OPA (song)
| "OPA!" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Single by Giorgos Alkaios | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Released | 26 February 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Format | Digital download | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Recorded | 2008–2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Genre | Laïko | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Length | 3:02 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Label | Friends Music Factory | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Writer(s) | Giorgos Alkaios, Giannis Antoniou, Friends | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Producer(s) | Giorgos Alkaios | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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"OPA!" (Greek: ΏΠΑ!, IPA: [ˈopa]) is a song by Greek singer Giorgos Alkaios. It represented Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010. The song was released by broadcaster Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT) on 26 February 2010 along with the other candidate songs from the national final, while a digital download was released on 12 March 2010 in association with Universal Music Greece.
Alkaios had originally written the music to the song about two year prior, with no intention of submitting it for the Eurovision Song Contest at the time. After lyricist Giannis Antoniou heard the music a year earlier, he was smitten with the song and asked Alkaios to write lyrics for it. In the process, other musicians and employees from Friends Music Factory including Dionisis Schinas, Kassiani Kargiule, Dimitris Hortarias, Stavros Apostolou, Tolis Schinas, and Manos Hortarias amongst others, also wrote and contributed half of the lyrics to the song. Upon completion, good friend and musician Dionysis Schinas along with Giannis Antoniou urged Alkaios to submit the song to broadcaster ERT to take part in the national final. Originally only intending to be the composer of the song, Alkaios agreed to submit the song, and Schinas hand delivered the song to ERT's offices. Later, it was decided that Alkaios would perform the song on stage along with "friends".
The entry marks the first Greek Eurovision entry since 1998 to be sung entirely in Greek.
"Opa" is a Greek interjection used to express joy or high spirits, especially when dancing. According to Alkaios, 'Opa' is a happy word and just what people need in a time of trouble. The song is all about leaving the past behind and starting all over again. In a world shaken by the current economic circumstance, Alkaios believes people just need to say 'Opa' and move on. Pertaining to the tie of 'Opa' in the song with the current economic situation in the world, Alkaios stated:
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