"Rockefeller Street"
The cover artwork for "Rockefeller Street". The cover features three black and white silhouettes of Getter Jaani, in the left, middle, and right sides of the cover.
Single by Getter Jaani
from the album Rockefeller Street
Released24 January 2011 (2011-01-24)
Genre
Length3:13
LabelMoonwalk
Composer(s)Sven Lõhmus
Lyricist(s)Sven Lõhmus
Getter Jaani singles chronology
"Grammofon"
(2010)		 "Rockefeller Street"
(2011)		 "Valged ööd"
(2011)
Alternative cover
The "Rockefeller Street (New Nightcore) [#Rockefellerstreet Remix]" cover artwork. The artwork features the original cover of the single in four different shades of color in each corner of the artwork.
Nightcore remix cover
Music video
"Rockefeller Street" on YouTube
Eurovision Song Contest 2011 entry
Country
Artist(s)
Language
English
Composer(s)
Sven Lõhmus
Lyricist(s)
Sven Lõhmus
Finals performance
Semi-final result
9th
Semi-final points
60
Final result
24th
Final points
44
Entry chronology
◄ "Siren" (2010)
"Kuula" (2012) ►
Official performance video
"Rockefeller Street" (Second Semi-Final) on YouTube
"Rockefeller Street" (Grand Final) on YouTube

"Rockefeller Street" is a 2011 song by the Estonian singer and actress Getter Jaani. Described as an "up-tempo dance song" by ESCToday writer Marcus Klier, the track was both composed and lyrically made by Sven Lõhmus. It was released on 24 January 2011 by Moonwalk Records and was the lead single and title song for Jaani's first studio album, Rockefeller Street. The song was the Estonian entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 2011, held in Düsseldorf, where it was placed 24th, one away from last place in the grand final.

Critical response to the song was initially positive, with it considered to be a favorite to win the contest. However, the Eurovision performance itself mainly received negative reviews, with the performance seen as "cheap". "Rockefeller Street" had commercial success both in 2011 and later increased success throughout the late 2010s. The song peaked at number three in Estonia.

Years after the song was performed at Eurovision, an unofficial nightcore version of the song became an Internet meme, leading to an increase in streams of the song and Jaani releasing an official nightcore version of the song.

Background and composition

"Rockefeller Street" was both composed and lyrically made by Estonian songwriter Sven Lõhmus. Lõhmus had previously written and composed both Suntribe's "Let's Get Loud" and Urban Symphony's "Rändajad", the Estonian entries for the Eurovision Song Contest in 2005 and 2009, respectively.[1] In an interview with the Maltese Eurovision fan podcast Eurovision Radio International, she described "Rockefeller Street" as a "fairy tale", with the street representing "[where] all your dreams can come true and you can be whoever you want to be". In the same interview, while she admitted the street was imaginary, she said that she had felt that she had been there in her imagination numerous times.[2] In another interview, she said that on the street, ballerinas danced to "Swan Lake", with the street being near a river adorned with pearls and gems.[3] In an analysis by the ESCToday writer Marcus Klier, the song was said to tell a story about a night out partying in New York City, with its title referring to the Rockefeller family.[4]

The song was officially announced to compete in Eesti Laul 2011 on 16 December 2010.[5] According to Lõhmus, the song was not created as a song made specifically for the Eurovision Song Contest; it was only entered into Eesti Laul 2011 as a way to promote the single itself.[6] On 24 January 2011, it was released as a digital download along with all other other songs competing in Eesti Laul 2011.[7] At the national final, it competed in the second semi-final on 12 February, advancing to the final on 19 February.[5]

Critical reception

Editors of The Edge, the University of Southampton's entertainment magazine, described the song as "catchy", predicting the song would do well in the contest despite a lacklustre performance, writing that the song was going after the "pity vote" by using cheap props.[8] Silvi Vrait, the Estonian representative for the Eurovision Song Contest 1994, thought that the song would do well in the contest, considering it "nice and happy... just right for Eurovision".[9] Süddeutsche Zeitung, a German newspaper, gave the song a positive review, saying that the song was as good as a song by Lady Gaga or Madonna.[10]

In the months heading into the Eurovision Song Contest 2011, the song was considered one of the favorites to win the contest based on betting odds. On the first set of betting odds released on 15 March, Jaani was third in the odds, only behind France's Amaury Vassili and Norway's Stella Mwangi.[11] By 31 March, she increased to second place.[12] Days before the second semi-final, Jaani decreased back to third place for the overall contest,[13] but was considered the favorite to the win the semi-final.[14]

Reviews of the Eurovision performance itself were mainly negative. Ithaka Maria, an Estonian television host who competed against Jaani in Eesti Laul 2011, gave it a negative review, writing, "If the Estonian team set itself the biggest goal of getting to the final, it was achieved... to say that Estonia did well in [Eurovision] is, to put it mildly, ridiculous!"[15] Writers for The Guardian, Heidi Stephens and Stuart Heritage, gave the performance a highly negative review, writing, "Christ alive, what is THIS?... [she looks] like a satanic doll standing on a set made out of rubbish cardboard boxes with buildings drawn on them... 'Everything is a little bit weird now', she sings, and she's not wrong."[16]

Eurovision Song Contest

Eesti Laul 2011

Estonia's broadcaster Eesti Rahvusringhääling (ERR) organized a 20-entry competition, Eesti Laul 2011 with two semi-finals culminating into a grand final to select its entrant for the Eurovision Song Contest 2011. The edition was the third iteration of the national final. The two semi-finals were held on 12 and 19 February, and the final was held on 26 February. The winning song in the final was selected over two rounds of voting: the first round results selected the top three songs via the 50/50 combination of jury and public voting, while the second round (superfinal) determined the winner solely by public televoting.[17]

"Rockefeller Street" was officially announced to compete in the competition on 16 December 2010 on Eesti Televisioon (ETV) entertainment program Ringvaade.[18] It was placed into the first semi-final, where it managed to qualify to the grand final in first place.[5] The performance featured Jaani in a pink, blue, and yellow dress surrounded by a miniature city. Three male background dancers and two female backing singers, all dressed in black, were also featured. In the grand final, she performed a repeat of her semi-final performance, advancing to the superfinal along with Outloudz's "I Wanna Meet Bob Dylan". In the superfinal, the managed to garner 28,102 votes, over 10,000 more than Outloudz's song, winning the Estonian spot for the Eurovision Song Contest 2011.[19]

At Eurovision

The Eurovision Song Contest 2011 took place at the Düsseldorf Arena in Düsseldorf, Germany and consisted of two semi-finals held on 10 and 12 May, respectively, and the final on 14 May 2011. According to Eurovision rules, all countries, except the host and the "Big Five" (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom), were required to qualify from one semi-final to compete in the final; the top ten countries from each semi-final progressed to the final. In a press conference held on 17 January 2011, a special allocation press conference was held to determine which countries would perform in each semi-final. Estonia was placed into the second semi-final, performing in the second half of the show.[20]

For its Eurovision performance, "Rockefeller Street" was altered, with minor changes being made in order to accommodate a three-minute time limit that the Eurovision Song Contest sets for each performance. Jaani performed the song 15th in the second semi-final, after Romania's Hotel FM and before Belarus' Anastasia Vinnikova.[21] Minor changes to Jaani's performance were also made; Jaani wore an all-pink dress and carried a cloth that turned into a staff, with a skyscraper background added on LED screens that were made to represent the Manhattan skyline.[22][23] The five background dancers and cardboard boxes remained, with the male background dancers described to be "symbolic guardians and protectors of the fairy princess Getter".[24] "Rockefeller Street" finished ninth, receiving 60 points and securing a spot in the grand final.[25]

Jaani performed a repeat of her performance in the grand final on 14 May. The song was performed in eighth, after Sweden's Eric Saade and before Greece's Loukas Yorkas.[26] After the results were announced, Jaani finished 24th with 44 points, only ahead of Switzerland's Anna Rossinelli. No country gave the song 12 points; the maximum given to the song was seven, given by Finland, Ireland, and Lithuania.[27] The result was seen by local Estonian media as "disappointing", considering that the song was considered one of the favorites to win the contest in the months leading up to the contest.[28] In response to her finish, Jaani said that she did not feel any disappointment on her result, instead praising on the fact that she was able to get to the grand final.[29]

Internet phenomenon

Years after the contest, an unofficial nightcore version of song became an internet phenomenon, especially in Asia, where, according to ERR, a combined total of 1.5 million videos were made on Chinese social media platform TikTok using the nightcore version of the song by 9 January 2019.[30] The song was later featured on a February 2019 episode of American talk show The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.[31] Jaani eventually released an official nightcore version of the song on 14 December 2018.[32]

The song's songwriter, Sven Lõhmus, made positive remarks on the song's popularity despite a lack of royalties. Lõhmus claimed that he felt royalties were not the most important thing for him, instead praising how a relatively unknown Estonian pop song had made it into mainstream pop culture, saying, "This is an intense precedent... it is unlikely that any Estonian songs become so popular around the world that Asians and Americans dance to them."[33] He also said that due to the song's popularity, many would ask "who wrote the story", saying that "they will eventually find me".[34] By early 2020, Lõhmus and Jaani had hopes of signing with a major American record company; although, this never materialized.[35]

Track listing

  1. "Rockefeller Street" – 3:13

Charts

Chart (2011) Peak

position

Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)[37] 40
Estonia (Top 40)[38] 3
Ireland (IRMA)[39] 44
UK Indie (OCC)[40] 33

Release history

Country Date Format(s) Label Ref.
Various 24 January 2011 Digital download Moonwalk
14 December 2018 Digital download (Nightcore)

Notes

  1. ↑ This acts as a summary of all versions of the song released for digital download.[36]

References

  1. ↑ Klier, Marcus (28 December 2009). "Sven Lõhmus wins Composer of the year award". ESCToday. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  2. ↑ Peter, Juergen (23 November 2022). "Interview with Getter Jaani (Estonia 2011), Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2022, and more..." Eurovision Radio International (Podcast). PodBean. Event occurs at 1:23:48. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  3. ↑ Käenik, Kaspar (3 February 2011). "Getter Jaani: "Rockefeller Street" on fantaasialugu" [Getter Jaani: "Rockefeller Street" is a fantasy story]. Õhtuleht (in Estonian). Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  4. ↑ Klier, Marcus (27 March 2011). "Introducing 2011: Estonia". ESCToday. Archived from the original on 5 May 2011. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 Siim, Jarmo (12 February 2011). "Estonia gets first ever semi-final winners". Eurovision Song Contest. European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  6. ↑ Käenik, Kaspar (27 February 2011). "Lõhmus: see lugu polegi Eurovisionile saatmiseks kirjutatud" [Löhmus: this song was not written to be sent to Eurovision]. Õhtuleht (in Estonian). Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  7. ↑ Hondal, Victor (24 January 2011). "Estonia: All songs entering Eesti Laul 2011 online". ESCToday. Archived from the original on 1 March 2011. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  8. ↑ "The Good, The Bad and the Tone Deaf: Eurovision Song Contest 2011 Preview". The Edge. University of Southampton. 13 May 2011. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
  9. ↑ Metsküla, Liina (10 May 2011). "Silvi Vrait: peamine, et Getter eurolaval üle ei pingutaks" [Silvi Vrait: the main thing is that Getter does not overdo it on the euro stage]. Õhtuleht (in Estonian). Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  10. ↑ Soe-Surén, Katri (10 May 2011). "Saksa leht: Getter Jaani sama hea kui Lady Gaga või Madonna" [German page: Getter Jaani is as good as Lady Gaga or Madonna]. Äripäev (in Estonian). Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  11. ↑ Adams, William Lee (15 March 2011). "Bookies: France's Amaury Vassili and Norway's Stella Are Early Favorites to Win Eurovision 2011". Wiwibloggs. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  12. ↑ Adams, William Lee (31 March 2011). "Bookies: Amaury Vassili or Getter Jaani to Win Eurovision 2011". Wiwibloggs. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  13. ↑ Adams, William Lee (2 May 2011). "Eurovision 2011 Odds: France Now the Firm Favorite, Britain Passes Estonia". Wiwibloggs. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  14. ↑ Adams, William Lee (3 May 2011). "Second Semi-Final Odds: Estonia or Bosnia to Win, Denmark Passes Sweden". Wiwibloggs. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  15. ↑ Metsküla, Liina (16 May 2011). "Ithaka Maria lajatab: naeruväärne on väita, et Eestil Eurovisionil hästi läks!" [Ithaka Maria vents: it's ridiculous to say that Estonia did well at Eurovision]. Õhtuleht (in Estonian). Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  16. ↑ Stephens, Heidi; Heritage, Stuart (14 May 2011). "Eurovision 2011: the final - live blog". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  17. ↑ Siim, Jarmo (19 October 2010). "Estonia goes big with selection in 2011". Eurovision Song Contest. European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 18 September 2012. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  18. ↑ "Estonia reveals 20 hopefuls, two disqualified". Eurovision Song Contest. European Broadcasting Union. 16 December 2010. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  19. ↑ Siim, Jarmo (26 February 2011). "Estonian victory goes to Getter Jaani". Eurovision Song Contest. European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  20. ↑ Slim, Jarno (17 January 2011). "Results of the Semi-Final Allocation Draw". Eurovision Song Contest. European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 5 August 2011. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  21. ↑ Jõevere, Kristjan (15 March 2011). "Eesti laul läheb rahva ette viieteistkümnendana" [The Estonian song goes to the public in fifteenth place]. Eesti Rahvusringhääling (in Estonian). Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  22. ↑ Schacht, Andreas (8 May 2011). "Estonia: Getter and her magical trick". Eurovision Song Contest. European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 5 August 2011. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  23. ↑ verenairina (8 May 2011). "Slight changes in the Estonian performance". EuroVisionary. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  24. ↑ "Getter Jaani (Estonia) 1st press conference". Eurovision Song Contest. European Broadcasting Union. Norddeutscher Rundfunk. 4 May 2011. Archived from the original on 6 June 2011. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  25. ↑ Luts, Priit (15 May 2011). "Eesti pääses Eurovisiooni finaali üle noatera" [Estonia made it to the final of the Eurovision Song Contest]. Eesti Rahvusringhääling (in Estonian). Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  26. ↑ Koppel, Karin (13 May 2011). "Eesti esineb Eurovisioonil pärast Rootsit ja enne Kreekat" [Estonia will perform at Eurovision after Sweden and before Greece]. Eesti Rahvusringhääling (in Estonian). Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  27. ↑ "Grand Final of Düsseldorf 2011 - Eurovision Song Contest". Eurovision Song Contest. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  28. ↑ Vasli, Karoliina (14 May 2011). "MASENDAV: Eesti Eurovisionil eelviimane, võitsid aserid" [DISAPPOINTING: Estonia is second to last at Eurovision, Azeris won]. Õhtuleht (in Estonian). Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  29. ↑ Allkivi, Kais; Prits, Leemet (15 May 2011). "Getter: see polnud põrumine, vaid meie parim esitus!" [Getter: It wasn't a crash, it was our best performance!]. Õhtuleht (in Estonian). Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  30. ↑ Viilup, Kaspar (9 January 2019). "Getter Jaani euroloost sai Aasias ülipopulaarne veebihullus" [Getter Jaani's Euro story became a hugely popular online craze in Asia]. Eesti Rahvusringhääling (in Estonian). Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  31. ↑ Ernits, Rutt (13 February 2019). "Jimmy Fallon ja Priyanka Chopra Jonas tantsisid Getter Jaani euroloo järgi" [Jimmy Fallon and Priyanka Chopra Jonas danced to Getter Jaan's Euro song]. Eesti Rahvusringhääling (in Estonian). Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  32. 1 2 Citations regarding the digital nightcore release of "Rockefeller Street (New Nightcore) [#Rockefellerstreet Remix]" in various countries:
  33. ↑ Potisepp, Kaisa (15 April 2021). "Sven Lõhmus "Rockefeller Streeti" edust: vaevalt kõik Eesti lood maailmas nii popiks muutuvad" [Sven Lõhmus about the success of "Rockefeller Street": hardly all Estonian songs in the world become pop like this]. Eesti Rahvusringhääling (in Estonian). Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  34. ↑ Jazepov, Terttu (13 February 2019). "VIDEO | Sven Lõhmus: "Rockefeller Street" on nagu Eestist pärit "Gangnam Style"" [VIDEO | Sven Lõhmus: "Rockefeller Street" is like "Gangnam Style" from Estonia]. Õhtuleht (in Estonian). Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  35. ↑ Kald, Annika (28 February 2020). "Äkki miljonite juutuuberite lemmikuks saanud Eesti muusik ootab lepingut USA plaadifirmaga" [The Estonian musician, who suddenly became the favorite of millions of YouTubers, is waiting for a contract with a US record company]. Äripäev (in Estonian). Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  36. 1 2 Citations regarding the digital download release of "Rockefeller Street" in various countries:
  37. ↑ "Getter Jaani – Rockefeller Street" (in Dutch). Ultratip.
  38. ↑ "MyHits". myhits.postimees.ee. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  39. ↑ "Chart Track: Week 20, 2011". Irish Singles Chart.
  40. ↑ "Official Independent Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company.
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