Eurovision Norway 1986: ROMEO (Ketil Stokkan)

"Romeo" was the Norwegian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1986, performed in Norwegian by Ketil Stokkan.
The song is a moderately up-tempo number, with Stokkan addressing the object of his desires. He sings about his elaborate preparations to "seduce you" - going to the lengths of borrowing clothes to look better. Unfortunately for him, his advances appear to have been over-eager, as he sings "My greatest pleasure was to touch you/My biggest stupidity was to feel you up". His paramour compares him unfavourably to Romeo, telling him that "the Gods shall know that you will never become a/Romeo, Romeo, try to take it easy", even as he is begging on his knees for the relationship to work.
Despite the somewhat unconventional lyrics - Eurovision entries tending to be about requited love - the song is more significant for the appearance onstage of a drag queen, a member of the Norwegian drag troupe "Great Garlic Girls", dressed in stylised clothing reminiscent of the 18th century.
The performance thus represented the first occasion on which a sexual minority was visible onstage. The Contest is frequently associated with a gay audience; however, there had been no displays of this sexuality in previous years, despite the fact that a number of entrants were gay themselves.
At the close of voting, it had received 44 points, placing 12th in a field of 20.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Eurovision
• esc
• eurosong
• Norge
• Norway
• 1986
• Romeo
• ketil
• stokkan
• kjetil
• great garlic girls
• norwegen
• melodi grand prix
• bergen
• åse kleveland
• knut bjørnsen
• oslo
• 2010
• melodifestivalen