Fall from the Sky (song)

"Fall from the Sky" is a song by Albanian singer Arilena Ara. It was independently released as a single on 9 March 2020. The song was composed by Darko Dimitrov and Lazar Cvetkovski, and written by Michael Blue, Robert Stevenson and Sam Schummer. Musically, it is a pop ballad with the instrumentation incorporating violins and a piano. The song makes lyrically reference to Arilena's hopeless desire to overcome deep and perplexing emotions.

This article is about the Arilena Ara song. For other uses, see Fall from the Sky.

"Fall from the Sky"
Single by Arilena Ara
Released9 March 2020 (2020-03-09)
GenrePop
Length3:08
LabelIndependent
Composer(s)
Lyricist(s)
Producer(s)
  • Arilena Ara
  • Darko Dimitrov
  • Lazar Cvetkovski
  • Michael Blue
  • Robert Stevenson
  • Sam Schummer
Arilena Ara singles chronology
"Doja"
(2019)		 "Fall from the Sky"
(2020)
Music video
"Fall from the Sky" on YouTube
Eurovision Song Contest 2020 entry
Country
Artist(s)
Language
Composer(s)
Lyricist(s)
Finals performance
Semi-final result
Contest cancelled
Entry chronology
◄ "Ktheju tokës" (2019)   

The song was scheduled to represent Albania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, before the contest's cancellation due to the pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and its spread throughout Europe. Arilena had been previously selected as the country's representative, after winning the pre-selection competition, Festivali i Këngës, with the song's Albanian-language version "Shaj".

Both versions were met with favourable response from music critics, receiving praise for their compositions and Arilena's vocal delivery. An accompanying lyric video for the song was officially premiered to the YouTube channel of the Eurovision Song Contest on 10 March with the music video being ultimately released on 11 May 2020. Footage of Arilena performing the song at the Mother Teresa Square in Tirana, Albania, was broadcast among others during the Eurovision Home Concerts series on 8 May 2020.

Background and composition

In 2019, Arilena was announced as one of the twenty contestants selected to compete in the 58th edition of Festivali i Këngës, a competition for determining Albania's participant for the Eurovision Song Contest 2020. As part of the competition's rules, the lyrics of the participating entries had to be in the Albanian language. Arilena participated with the song "Shaj" written by Albanian singer and songwriter Lindon Berisha, and composed by Macedonian producers Darko Dimitrov and Lazar Cvetkovski.[1]

After winning Festivali i Këngës, Arilena revealed that "Shaj" initially came to her in the English language, and she had envisioned the possibility of remastering the song for her participation in the Eurovision Song Contest.[2] However, in February 2020, following several months spent in Los Angeles, she confirmed the aforementioned.[3][4] "Fall from the Sky" was then revealed as the title of the song after three weeks on 8 March 2020 through a social media post.[5]

Lasting three minutes and eight seconds, "Fall from the Sky" was written by Michael Blue, Robert Stevenson and Sam Schummer, and composed by Darko Dimitrov and Lazar Cvetkovski.[6] Musically, the song is a pop ballad with an instrumentation consisting of traditional violin and piano sounds.[7][8] Lyrically, it expresses Arilena's hopeless desire to overcome deep and perplexing emotions that she could not forget.[9]

Critical reception

Following its release and victory at Festivali i Këngës, "Shaj" received favourable response from music critics. Eurovision.de writer, Irving Wolther, referred to the song as a "melancholic power ballad".[1] Mark Savage from BBC opined that "she belts out the high notes with all the subtlety of a klaxon in an elevator shaft" and went on into praising the composition and Arilena's vocal delivery.[10] Following the premiere of the remastered version, entitled "Fall from the Sky", Wiwibloggs writer Luis Fuster elaborated, saying that "the song does keep the essence of "Shaj" – in fact, it feels more like a good revamp year for Albania".[8] Another editor gave the song three stars out of five, writing "the song is an elegant Bond theme packed with dramatic theatrics" while simultaneously praising the song's instrumentation.[11]

Release and promotion

"Fall from the Sky" was independently released on digital platforms and streaming services as a single on 9 March 2020. On the following day, an accompanying lyric video for the song was officially premiered to the YouTube channel of the Eurovision Song Contest.[12][13] The official music video was ultimately released to YouTube on the aforementioned channel on 11 May 2020.[14] The dramatic-characterised video depicts Arilena all alone against a white backdrop with slightly blue lights in three different settings, most notably signing next to a piano, a white-coloured tree, and a white human-size bird cage.[15][16]

For promotional and supporting purposes, Arilena was scheduled to embark on a small tour with performances in Amsterdam, London and Madrid.[17][18][19] However, the tour was canceled alongside the cancellation of the contest, due to the pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).[20][21] Footage of the singer performing the song for the first time was broadcast during her Sounds of Silence concert at the Mother Teresa Square in Tirana on 2 May as well as during the European Broadcasting Union's (EBU) Eurovision Home Concerts series on 8 May 2020.[22][23]

At Eurovision

Festivali i Këngës
Main article: Festivali i Këngës 58

The national broadcaster of Albania, Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH), organised the 58th edition of Festivali i Këngës to determine the country's participant for the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. It opened a submission period for artists, bands and composers between 28 May and 15 September 2019, while a jury panel internally selected 20 songs to participate in the competition's semi-finals.[24] After the grand final, Arilena and her Albanian-language song "Shaj" was chosen to represent Albania at the contest with 67 total points.[25][26][27] After her victory at the competition, mixed reactions followed with multiple individuals criticising the competition itself and attributing the singer's victory to arranged voting.[28]

Rotterdam
Main article: Albania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020

The 65th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest was scheduled to take place in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, consisting of two semi-finals on 12 May and 14 May 2020, and the grand final on 16 May 2020.[29] According to the Eurovision rules, each participating country, except the host country and the "Big 5" including France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom, were required to qualify from one of two semi-finals to compete for the grand final.[30] On 28 January 2020, it was announced that "Fall from the Sky" would be performed in the second half of the second semi-final of the contest on 14 May 2020.[31][32] However, on 18 March 2020, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) announced the contest's cancellation due to the pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and its spread throughout Europe.[33] Soon after, the EBU confirmed that intended 2020 entries were not eligible to compete in the following edition of the contest in 2021.[34]

Alternative contests

The broadcasters who were planned to take part in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 have organised alternative music competitions. Austrian broadcaster, ORF, who organised Der kleine Song Contest in April 2020, saw every entry being assigned to one of three semi-finals. A jury, consisting of ten members that had represented Austria at the contest before, was hired to rank each song, however, the highest-placed in each semi-final advanced to the final.[35] In the third semi-final on 18 April, "Fall from the Sky" placed fourth in a field of thirteen participants, achieving a total of 62 points.[36] Swedish broadcaster, Sveriges Television, will organise Sveriges 12:a, in which, the song is scheduled to participate on 9 May 2020.[37]

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.[38]

  • Arilena Ara – producing, songwriting, vocals
  • Darko Dimitrov – composing, producing
  • Lazar Cvetkovski – composing, producing
  • Michael Blue – producing, songwriting
  • Robert Stevenson – producing, songwriting
  • Sam Schummer – producing, songwriting

Track listing
  1. "Shaj" – 2:57
  2. "Fall from the Sky" – 3:08
  3. "Fall from the Sky" (Karaoke Version) – 3:08

Release history
Region Date Format Label Ref.
Various
 20 December 2019
Independent [39]
9 March 2020 [40]
gollark: Is Exa the exawatt laser deployment against Macron implementations™ event? And hi.
gollark: Well, you should start watching it 150 seconds ago.
gollark: Oh, *-2.5*.
gollark: On average, that's 2.5, I think.
gollark: Lack of proof interpreted as communism.

References
  1. "Arilena Ara singt 2020 für Albanien" (in German). ARD. 23 December 2019. Retrieved 29 December 2019. Komponiert wurde der Beitrag von Darko Dimitrov, der unter anderem "Proud" für Tamara Todevska geschrieben hat, der Text stammt von Sänger Lindon Berisha.
  2. "A "Shaj" revamp? Albania's Arilena Ara discusses potential changes including English lyrics". Wiwibloggs. 23 December 2019. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  3. "Arilena Ara do ta këndojë në anglisht këngën e saj në "Eurovision 2020"" (in Albanian). Telegrafi. 18 February 2020. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  4. Ryan, Tom (23 February 2020). ""Shaj" will be in English at Eurovision". ESCXtra. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  5. "Albania: Arilena Ara's Eurovision 2020 entry to be called "Fall from the Sky"". ESCunited. 9 March 2020. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  6. "Rotterdam 2020 Participants Arilena Ara". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 18 March 2020. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  7. "Albania revamp: Media reports describe a radio-friendly English-language pop ballad". Wiwibloggs. 4 February 2020. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  8. "Fall from the sky! Arilena Ara drops the final version of her Eurovision 2020 entry". Wiwibloggs. 10 March 2020. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  9. Gallagher, Robyn (2 January 2020). "Forgive or kill? Arilena Ara battles intense emotions in the "Shaj" lyrics". Wiwibloggs. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  10. Savage, Mark (27 February 2020). "How does the UK's Eurovision entry stack up against the competition?". BBC. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  11. "Eurovision: All 41 Tracks Ranked and Rated!". Culture Fix. 15 March 2020. Archived from the original on 12 April 2020. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  12. "Arilena Ara - Fall From The Sky - Albania 🇦🇱 - Official Lyric Video - Eurovision 2020". European Broadcasting Union. 10 March 2020. Archived from the original on 12 April 2020. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  13. "Arilena Ara - Fall From The Sky - Albania 🇦🇱 - Eurovision 2020 | Official Lyric Video". YouTube. 10 March 2020. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  14. "Arilena Ara - Fall From The Sky - Albania 🇦🇱 - Official Music Video". European Broadcasting Union. 11 May 2020. Archived from the original on 11 May 2020. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  15. "Arilena Ara - Fall From The Sky - Albania 🇦🇱 | Official Music Video". YouTube. 11 May 2020. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  16. Smith, David (12 May 2020). "Albania: The caged bird sings – Arilena Ara gets dramatic in "Fall From the Sky" music video". Wiwibloggs. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
  17. "Eurovision 2020: Four Acts Confirmed for Eurovision In Concert So Far". Eurovoix. 27 January 2020. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
  18. "Arilena Ara takes to the London Eurovision Party stage!". ESCXtra. 21 February 2020. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  19. "Albania repite en la PrePartyES por cuarto año consecutivo" (in Spanish). Eurovision Spain. 12 February 2020. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  20. "Eurovision in Concert findet nicht am 4. April statt" (in German). ARD. 16 March 2020. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  21. "Massive London Eurovision 2020 party cancelled amid coronavirus pandemic". Metro. 16 March 2020. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  22. Smith, David (3 May 2020). "Albania: Arilena Ara gives outdoor lockdown concert, including first live performance of "Fall From the Sky"". Wiwibloggs. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  23. "Eurovision Home Concerts". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 8 May 2020. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
  24. "Festivali i 58-të i Këngës në RTSH, juria përzgjedh 20 këngëtarët pjesëmarrës" (in Albanian). RTSH. 24 October 2019. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  25. "Arilena Ara me "Shaj" fiton Fest 58" (in Albanian). RTSH. 23 December 2019. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  26. "It's Arilena Ara for Albania!". European Broadcasting Union. 23 December 2019. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  27. "Festivali i 58-të i Këngës, Arilena Ara do të përfaqësojë Shqipërinë në Eurovizion" (in Albanian). Euronews Albania. 23 December 2019. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
  28. "'I am speechless' – Festivali i Këngës 58 host Alketa Vejsiu speaks out amidst social media controversy". Wiwibloggs. 23 December 2019. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
  29. "Eurovision Song Contest–Rotterdam 2019". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 8 April 2020. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  30. "Eurovision Song Contest–Rules". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 8 April 2020. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  31. "Semi-Final Allocation Draw pots for Eurovision 2020 revealed!". European Broadcasting Union. 25 January 2020. Archived from the original on 26 February 2020. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  32. "Which country performs in which Eurovision 2020 Semi-Final?". European Broadcasting Union. 28 January 2020. Archived from the original on 14 March 2020. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  33. "Eurovision 2020 in Rotterdam is cancelled". European Broadcasting Union. 18 March 2020. Archived from the original on 8 April 2020. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  34. "Intention to honour Eurovision 2020 songs and artists". European Broadcasting Union. 20 March 2020. Archived from the original on 21 March 2020. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  35. "Mr. Song Contest proudly presents – Der kleine Song Contest am 14., 16. und 18. April in ORF 1" (in German). ORF. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  36. Wilson, Katie (19 April 2020). "Der kleine Song Contest: Austrian public choose Iceland's Daði & Gagnamagnið as their favourite Eurovision 2020 act". Wiwibloggs. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  37. Dahlander, Gustav (3 April 2020). "Klart för Eurovision-vecka i SVT" (in Swedish). Sveriges Television. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  38. "Fall from the Sky / Arilena Ara Tidal". Tidal. Retrieved 2 April 2020. Note: Open "Credits" for credits.
  39. Citations regarding the digital release of "Shaj" by Arilena Ara in various selected countries:
  40. Citations regarding the digital release of "Fall from the Sky" by Arilena Ara in various selected countries:
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