Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest 2003
Encyclopedia
Germany was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2003 by Lou
with the song "Let's Get Happy
", written by Ralph Siegel and Bernd Meinunger
. Germany's representative was chosen during a national final called Countdown Grand Prix Eurovision.
The national final was held at the Ostseehalle
in Kiel
on 7 March 2003.
, head of delegation Jürgen Meier-Beer wanted to renew the national final. In an interview, he told:
Nevertheless, the formula was similar as in recent years - the best known record labels in Germany were again asked to submit entries for the national final. Furthermore, five well-known newspapers and magazines were asked to submit one song each: Tabloid BILD submitted Elmar Brandt
's project Die Gerd Show with a parody on Gerhard Schröder
to Kiel, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung
submitted DJMDG, die tageszeitung
Senait, who was also supported by politician Claudia Roth
, Freistil were submitted by teenager magazine Yam! and Tagträumer feat. Aynur by Turkish newspaper Hürriyet
. Actually, 15 songs were supposed to be presented, but Joachim Deutschland and his song “Marie” were disqualified, because the singer has insulted the Bavaria
n minister-president
Edmund Stoiber
in one of his other songs and because of inappropriate lines in his entry.
Ich Troje
took part as Troje in the German national final although they had previously already won the Polish national final with “Keine Grenzen-Żadnych granic
”. They would have not been allowed to take part in the competition for two countries according to the rules. Later in Riga, the band would receive its only twelve points from Germany. Two of the acts have previously taken part in a German national final: Lou and Tagträumer, both in 2001.
The interval act was performed by Modern Talking
. Furthermore, Renārs Kaupers
, host of the 2003 Eurovision Song Contest appeared in the show and so did Marie N, his co-host and winner of the 2002 Eurovision Song Contest, who performed her own winning song “I Wanna
” again.
” and the winner of that year, “I Wanna
”. As compilations cannot enter the album charts in Germany, only few can be said about the commercial success.
Lou (singer)
Lou is the stage name of Louise Hoffner , a German pop singer. She was the sixth child of her parents and was immediately surrounded by her elder brothers and sisters...
with the song "Let's Get Happy
Let's Get Happy
"Let's Get Happy" was the German entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2003, performed in English by Lou.The song was performed tenth on the night, following Cyprus' Stelios Konstantas with "Feeling Alive" and preceding Russia's t.A.T.u...
", written by Ralph Siegel and Bernd Meinunger
Bernd Meinunger
Bernd Meinunger is a German lyricist and record producer who frequently works with Ralph Siegel and David Brandes...
. Germany's representative was chosen during a national final called Countdown Grand Prix Eurovision.
Countdown Grand Prix Eurovision
 |
|
| Date: | March 7, 2003 |
|---|---|
| Presenter: | Axel Bulthaupt Axel Bulthaupt Axel Bulthaupt is a German journalist, entertainer and television presenter.Bulthaupt studied history and literature in Osnabrück and Hamburg. He worked during his university studies for a newspaper. After Bulthaupt finished his studies he began at German TV-station NDR... |
| Venue: | Ostseehalle Ostseehalle The Sparkassen-Arena is an indoor arena, in Kiel, Germany.It is primarily used by THW Kiel and as a concert venue and holds up to 13,500 people.-History:... , Kiel Kiel Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the... |
| Voting: | Two rounds of televoting |
| Interval Act: | Modern Talking Modern Talking Modern Talking was a German dance pop duo consisting of Thomas Anders and Dieter Bohlen. Their music has often been classified as Europop. They have been referred to as Germany's most successful pop duo, and have had a number of hit singles, reaching the top 5 in many countries... , Marie N |
| Winner: | Let's Get Happy performed by Lou Lou (singer) Lou is the stage name of Louise Hoffner , a German pop singer. She was the sixth child of her parents and was immediately surrounded by her elder brothers and sisters... |
The national final was held at the Ostseehalle
Ostseehalle
The Sparkassen-Arena is an indoor arena, in Kiel, Germany.It is primarily used by THW Kiel and as a concert venue and holds up to 13,500 people.-History:...
in Kiel
Kiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
on 7 March 2003.
Before the show
After Germany has finished 21st in the Eurovision Song Contest 2002Eurovision Song Contest 2002
The Eurovision Song Contest 2002 was the 47th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place on 25 May 2002 at the Saku Suurhall Arena in Tallinn, Estonia....
, head of delegation Jürgen Meier-Beer wanted to renew the national final. In an interview, he told:
Nevertheless, the formula was similar as in recent years - the best known record labels in Germany were again asked to submit entries for the national final. Furthermore, five well-known newspapers and magazines were asked to submit one song each: Tabloid BILD submitted Elmar Brandt
Elmar Brandt
Elmar Brandt is a German impressionist, best known for his imitations of politicians. He was born in Düsseldorf.His most famous series is The Gerd Show, in which actual events are lampooned using an imitation of former German chancellor Gerhard Schröder...
's project Die Gerd Show with a parody on Gerhard Schröder
Gerhard Schröder
Gerhard Fritz Kurt Schröder is a German politician, and was Chancellor of Germany from 1998 to 2005. A member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany , he led a coalition government of the SPD and the Greens. Before becoming a full-time politician, he was a lawyer, and before becoming Chancellor...
to Kiel, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , short F.A.Z., also known as the FAZ, is a national German newspaper, founded in 1949. It is published daily in Frankfurt am Main. The Sunday edition is the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung .F.A.Z...
submitted DJMDG, die tageszeitung
Die tageszeitung
die tageszeitung , was founded in 1978 in Berlin. It is a cooperative-owned German daily newspaper which is administrated by a workers' self-management...
Senait, who was also supported by politician Claudia Roth
Claudia Roth
Claudia Benedikta Roth is a German Green Party politician and one of the two current party chairs, together with Cem Özdemir.- Biography :...
, Freistil were submitted by teenager magazine Yam! and Tagträumer feat. Aynur by Turkish newspaper Hürriyet
Hürriyet
-External links:* * ** * *...
. Actually, 15 songs were supposed to be presented, but Joachim Deutschland and his song “Marie” were disqualified, because the singer has insulted the Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
n minister-president
Minister-President
A minister-president is the head of government in a number of European countries or subnational governments, in which a parliamentary or semi-presidential system of government prevails, who presides over the council of ministers...
Edmund Stoiber
Edmund Stoiber
Edmund Rüdiger Stoiber is a German politician, former minister-president of the state of Bavaria and former chairman of the Christian Social Union...
in one of his other songs and because of inappropriate lines in his entry.
Ich Troje
Ich Troje
Ich Troje is a Polish pop band.Former members are Magdalena Pokora , Justyna Majkowska , Elli Mücke and Ania Wisniewska ....
took part as Troje in the German national final although they had previously already won the Polish national final with “Keine Grenzen-Żadnych granic
Keine Grenzen-Zadnych granic
"Keine Grenzen-Żadnych granic" was the Polish entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2003, performed in German, Polish and Russian by Ich Troje....
”. They would have not been allowed to take part in the competition for two countries according to the rules. Later in Riga, the band would receive its only twelve points from Germany. Two of the acts have previously taken part in a German national final: Lou and Tagträumer, both in 2001.
The show
For the sixth time in a row and for the last time so far, Axel Bulthaupt hosted the German national final. In the first round of televoting, 601809 votes were cast and Die Gerd Show was the winner of that round with 98455 votes and would enter the second round along with Lou (second place, 85984 votes) and Beatbetrieb (third place, 66418 votes). In the second round, 367415 were cast and the results changed dramatically: Die Gerd Show now has only finished third with 111601 votes, Beatbetrieb came second with 116214 votes and Lou won the national final with 139600 votes exactly. Actually, only the top three of the first round were supposed to be revealed, but BILD has published the results shortly after the competition after all (see below).The interval act was performed by Modern Talking
Modern Talking
Modern Talking was a German dance pop duo consisting of Thomas Anders and Dieter Bohlen. Their music has often been classified as Europop. They have been referred to as Germany's most successful pop duo, and have had a number of hit singles, reaching the top 5 in many countries...
. Furthermore, Renārs Kaupers
Renars Kaupers
Renārs Kaupers, artistic name Reynard Cowper is a Latvian pop singer and songwriter.He is the lead singer of the Latvian pop/rock band Brainstorm, which came third at the Eurovision Song Contest 2000 with their song "My Star"...
, host of the 2003 Eurovision Song Contest appeared in the show and so did Marie N, his co-host and winner of the 2002 Eurovision Song Contest, who performed her own winning song “I Wanna
I Wanna
"I Wanna" is the opening track from The All-American Rejects' 2008 album, When the World Comes Down. It was released as their second single in international markets, and was released as their third single in the United States on July 27, 2009...
” again.
Participants
| # | Singer | Song (Music and lyrics) | Translation | Place (first round) | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sascha Pierro Marquess A marquess or marquis is a nobleman of hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The term is also used to translate equivalent oriental styles, as in imperial China, Japan, and Vietnam... |
Wenn Grenzen fallen (Sascha Pierro, Patrick Benzer, Peter Hoffmann) |
When borders fall | 10th | |
| 2 | Charlemaine | Life (Peter Ries, Charlemaine) |
- | 12th | |
| 3 | DJMDG | Die Seite, wo die Sonne scheint (DJMDG, Octopussy) |
The side, where the sun shines | 13th | |
| 4 | Lou Lou (singer) Lou is the stage name of Louise Hoffner , a German pop singer. She was the sixth child of her parents and was immediately surrounded by her elder brothers and sisters... |
Let's Get Happy (Ralph Siegel, Bernd Meinunger Bernd Meinunger Bernd Meinunger is a German lyricist and record producer who frequently works with Ralph Siegel and David Brandes... ) |
- | 2nd | 1st |
| 5 | Elija | Somehow - Somewhere (André Franke, William Lennox) |
- | 9th | |
| 6 | Beatbetrieb | Woran glaubst Du? (Theo Eißler, Michael Janz, Derek von Krogh, Tobi Wörner) |
What do you believe in? | 3rd | 2nd |
| 7 | Isgaard | Golden Key (Jens Lück, Sabina Lück) |
- | 7th | |
| 8 | VIBE | Für immer (Daniel Biscan, Philipp Palm, Julian Maas) |
Forever | 8th | |
| 9 | Troje Ich Troje Ich Troje is a Polish pop band.Former members are Magdalena Pokora , Justyna Majkowska , Elli Mücke and Ania Wisniewska .... |
Liebe macht Spaß (André Franke, Joachim Horn-Benges) |
Love is fun | 6th | |
| 10 | Lovecrush | Love Is Life (Sabine Mayer-Foster, Peter Bischof-Fallenstein) |
- | 14th | |
| 11 | Die Gerd Show Elmar Brandt Elmar Brandt is a German impressionist, best known for his imitations of politicians. He was born in Düsseldorf.His most famous series is The Gerd Show, in which actual events are lampooned using an imitation of former German chancellor Gerhard Schröder... |
Alles wird gut (Elmar Brandt, Peter Burtz, Dieter Müller-Christ, Frank Kurt-Meyer, Michael Kernbach) |
Everything will be alright | 1st | 3rd |
| 12 | Senait | Herz aus Eis (Senait, Frank Ramond, Oliver Pinelli) |
Heart of ice | 4th | |
| 13 | Freistil | Hörst Du meine Lieder? (Nico Sukup, Philip Schmid, Simon Schmid, Fabian Keitel, Dieter Falk Dieter Falk Dieter Falk is a German pianist, keyboardist, Christian composer, arranger, and record producer Dieter Falk (born 5 December 1959 in Siegen, North Rhine-Westphalia) is a German pianist, keyboardist, Christian composer, arranger, and record producer Dieter Falk (born 5 December 1959 in Siegen,... ) |
Do you hear my songs? | 11th | |
| 14 | Tagträumer feat. Aynur | Living in a Perfect World (Andy Jonas, Arno Brugger) |
- | 5th | |
Releases
Again, a compilation album of the national final was released. Apart from the 14 competing entries, it included the German entry of 2002 “I Can't Live Without MusicI Can't Live Without Music
"I Can't Live Without Music" was the German entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2002, performed in English by Corinna May."i Can't Live "ithout Music" was performed eighteenth on the night, following France's Sandrine François with "Il faut du temps" and preceding Turkey's Buket Bengisu & Group...
” and the winner of that year, “I Wanna
I Wanna
"I Wanna" is the opening track from The All-American Rejects' 2008 album, When the World Comes Down. It was released as their second single in international markets, and was released as their third single in the United States on July 27, 2009...
”. As compilations cannot enter the album charts in Germany, only few can be said about the commercial success.
Chart successes
For the first time since 1999, the German entry would not enter the German single charts. From the 14 competing songs, only two reached the top 100: Alles wird gut was the most successful one peaking at #18. The disqualified entry Marie by Joachim Deutschland also reached the single charts.| Entry | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Woran glaubst Du? | 80 | - | - |
| Alles wird gut | 18 | - | - |
| Marie | 32 | - | - |
At the Eurovision Song Contest
In the Eurovision Song Contest, Germany finished joint 11th with 53 points. The highest vote came from Sweden - 10 points. Iceland was the first country to vote and gave eight points to Germany, which put the country in third place after the first points announced.After the Eurovision Song Contest
In an interview at the aftershow party of the Eurovision Song Contest, Lou was asked why she did not reach a better position. She answered that she was “too old, too fat and too ugly”. That quote made it to the front page of BILD the Monday after the contest. Previously, Lou had made it to front page of that newspaper stating that she lost weight for Riga and reduced her wrinkles with Botox.Sources and external links
- John Kenney O'Connor: Eurovision Song Contest - Das offizielle Buch zu 50 Jahren europäischer Popgeschichte, Gondrom 2005
- The 2003 German national final at eurovision.de