Now coming in at number 83 is “Molitva,” the first (but not only) Serbian entry on the Eurovision Top 100 countdown.
The 2000s at Eurovision were interesting, and that’s putting it very nicely. There were some very lean years at the contest, but even though we would call many of the 2000s shows subpar, there were great individual shining lights among the seas of bland, unmemorable pop. Marija Šerifović gave us such an effort when she performed this song, and she was not the only one in 2007 who did.
Serbia won the contest in its first year as an independent country. For a few years before that, they were Serbia and Montenegro, but the latter broke up with the former. Turns out that Serbia was onward and upward to great things, and Belgrade would host Eurovision the following year for the first time ever.
Vital Information: “Molitva”
| Song | Molitva |
| English Translation | Prayer |
| Performed By | Marija Šerifović |
| Written By | Vladimir Graić & Saša Milošević Mare |
| Country | Serbia |
| Year | 2007 |
| Language(s) Performed In | Serbian |
| How It Fared | Won (268 Points) |
| Was It Fair? | Wasn’t unfair |
What I Liked
The way our scoring system works here at The Euro Yard, we favor songs that feature strong vocals. It should therefore be no surprise that this song ended up on this list. Marija’s vocals were the best of that particular contest and she carried the performance on her own back.
It was a moving and beautiful number as well. The power of the singing helped accentuate what was a very good composition. This may be the only Eurovision song to use the word “ardor” (translated into English) in its lyrics, but maybe someday we will get around to looking into it.
The heart joining together on the singers’ palms at the end was also a great way to finish it.
Other Facts
- This was the first win for a country in former Yugoslavia since the country broke up in the 1990s. The only other Yugoslavian win was by Riva in 1989.
- The songwriter, Vladimir Graić, also composed “Beauty Never Lies,” Serbia entry from 2015. It is not on this list, but we were fans.
- Marija got more douze points than anyone else in 2007 with nine.
- She performed 17th in the grand final.
Let’s All Watch Molitva Together
Well, maybe not together, because that would be hard to coordinate. However, you can follow the YouTube link here.
