Play by Jüri Pootsmann

Play (Estonia, 2016) is a song performed at the ESC by Jüri Pootsmann, Estonian singer, in 2016 for the country of Estonia, the whole performance it’s rather dark, and lacks excitement, it was ranked 18th in the semifinals, and didn’t make it to the finals. The song is meant to be a representation of his life as he said that the song was written specially for him(Eurovision Song Contest, 2016). However, it doesn’t match Jüri’s personality, in fact, Jüri is a very playful and silly person, which is shown in one of his interviews before his performance at Eurovision (wiwibloggs, 2016a). Therefore, there must be other connections with Estonian identity. The song also symbolizes the game of love and life and makes some connections to its meaning, also connecting the power of different suits in a card deck to Estonian significant others.

The performance of Play appeared to be simple but there is some symbolism under the surface. It’s not easy to catch the meaning of the performance and the lyrics the first time it’s heard, but different components of the performance add to the meaning of the song. The staging in particular had a retro vibe, the floors and background imitate a casino while decorating the stage with cards and games. Cards are an interesting choice out of any other common game, but it is a smart choice considering that:

“Historically, pips were highly variable, giving way to different sets of symbols rooted in geography and culture… these graphic tablets aren’t just toys, or tools. They are cultural imprints that reveal popular custom.” (Bernhard, 2021) Cards are also known to be a “medium for secret messages” (Bernhard, 2021) Which would explain that mysterious energy around the stage. Different cultures disagree with the meaning of pips, and its origin, however, “they almost certainly have Eastern origins” (Bernhard, 2021). Based on these facts, it could be argued that: The staging is designed for a multicultural audience that will not only recognize the game that is being displayed, because it’s so popular around the world, but that will also make personal connections based on their geography and culture. Moreover, during the performance, there are multiple symbols and cards around the stage, but there is a big spade suit in the middle of the stage where Jüri is standing on, Bernhard argues that “The choice of pips is thus partly a reflection of noblemen’s tastes and interests” ( Bernhard,2021), also considering that the spade is the highest ranking suit, the performance is showing that life and love are games, where there are different ranks and players, it’s possible that  Jüri is making some references to Estonians significant others, which can look like a larger country that possibly has more power than Estonia, almost like fitting the roll of nobility, in which case, this significant other will possibly be Russia. Even though it’s a very simple staging, I would say that it accomplished the intention of the song, in fact, Jüri describes it as a “retro, mysterious, and smoky atmosphere” (wiwibloggs, 2016a), additionally, the stage had lots of red lighting which contributes to the casino atmosphere and the main theme of the song, love.

Estonians’ songs at Eurovision aren’t usually in the Estonian language, they are mostly in english. Play in particular doesn’t make an obvious connection to Estonian Identity, but it could be said that at some degree it symbolizes Estonian identity and its connection to Jüri’s life. The lyrics of the song can be confusing at times, this is a love song but it’s not the typical love song. It presents the topic of love as a game, which is a peculiar combination, it might be related to Estonians identity and how Jüri feels about Estonia based on some interviews by ESCunited, he says that he loves Estonians forests, Tallin, and the way he describes Estonia is as a “nice and cozy small little country” (ESCunited, 2016), however, Estonia has a background with the URSS, and as Jüri said “life is a game too” (Dobry wieczór Europo!, 2016), this could be related to Estonia’s history and how they played their way out of submission, to finally become an independent country. In his performance we can see that as he walks into the stage, we have the camara facing down and allowing the viewers to see the cards with Jüri’s face on them, it may be another representation that life is a game and that he is another card or pawn in this game. Jüri’s costume is simple, serious, as well as his body language, however, on stage he constantly performs a peculiar move with his hand, this might be just him trying to get the camera and people’s attention, but I think it draws people away from the topic of his song. Additionally, at the midpoint in his performance he performs a magic trick which symbolizes that love can go as quickly as it comes as well as making an analogy with life (wiwibloggs, 2016). Since the song is supposed to be personal to Jüri, for moments I though he was hinting at queerness with his lyrics, when he says “see all your walls come down and just hit play”, however, Jüri is not part of the LGB community, or there is no proof of it, but he may still be talking about queerness and presenting his song as free interpretation for his viewers, but it’s unlikely that’s the case, because this song is mostly about him.

Play genre is German pop, it has basic instrumentation, drums, piano, electric guitar, the novelty of the song is Jüri’s voice since it’s very deep, and at some points is lower than most voices at Eurovision, it gives the song deepness and more elegance or seriousness. The main song instrument is the piano, it sounds like a big piano, with some power and resonance, but it could also just be an electric piano, we can hear it at the beginning and throughout the whole song, it is possible that it contributes to the retro vibe that Jüri is talking about in the interviews, also, it gives an elegant quality to the song, as well as Jüri’s blue suit, which is classic and vintage. Overall, even though the song and the performance try to project multinationalism, different powers and ranks of Estonians significant others, mystery, luxury, and a little bit of storytelling about love, I don’t think it is well accomplished. It shares the wrong idea; however, we can see the attempt they made, and that at least not all the components of the performance are misleading. 

 

 

 

 

 

References

Bernhard, A. (2021, June 21). The lost origins of playing-card symbols. The Atlantic. Retrieved February 27, 2023, from https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2017/08/the-lost-origins-of-playing-card-symbols/537786/ 

Dobry wieczór Europo! (2016, May 10). Jüri Pootsmann (Estonia): “My favourite game? Life!” (Eurovision 2016) [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8W2Eg093GlM

ESCunited. (2016, May 4). Eurovision 2016 - Estonia Juri Pootsmann Interview [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BR3YEHJ3VRY

Estonia: Jüri Pootsmann sings 'Play' . (2016). RTVE.es. Retrieved February 27, 2023, from https://www.rtve.es/play/videos/eurovision/eurovision-2016-semifinal-1-estonia-juri-pootsmann-canta-play/3604235/. 

Eurovision Song Contest. (2016). Jüri Pootsmann. Eurovision Song Contest. Retrieved February 27, 2023, from https://eurovision.tv/participant/jueri-pootsmann 

wiwibloggs. (2016a, April 2). Jüri Pootsmann “Play” - Eurovision Pre-Party Riga 2016 (Interview) | wiwibloggs [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQeGUmm-guo

wiwibloggs. (2016b, May 3). Jüri Pootsmann Estonia Play Eurovision 2016 - interview | wiwibloggs [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Moke9uGokyQ