"Rim Tim Tagi Dim" is a song written and performed by Croatian musician Marko Purišić, better known as
Baby Lasagna. It was released on 12 January 2024 through
Virgin Music Group as the third single from Baby Lasagna's upcoming debut solo album, Demons and Mosquitoes. Self-described as a humorous song about the
economic emigration of young Croatians, it
represented Croatia at the
Eurovision Song Contest 2024, where it finished runner-up with 547 points. The result marked
Croatia's best ever finish in the competition.
Background and composition
"Rim Tim Tagi Dim" was written and composed solely by Purišić.[1] According to him, the song was written by himself in his bedroom, and was inspired by an opportunity he had to take a job on a cruise ship that he refused.[2] It was originally meant to be a filler song for his future debut album, Demons and Mosquitoes, but realized the potential of the song after it surged in streams and decided to enter the song into Dora 2024.[3] The song was officially announced as a reserve song for Croatia's national final for the Eurovision Song Contest 2024, Dora 2024, on 2 January 2024 to serve as a backup if any entry in the main lineup withdrew.[4]
In numerous interviews, he stated that the song was inspired by a mass exodus of young adults leaving Croatia for better opportunities in foreign countries.[5][3] To Purišić, the song is a "humorous and light hearted approach" to the issue.[6] The song itself tells a story of a young, rural man who leaves his village for a better life in a foreign country; although excited, he is still wracked by anxiety over moving.[5][6][2] Purišić was also inspired by his own
anxiety. In the song lyrics, 'rim tim tagi dim' serves as the name of a fictional
folk dance of the narrator's native village.[7] Sonically, "Rim Tim Tagi Dim" merges elements of
techno,
heavy metal,
pop and
trap;[8][9][10] Matilda Källén of Dagens Nyheter described it as "some kind of
pop punk with elements of techno and metal".[11] It is based on a sample taken from the Sounds of KSHMR Vol. 2Splice pack.[12]
Critical reception
Croatian media
"Rim Tim Tagi Dim" has been largely well-received. When Večernji list's Hrvoje Horvat dubbed the song the worst one at Dora and compared it to the works of
Dead or Alive,[13] the comment was condemned by Index.hr writer Josip Bošnjak.[14] The song was also compared to
Käärijä's "
Cha Cha Cha" and
Pain's "Party in My Head"; in response, Purišić expressed admiration for the former artist.[15][16] Käärijä himself praised the song, dubbing it "crazy".[17] Writing for Index.hr, Martina Radoš called on
Croatian Radiotelevision (HRT) to fire those who placed Purišić among the reserves.[18] In an article for the same publication, Bošnjak wrote: "It's an unusual musical
oxymoron. Sad everyday life in a cheerful
Istrian tone."[19] The song was praised by Croatian artists
Matko Jelavić,[20]Zorica Kondža[21] and
Zdenka Kovačiček,[22] along with journalist
Vedrana Rudan.[23]
Eurovision-related and other media
In reactions by Wiwibloggs' William Lee Adams and Cinan, the two praised the song for its composition and lyrics. Adams stated in response to the song's composition, "nothing here feels sort of forced, cheesy, or generic; it feels sincere... this is quality. It just feels like a sincere
rock song."[24] Markus Larsson of Aftonbladet described the song as a "hard-to-digest but effective mix of
Rammstein and
Sean Banan" and pointed out its likely victory at Eurovision.[25] Hanna Fahl of Dagens Nyheter evoked some of Larsson's sentiment, writing: "A
schlagerfied Rammstein for cat lovers and anxiety sufferers – it's both lovable and troll-friendly in all its simple silliness."[26]NPR's Glen Weldon acknowledged the song as a favourite to win the competition, praising the combination of the song's message and musical style, calling it a "narrative
turducken".[27]
In a Wiwibloggs review containing several reviews from several critics, the song was rated 8.5 out of 10 points,[28] earning second out of the 37 songs competing in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 on the site's annual ranking.[29] Another review conducted by ESC Bubble that contained reviews from a combination of readers and juries rated the song first out of the 15 songs "Rim Tim Tagi Dim" was competing against in its the Eurovision semi-final.[30] Jon O'Brien of Vulture ranked the song as 12th overall, dubbing it "essentially a piece of
socioeconomic commentary". He credited its "infectious rhythmic verses and slightly deranged leap from
Balkan techno to headbanging
emo" for Purišić's status of a Eurovision favourite.[31]ESC Beat's Doron Lahav also ranked the song 12th overall, stating that while he believed the song would be remembered by listeners, he acknowledged Purišić's inconsistant live vocals during performances.[32]The Scotsman writer Erin Adam gave the song a heavily positive review, rating the song 10 points out of 10 and stating that the song was her personal winner.[33]
Music video and promotion
An accompanying music video for the song was released on 20 February 2024.[10] The video was directed by Purišić's partner, Elizabeta Ružić, and filmed in her native
Kaštelir-Labinci.[34][35][36] According to a Jutarnji list review, the music video features a rural man, surrounded by fellow rural residents and farm animals, emigrating out of Croatia in search of a better life.[37] In the video, the rural man displays that, while excited to move out of his rural lifestyle, he is still overtaken by anxiety and fear.[38]
On 22 March, Purišić performed the song at the 30th Večernjak's Rose Awards.[45][46] To further promote the song, Purišić announced his participation in various Eurovision pre-parties, including
Amsterdam's Eurovision in Concert,
Madrid's PrePartyES and the
London Eurovision Party.[47][48] During his visit to the Netherlands, Purišić also performed the song on Beau, a Dutch talk-show series, on 12 April.[49] On 21 April, Purišić performed the song on the Slovenian TV show Nedeljsko popoldne.[50][51][52]
On 8 April, HRT invited fans across the country to a public dance event where they would get filmed dancing to the song in order to show support to Purišić. The event, which was taped by HRT for television and social media, took place on 13 April in five Croatian cities – Zagreb,
Split,
Osijek,
Zadar and
Umag.[53] Nearly 150 dancers choreographed their performance for the filming in Umag, with Luana Kličić and Sebastijan Žeželić, Purišić's backup dancers for Malmö, joining the event as well.[54] On the same day, HRT published photos and videos of the fans dancing, which also aired on Dnevnik, HRT's central news program.[55] On 16 April, HRT released a music video titled "Hrvatska pleše 'Rim Tim Tagi Dim'" (
transl. Croatia Dancing to "Rim Tim Tagi Dim"). The video compiled the footage of fans dancing at the five events, as well as several other recordings submitted to HRT by the fans, among which were videos made by the employees of
Croatian Post, members of
Zagreb's Croatian National Theatre and its Ballet Department, Zagreb's Fire Department,
Croatia's Ministry of the Interior and its
Police Academy members, and several tourist boards across Croatia.[56]
HRT, Croatia's broadcaster, organized a 24-entry competition, Dora 2024, to select Croatia's representative for the
Eurovision Song Contest 2024.[57] The competition consisted of two 12-song semi-finals that culminated into a grand final, with eight songs qualifying from each semi-final to make up the grand final. In the final, the winner was selected from a 50/50 combination of votes from the public and a jury that consisted from international and local Croatian juries.[58]
Purišić was announced on 2 January as a reserve entry in the case of anyone in the main lineup's withdrawal.[4] The following day,
Zsa Zsa withdrew from the competition, with Purišić taking her spot.[59] It was drawn to perform seventh in the second semi-final, which took place on 23 February.[60] The performance was choreographed by Luana Kličić and Sebastijan Žeželić, who also took part in it as backing dancers,[40] as well as Purišić's brother Martin who played the drums.[17] It featured
Croatian folk elements such as
lace,
headscarfs and a
washboard, with Purišić wearing a Valentina Pliško-designed costume consisted of a black leather vest, a shirt made of silver rings, faded black jeans with a pink twine, and white baggy sleeves inspired by the
Croatian traditional clothing. The sleeves were compared to those worn by Käärijä at the
Eurovision Song Contest 2023.[7][17][61] The performance also featured a suitcase, symbolizing emigration, and
neon farm animals on the backdrop.[11]
The song managed to qualify for the grand final,[62] and was later drawn to perform 14th in the grand final.[63] Purišić performed a repeat of his semi-final performance. Upon the announcement of the voting results in the grand final on 25 February, the song was revealed to have won the competition, winning both the jury and televote with a combined total of 321 points, 239 more than Vinko Ćemeraš's "Lying Eyes", the runner-up. He also won 247 points from televote, 220 more than Alen Đuras' "A Tamburitza Lullaby", the televote runner-up; all other entries earned 218 points from televote combined. As a result, the song won rights to represent
Croatia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024.[64]
At Eurovision
The
Eurovision Song Contest 2024 took place at the
Malmö Arena in
Malmö, Sweden, and consisted of two semi-finals held on the respective dates of 7 and 9 May and the final on 11 May 2024. During the allocation draw on 30 January 2024, Croatia was drawn to compete in the first semi-final, performing in the first half of the show.[65] He was later drawn to perform seventh in the semi-final, after
Poland's
Luna and before
Iceland's
Hera Björk.[66]
Purišić's performance at Eurovision featured certain modifications compared to the one from Dora: Pliško created new costumes more heavily inspired by the traditional clothing, as well as masks for the dancers inspired by Istrian čentrini. Martin Purišić was replaced by Matija Klaj on the drums.[17] Purišić's costume consisted of white shirt and trousers made of lace, as well as a red vest with golden and silver details. The outfit was rounded off with a
choker, black boots and a tousled hairdo. The performance also featured a backdrop of dancing
LED cats.[67] At the end of his semi-final performance, Purišić winked at the audience and meowed, which Zadovoljna.hr interpreted as a reference to his one-eyed cat Stipe.[68] The performance drew positive reactions from previous Croatian Eurovision participants, including the
2017 representativeJacques Houdek and the
2023 representativesLet 3.[69] "Rim Tim Tagi Dim" won the semi-final, scoring 177 points and securing a position in the grand final.[70][71]
Purišić performed a repeat of his performance in the grand final on 11 May. The song was performed 23rd, ahead of
Slovenia's
Raiven and before
Georgia's
Nutsa Buzaladze.[72] After the results were announced, he finished second with 547 points, with a split score of 210 points from the juries and 337 points from public televoting.[73] Regarding the former, the song received two sets of the maximum 12 points from
Cyprus and
Serbia. It also managed to receive nine additional sets of 12 points from the public televote, winning the televote in the process.[74][75] The result was Croatia's highest ever finish in the contest.[76] In response to his finish, Purišić expressed contentment, stating that he was "surprised how happy I am... We didn't fake anything, everything was done exactly as we imagined, as it should have been."[73]
Aftermath
On 12 May, the day after the final, Purišić arrived from Malmö to Zagreb, where he was welcomed by a crowd of fans and his parents at the
Zagreb Airport. He was then taken to the
Ban Jelačić Square by a panoramic bus. At the square, he was welcomed by thousands of fans, to whom he expressed his gratitude and broke down in tears. He then performed "Rim Tim Tagi Dim" two times in a row. Prior to his arrival, the crowd at the square was entertained by performances from
Emilija Kokić (
Yugoslavia 1989),
Tajči (
Yugoslavia 1990) and Let 3 (Croatia 2023).[77] Those who welcomed Purišić at the square also included the
Mayor of ZagrebTomislav Tomašević and the
Prime MinisterAndrej Plenković.[78] On 16 May, Plenković revealed that the
Government would reward Purišić with
€50,000 for his success;[79] Purišić, however, refused to accept the money and asked that 25,000€ each be donated to two hospitals that he himself had chosen.[80] On 19 May, Purišić was announced as the winner of the
You're a Vision Award.[81]
Purišić's success at Eurovision became a cultural phenomenon in Croatia. He was shown support by RTL Vijesti, the
Croatian National Tourist Board,
Croatia Airlines and the
Croatian Football Federation. In an op-ed for Agroklub, Leticija Hrenković wondered if "Rim Tim Tagi Dim" could change the attitude of the average Croatian towards the rural.[82]Večernji list's Ana Hajduk and Gloria's Ana Strizić credited Purišić for restoring the popularity of lace.[83][84]
Commercial performance
Prior to Dora, "Rim Tim Tagi Dim" debuted at number 24 on the
HR Top 40 issue dated 14 January 2024,[85] before peaking at number four the following week.[86] Following its triumph at Dora, it reached the new peak of number one on the chart issue dated 3 March 2024.[87] It also debuted at number two on Billboard's
Croatia Songs chart issue dated 9 March 2024, behind "Fantazija" by
Grše and
Miach.[88][89] On the chart issue dated 25 May 2024, it ended "Fantazija"'s 15-week reign and reached the chart summit.[90]
On the
UK Singles Chart issue dated 17 May 2024, "Rim Tim Tagi Dim" debuted at number 36.[91] The achievement made Purišić only the second Croatian artist to appear on the chart, after
Ivo Robić who peaked at number 23 with "
Morgen" (1959).[92] Other territories where the song reached
top 40 include Austria,[93][94] Finland,[95] Greece,[96] Iceland,[97] Ireland,[98] Latvia,[99] Lithuania,[100] Luxembourg,[101] Norway,[102] Poland,[103] Sweden[104] and Switzerland.[105]
On 26 February, a day after the Dora final,
Vatrogasci released their
Croatian-language parody cover of "Rim Tim Tagi Dim", titled "Rim Tu Tiki Tiki".[108]
On 5 May, the weekend before the Eurovision week, Croatian actress Marija Kolb impersonated Purišić's Dora performance in the tenth episode of the eighth season of Tvoje lice zvuči poznato, winning the episode. Her performance was endorsed by Purišić.[109][110]
^Sedlar, Jelena (20 February 2024).
"Baby Lasagna objavio spot za pjesmu "Rim Tim Tagi Dim"" [Baby Lasagna released a music video for the song “Rim Tim Tagi Dim”]. Muzika.hr (in Croatian).
Archived from the original on 26 February 2024. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
^"
ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – SINGLES DIGITAL – TOP 100 and insert 202420 into search. Retrieved 21 May 2024.