It was succeeded as the Greek representative at the 2005 contest by Elena Paparizou with "My Number One", which would secure Greece's first win in the contest. Incidentally, Shake It's score was 22 points higher than "My Number One"'s, despite its lower placing.

After Eurovision

Two years later, Greece hosted the contest, and Rouvas was asked to co-present it. He made a slight reference to his performance when asked by co-host Maria Menounos how he had felt waiting for the results to be known. He told her that "I was shaking... brrrrrr... all over", prompting cheers from some of the audience.

Track listing

  1. "Shake It" (Eurovision Version)
  2. "Shake It" (Club Remix by Nick Terzis)
  3. "Shake It" (Soumka Mix)
  4. "Shake It" (Marsheaux Radio Mix)
  5. "Shake It" (Radio Version)

Music video

The music video was directed by successful Greek director Kostas Kapetanidis, assisted by the production label Cream. The director had collaborated with Rouvas for the first time in 1995 for the video of the song "Ela Mou" and had produced many other popular videos for him since. The video itself was shot on the Greek island of Santorini, and features Rouvas singing in the water. The storyline was uncomplicated, featuring Rouvas and friends dancing and having a good time, with its objective being to put emphasis on the song's summer feeling through the dramatic natural beauty of the setting, representing a Greek identity.[2] At the beginning, there is an advertisement for Vodafone, with the name of the mobile company being written on a faraway yacht in the sea. The video consists of eight scenes, while Rouvas can be seen changing outfits five times. The video for "Shake It" was one of the most-played videos of that year according to MAD TV and remains one of Rouvas' most successful videos.

Release history

This album has been released with the Copy Control protection system in some regions.

Region Date Label Format
Greece March 2004 Minos EMI Radio Single
April 20, 2004 Minos EMI CD single
Cyprus March 2004 Minos EMI Radio single
April 20, 2004 Minos EMI CD single
Turkey May 2004 Minos EMI CD single
Europe May 2004 Universal Music CD single
Scandinavia June 2004 Minos EMI CD single

Chart performance

"Shake It" was a successful song in both Greece and Cyprus, peaking at the top of both countries' charts for several weeks, while charting in a number of neighboring countries. It peaked at number one on both the Greek singles and airplay charts for nearly one year, making it one of the longest-charting songs in Greek music history. Being certified 4× platinum, it is considered to be one of the most successful CD singles in Greek history. The single also managed to gain success in further regions of Europe, such as Sweden, where it broke the Top 40 on the national singles chart, charting for one week at number 32.[3]

Charts

Chart Providers Peak
position		 Certification
Greek Airplay Chart Nielson 1 2× Platinum[4]
Greek Singles Chart IFPI 1
Cypriot Airplay Chart All Records 1 —
Swedish Singles Chart GLF 32 —

Awards

Eurovision Song Contest

  • 3rd Place (252 points)

Arion Music Awards

  • Best Pop Song (Nominated)
  • Video of the Year (Nominated)
  • Male Artist of the Year (Nominated)
  • Best-Selling Greek Single of the Year (Won)

MAD Video Music Awards 2004

  • Sexiest Appearance in a Video (Nominated)

Johnnie Walker's Men of the Year Awards

  • Singer of the Year (Won)

World Music Awards 2005

  • World's Best-Selling Greek Artist (Won)

See also

References

  1. ↑ Vatmanidis, Theo (20 March 2004). "Presentation of Greek entry broadcasted tonight". esctoday.com. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  2. ↑ Vatmanidis, Theo (2004-04-24). "Video recording Shake it in the Aegean". ESCToday. Retrieved 2010-01-14.
  3. ↑ "Sakis Rouvas – Shake It (song)". swedishcharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 May 2011.
  4. ↑ "Top 50 Singles". 2004-10-10. Archived from the original on October 10, 2004. Retrieved 2012-04-10.
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