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Silent Storm (song)

"Silent Storm"
Single by Carl Espen
Released18 February 2014
Recorded2013
GenrePop
Length2:57
LabelRCA
Songwriter(s)Josefin Winther [no]
Producer(s)Magnus Skylstad
Carl Espen singles chronology
"Silent Storm"
(2014) 		"Holding On"
(2014)
Music video
"Silent Storm" on YouTube
Eurovision Song Contest 2014 entry
Country
Artist(s)
Languages
English
Composer(s)
Lyricist(s)
Josefin Winther
Finals performance
Semi-final result
6th
Semi-final points
77
Final result
8th
Final points
88
Entry chronology
◄ "I Feed You My Love" (2013)
"A Monster Like Me" (2015) ►
Song presentation
Official performance video
"Silent Storm" (Semi-Final) on YouTube
"Silent Storm" (Final) on YouTube

"Silent Storm" is a song by Norwegian singer and songwriter Carl Espen, released as a single on 18 February 2014. Described as a powerful ballad about finding one's place in life, it was written by Josefin Winther [no] and produced by Magnus Skylstad. The song represented Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 in Copenhagen, Denmark after winning Melodi Grand Prix 2014, Norway's national selection for the event. The song finished eighth overall with 88 points.

"Silent Storm" was met with positive reviews among critics, highlighting the song's vulnerability and Espen's vocal delivery. The song drew commercial success, entering the top 30 in Denmark and the Netherlands. The song also became Espen's first charting song in his home country.

Background and composition

"Silent Storm" was composed and written by Espen's cousin, Josefin Winther [no]. In an interview, he spoke of the song's development: "[Winther] knows me very well, both my personal struggles and my dream to sing. She sat down and thought about me for a long time, and then tried to write a song to express my feelings and my place in life. The result was "Silent Storm". No one else could have written this song for me."[1]

The song has been described as an "intense, fragile and powerful ballad".[2] Espen further described the song as about finding your place in life. Espen added, "that is something I hold dearly and I haven’t achieved yet. Its something that I miss and that I think a lot about":[3]

"The story is that my cousin saw me for who I am, and understood that it would be good for me to express the feeling I carry inside. She felt that I was still searching for my place in the world, and that I keep many of my difficult feelings closed inside. She feels that I am calm and quiet on the outside, but that strong feeling whirl around right underneath my surface. These feelings are like a silent storm inside me. The message is this expression of my looking for a home, and also a growing hope that someday I’ll be calm."[1]

When asked about where the inspiration for the song came from, Winther said, "Carl Espen was the source of the song, because I felt like he had something bubbling under the surface waiting to come out".[4]

Reception

Prior to the actual contest, "Silent Storm" was one of the favorites to win the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 in betting odds.[5][6] "Silent Storm" was also met with general acclaim from music critics. Martin Faulkner from BBC describes "Silent Storm" as a strong song, while Samantha Ross elaborated, "there’s something so appealing about a guy who looks like he could take down trees with his bare hands going on and singing so sweetly about his vulnerabilities and emotions".[7] Multiple critics from Wiwibloggs also positively reviewed the song, applauding Espen's vocal delivery and the song's vulnerability.[8][9] William Lee Adams from Wiwibloggs further elucidated: "Carl’s voice carries melanchaly [sic] well, and any imperfections actually work in his favor. The occasional cracks and warbles fit with a performance about human frailty. Unlike so many Eurovision ballads, “Silent Storm” doesn't rely on Carl singing louder and louder. His emotions are real. He drives the song with sincerity."[10]

Dennis Van Eersel from ESC Daily described the song as a very emotional song, with interesting lyrics. He further added, "I like how the text doesn’t match the appearance of the singer. It gives it even more strength to me, because you can never judge a book by it's [sic] cover and know what really goes on in someone else’s mind."[11] Eurovision Song Contest 2013 winner Emmelie de Forest said that the song is her great favorite, and liked the song upon listening to it and have followed Espen through the Norwegian national selection.[2] She also described the song as having a nice lyrics and melody.[12]

Eurovision Song Contest 2014

Main article: Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 2014

Melodi Grand Prix 2014

Melodi Grand Prix 2014 was the 52nd edition of the Norwegian national final Melodi Grand Prix and selected Norway's entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2014. For 2014, the competition consisted of three semi-finals on 7 to 9 March 2014 and a final on 15 March 2014. Five songs competed in each semi-final and the top three entries qualified to the final, determined exclusively by public televoting.[13] In the final, the top four entries will be selected from the nine qualified entries to go through to the Gold Final. In the Gold Final, the results of the public televote were revealed by Norway's five regions.[14]

Espen was officially announced to compete in Melodi Grand Prix 2014 on 27 January 2014. "Silent Storm" was drawn to compete in the third semi-final,[15] and later qualified to the final. In the final, the song would move on to the Gold Final, along with three other entries. The song eventually won the Gold Final and the Norwegian spot for the Eurovision Song Contest 2014.[14][16]

At Eurovision

The Eurovision Song Contest 2014 took place at the B&W Hallerne in Copenhagen, Denmark, and consisted of two semi-finals held on the respective dates of 6 and 8 May, and the final on 10 May 2014. During the allocation draw on 20 January 2014, Norway was drawn to compete in the second semi-final, performing in the first half of the show. Espen was later drawn to perform third in the semi-final, behind Israel's Mei Finegold and ahead of Georgia's The Shin and Mariko.[17]

Espen performing "Silent Storm" in a dress rehearsal before the Eurovision 2014 second semi-final.

For the Eurovision performance of "Silent Storm", Espen is accompanied by a pianist and four violinists who were standing on a sloped pedestal. Artificial smoke covered the stage floor in the beginning of the performance, removed by what is described as a "silent storm created by the wind machines when the chorus was on".[18] The performance also featured images of dark moving waves appearing on the giant LED screens at the back of the stage. The waves also move with the song's tempo. Spots then lit up from the back of the stage with what resembles a starry night scene, forming the walls surrounding the stage.[4] The end reverts back to the dark setting, with all lights centred on Espen.[18] "Silent Storm" finished in sixth, receiving 77 points, and securing a spot in the grand final.[19]

Espen performed a repeat of his performance in the grand final on 10 May, performing in fifth, ahead of Iceland's Pollapönk and before Romania's duo of Paula Seling and Ovi.[20] After the results were announced, Espen finished eighth with a combined vote of 88 points, finishing ninth from the jury vote and 17th from the televote.[21] No sets of 12 points were given by any country; the maximum given was 10 points by the Netherlands.[22]

After the contest, Espen expressed satisfaction regarding the results.[23] He further added, "it is a great honor to be one of the top ten in the Eurovision Song Contest."[24]

Track listing

  • Digital download/streaming[25]
  1. " Silent Storm" – 2:57
  • Digital download/streaming — Karaoke version[26]
  1. " Silent Storm" (Karaoke version) – 2:55
  1. "Silent Storm" (Rykkinnfella Remix) – 3:41

Charts

Chart performance for "Silent Storm"
Chart (2014) Peak
position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[28] 39
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)[29] 29
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Wallonia)[30] 45
Denmark (Tracklisten)[31] 28
Finland Download (Latauslista)[32] 20
Germany (GfK)[33] 47
Ireland (IRMA)[34] 34
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[35] 20
Norway (VG-lista)[36] 37
Scotland (OCC)[37] 90
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[38] 40
UK Singles (OCC)[39] 97

Certifications

Certifications for "Silent Storm"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Norway (IFPI Norway)[40] Platinum 10,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release dates and formats for "Silent Storm"
Region Date Format(s) Version Label Ref.
Various 18 February 2014
Original RCA
[25]
14 April 2014 Karaoke Universal
[26]
9 May 2014
  • Digital download
  • streaming
 Rykkinnfella remix Independent
[27]

References

  1. ^ a b Scott, Robin (14 April 2014). "Norway: Interview with Carl Espen!". ESC Today. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Eurovision winner backs Norway's Carl Espen". The Local. 6 May 2014. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  3. ^ Aderemi, Deban (15 May 2014). "Carl Espen: Silent Storm is about finding your place in life. I have not". Wiwibloggs. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Emotional storm of a performance for Norway". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. 3 May 2014. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  5. ^ Granger, Anthony (27 April 2014). "ESC'14: Betting Odds Before The Rehearsals". eurovoix.com. Eurovoix News. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  6. ^ "Carl Espen blant favorittene" [Carl Espen among the favourites]. NRK (in Norwegian Bokmål). 4 May 2014. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
  7. ^ "Eurovision Song Contest Final - Song Reviews". BBC. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  8. ^ Quinn, Angus (7 March 2014). "NORWAY: Wiwi Jury Reviews Carl Espen with Silent Storm". Wiwibloggs. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  9. ^ Adams, William Lee (29 April 2014). "Norway: Wiwi Jury reviews Carl Espen with Silent Storm". Wiwibloggs. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  10. ^ Adams, William Lee (18 March 2014). "Discuss: Carl Espen's Silent Storm is the ballad of the year". Wiwibloggs. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  11. ^ Marathefthis, Anita. "2000 and Whatever – Norway". ESC Daily. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  12. ^ Hege, Bakken Riise (10 May 2014). "Emmelie tror fortsatt på Norge" [Emmelie still believes in Norway]. NRK (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 30 December 2024.
  13. ^ Hege, Bakken Riise (5 December 2013). "Slik blir Melodi Grand Prix 2014" [This is how Melodi Grand Prix 2014 will be]. NRK (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  14. ^ a b "Carl Espen to represent Norway in Copenhagen!". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. 15 March 2014. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  15. ^ "15 Norwegian Hopefuls Revealed". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. 27 January 2014. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  16. ^ Fyen, Stian (19 February 2014). "Ble tatt på senga av strålende anmeldelser" [Was taken to bed by rave reviews]. Dagbladet (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 26 April 2022.
  17. ^ "Running order for Eurovision Semi-Finals decided". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. 24 March 2014. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
  18. ^ a b "Norway: "It feels good to be close to home"". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. 29 April 2014. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
  19. ^ Leigh, Rob (9 May 2014). "Eurovision 2014 results: 10 song contest qualifiers from second semi-final". The Mirror. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
  20. ^ Granger, Anthony (9 May 2014). "ESC'14: Running Order Announced". Eurovoix News. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
  21. ^ Granger, Anthony (11 May 2014). "ESC'14: Split Final Results". Eurovoix News. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
  22. ^ "Results of the Grand Final of Copenhagen 2014: Detailed voting results – Norway". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
  23. ^ Helgheim, Sindre Vik; Audardottir Oldeide, Adalheidur (11 May 2014). "Her er Carl Espen tilbake i Bergen" [Here is Carl Espen back in Bergen]. NRK (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 30 December 2014.
  24. ^ "Lover en perfekt plan for Carl Espen" [Promises a perfect plan for Carl Espen]. NRK (in Norwegian Bokmål). 11 May 2014. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
  25. ^ a b "Silent Storm – Song by Carl Espen". Apple Music. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  26. ^ a b "Silent Storm – Eurovision 2014 – Norway (Karaoke Version)". Spotify. Retrieved 1 January 2025.
  27. ^ a b "Silent Storm (Rykkinnfella Remix) – Single by Carl Espen". Apple Music. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  28. ^ "Carl Espen – Silent Storm" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
  29. ^ "Carl Espen – Silent Storm" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  30. ^ "Carl Espen – Silent Storm" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  31. ^ "Track Top-40 Uge 19 - 2014" [Track Top-40 Week 19 - 2014] (in Danish). Hitlisten. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  32. ^ "Carl Espen: Silent Storm" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
  33. ^ "Carl Espen – Silent Storm" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  34. ^ "Chart Track: Week 20, 2014". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  35. ^ "Carl Espen - Silent Storm". dutchcharts.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  36. ^ "VG-lista – Carl Espen" (in Norwegian Bokmål). VG-lista. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
  37. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
  38. ^ "Carl Espen – Silent Storm". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  39. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
  40. ^ "Norwegian single certifications – Carl Espen – Silent Storm" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway.
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