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About Albania...
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2005 Result
Points in Semi Final: N/A
Position in Semi Final: N/A
Points in Final: 53
Position in Final: 16th
2006 Contest: Must compete in Semi Final
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History (1956 to 2004)
Albania's previous appearances: 1 year(s) out of 49
Years participated: 2004-
Best result: 7th (2004)
Albania entered Eurovision for the first time in 2004, and defied the sceptics by doing much better than many had expected. Anjeza Shahini and her song of 'The image of you' finished an impressive 4th in the Semi Final, easily qualifying for the Final where it finished 7th. As a result, Albania enjoys the advantage of a guaranteed place in the Final for 2005.
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This year's entry
Position in Semi Final draw: N/A
Position in Final draw: 8
What I said prior to the Semi Final:
"Just like a year ago, Albania has been quick off the mark, once again becoming the first of this year's countries to select its singer and song - 'Tomorrow I go' (translated into English from the Albanian version 'Nesër shkoj') performed by the popular Albanian artist Ledina Celo. Listening to the song, it would be flippant to suggest that Albania seems to have stuck to last year's winning formula: Shouty woman? Check! Energetic song? Check! Longer than the three minute limit? Checkety check!
Nevertheless, 'Nesër shkoj' is rather enjoyable. It is a great dollop of Doris-esque (Croatia, 1999) Balkan melodrama, with serious-sounding men at the back providing a foil to Ledina's glass-shattering high notes. Add in some ingredients employed by other successful artists in the 2004 Contest - Željko-style fiddling and Ruslana-esque stomping - and Albania would seem, in theory, to have a recipe for success..."
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What I predicted...
My prediction for Semi Final: N/A
My prediction for Final: 18th to 20th
What I predicted prior to the Semi Final:
"The reality, however, may be different. I'm not convinced that the translation to English works terribly well, and while the song is decent enough, I can't help feeling it lacks the sweet charm that made last year's 'The image of you' such a success. For me, the odds of 50-1 seems a fair reflection of the song's chances - not bottom of the table, but far from being a contender for victory."
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What you thought...
Final Poll Ranking: out of 39 ()
(Updated 22 May 2005; change refers to movement over final week)
In the run up to the Contest, 27,998 visitors to this site voted for their favourite song in the Soult.com Eurovision Poll (up from 5,000 in 2004!)
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What actually happened...
Well, the Albanian song was another one where I wasn't too far off in my estimation. The resulting 16th place with 53 points (including what risks becoming a customary exchange of high marks with Greece and Macedonia) was no disgrace, and seems a reasonable reflection of its merits. The song's visual performance was extremely impressive, if rather derivative of things we have all seen before, but Ledina's vocal was not, to be fair, the strongest that you are likely to hear at Eurovision. As predicted, her singing in English was also not completely convincing, with the song's sheer repetitiveness ("Little dram, a little dram") starting to wear a little by the end of three minutes. Indeed, feeling quite exhausted after sitting through the Albanian performance, a little dram would have gone down very nicely.
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What the bookies thought...
 | Albania to win: | 21/05/05 (prior to Final) | 66-1 |
| | 19/05/05 (after Semi Final) | 66-1 |
| | 19/05/05 (prior to Semi Final) | 50-1 |
| | 16/05/05 | 50-1 |
| | 15/05/05 | 50-1 |
| | 08/05/05 | 50-1 |
| | 02/05/05 | 50-1 |
| | 24/04/05 | 40-1 |
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Albania's odds had drifted to 66-1 by the Final, reflecting the lack of buzz or expectation around Ledina Celo's song.
(Odds quoted here were those offered by Coral.co.uk. 'F' indicates favourite, 'JF' joint favourite.)
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Links
 http://www.ledinacelo.com/
 http://rtsh.sil.at/
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Notes (see 'History' above)
- The 1956 Contest (where each country had two songs) is counted as a single appearance;
- Countries eliminated in the 1993 preliminary heat (EE, HU, RO, SK) ARE NOT counted as making an appearance in that year's Contest;
- Countries eliminated in the 1996 preliminary heat (DE, DK, HU, IL, MK, RO, RU) ARE NOT counted as making an appearance in that year's Contest;
- Countries eliminated in the 2004, 2005 and 2006 Semi Finals ARE counted as making an appearance in that year's Contest.
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Your comments (214)
From Juxhin, Albania
Added 20:10:41 2007-01-12
Thank you Lithuania for the comment.And Lithuanian song "We are the winners" was beautiful.Bye
From Tom, United Kingdom
Added 21:03:49 2006-03-10
I thought Ledina was excellent last year (and I seem to remember her singing in Albanian, as I vaguely remember not being able to sing along, and I had learnt the English lyrics to it). It was sad to see her position so low.
From kiki, Greece
Added 17:32:25 2006-02-12
I liked this song!I voted for Albania!In 2006 we the Greeks we are all welcome you to Athens!See you!
From mary anne, UNITED STATES
Added 21:11:47 2005-09-30
ewwwwwww this last song sucks come on albania u deserve much better ewwww
From Lala, GERMANY
Added 13:33:04 2005-08-28
what a great song.i don't understand why it reached only place 8...
From Edgaras, LITHUANIA
Added 20:19:30 2005-08-03
Ledina Celo is COOL singer,shes song is very very cool!I think she is better in the Eurovizion.I want to be in communication with shes fans.my e.mail ea@mzk.lt I wait your letter.Bye.
From marios, CYPRUS
Added 13:23:06 2005-07-26
LEDINA WAS GREAT AND THE SONG TOO. SHE DESERVED A MUCH BETTER PLACE. IM VERY SAD THAT CYPRUS DIDNT GAVE ALBANIA POINTS AT ALL.
From alexandra, GREECE
Added 13:01:12 2005-07-11
hi!!i believe that ledina is a great singer and beautiful.the song is really good and touching!!so,good luck next year i will vote for you!!!
From erton, ALBANIA
Added 10:16:51 2005-07-01
i love albania the best country the best flag
From AnJeZa , CANADA
Added 22:32:53 2005-06-22
it very nice...i love albania....l'albanie est number 1 et aussi greece...paix grek and albania cuntry.i am in montreal,canada..kisss the peuple shqiptar(albanais)lol..
From Malta The Best, MALTA
Added 17:22:25 2005-06-21
Malta is the best song after Belarus. But Belarus didn't even pass the semi-final. The moldovian song is the worst song i ever heard. Go MALTA
From PETER WALMSLEY, UNITED KINGDOM
Added 12:02:22 2005-06-21
I really like the song and thought it deserved to be in the top five. A credit to Albania.
From cani, --
Added 13:30:15 2005-06-15
Is very good song and olso i have respect for lejdina because she's very good man.
REPLY FROM GRAHAM: But I thought she was a woman? ;)
From besa, ALBANIA
Added 10:35:42 2005-06-14
hey ledina im from prishtina and i like very much you song but i like the modeling and is my dream to be a model in london soq are you and pliz here is my email addres and whrite too me please i love you
From GURI, ALBANIA
Added 23:02:11 2005-06-05
ANJEZA SHOULD BE THE FIRST ONE IN EUROVISION CONTEST THE ONLY REASON WHY YOU DID NOT PICK ALBANIA FIRST PLACE IS BECAUSE EUROISION IS NOT ABOUT SONG BUT POLITICS TOO
From GENTI & MERI, UNITED KINGDOM
Added 18:01:35 2005-06-04
the song from Ledina wasn't that good. but most i didn't like the albanian judge. he was so uuuuuuugly. albania can do better next year. hope so. forget about the drums. bad idea. 2/10
From arbresha, --
Added 17:24:50 2005-06-04
lejdina you are the best .You are my prefery singer
From Ahmad, CANADA
Added 02:35:49 2005-05-31
Hi, everybody, I just wanted to say, we had a angel in Eurovision and she was Lejdina, I think instead of Greece, she deserved the Gold.But she is incridible and I enjoy her voice, her beauty and her performance.
From liria, ALBANIA
Added 18:34:06 2005-05-29
albania it has the best song in eurvision
From Charlotte, UNITED KINGDOM
Added 18:8:25 2005-5-27
Not a bad song this year .. shame because last years song was fab! Thought you might have done a little bit better though .. x
From Nida, UNITED KINGDOM
Added 4:0:45 2005-5-27
Albania surely deserved the 16th place if not even lower than that. Why should the song sound Arabic and be song in english when it represents a country which is full of its traditional music and has a language of its own. Arjan Sukniqi should be banned from ever having anything to do with the ESC! Full Stop!
From John Dawner, NORWAY
Added 14:44:11 2005-5-26
Albania shouldn't have changed the lyrics to English. You guys deserved a much better placing.
From majlinda, ALBANIA
Added 12:47:24 2005-5-25
Albanian was alright this year but i do think greece deserved it , albanian didnt try hard enough ,Anjeza Shahini was better last year sorry Ledina
i do think that the song sounded better in albanian though
From arta, KOSOVA
Added 8:11:58 2005-5-25
albania you are the one and i love your sng cause its tradicional albanian you are the best and in our hearts forever bye from prizren
From Nida, UNITED KINGDOM
Added 4:11:37 2005-5-24
The 16th place was so much deserved. Hopefully it will serve as a lesson to all those composers back in Albania that great legs is simply not enough!
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