Editorials & Opinion

Xtra’s pick of the 90s

Welcome back to our new daily series, as we travel back in time and one of our editors picks out a song each day from Eurovisions gone by and puts it into the spotlight. Today is Thursday, which means we’re heading to the 90s and Liam is back again.

Estonia 1997: Maarja – Keelatud Maa (8th place)


Look, I know it’s pretty predictable that I would pick an Estonian song but this song is one of the reasons I became so fascinated with Estonia in the first place.
For me, this song is perfection. It’s beautifully sung by the appropriately named Maarja-Liis Ilus (Ilus meaning Beautiful in Estonian) and it really shows off how pretty Estonian can sound.
Now since then, I’ve ended up hearing enough drunken slurred Estonian around my favourite bars in Tartu to know that just like any other language it can sound really horrible, but this song will always mean something special to me for inspiring my studies in Estonia in the first place.
It also taught me the world ‘Keelatud’ (Forbidden) which helped me avoid accidentally breaking the law a few times in Estonia, which really was handy.
 

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