Pe-o margine de lume

"Pe-o margine de lume" (Romanian pronunciation: [pe̯o ˈmardʒine de ˈlume]; English: "On an edge of the world") is a song by Romanian singers Nico and Vlad Miriță, released on an enhanced CD in 2008 by Cat Music in Romania. It was written by Andreea Andrei and Adina Șuteu, while production was solely handled by Andrei Tudor. An operatic ballad performed in Romanian and Italian, it was likened to the works of Italian singer Andrea Bocelli by music critics. "Pe-o margine de lume" was originally recorded as a solo by Miriță.

"Pe-o margine de lume"
Single by Nico and Vlad
Released	2008
Length	3:03
Label	Cat
Songwriter(s)	Andreea Andrei Adina Șuteu
Producer(s)	Andrei Tudor
Eurovision Song Contest 2008 entry
Country	Romania
Artist(s)	Nicoleta Matei Vlad Miriță
As	Nico and Vlad
Languages	Romanian Italian
Composer(s)	Andrei Tudor
Lyricist(s)	Andreea Andrei Anton Șuteu
Finals performance
Semi-final result	7th
Semi-final points	94
Final result	20th
Final points	45
Entry chronology
◄ "Liubi, Liubi, I Love You" (2007)
"The Balkan Girls" (2009) ►

"Pe-o margine de lume" represented Romania in the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest in Belgrade, Serbia after winning the pre-selection show Selecția Națională; their win caused several controversies. The song was also suspected of plagiarising "La magia del corazón" (2002) by David Bustamante, prompting the set up of a commission to analyze both tracks. In Belgrade, Romania qualified to the final and finished in 20th place with 45 points, one of the country's lowest placements in the contest. "Pe-o margine de lume" was promoted by endeavours in Belgium, Spain, Cyprus, Moldova and Ukraine, and by the release of an accompanying music video, shot by Petre Năstase, portraying Nico and Vlad at a beach and in an abandoned stone pit. The track won awards at the 2008 Marcel Bezençon and at the 2009 Radio România Actualități Awards.

Background and composition

"Pe-o margine de lume" was written by Andreea Andrei and Adina Șuteu, while production was solely handled by Andrei Tudor. It was released on an enhanced CD in Romania in 2008 by Cat Music, also featuring the song's music video.^[1] "Pe-o margine de lume" is a Romanian- and Italian-language^[1][2] operatic ballad, which an editor of El Mundo likened to the works of Italian singer Andrea Bocelli.^[3] In an interview with Eurovision.tv, Miriță denied that "Pe-o margine de lume" was directly inspired by Bocelli's music, although noticing similarities.^[2] On the same occasion, Nico revealed that the track originally did not contain lyrics in Italian, but it was the result of her improvising to its melody in the language, matching her feelings.^[2] "Pe-o margine de lume" was initially recorded as a solo by Miriță in a longer version, with Nico's vocals being eventually added after the song's bridge was cut out to reduce its length.^[4]

Reception and controversy

The song was well-received by the gay community in Spain.^[5] It won a Marcel Bezençon award in 2008 in the Composer Award category,^[6] as well as in the Best Pop Song section at the 2009 Radio România Actualități Awards.^[7] Following accusations of plagiarising "La magia del corazón" (2002) by Spanish singer David Bustamante, the Romanian Television (TVR) decided to set up a commission to analyze "Pe-o margine de lume".^[8][9] After analyzing both tracks, representatives of the Union of Composers and Musicologists of Romania [ro] concluded: "In spite of the resemblance of six musical notes from the beginning of the refrain of the two musical works, 'Pe-o margine de lume' can not be considered a plagiarism of 'La magia del corazón', because in their entirety the two musical works are different."^[10]

Music video and promotion

An accompanying music video for "Pe-o margine de lume" was uploaded onto the official YouTube account of Cat Music on 18 March 2008.^[11] It was filmed by Petre Năstase during 12 hours in two locations – a virgin beach, containing "no people, no hotels [...] like the end of the world, as the song itself describes it", and in an abandoned stone pit which was about ten kilometers away.^[2] The music video begins with a shot of musical instruments lying on the beach; Nico walks on the shore in the background, sporting a black dress. Following this, a man is shown playing a piano there, with him later joined by an orchestra, as well as Vlad and Nico, who perform to the song together. Scenes interspersed through the visual's main plot show the artists singing against clocks and a red car.^[11] For further promotion, Nico and Vlad embarked on a supporting tour that visited Belgium, Spain, Cyprus, Moldova and Ukraine in March and April 2008, giving interviews and appearing on television shows.^[12][13]

At Eurovision

National selection

 

Nico and Vlad performing during the first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2008.

Main article: Romania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008

The Selecția Națională was held in order to select the Romanian entrant for the Eurovision Song Contest 2008, consisting of two semi-finals on 9 and 16 February, respectively, and the final on 23 February 2008. Nico and Vlad qualified in first place from the first semi-final after the votes of an expert jury panel and the televoting were combined.^[14][15] Subsequently, "Pe-o margine de lume" was chosen to represent in Romania in the contest by the same voting system, gathering 271 points in the final.^[16][17] Their win was heavily contested by fans of the second-placed Swedish group Biondo,^[18] who collected 10,000 signatures on an online petition to replace the song.^[19] Further controversy was sparked when TVR was accused of conspiracy. It was also claimed that "Pe-o margine de lume" was played on Romanian radio prior to 1 October 2008, the submission deadline set by the broadcaster for the Selecția Națională.^[20]

In Belgrade

The Eurovision Song Contest 2008 took place at the Štark Arena in Belgrade, Serbia and consisted of two semi-finals on 20 and 22 May, respectively, and the final on 24 May 2008. According to Eurovision rules, all countries, except the host country and the "Big Four" (France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom), were required to qualify from one semi-final to compete for the final; the top ten countries from each semi-final progressed to the final.^[21] Nico and Vlad performed 17th in the first semi-final, preceded by Finland and followed by Russia, and sang first in the Grand Final, followed by the United Kingdom.^[21] According to Heidi Stephens of The Guardian, Nico wore a "deeply unflattering silver dress that makes her arse look huge". Stephens also compared her appearance to that of Lesley Garrett and Vlad's to that of Michael Ball, while criticizing Nico's vocal delivery.^[22]

Points awarded to Romania

Below is a breakdown of points awarded to Romania in the contest's first semi-final and Grand Final. The country finished seventh in the first semi-final with 94 points, including 12 from Moldova and eight from Israel, Greece and Spain.^[23] In the Grand Final, Romania reached 20th place with 45 points, including 12 from Moldova and Spain, and six from Israel,^[24] one of Romania's lowest scores in the contest.^[25]

Track listing

• Romanian enhanced CD^[1]

1. "Pe-o margine de lume"  – 3:03
2. "Pe-o margine de lume" (music video)  – 3:03

Charts

Chart (2008)	Peak position
Romania (Romanian Top 100)^[26]	73

Release history

Country	Date	Format	Label
Romania^[1]	N/A 2008	Enhanced CD	Cat

References

1. Pe-o margine de lume (CD single). Nico and Vlad. Cat Music. (Barcode: 6420565005311). 2000.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
2. "Interview: Eurovision.tv meets Nico & Vlad". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). 20 May 2008. from the original on 12 April 2018. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
3. "El 'frikismo' triunfa en Eurovisión" [The 'frikismo' triumphs at Eurovision]. El Mundo (in Spanish). 7 March 2008. from the original on 18 April 2008. Retrieved 11 April 2008.
4. "Eurovision 2018: Drumul spre Lisabona - ediţia din 8 mai (@TVR1)". YouTube. 9 May 2018. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
5. "Melodia de la Eurovision a unui român celebru, imnul homosexualilor din Spania" [The Eurovision entry of a well-known Romanian singer is the hymn of homosexual people in Spain] (in Romanian). Antena 3. 4 June 2016. from the original on 8 August 2016. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
6. Floras, Stella (27 May 2008). "The 2008 Bezençon Awards winners". ESC Today. from the original on 17 October 2017. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
7. "Premiile muzicale Radio România Actualităţi 2009" [Radio România Actualități Awards 2009] (in Romanian). Radio România Actualități. 19 January 2010. from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
8. "Piesa "Pe-o margine de lume", suspectată de plagiat" [The song "Pe-o margine de lume" is suspected of plagiarism] (in Romanian). Mediafax. 24 February 2008. from the original on 10 November 2016. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
9. "Compozitorul Andrei Tudor: Nu am plagiat piesa "Pe-o margine de lume"" [Andrei Tudor: "I did not plagiarize the song 'Pe-o margine de lume"] (in Romanian). Mediafax. 24 February 2008. from the original on 11 April 2018. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
10. "Piesa "Pe o margine de lume" nu este un plagiat" [The song 'Pe-o margine de lume' is not a plagiarism] (in Romanian). Mediafax. 25 February 2008. from the original on 11 April 2018. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
11. "Nico & Vlad − Pe-o margine de lume (Official Video)". YouTube. 18 March 2008. from the original on 11 April 2018. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
12. Kalimeris, Aris (28 March 2008). "Romania: Vlad Mirita's operation and tour". ESC Today. from the original on 11 April 2018. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
13. Kalimeris, Aris (19 April 2008). "Romania: Nico and Vlad in Moldova and Ukraine". ESC Today. from the original on 11 April 2018. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
14. "Romanian Semi-Finals 2008". National Finals. from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
15. Selecția Națională 2008 – Semi-final 1. Bucharest, Romania. 9 February 2008.
16. "Romanian National Final 2008". National Finals. from the original on 12 April 2017. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
17. Selecția Națională 2008 – Final. Bucharest, Romania. 23 February 2007.
18. "Vezi românii care au participat, de-a lungul vremii, la Eurovision" [See all Romanian Eurovision entrants]. Libertatea (in Romanian). 14 May 2011. from the original on 4 February 2018. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
19. "Eurovision, între acuzaţii de plagiat şi conspiraţii" [Eurovision, among accusations of plagiarism and conspiracy]. Adevărul (in Romanian). 14 January 2010. from the original on 20 January 2017. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
20. "Rumänien: Nico und Vlad Mirita" [Romania: Nico and Vlad Mirita] (in German). Eurovision.de. ARD. from the original on 18 July 2017. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
21. Eurovision Song Contest 2008. Belgrade, Serbia. 20–24 May 2008.
22. Stephens, Heidi. "Watch with...Eurovision 2008!". The Guardian. from the original on 16 September 2015. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
23. "Eurovision 2008 Semi-final 1 Results". Eurovision World. from the original on 11 April 2018. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
24. "Eurovision 2008 Results: Voting & Points". Eurovision World. from the original on 11 April 2018. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
25. "Romania in Eurovision Voting & Points". Eurovision World. from the original on 11 February 2018. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
26. "Romanian Top 100" (in Romanian). Romanian Top 100. from the original on 9 April 2008. Retrieved 24 May 2022.