Wild Dances

"Wild Dances" is a single by Ukrainian singer-songwriter Ruslana. The song, representing her country, won the Eurovision Song Contest 2004 held in Istanbul with a score of 280 points.[1] A Ukrainian-language version called "Dyki tantsi" (Ukrainian: Дикі танці) was released in Russia and Ukraine. In 2022, The Independent named it 55th best Eurovision-winning song of all time.[2]

This article is about the song. For the album, see Wild Dances (album).

"Wild Dances"
Single by Ruslana
from the album Wild Dances
B-side"Hutsul Girl"
Released17 May 2004 (2004-05-17)
Length3:00
LabelEMI
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Oleksandr Ksenofontov
  • Ruslana Lyzhychko
Ruslana singles chronology
"Kolomyjka"
(2003)		 "Wild Dances"
(2004)		 "Dance with the Wolves"
(2005)
Eurovision Song Contest 2004 entry
Country
Artist(s)
Ruslana Lyzchicko
As
Languages
Composer(s)
Ruslana Lyzhychko
Lyricist(s)
Finals performance
Semi-final result
2nd
Semi-final points
256
Final result
1st
Final points
280
Entry chronology
◄ "Hasta la Vista" (2003)
"Razom nas bahato" (2005) ►

Background and composition

After qualifying second for the Eurovision Song Contest 2004, it scored a total of 280 points in the final, making it the first victory for Ukraine. With a mixture of English and Ukrainian lyrics, "Wild Dances" had the distinction of becoming the first Eurovision-winning song to be sung at least partly in a language other than English since the rule-change of 1999, when countries were allowed to sing in a language of their choosing, rather than one of their official languages. With this win, Ukraine became the third post-Soviet country to win the contest, after Estonia and Latvia. The song was remembered for an energetic performance, which Ruslana gave in a leather outfit, inspired by Xena: Warrior Princess and the ethnic tradition of Ukraine. The work on the song lasted for about three months. Editing and sound engineering was done by Ruslana together with specialists from Kyiv, London and New York City. The recording was done together with a guitarist from Cool Before, and an ex-trumpet player from Zdob și Zdub. Ukrainian and English lyrics of the song, as well as the chorus and melody, underwent significant changes since the initial stage. The song was bought with exclusive copyright in Vietnam by Vietnamese singer-songwriter Hồ Quỳnh Hương. She has an own Vietnamese version of the song, entitled "Vũ điệu hoang dã".[3]

Usage in media

The song is used in the soundtrack of the 2008 video game Grand Theft Auto IV.[4] American gymnast and 2011 world champion Jordyn Wieber has revealed that she uses this song as her floor exercise music.[5] The single was included on the official compilation album called The Very Best of Eurovision celebrating the 60th anniversary of the contest.[6]

Music video

The official music video for the song was first aired on 6 May 2004 (before Eurovision) on MTV Russia in the 12 Angry Viewers show, but was booed by the audience.[7] The shooting took place in the abandoned building of the Ice Palace, which was at once renamed 'The Iceberg Palace" by the members of Ruslana's crew because no heating equipment brought with Ruslana could heat the cold air of the huge building to a comfortable level. The building was 'decorated' with sheer concrete and windows without glass. Despite the script of the video-clip, which provided for constant burning fire in large barrels, torches on the stage, wireworks and even a real military flame thrower, only the "Wild Dances" could help people to ultimately warm up.

Charts

Sales and certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Belgium (BEA)[26] Gold 25,000*
Greece (IFPI Greece)[27] Gold  
Romania[27] Gold  

* Sales figures based on certification alone.

Release history
Region Date Format
Ukraine 17 May 2004 CD single
Germany 24 May 2004
Greece
Netherlands
Finland
Belgium
Sweden
Latvia
Lithuania
Estonia
Poland
Israel
Turkey
Czech Republic
Slovakia
Slovenia
United Kingdom
United States 29 April 2008 Digital download

References
  1. "Ukraine celebrates Eurovision win". BBC. 16 May 2004.
  2. Kelly, Ben (10 May 2022). "All 68 winning Eurovision songs ranked from worst to best". The Independent. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
  3. "VietNamNet – Sau "đạo giai điệu" lại đến "đạo hoà âm"". Archived from the original on 16 April 2009. Retrieved 13 December 2007.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  4. "GRAND THEFT AUTO IV - Music: Soundtrack & Radio". www.gta4.net.
  5. Bloggs, Wiwi (12 October 2011). "Ruslana's "Wild Dances" Inspires U.S. Gymnast Jordyn Wieber". WiwiBloggs.Com. Retrieved 15 March 2012.
  6. "Very Best of Eurovision Song Contest – A 60th Anniversary (CD / Digital Download Available NOW)". SBS.au. 1 May 2015. Retrieved 1 May 2015.
  7. "News of the Eurovision Song Contest 2004". www.eurosong.ru.
  8. "Ruslana – Wild Dances" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  9. "Ruslana – Wild Dances" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  10. "Ruslana – Wild Dances" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  11. Ruslana — Wild Dances. TopHit. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  12. "HR Top 20 Lista". Croatian Radiotelevision. Archived from the original on 16 June 2004. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  13. "Ruslana: Wild Dances" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat.
  14. "Ruslana – Wild Dances" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 13 February 2019.
  15. "Top 50 Singles: Εβδομάδα 11–17/7". 26 June 2004. Archived from the original on 17 July 2004. Retrieved 29 June 2013.
  16. "Irish-charts.com – Discography Ruslana". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
  17. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Ruslana" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  18. "Ruslana – Wild Dances" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
  19. "Arhiva romanian top 100 – Editia 31, saptamina 2.08 – 8.08, 2004" (in Romanian). Romanian Top 100. Archived from the original on 21 February 2005. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
  20. "Ruslana – Wild Dances". Singles Top 100.
  21. "Ruslana – Wild Dances". Swiss Singles Chart.
  22. "Digital Singles Charts – Turkey". Number One Top 20. Archived from the original on 1 July 2014. Retrieved 20 May 2004.
  23. "Ruslana: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
  24. "Jaaroverzichten 2004". Ultratop. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  25. "Årslista Singlar – År 2004" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  26. "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – singles 2004". Ultratop. Hung Medien.
  27. Lombardini, Emanuele (17 May 2019). Good evening europe. ISBN 9788831619981.
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