Tanzen! At number 35 on the Eurovision Top 100 list, it’s a contest classic: “Dancing Lasha Tumbai” by Verka Serduchka.
Since Ukraine joined the Eurovision Song Contest in 2003, they have been one of its most prolific countries. As of 2024, they have won it three times and had several near-misses. 2007 was one of their near-misses, but not for lack of trying. At least we can say that it lost to another great song. Perhaps not as epic in its own way, but great.
Vital Information: “Dancing Lasha Tumbai”
| Song | Dancing Lasha Tumbai |
| English Translation | (It’s complicated) |
| Performed By | Verka Serduchka |
| Written By | Andriy Danylko |
| Country | Ukraine |
| Year | 2007 |
| Language(s) Performed In | English, Ukrainian, German, & Russian |
| How It Fared | 2nd Place (235 Points) |
| Was It Fair? | I can live with it |
What I Liked
This was a spectacle in every sense of the word. Such a spectacle, in fact, that it became one of the most memorable performances in the history of Eurovision. The staging was major part of its success. Verka and her dancers put on a high-energy scene with fun dancing, sparkles, and stars. The sequins were on point, and hell, Verka also wore the number 69 – you know what that means, and we know you know what that means.
Anyway, this was one of those songs where the visuals and the energy were so strong that the vocals being a little below-standard did not matter. One might also look at the lyrics and think it was a bunch of nonsense, which to be fair, it kind of is, but she gets points for seamlessly darting from language to language. If either the vocals or lyrics were good, this song probably would have ended up in the top ten.
This was one of those times when a competitor lost Eurovision in the technical sense, but also won it, if that makes sense.
Other Facts
- Out of drag, Verka’s actual name is Andriy Danylko, meaning he wrote and performed his own song.
- Verka Serduchka has remained a legend in the Eurovision sphere, and has appeared at the contest for numerous cameos since 2007.
- Rumors persisted that “Lasha Tumbai,” potentially a gibberish statement, was picked because it rhymes with “Russia Goodbye.” Serduchka/Danylko did not confirm it at the time, but officially changed the lyrics years later after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. (Youngwood, 2022)
- This song went 18th in the grand final running order in 2007, directly after the winning song, “Molitva.”
Relive the Magic of “Dancing Lasha Tumbai”
You know you want to, so you can find it on YouTube.
References
Youngwood, B. (2022, March 9). Dancing Russia Goodbye: Ukraine, Russia, and the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest – Brown Political Review. Brown Political Review. https://brownpoliticalreview.org/2022/03/dancing-russia-goodbye/
