"Silent Storm" is a song by Norwegian singer and songwriter Carl Espen, released as a single on 18 February 2014. It represented Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 in Copenhagen, Denmark after winning Melodi Grand Prix 2014, Norway's national selection for the event.[1] It placed sixth in the semi-final with 77 points and finished in eighth place in the grand final with 88 points overall.[2]
| "Silent Storm" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Carl Espen | ||||
| Released | 18 February 2014 | |||
| Recorded | 2013 | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 2:57 | |||
| Label | RCA | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Josefin Winther | |||
| Producer(s) | Magnus Skylstad | |||
| Carl Espen singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Silent Storm" on YouTube | ||||
| Eurovision Song Contest 2014 entry | ||||
| Country | ||||
| Artist(s) | ||||
| Languages | English | |||
| Composer(s) | ||||
| Lyricist(s) | Josefin Winther | |||
| Finals performance | ||||
| Semi-final result | 6th | |||
| Semi-final points | 77 | |||
| Final result | 8th | |||
| Final points | 88 | |||
| Entry chronology | ||||
| ◄ "I Feed You My Love" (2013) | ||||
| "A Monster Like Me" (2015) ► | ||||
| Song presentation | ||||
| Official performance video | ||||
| "Silent Storm" (Semi-Final) on YouTube "Silent Storm" (Final) on YouTube | ||||
Background and composition
edit"Silent Storm" was composed and written by Espen's cousin, Josefin Winther. In an interview, he spoke of the song's development: "[Winther] knows me very well, both my personal struggles and my dream to sing. She sat down and thought about me for a long time, and then tried to write a song to express my feelings and my place in life. The result was "Silent Storm". No one else could have written this song for me."[3]
The song has been described as an "intense, fragile and powerful ballad".[4] Espen further described the song as about finding your place in life. Espen added, "that is something I hold dearly and I haven’t achieved yet. Its something that I miss and that I think a lot about":[5]
"The story is that my cousin saw me for who I am, and understood that it would be good for me to express the feeling I carry inside. She felt that I was still searching for my place in the world, and that I keep many of my difficult feelings closed inside. She feels that I am calm and quiet on the outside, but that strong feeling whirl around right underneath my surface. These feelings are like a silent storm inside me. The message is this expression of my looking for a home, and also a growing hope that someday I’ll be calm."[3]
When asked about where the inspiration for the song came from, Winther said, "Carl Espen was the source of the song, because I felt like he had something bubbling under the surface waiting to come out".[6]
Reception
editPrior to the actual contest, "Silent Storm" was one of the favorites to win the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 in betting odds.[7] "Silent Storm" was also met with general acclaim from music critics. Martin Faulkner from BBC describes "Silent Storm" as a strong song, while Samantha Ross elaborated, "there’s something so appealing about a guy who looks like he could take down trees with his bare hands going on and singing so sweetly about his vulnerabilities and emotions".[8] Multiple critics from Wiwibloggs also positively reviewed the song, applauding Espen's vocal delivery and the song's vulnerability.[9][10] William Lee Adams from Wiwibloggs further elucidated: "Carl’s voice carries [melancholy] well, and any imperfections actually work in his favor. The occasional cracks and warbles fit with a performance about human frailty. Unlike so many Eurovision ballads, “Silent Storm” doesn't rely on Carl singing louder and louder. His emotions are real. He drives the song with sincerity."[11]
Dennis Van Eersel from ESC Daily described the song as a very emotional song, with interesting lyrics. He further added, "I like how the text doesn’t match the appearance of the singer. It gives it even more strength to me, because you can never judge a book by it's [sic] cover and know what really goes on in someone else’s mind."[12] Eurovision Song Contest 2013 winner Emmelie de Forest said that the song is her great favorite, and liked the song upon listening to it and have followed Espen through the Norwegian national selection.[4]
Eurovision Song Contest 2014
editMelodi Grand Prix 2014
editMelodi Grand Prix 2014 was the 52nd edition of the Norwegian national final Melodi Grand Prix and selected Norway's entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2014. For 2014, the competition consisted of three semi-finals on 7 to 9 March 2014 and a final on 15 March 2014. Five songs competed in each semi-final and the top three entries qualified to the final, determined exclusively by public televoting.[13] In the final, the top four entries will be selected from the nine qualified entries to go through to the Gold Final. In the Gold Final, the results of the public televote were revealed by Norway's five regions.[14]
Espen was officially announced to compete in Melodi Grand Prix 2014 on 27 January 2014. "Silent Storm" was drawn to compete in the third semi-final,[15] and later qualified to the final. In the final, the song would move on to the Gold Final, along with three other entries. The song eventually won the Gold Final and the Norwegian spot for the Eurovision Song Contest 2014.[14]
At Eurovision
editThe song was selected to represent Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 2014, after Espen was chosen through Melodi Grand Prix 2014, the music competition that selects Norway's entries for the Eurovision Song Contest. On 20 January 2014, a special allocation draw was held which placed each country into one of the two semi-finals, as well as which half of the show they would perform in. Norway was placed into the second semi-final, which was held on 8 May 2014, and was scheduled to perform in the first half of the show. After all the competing songs for the 2014 contest had been released, the running order for the semi-finals was decided by the show's producers rather than through another draw, so that similar songs were not placed next to each other. Norway performed in position 3, and qualified for the final, which took place on 10 May 2014.[16] It placed sixth in the semi-final with 77 points and overall finished in eighth place with 88 points.[2]
Track listing
edit- Digital download and streaming
Charts
edit| Chart (2014) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[19] | 39 |
| Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)[20] | 29 |
| Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Wallonia)[21] | 45 |
| Denmark (Tracklisten)[22] | 28 |
| Finland Download (Latauslista)[23] | 20 |
| Germany (GfK)[24] | 47 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[25] | 34 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[26] | 20 |
| Norway (VG-lista)[27] | 37 |
| Scotland (OCC)[28] | 90 |
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[29] | 40 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[30] | 97 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Norway (IFPI Norway)[31] | Platinum | 10,000* |
|
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
Release history
edit| Region | Date | Format(s) | Version | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Various | 18 February 2014 | Single | RCA Records | ||
| 9 May 2014 | Rykkinnfella Remix |
References
edit- ^ Fyen, Stian (19 February 2014). "Ble tatt på senga av strålende anmeldelser" [Was taken to bed by rave reviews]. Dagbladet (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 26 April 2022.
- ^ a b "Results of the Grand Final of Copenhagen 2014". European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
- ^ a b Scott, Robin (14 April 2014). "Norway: Interview with Carl Espen!". ESC Today. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
- ^ a b "Eurovision winner backs Norway's Carl Espen". The Local. 6 May 2014. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
- ^ Aderemi, Deban (15 May 2014). "Carl Espen: Silent Storm is about finding your place in life. I have not". Wiwibloggs. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
- ^ "Emotional storm of a performance for Norway". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. 3 May 2014. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
- ^ Granger, Anthony (27 April 2014). "ESC'14: Betting Odds Before The Rehearsals". eurovoix.com. Eurovoix News. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
- ^ "Eurovision Song Contest Final - Song Reviews". BBC. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
- ^ Quinn, Angus (7 March 2014). "NORWAY: Wiwi Jury Reviews Carl Espen with Silent Storm". Wiwibloggs. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
- ^ Adams, William Lee (29 April 2014). "Norway: Wiwi Jury reviews Carl Espen with Silent Storm". Wiwibloggs. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
- ^ Adams, William Lee (18 March 2014). "Discuss: Carl Espen's Silent Storm is the ballad of the year". Wiwibloggs. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
- ^ Marathefthis, Anita. "2000 and Whatever – Norway". ESC Daily. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
- ^ Hege, Bakken Riise (5 December 2013). "Slik blir Melodi Grand Prix 2014" [This is how Melodi Grand Prix 2014 will be]. NRK (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 28 February 2024.
- ^ a b "Carl Espen to represent Norway in Copenhagen!". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. 15 March 2014. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
- ^ "15 Norwegian Hopefuls Revealed". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. 27 January 2014. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
- ^ Rigby, Sam (8 May 2014). "Eurovision 2014 results: 10 song contest qualifiers from second semi-final". Digital Spy. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
- ^ a b "Silent Storm – Song by Carl Espen on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
- ^ a b "Silent Storm (Rykkinnfella Remix) – Single by Carl Espen on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
- ^ "Carl Espen – Silent Storm" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
- ^ "Carl Espen – Silent Storm" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
- ^ "Carl Espen – Silent Storm" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
- ^ "Track Top-40 Uge 19 - 2014" [Track Top-40 Week 19 - 2014] (in Danish). Hitlisten. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
- ^ "Carl Espen: Silent Storm" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
- ^ "Carl Espen – Silent Storm" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
- ^ "Chart Track: Week 20, 2014". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
- ^ "Carl Espen - Silent Storm". dutchcharts.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 4 October 2023.
- ^ "VG-lista – Carl Espen" (in Norwegian Bokmål). VG-lista. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
- ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
- ^ "Carl Espen – Silent Storm". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
- ^ "Norwegian single certifications – Carl Espen – Silent Storm" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway.