San Marino
San Marino (, ), officially the Republic of San Marino ( it, Repubblica di San Marino; ), also known as the Most Serene Republic of San Marino ( it, Serenissima Repubblica di San Marino, links=no), is the fifth-smallest country in the world an ...
participated in the
Eurovision Song Contest 2014
The Eurovision Song Contest 2014 was the 59th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Copenhagen, Denmark, following the country's victory at the with the song "Only Teardrops" by Emmelie de Forest. Organised by the European ...
, held in
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
, Denmark. The Sammarinese national broadcaster
Radiotelevisione della Repubblica di San Marino (SMRTV) internally selected
Valentina Monetta
Valentina Monetta (born 1 March 1975) is a Sammarinese singer. She is best known for representing in the , , , and Eurovision Song Contests. She also announced the Sammarinese points at the Eurovision Song Contest 2015. In the 2014 contest, Mo ...
with "Maybe" to represent the nation in the contest. Monetta had previously represented San Marino in both the and contests, though both entries failed to qualify for the grand final. The 2014 entry was promoted through the creation of
music video
A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...
s in both English and Italian, and a promotional tour that included stops in Amsterdam, Moscow and London. San Marino performed 12th in the
first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2014, held on 6 May 2014, and placed 10th, receiving 40 points. The entry qualified for the
grand final
Primarily in Australian sports, a grand final (sometimes colloquially abbreviated to "grannie") is a game that decides a sports league's premiership (or championship) winning team, i.e. the conclusive game of a finals (or play-off) series. Sy ...
held four days later, where the nation placed 24th with 14 points. This marked their best placing to this point.
Background
Prior to the 2014 contest, San Marino had participated in the
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pr ...
four times since their debut in the
2008 contest.
For all of these appearances,
Radiotelevisione della Repubblica di San Marino (SMRTV) hosted internal selection processes, choosing the band
Miodio
Miodio () is a band that consists of three Italian and two Sammarinese members. They represented San Marino in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008, performing the song Complice. This was the first time San Marino had entered the competition. They ...
with the song "Complice" for 2008,
Senit
Senhit Zadik Zadik (born 1 October 1979), known professionally as simply Senhit (formerly written as Senit), is an Italian singer. She represented San Marino in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 in Düsseldorf with " Stand By", but failed to quali ...
with "Stand By" for 2011, and
Valentina Monetta
Valentina Monetta (born 1 March 1975) is a Sammarinese singer. She is best known for representing in the , , , and Eurovision Song Contests. She also announced the Sammarinese points at the Eurovision Song Contest 2015. In the 2014 contest, Mo ...
for 2012 and 2013 with "
The Social Network Song
"The Social Network Song (OH OH - Uh - OH OH)" (originally titled "Facebook Uh, Oh, Oh (A Satirical Song)") is a song by singer Valentina Monetta which was the Sammarinese entrant at the Eurovision Song Contest 2012. At the Eurovision Song Conte ...
" and "Crisalide (Vola)", respectively.
All competed in the respective semi-finals of their contests, but failed to qualify for the grand final.
To this point, the nation's best placing in the contest was 11th in the semi-finals, which they achieved in the
Eurovision Song Contest 2013
The Eurovision Song Contest 2013 was the 58th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Malmö, Sweden, following the country's victory at the with the song "Euphoria" by Loreen. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EB ...
.
San Marino did not compete in the
2009
File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...
or
2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
contests, citing financial difficulties.
Before Eurovision
Internal selection
On 19 June 2013, SMRTV announced that they had internally selected
Valentina Monetta
Valentina Monetta (born 1 March 1975) is a Sammarinese singer. She is best known for representing in the , , , and Eurovision Song Contests. She also announced the Sammarinese points at the Eurovision Song Contest 2015. In the 2014 contest, Mo ...
to represent San Marino at the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 for a third consecutive time, making her the first singer to participate in three consecutive contests since
Udo Jürgens
Udo Jürgens (born Jürgen Udo Bockelmann; 30 September 1934 – 21 December 2014) was an Austrian composer and singer of popular music whose career spanned over 50 years. He won the Eurovision Song Contest 1966 for Austria, composed close ...
, who competed in
1964
Events January
* January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved.
* January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch ...
,
1965
Events January–February
* January 14 – The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years.
* January 20
** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lyndo ...
and
1966
Events January
* January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko.
* January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...
for
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
.
A special presentation programme titled ''Verso Copenhagen'' to reveal Monetta's song was scheduled to be held on 14 March 2014 at the SMRTV studio. However, it was reported a day before the programme that "Maybe" (and/or the Italian version "Forse") would be the song to represent San Marino in the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 after snippets in both versions were available for preview and pre-order at digital download outlet
Amazon
Amazon most often refers to:
* Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology
* Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin
* Amazon River, in South America
* Amazon (company), an American multinational technology c ...
, with the ultimate version still yet to be decided.
Eurovision and radio edits in both versions, as well as a
dance
Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...
remix of the English version were also listed on Amazon.
"Maybe" was confirmed as the song to represent San Marino on 14 March 2014 at the programme, hosted by Alessandro Capicchioni and broadcast on
SMtv San Marino
Radiotelevisione della Repubblica di San Marino, commonly known as San Marino RTV (abbreviated SMRTV), is the public service broadcaster of San Marino. On 13 June 2011, San Marino RTV changed its name to SMtv San Marino. In November 2013, the n ...
as well as online via the broadcaster's website ''smtvsanmarino.sm'' and the official Eurovision Song Contest website ''eurovision.tv''.
Monetta and composer of the song
Ralph Siegel
Ralph Siegel (born 30 September 1945) is a German record producer and songwriter. Siegel is one of the most notable figures at the Eurovision Song Contest, in which he has participated with 24 songs so far, among them the 1982 winner song Ein bi ...
were also in attendance for the event. Both English and Italian versions of the song were composed by Siegel with lyrics by Mauro Balestri.
Siegel had previously composed 22 Eurovision entries for various countries, including the previous two Sammarinese entries all performed by Monetta. Siegel and Balestri began writing songs together in July 2013, for which Monetta recorded demos in
Forte dei Marmi
Forte dei Marmi () is a sea town and ''comune'' in the province of Lucca, in northern Tuscany (Italy). It is the birthplace of Paola Ruffo di Calabria, Queen of the Belgians from 1993 to 2013.
Tourism is the principal activity of Forte dei Marmi's ...
and at the Olympia Studio in
Munich
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...
. Monetta stated during her interview with ''ESCToday'' that she opted to perform in English so that the song could be more broadly understood.
The remaining songs that were under consideration were released as part of Monetta's third studio album ''Sensibilit'' (2014).
Promotion
To promote the entry, a
music video
A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...
for both "Maybe" and "Forse" were released as part of the song's presentation on 14 March 2014. Directed by Michele Massari, the video was filmed in the SMRTV studio and at a beach in
Rimini
Rimini ( , ; rgn, Rémin; la, Ariminum) is a city in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy and capital city of the Province of Rimini. It sprawls along the Adriatic Sea, on the coast between the rivers Marecchia (the ancient ''Ariminu ...
, Italy.
Monetta also embarked on a promotional tour in the lead up the Eurovision Song Contest, appearing on 5 April 2014 in the sixth annual ''Eurovision in Concert'' series, an event held at club
Melkweg
Melkweg (Dutch for "Milky Way") is a popular music venue and cultural centre in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It is located on Lijnbaansgracht, near Leidseplein, a prime nightlife square of Amsterdam. It is housed in a former dairy and is divided into ...
in
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...
, Netherlands that was staged to serve as a preview party for the year's entries. She also traveled to
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
in Russia and
Brighton
Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London.
Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...
and
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
of the United Kingdom.
At Eurovision
The Eurovision Song Contest 2014 took place at
B&W Hallerne
B&W Hallerne (English: ''The B&W Halls'') is a former industrial complex located on the island of Refshaleøen in Copenhagen, Denmark. Built in the early 1960s by Burmeister & Wain, the complex consists of two large halls which were used to build ...
in
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
, Denmark. It consisted of two semi-finals held on 6 and 8 May, respectively, and the
grand final
Primarily in Australian sports, a grand final (sometimes colloquially abbreviated to "grannie") is a game that decides a sports league's premiership (or championship) winning team, i.e. the conclusive game of a finals (or play-off) series. Sy ...
on 10 May 2014. According to the
Eurovision rules, all participating countries, except the host nation and the "
Big Five", consisting of , , , and the , were required to qualify from one of the two semi-finals to compete for the grand final; the top 10 countries from the respective semi-finals would proceed to the final.
On 20 January 2014, an allocation draw was held at
Copenhagen City Hall
Copenhagen City Hall ( da, Københavns Rådhus) is the headquarters of the Copenhagen City Council as well as the Lord mayor of the Copenhagen Municipality, Denmark. The building is situated on City Hall Square in central Copenhagen.
Architect ...
that placed each country into one of the two semi-finals, with San Marino being placed into the second half of the
first semi-final. Once all of the competing songs for the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 had been released, the running order for the semi-finals was decided by the producers of the event rather than through another draw.
On 24 March, the running order was published, with the nation assigned position 12, following and preceding .
Performances
![ESC2014 - San Marino 01](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b4/ESC2014_-_San_Marino_01.jpg)
Monetta performed "Maybe" in the first semi-final on 6 May 2014, appearing 12th out of the 16 countries.
Her performance was introduced by a 40-second-long
postcard
A postcard or post card is a piece of thick paper or thin cardboard, typically rectangular, intended for writing and mailing without an envelope. Non-rectangular shapes may also be used but are rare. There are novelty exceptions, such as wood ...
shot at San Marino's
Torraccia airfield The airfield and helipad Torraccia is located in the Republic of San Marino, 200 meters from the border with Italy. It is the only airport in the Republic and is managed by the Aeroclub San Marino.
Technical description
The airfield, in the grass ...
. On stage, Monetta was joined by four backing vocalists and accompanied on piano by composer Siegel.
The performance featured Monetta standing in a white dress on a glittery gold circular platform with a fan-like cloth arrangement behind her.
Choreography for the performance was handled by art director Fabrizio Raggi, who also served in that role the previous year.
At the end of voting, San Marino placed 10th with a score of 40 points, thus qualifying for the
grand final
Primarily in Australian sports, a grand final (sometimes colloquially abbreviated to "grannie") is a game that decides a sports league's premiership (or championship) winning team, i.e. the conclusive game of a finals (or play-off) series. Sy ...
.
During the winner's press conference for the first semi-final qualifiers, San Marino was allocated to compete in the second half of the grand final. Their qualification marked the first time the nation qualified for the grand final since their debut in the contest in
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
.
In the grand final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2014, the producers of the show decided that San Marino would perform 25th, following the and preceding the . In the grand final, held on 10 May, San Marino placed 24th out of the 26 participants, scoring 14 points.
This placement marked the nation's highest placing in the contest to this point.
In San Marino, both of the semi-finals and the grand final were broadcast on SMRTV and
Radio San Marino
Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...
with commentary by Lia Fiorio and Gigi Restivo. An alternative broadcast of the semi-finals and the grand final were also available online on the SMRTV website with English commentary by
John Kennedy O'Connor
John Kennedy O'Connor (born 1964) is a television and radio broadcaster, author and entertainment commentator. He was born in North London, but is a naturalized citizen of the United States. He has written, reported and broadcast for numerous m ...
and Jamarie Milkovic.
Voting
Below is a breakdown of points awarded to and awarded by San Marino in the first semi-final and grand final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2014, respectively. The Sammarinese votes in the semi-final and the grand final were based solely on the jury's vote due to an insufficient number of votes cast during the televote period.
The spokesperson revealing the result of the Sammarinese vote in the grand final was San Marino's representative in the
Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2013
The Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2013 was the 11th edition of the annual Junior Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Kyiv, Ukraine on 30 November 2013. The venue for the contest was announced on 10 April 2013, as the Palace "Ukraine". Ukr ...
,
Michele Perniola
Michele Perniola (born 6 September 1998), known also as 3x3n, is an Italian singer, best known for representing San Marino at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2013 with his song "O-o-O Sole Intorno a Me" (O-o-O Sunlight all around me). He also r ...
.
Points awarded to San Marino
Points awarded by San Marino
Detailed voting results
The following members comprised the Sammarinese jury:
* Sara Ghiotti (jury chairperson)musician, speech therapist
* (Irol)rapper
* Andrea GatteiDJ, composer
* Maria Ugolinisinger
* Paolo Macinaguitarist
References
{{Eurovision Song Contest 2014
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
Countries in the Eurovision Song Contest 2014
Eurovision
The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pr ...