Alexander Rybak and His Fairytale

I'm busy finishing the next SurLaLune Fairy Tales ebook release, so time is short and this will be quick. Besides, this month fairy tale news is rather slow and while I have plenty in my files to share, I decided to post this quick and easy entry. And also, perhaps, torture you with an earworm. The very earworm that has been haunting me for a few days.

Now to much of Europe this is very old news now, but in the U.S. not many people are aware of Eurovision and its over 40 year tradition of a competition that is rather like mashing up American Idol and the Olympics into a song contest between various countries.

This year's winner of Eurovision Song Contest 2009, by a large margin, was Norway's Alexander Rybak with the song he wrote and performed, Fairytale. The lyrics are in English and not complicated, but they lightly reference fairy tale themes, such as love and curses. These are not deep, life-pondering lyrics. However, they are catchy and helped along by a tune inspired by traditional Norwegian folk music. (I'm a quarter Norwegian, so that's something to be fond of for me personally.)

Anyway, the song has been popular all summer in many places outside the U.S. It has been a top result on Google for general "fairy tale" searches, so you may have seen it already. I did and kept going back and investigating a little more each time. Now it's stuck in my head.

And once again, fairy tales, specific or generic, are part of the world's experience and part of pop culture.