Playing with Fire (Paula Seling and Ovi song)

"Playing with Fire" is a song recorded by Romanian singer Paula Seling and Romanian-Norwegian performer Ovidiu Cernăuțeanu for their 2010 collaborative album of the same name. It was released as a CD single in 2010 by TVR, TMC and AXR labels. Partly influenced by opera music, the track was written by Ovi and produced by Simen M. Eriksrud. The lyrics of "Playing with Fire" portray a fight between a male and a female, with a reviewer speculating that it revolved around arson, a crime of intentionally, deliberately and maliciously setting fire to buildings or other properties with the intent to cause damage.

"Playing with Fire"
One of the various cover artworks used to commercialize "Playing with Fire"
Single by Paula Seling and Ovi
from the album Playing with Fire
Released	2010
Length	3:00
Label	TVR TMC AXR
Songwriter(s)	Ovidiu Cernăuțeanu
Producer(s)	Simen M. Eriksrud
Paula Seling singles chronology
"Believe" (2009) "Playing with Fire" (2010) "Counting Down" (2011)
Ovi singles chronology
"Saying Goodnight" (2009) "Playing with Fire" (2010) "Counting Down" (2011)
Eurovision Song Contest 2010 entry
Country	Romania
Artist(s)	Paula Seling and Ovidiu Cernăuțeanu
As	Paula Seling and Ovi
Languages	English
Composer(s)	Simen M. Eriksrud
Lyricist(s)	Ovidiu Cernăuțeanu
Finals performance
Semi-final result	4th
Semi-final points	104
Final result	3rd
Final points	162
Entry chronology
◄ "The Balkan Girls" (2009)
"Change" (2011) ►

The track represented Romania in the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest in Oslo, Norway after winning the pre-selection show Selecția Națională. Seling and Ovi's win sparked controversy after it was speculated that Eriksrud was one of the writers of "Playing with Fire", which was not permitted by the rules of the national selection as he is not of Romanian origin. The accusations were denied and it was later confirmed that Eriksrud only produced the track. In Oslo, the singers qualified for the Grand Final, where they finished third with 162 points. This remains Romania's best result in the contest alongside 2005's "Let Me Try" by Luminița Anghel and Sistem. Onstage, Seling and Ovi played a double piano wearing a black catsuit and black clothing, respectively, accompanied by four background vocalists.

Music critics gave positive reviews of the song, and it was named one of the contest's highlights. "Playing with Fire" also won an award in the Pop Song of the Year category at the 2011 Radio România Actualități Awards. Commercially, the track charted within the top 30 in Norway and Sweden after the contest. Its promotion consisted of various live performances and endeavours,^[1] as well as the release of an accompanying music video on 6 April 2010 on YouTube. Filmed in Romania and Austria, it was shot by Mihnea De Vries and executive produced by Eduard Schneider. The visual portrays Seling and Ovi fighting in a video game theme, embodying several characters, and is the first usage of the motion capture technique in Romania. Over the years, "Playing with Fire" was covered by singers such as Ilinca Băcilă and Alex Florea.^[2]

Background and release

 

"Playing with Fire"

A 25-second sample of "Playing with Fire", a song partly influenced by opera music. Its lyrics portray a fight between a male and a female.^[3]

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"Playing with Fire" was produced by Norwegian record producer Simen M. Eriksrud, while lyrics were written by Romanian singer and songwriter Ovidiu Cernăuțeanu.^[4] The latter met singer Paula Seling at a native song festival, where they decided to team up and create a song to submit for the Eurovision Song Contest. This resulted in "Playing with Fire", whose lyrics revolve around a fight between a male and a female, which was also used as the concept for the song's accompanying music video.

The partly opera-influenced track contains a rhyme between the words 'fire' and 'desire', with an editor of The Guardian speculating that "Playing with Fire" discussed on arson, a crime of intentionally, deliberately and maliciously setting fire to buildings or other properties with the intent to cause damage.^[3][5] The recording was solely released as an enhanced CD and CD single throughout 2010 by TVR, TMC and AXR labels.^[4][6][7] In February 2010, a contest was launched to find the best remix of "Playing with Fire", with the winner's work to be promoted by Da Works Records and Warner Music Group in Europe.^[8] The stems of the song were also made available through the iTunes Store under the title "Playing With Fire (Make Your Own Remix Kit)".^[9]

Reception and accolades

"Playing with Fire" received positive reviews from music critics. While Daily Mirror's Carl Greenwood called the song "frankly brilliant",^[10] Frances Robinson from International Business Times included it in her all-time Eurovision favorites.^[11] Journalists brought together by Spanish website La Información mentioned "Playing with Fire" in their list of the best entries in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010. Editor Carlos Otero called the song "an ideal blend between innovation and Eurovision-ish rhythm", and compared Seling's image to that of American television sitcom Saved by the Bell character Kelly Kapowski. Another critic, Popy Blasco, likened the artists to a "pop and shiny version" of Argentine duo Pimpinela.^[12] In a 2016 poll on Wiwibloggs called "What is your favourite Eurovision song from Romania?", "Playing with Fire" finished in first place with over 1,000 votes.^[13] The song won an award in the Pop Song of the Year section at the 2011 Radio România Actualități Awards.^[14]

Music video

Background and production

Prior to Seling and Ovi being selected as Romania's entrants for the contest, a promotional music video was filmed and released online.^[15] The song's official music video was subsequently uploaded onto Eurovision Song Contest's official YouTube channel on 6 April 2010.^[16] Beginning on 18 March 2010, it was filmed by Mihnea De Vries and executive produced by Eduard Schneider from Schneider Productions România, alongside further co-production by the Romanian Television (TVR) and Romanian newspaper Adevărul.^[17][18] Special effects were edited by specialists from multiple European countries, who were assisted by Cristian "Freespace" Ciocotisan.^[18] The lyrics of "Playing with Fire" were used as the visual's concept^[3] — which is set in the future^[19] — with Schneider stating that he wanted to showcase an antithesis between classic and futuristic elements.^[18]

Odiviu "Uwe" and Darius Macinic were hired as stunts, with their scenes filmed in Alba Iulia and Sebeș, Romania with the assistance of ten people.^[18] The background dancers for the music video were Bianca Racolţa and Andrei Ionuţi, whose parts were shot at the Schloss Grafenegg near Vienna, Austria in two days. Both wore sensor costumes similar to those presented in Avatar (2009). Multiple fight scenes were filmed in the same location, although some of them were scrapped to not give the music video a negative fight character. The scrapped scenes were to be published in the form of pictures after the release of the music video.^[20] Scenes focusing mainly on Seling and Ovi were shot in the span of one day at a café in a mall in Alba Iulia, which was arranged to look futuristic. The two were also required to learn a few dance moves from a Ukrainian instructor. Filmed and edited in ten hours, other locations for the clip's shooting were a building of a factory in ruins and Schneider's studio in Alba Iulia.^[19] The music video was the first use of the motion capture technique in Romania, as confirmed by Adevărul.^[20]

Synopsis and reception

The clip starts with Seling sitting on a couch, reading an Adevărul issue on what appears to be a tablet. Ovi, appearing in the room, throws himself "bored"^[19] on a couch while Seling takes a cup of coffee in her hands. The way Ovi falls on the couch makes the latter spit her coffee on her dress, followed by both fighting by lip synching to the lyrics of the track.^[19] The rest of the music video is set in a video game theme, with Seling and Ovi fighting against each other and embodying several characters such as pilots, urban guerrillas, dancers and robots.^[18] The clip ends with Seling staring at the camera, having red irises. Interspersed scenes during the music video's main plot show the artists playing a glass piano, which Seling eventually breaks when hitting a high note. In another scene, both wear a glove with LED lights, created specifically for the clip.^[16][19] The music video was positively received by fans, gathering over 72,000 views in three days of its release and various positive comments.^[20]

At Eurovision

National selection

Main article: Romania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010

On 6 March 2010, the Selecția Națională was held in order to select the Romanian entrant for the Eurovision Song Contest. Subsequently, "Playing with Fire" was chosen to represent Romania at the contest after the votes of regional jury panels (12 points) and public televoting (12 points) were combined, resulting in 24 points.^[21] Seling accidentally broke the trophy after falling off her hands, which was the subject of irony of an article written by an editor of Ele.ro.^[22] Seling and Ovi's win was contested by Romanian singer Luminița Anghel — who had already represented Romania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2005 — although she was in turn criticized for causing the death of several butterflies during the show for her entry "Save Their Lives" with Tony Tomas and Adrian Piper.^[23] Later in March, it was speculated that Eriksrud – who is not of Romanian origin or citizenship – was one of the writers of "Playing with Fire" along with Ovi, which was not permitted by the rules of the Selecția Națională and would have led to the song's disqualification from the contest. However, the latter soon after denied the accusations, confirming that Eriksrud only produced the track and was given half of its copyrights by him after it was registered at Norwegian copyright corporation TONO.^[24][25]

In Oslo

 

Ovi and Seling performing "Playing with Fire" during the second semi-final of the contest, playing a double piano. The latter wears a black catsuit.^[3]

The Eurovision Song Contest 2010 took place at the Telenor Arena in Oslo, Norway and consisted of two semi-finals on 25 and 27 May, respectively, and the final on 29 May 2010. According to the Eurovision rules, all participating 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 the respective semi-final progressed to the final.^[26] Seling and Ovi performed tenth in the second semi-final, preceded by the Netherlands and followed by Slovenia, while they sang 19th in the Grand Final, preceded by France and followed by Russia.^[26]

The artists' show begins with them performing the song sitting on both sides of a "shine-through" double piano made by Seling's husband, enhanced by "white-glimmering" LED lights. Following this, Seling and Ovi – dressed in a black catsuit and black clothes, respectively – leave the piano and move to the front part of the stage, aided by four background vocalists (Andreea Moldovan, Larisa Borza, Andrada Janette Suliman and Elena Bianca Purcărea^[27]) placed on the left half of the stage. Further technical enhancements include the lights on the backdrop changing from blue to orange with the words 'boy' and 'girl', as well as fire being displayed on the background and piano.^[3][28] Claire-Marie Allègre of French website L'Express Styles positively called Seling's catsuit extravagant.^[29] In his book Waltz of the Asparagus People: The Further Adventures of Piano Girl, Robin Meloy Goldsby praised the artists' show and their vocal delivery, and called the piano Las Vegas-inspired. He further wrote: "Seling looked nasty, in a good way. Ovi did his best to keep up with her, but he could have used a few macho lessons [...]".^[30]

Points awarded to Romania

Below is a breakdown of points awarded to Romania in the second semi-final and Grand Final of the contest. On the first occasion, the country finished in fourth place with a total of 104 points, including 12 from the United Kingdom, ten from Norway, and eight from Cyprus, Denmark, Israel and Turkey.^[31] In the Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest, Romania finished in third position, gathering a total of 162 points, including 12 awarded by Moldova, ten by Norway, Portugal, Spain and Sweden, and eight by Cyprus, Denmark, Israel and the United Kingdom.^[32] This remains the country's best result in the contest, alongside 2005's "Let Me Try" by Luminița Anghel and Sistem.^[23]

Points awarded to Romania (Semi-final 2)^[33] Score Country 12 points   United Kingdom 10 points   Norway 8 points   Cyprus   Denmark   Israel   Turkey 7 points   Sweden 6 points   Ireland   Lithuania 5 points   Azerbaijan 4 points   Armenia   Bulgaria   Georgia   Slovenia    Switzerland 3 points   Netherlands   Ukraine 2 points 1 point

Points awarded to Romania (Final)^[34] Score Country 12 points   Moldova 10 points   Norway   Portugal   Spain   Sweden 8 points   Cyprus   Denmark   Israel   United Kingdom 7 points   Azerbaijan   Ireland   Slovenia 6 points   Poland   Serbia 5 points   Albania   Iceland   Malta   Netherlands 4 points   Greece    Switzerland 3 points   Latvia   Russia 2 points   Bosnia and Herzegovina   Lithuania   Turkey   Ukraine 1 point   Armenia   Belarus   Slovakia

Track listing

Romanian CD single^[4] "Playing with Fire" – 3:00 "Playing with Fire" (Official Remix) – 4:51 "Playing with Fire" (Karaoke/Instrumental) – 3:00 "Playing with Fire" (Music video) – 3:05 Swedish CD single^[6] "Playing with Fire" (Radio Original Version) – 3:03 "Playing with Fire" (Fly DJ's Remix) – 4:55

Finnish CD single^[7] "Playing with Fire" (Radio Original Version) – 3:04 "Playing with Fire" (Fly DJ's Remix) – 4:57 "Playing with Fire" (Regular Singback) – 3:07 "Playing with Fire" (Instrumental Eurovision Singback) – 3:05

Charts

Chart (2010)	Peak position
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)^[35]	26
Norway (VG-lista)^[36]	12
Romania (Romanian Top 100)^[37]	96
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)^[38]	29
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)^[39]	51
United Kingdom (Official Charts Company)^[40]	200

Release history

Country	Date	Format	Label
Romania^[4]	N/A 2010	Enhanced CD	TVR
Sweden^[6]		CD single	TMC
Finland^[7]			AXR

References

1. Citations regarding the live performances of "Playing with Fire":
   • Brădeanu, Lia (22 March 2010). "Paula Seling si Ovi, in turneu de promovare a piesei "Playing with Fire"" [Paula Seling and Ovi in a promotion tour for "Playing with Fire"] (in Romanian). Informația Zilei. from the original on 14 February 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
   • "Moş Crăciun şi Mary Christmas cântă "Playing with Fire" la TVR 1" [Santa Claus and Mary Christmas sing "Playing with Fire" at TVR 1]. Evenimentul Zilei (in Romanian). 22 December 2010. from the original on 14 February 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
   • "Paula Seling si Ovi – Playing with fire" [Paula Seling and Ovi – "Playing with Fire"] (in Romanian). Antena 1. 23 February 2010. from the original on 14 February 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
   • "Paula Seling si Ovi i-au cucerit pe turci. Urmeaza Marea Britanie si Norvegia" [Pala Seling and Ovi impressed the Turks. United Kingdom and Norway will follow] (in Romanian). Ziare.com. 29 April 2010. from the original on 17 July 2015. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
   • Țimonea, Dorin (19 March 2010). "Paula şi Ovi, în era "Avatar"" [Paula and Ovi, in the "Avatar" era]. Adevărul (in Romanian). from the original on 14 February 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
2. "Sunstroke Project au aniversat 10 ani de succes intr-un super show alaturi de o parte din participantii la Eurovision 2017" [Substroke Project celebrate 10 years of success with a show with a part of the Eurovision 2017 contestants] (in Romanian). Star Gossip Magazine. from the original on 13 February 2018. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
3. "Romania: Paula and Ovi are playing with fire". Eurovision Song Contest. 19 May 2010. Archived from the original on 21 July 2018. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
4. Paula Seling and Ovi (2010). Playing with Fire (CD single). TVR. 6474115.
5. "Eurovision 2010: Liveblogged". The Guardian. from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
6. Paula Seling and Ovi (2010). Playing with Fire (CD single). TMC. 7923475.
7. Paula Seling and Ovi (2010). Playing with Fire (CD single). AXR Music. 2328487.
8. "Joacă-te cu piesa "Playing With Fire"" [Play with "Playing with Fire"]. Adevărul (in Romanian). 15 February 2010. from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
9. "Playing With Fire (Make Your Own Remix Kit)". iTunes Store. 24 May 2010. from the original on 14 February 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
10. Greenwood, Carl (18 May 2015). "Eurovision 2015 preview: Will Romania entry All Over Again see Voltaj join song contest winners?". Mirror. from the original on 16 November 2015. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
11. Robinson, Frances (13 May 2016). "Glitter, glamour and geopolitics – why we love Eurovision". International Business Times. from the original on 1 June 2016. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
12. "Paula Seling & Ovi sunt printre favoriții de la Eurovision" [Paula Seling & Ovi are among this year's favorites at Eurovision]. Adevărul (in Romanian). 2 April 2010. from the original on 13 February 2018. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
13. Honciuc, Bogdan (24 April 2016). "Poll: What is your favourite Eurovision song from Romania?". Wiwibloggs. from the original on 4 July 2017. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
14. "Premiile Muzicale Radio România Actualităţi, ediţia 2011" [2011 Radio România Actualități Awards] (in Romanian). Radio România Actualități. from the original on 29 August 2017. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
15. "Promo Eurovision video: Paula Seling feat. Ovi – "Playing with Fire"" (in Romanian). Star Gossip Magazine. from the original on 14 February 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
16. "Exclusive! Paula Seling & Ovi – Playing with Fire". YouTube. 6 April 2010. from the original on 12 April 2016. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
17. Scris de Pyuric (7 April 2010). "Videoclip Paula Seling & Ovi – "Playing with Fire"" (in Romanian). Urban.ro. from the original on 28 March 2014. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
18. "Making of: Paula şi Ovi se "ceartă" în videoclipul melodiei "Playing with Fire"" [Making of: Paula and Ovi "fight" in the music video for "Playing with Fire"]. Adevărul (in Romanian). 5 April 2010. from the original on 14 February 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
19. Țimonea, Dorin (19 March 2010). "Paula şi Ovi, în era "Avatar"" [Paula and Ovi, in the "Avatar" era]. Adevărul (in Romanian). from the original on 14 February 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
20. Krajnik, Monika (9 April 2010). "Eurovision: Paula Seling şi Ovi încing internetul cu noul lor videoclip" [Eurovision: Paula Seling and Ovi heat up the internet with their new music video] (in Romanian). from the original on 14 February 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
21. Selecția Națională 2010. 6 March 2010.
22. "Vedete care au "comis-o" in vazul lumii. Gafe memorabile!" [Celebrities who have "committed" it. Memorable bats!] (in Romanian). Ele.ro. 3 March 2014. from the original on 13 February 2018. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
23. "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.
24. "Ovi, singurul compozitor al piesei "Playing with Fire"" [Ovi, the sole composer of "Playing with Fire"]. Adevărul (in Romanian). 10 March 2010. from the original on 13 February 2018. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
25. ""Playing with fire" ar putea fi descalificată de la Eurovision" ["Playing with Fire" could be disqualified from Eurovision]. Adevărul (in Romanian). 12 March 2010. from the original on 13 February 2018. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
26. Eurovision Song Contest 2010. Oslo, Norway. 25–27 May 2010.
27. Obretin, Ana (20 May 2010). "Paula Seling şi Ovi, reprezentanţii României la Eurovision, au avut prima repetiţie la Oslo" [Paula Seling and Ovi had their first rehearsal in Oslo] (in Romanian). Mediafax. from the original on 14 February 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
28. Janke, Nicole (8 May 2014). "Rumänien: Paula Seling & Ovi" [Romania: Paula Seling & Ovi] (in Romanian). Eurovision.de. ARD. from the original on 18 July 2017. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
29. Allègre, Claire-Marie (24 May 2012). "15 costumes extravagants à l'Eurovision" [15 extravagant Eurovision outfits] (in French). L'Express Styles. from the original on 26 April 2016. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
30. Goldsby, Robin Meloy (2011). Waltz of the Asparagus People: The Further Adventures of Piano Girl. BookBaby. p. 228. ISBN 978-1-61792-708-9.
31. "Eurovision 2010 Semi-final 2 Results". Eurovision World. from the original on 13 February 2018. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
32. "Eurovision 2010 Results: Voting & Points". Eurovision World. from the original on 13 February 2018.
33. "Results of the Second Semi-Final of Oslo 2010". European Broadcasting Union. from the original on 28 April 2021. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
34. "Results of the Grand Final of Oslo 2010". European Broadcasting Union. from the original on 28 April 2021. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
35. "Paula & Ovi – Playing With Fire" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
36. "Paula & Ovi: Playing with Fire" (in Norwegian). VG-lista. from the original on 15 July 2016. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
37. . Romanian Top 100 (in Romanian). Kiss FM. 14 November 2010. Archived from the original on 3 January 2011. Retrieved 22 September 2018. Note: User may download the podcast named "Romanian Top 100 – 14 noiembrie 2010" by clicking on 'Download' on the side menu.
38. "Paula & Ovi – Playing With Fire". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
39. "Paula & Ovi – Playing With Fire". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
40. "Chart: Cluck Update 12.06.2010 (WK 22)". The Official Charts Company. Zobbel.de. from the original on 5 March 2012. Retrieved 12 February 2018.