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Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest 2005

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Eurovision Song Contest 2005
Country Greece
National selection
Selection processNational Final
60% Tele-Voting/SMS
40% Judging panel
Selection date(s)March 2, 2005
Selected artist(s)Helena Paparizou
Selected song""My Number One""
Finals performance
Final result1st, 230 points
[[ Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest| Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest]]
2005

Greece participated in and won the Eurovision Song Contest 2005, its first Eurovision Song Contest victory. Greek national broadcaster Ellinikí Radiofonía Tileórasi (ERT) internally selected Helena Paparizou who sang "My Number One" in Kiev, winning the competition with 230 points. The song is written by Christos Dantis and Natalia Germanou, and composed by Christos Dantis. "My Number One" was selected through a national final on March 2, 2005, where the public and a professional jury chose it over three other candidate songs.

National final

The artist

Throughout the months preceding the national selection, rumors flooded Eurovision news websites about which artist would be representing Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest 2005. There was an internal selection for the artist, being chosen by the broadcaster, while there would be a national final for the song, with the public having a say in the choice. In June 2004, Anna Vissi stated that she "would go to Eurovision if she was asked to".[1] It was rumored that she was asked by ERT, but declined the offer as she was promoting her song "Call Me" in the United States at the time. A few months later on November 27, 2004, it was reported that Despina Vandi was "ready to sign the necessary contracts" though nothing was officially announced by ERT.[2] The rumored contract, brokered between Vandi's record label Heaven Music and ERT would have included a term that required all of Vandi's songs to be written by popular Greek songwriter Phoebus.[3] The next day, November 28, 2004, ERT's Eurovision spokeswoman Daphne Bokota stated that Despina Vandi and ERT were close to a deal, but had concluded that she was too expensive to send to the contest. She also said that Vandi was worried about participating in the Eurovision Song Contest while her international career was going well. "Here at ERT, we don't understand [why] Greek artists are so insecure to participate", she stated. Bokota ended by saying that they would announce the artist within the next five to ten days and that a possible backup was Helena Paparizou.[4] On December 5, 2004, Anna Vissi was reportedly also in negotiations with ERT and on December 8, 2004, Daphne Bokota once again spoke on the issue saying that there would be a delay in the decision because of some sort of "obstacle" within the broadcaster.[5][6] On January 15, 2005, ERT held a meeting with Franz Ferdinand which was reported by Star Channel to be the front runner, but ERT soon excluded them as they had "no idea how Eurovision works and thus they proposed to compose a remake of a past song of theirs", a violation of contest rules; they were also requesting more money.[7] Finally on January 22, 2005, ERT announced that it had selected Helena Paparizou, former member of the Greek-Swedish duet Antique which had represented Greece at the 2001 contest, achieving 3rd place. In a press release, ERT stated that her singing career in Sweden was "a factor which surely contributed to the final choice of Paparizou, since the 'northern' votes are considered to be important".[8] Shortly before the announcement of Paparizou's participation, Bokota was fired from ERT for unknown reasons; she was the one who had originally proposed to her.[9]

The songs

File:PaparizouMontreal2005.jpg
Helena Paparizou represented Greece at the Eurovision Song Contest 2005.

Out of 100 the songs that were sent in by Greek and foreign artists, a committee made up of representatives from ERT, Sony BMG, and Paparizou, chose 15 songs initially and then narrowed the selection down to four.[10] The four songs were presented for the first time to the public on February 21, 2005 during an ERT program titled Euromania. They were "My Number One" composed by Christos Dantis with lyrics by Dantis and Natalia Germanou, "The Light in Our Soul" written by Kostas Bigalis, "OK" composed by Christodoulos Siganos with lyrics by Siganos and Valentino, and "Let's Get Wild" written by Douglas Carr.[11] The next day, it was revealed that "The Light in Our Soul" had been released and made available on Amazon.de by a band named "Big Alice" on May 25, 2004 and therefore disqualifying the song from the competition. According to contest rules, a song cannot be released before October 1 of the previous year, so there were then only three songs to chose from at the final.[12] The choreography for all songs was arranged by Fokas Evangelinos.[10]

The final

The national final went on as described at the ERT press conference on February 17, 2005 and was hosted by Alexandra Pascalidou.[13] There were two pre-shows held on February 18 and 25, 2005 that aired on ERT to present the songs and the artist to the public. Then on March 2, 2005, Greece saw the songs performed live by Helena Paparizou at "Fever Music Center" where voting was conducted through viewer televoting, SMS texting, and an nine member jury.[14] The televoting and SMS texting was weighted 60% and the jury 40%.[11][15] The jury was made up of Mimis Plesas, Antonis Andrikakis, Kostas Tournas, Željko Joksimović, Betty Golema, Ion Stamboulis, Fotini Giannoulatou, Sietse Bakker, and Christos Liritzis.[16]

During the national final, the Greek musical group C:Real performed some of its songs, while several acts from other countries performed to both entertain and promote their own Eurovision songs.[16] The 2005 representatives from the Netherlands and Andorra were present with Glennis Grace singing "My Impossible Dream" and Marian van de Wal singing "La mirada interior". Eurovision Song Contest 2004's runner-up Željko Joksimović sang "Lane moje" and the Swedish band Alcazar, which was still taking part in Melodifestivalen 2005, the Swedish national final, sang "Alcastar".[17][18]

Result of national final

ERT received 229,368 televotes and SMS texts of which 152,269 votes came in for the song "My Number One", which made the song the clear winner. "OK" received around 73,500 votes and "Let's Get Wild" got around 20,500.[19][20] The nine jury members gave points between 1 and 10 for the songs in a school-grade style system, giving the best song 10 points. Seven jury members voted for "My Number One", one gave the maximum points to "OK" and one voted for "Let's Get Wild". "My Number One" won with 83 points, while "Let's Get Wild" placed third with 48 points, and "OK" third with 46 points.[19] Although "Let's Get Wild" received a higher score from the jury than "OK", it placed third when the televoting and SMS texts where taken into account.

National final - March 2, 2005
Draw Song Composer-Lyricist Jury Televote/SMS Place
1 "My Number One" Christos Dantis & Natalia Germanou 83 152,269 1st
2 "OK" Christodoulos Siganos & Valentino 46 73,500 (est) 2nd
3 "Let's Get Wild" Douglas Carr 48 20,500 (est) 3rd
"The Light in Our Soul" Kostas Bigalis Disqualified

Promotion

Before her appearance at the contest, Paparizou went on a promotional tour sponsored by the Greek Ministry of Tourism and the Greek National Tourism Organization, singing her song in several Eurovision countries. The tour started off on March 12, 2005 in Berlin, Germany, where she visted the International Tourism Exchange Show and performed "My Number One".[21] The next stop was Moscow, Russia, where Paparizou taped a show for MTV Russia and then presented the Greek song at the International Tourism Exhibit, the largest tourism exhibit in the world. She also gave several interviews to the press and before leaving, attended a Greek Independence Day reception at the Greek embassy.[22] Upon return to Greece, she was greeted at the airport by fans along with the music video of "My Number One" playing on the video monitors.[23] While in Greece, she attended the opening ceremony of the European final four for the Volleyball Champions League in Pylaia, where her song was played as she appeared on stage with cheerleaders.[24] On March 29, Paparizou arrived in Valletta, Malta where she signed autographs, appeared on television stations, and gave interviews to the local media.[25] Following Malta, she traveled to Serbia and Montenegro where she gave additional interviews before moving on to Andorra on April 10.[26][27] She was soon in Lisbon, Portugal where she promoted not only her song, but also Greek export products, as she was sponsored by the Greek tourism industry. She attended an international exhibition of food and drink where the song was played for the many tourists, while its music video was seen on a large monitor.[28] On April, 20, 2005, Paparizou arrived in Sweden where she had started her singing career as part of Antique. She was interviewed by many of the local media outlets and could be heard on radio stations around Stockholm.[29][30] Following her stay in Sweden, Paparizou flew to Istanbul, Turkey where the Greek delegation met with Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople, who told her that it was good luck that the contest fell on her name-day of May 21.[31] While in Turkey, she also posed for magazines and was interviewed by the media. She soon returned back to Greece before leaving for a short trip to Kiev, the location of the contest.[32]

At Eurovision

As Greece had finished the Eurovision Song Contest 2004 in third place, its 2005 song was pre-qualified for the final in 2005. Greece was drawn to perform nineteenth on the night, following Croatia's Boris Novković and Lado with "Vukovi umiru sami" and preceding Russia's Natalia Podolskaya with "Nobody Hurt No One".[33] Paparizou appeared very confident on stage and her dancers prepared an extravagant show with carefully choreographed stage moves.[34] She wore a short orange-yellow dress while the dancers wore tan colored clothing. The performance included Paparizou playing a violin and the backing dancers forming the number 1 on stage.[35] The final was hosted and commentated on Greek television by Alexandra Pascalidou, who also hosted the national final.[13]

"My Number One" won with a total of 230 points. It received 12 points, the maximum number of points a country can give to another country, from Albania, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Germany, Hungary, Serbia & Montenegro, Sweden, United Kingdom, and unexpectedly Turkey.[34][36][37] The highest viewing ratings in the history of Greek television were recorded during the presentation of the pure gold trophy to Helena Paparizou by the Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko, with 94.2% of the Greek population tuned in.[34][38]

After Eurovision

Paparizou's first words after winning the 50th Eurovision Song Contest were "We showed the modern face of Greece. I reckon that’s the face everybody loves. Europe is our home!"[36] Upon arrival back in Greece, she was greeted by crowds of fans at Eleftherios Venizelos Airport and the National Fire Brigade created a water-jet archway for her airplane, suggestively bearing the number "001", to pass through after it had landed.[39] On the way to ERT Studios for a welcome party for Paparizou and the Greek delegation, people were standing on either side of the road throwing rose petals along the route of Paparizou's bus. When she reached ERT Studios, she was "met with deafening applause" and after moving from sight for a few minutes, she emerged on stage dressed in the Greek flag and holding the Eurovision trophy.[39]

"My Number One" did very well in the music charts, being certified platinum in Greece and gold in Sweden while climbing to number one on both charts and charting for an extended number of weeks.[40][41] It also charted in other European countries such as Germany, Switzerland, and Austria.[42] It was later released in the United States as a CD Single with remixes and reached number eight on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play charting for eight weeks.[43][44]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Anna Vissi said that would go to Eurovision if she is asked to". Oikotimes. 2004-06-04. Retrieved 2008-09-23. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  2. ^ Bakker, Sietse (2004-11-27). "Oikotimes.com: Despina Vandi for Greece!". ESCToday. Retrieved 2008-09-23. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  3. ^ "Despina Vandi Will Represent Greece in 2005". Oikotimes. 2004-11-27. Retrieved 2008-09-23. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  4. ^ Bakker, Sietse (2004-11-28). "ERT excludes Despina Vandi from selection". ESCToday. Retrieved 2008-09-23. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  5. ^ "ERT and Anna Vissi negotiate for Eurovision 2005". Oikotimes. 2004-12-05. Retrieved 2008-09-23. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  6. ^ "ERT postpones announcements. Next week is also possible not to break any news but..." Oikotimes. 2004-12-08. Retrieved 2008-09-23. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  7. ^ Kosma, Stella (2005-01-15). "STAR claims: Franz Ferdinand lead ERT choice and Greece in danger". Oikotimes. Retrieved 2008-09-28. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  8. ^ Phillips, Roel (2005-01-22). "Helena Paparizou to represent Greece". ESCToday. Retrieved 2008-09-23. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  9. ^ Bakker, Sietse (2005-01-22). "Daphne Bokota proposed Helena Paparizou!". ESCToday. Retrieved 2008-10-04. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  10. ^ a b Hristopoulou, Despina (2005-02-21). "Heading Strong for Greek Final". Ellinikí Radiofonía Tileórasi. Retrieved 2008-11-16. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  11. ^ a b Bakker, Sietse (2005-02-21). "Helena Paparizou presents Greeks songs". ESCToday. Retrieved 2008-09-23. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  12. ^ Bakker, Sietse (2005-02-22). "Greece: song Bigalis released on CD in 2004". ESCToday. Retrieved 2008-09-23. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  13. ^ a b Keleri, Vicky (2005-01-25). "A. Pascalidou to Host Eurovision". Ellinikí Radiofonía Tileórasi. Retrieved 2008-11-16. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  14. ^ Konstantopoulos, Fotis (2005-02-18). "Greek chaos to end on March 2; Two pre-shows scheduled". Oikotimes. Retrieved 2008-09-23. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  15. ^ Bakker, Sietse (2005-03-03). "Greece: Helena to sing 'My number one'". ESCToday. Retrieved 2008-09-23. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  16. ^ a b Keleri, Vicky (2005-03-03). ""My Number One" is the Winner!". Ellinikí Radiofonía Tileórasi. Retrieved 2008-11-16. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  17. ^ Bakker, Sietse (2005-03-02). "Greece selects song for Kiev tonight". ESCToday. Retrieved 2008-09-23. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  18. ^ Phillips, Roel (2005-02-23). "Alcazar, Glennis Grace and Marian in Greek final". ESCToday. Retrieved 2008-09-23. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  19. ^ a b Bakker, Sietse (2005-03-03). "Greece: Clear victory 'My number one'". ESCToday. Retrieved 2008-09-23. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  20. ^ "Greek National Final 2005". GeoCities. Retrieved 2008-09-24. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  21. ^ Keleri, Vicky (2005-03-09). "Helena Travels to Europe". Ellinikí Radiofonía Tileórasi. Retrieved 2008-11-16. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  22. ^ Keleri, Vicky (2005-03-25). "Moscow Moves to "My Number One"". Ellinikí Radiofonía Tileórasi. Retrieved 2008-11-16. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  23. ^ Keleri, Vicky (2005-03-25). "Helena's Sweet Welcome". Ellinikí Radiofonía Tileórasi. Retrieved 2008-11-16. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  24. ^ Tzempelikou, Mary Lou (2005-03-26). "My Number One in Final Four". Ellinikí Radiofonía Tileórasi. Retrieved 2008-11-16. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  25. ^ Tzempelikou, Mary Lou (2005-03-29). "Singing "My Number 1" in Malta". Ellinikí Radiofonía Tileórasi. Retrieved 2008-11-16. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  26. ^ Keleri, Vicky (2005-04-06). "Warm Welcome in Belgrade". Ellinikí Radiofonía Tileórasi. Retrieved 2008-11-16. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  27. ^ Tzempelikou, Mary Lou (2005-03-31). "Return from Malta". Ellinikí Radiofonía Tileórasi. Retrieved 2008-11-16. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  28. ^ Tzempelikou, Mary Lou (2005-04-11). ""My Number One" Travels Around Europe". Ellinikí Radiofonía Tileórasi. Retrieved 2008-11-16. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  29. ^ Keleri, Vicky (2005-04-20). "Helena Tours us in Sweden". Ellinikí Radiofonía Tileórasi. Retrieved 2008-11-16. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  30. ^ Keleri, Vicky (2005-04-20). "Stockholm Moves to the Beat of "My No1"". Ellinikí Radiofonía Tileórasi. Retrieved 2008-11-16. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  31. ^ Keleri, Vicky (2005-04-23). "Meeting With Ecumenical Patriarch". Ellinikí Radiofonía Tileórasi. Retrieved 2008-11-16. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  32. ^ Keleri, Vicky (2005-04-25). "Goodbye Istanbul". Ellinikí Radiofonía Tileórasi. Retrieved 2008-11-16. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  33. ^ "Eurovision Song Contest 2005 Final". Eurovision.tv. 2005-05-22. Retrieved 2008-09-24. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  34. ^ a b c Bakker, Sietse (2005-05-22). "Greece Wins Eurovision Song Contest". ESCToday. Retrieved 2008-09-24. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  35. ^ "Helena Paparizou Live at Eurovision Final". ORF. 2005-05-22. Retrieved 2008-09-24. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  36. ^ a b Vatmanidis, Theo (2005-05-22). "Helena: 'Europe is our home!'". ESCToday. Retrieved 2008-09-24. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  37. ^ "Scoreboard: Eurovision Song Contest 2005 Final". Eurovision.tv. 2005-05-22. Retrieved 2008-09-24. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  38. ^ Vatmanidis, Theo (2005-05-22). "Record Greek TV Figures". ESCToday. Retrieved 2008-09-24. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  39. ^ a b Vatmanidis, Theo (2005-05-23). "Helena's arrival sets Athens on fire". ESCToday. Retrieved 2008-09-24. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  40. ^ Phillips, Roel (2005-06-02). "Helena Paparizou number one in Swedish charts". ESCToday. Retrieved 2008-09-24. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  41. ^ Phillips, Roel (2005-07-16). "Gold record for 'My number one' in Sweden". ESCToday. Retrieved 2008-09-24. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  42. ^ Rau, Oliver (2005-06-10). "'My number one' enters German charts". ESCToday. Retrieved 2008-09-24. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  43. ^ Floras, Stella (2006-10-23). "Helena signs No.1 Nokia Deal". ESCToday. Retrieved 2008-09-25. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  44. ^ "Hot Dance Club Play - My Number One". Billboard. 2006-10-21. Retrieved 2008-09-24. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)


Template:Entries of the Eurovision Song Contest 2005

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