Guildo Hat Euch Lieb!
Encyclopedia
"Guildo hat euch lieb!" ("Guildo loves you all!") was the German
entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1998
, performed in German
by Guildo Horn & Die Orthopädischen Strümpfe
. The song was performed ninth on the night (following Israel
's Dana International
with "Diva
" and preceding Malta
's Chiara with "The One That I Love
"). At the close of voting, it had received 86 points, placing 7th in a field of 25.
Written by television host Stefan Raab
under the pseudonym
"Alf Igel" (a reference to prolific composer Ralph Siegel
), the song is a tongue-in-cheek parody of the schlager
style for which Germany had become known at previous Contests. Horn (whose backing band's name translates as "the Orthopedic Stockings") sings about his desire to return to "a time of tenderness/When Caressing and Cuddling and Loving/Were always written with capitals" and "When I daily wrote in a poetry book:/Yoo hoo hoo – I love you".
He promises the object of his affections - singing in the third person - that if she is ever sad, he will come to her house and sing songs. Later still he expresses a desire to fly away to the stars, before explaining that "If the stars weren't so far away/And from there I'd send you the proof of my love:/Nut wedges and raspberry ice cream". The performance was equally tongue-in-cheek, with Horn climbing on the lighting gantries of the stage while dressed in a green velvet shirt, as well as playing a series of cowbells during the song. He also came into the audience, and ruffled the hair of Katie Boyle
, former Eurovision hostess and guest of honour. Perhaps unsurprisingly, footage of this performance appeared in a montage of "Unforgettable performances" at the Congratulations
special in late 2005. The single release also saw a video produced with a similarly irreverent take on things.
While the song did not win, it is credited with rekindling German interest in the Contest, as well as paving the way for Raab's own entry two years later with "Wadde hadde Dudde da?
". Following Austria
's "Boom Boom Boomerang
" and Belgium
's "Euro-Vision
", it is considered to be the third parody song to make an appearance at the Contest.
It was succeeded as German representative
at the 1999 Contest
by Sürpriz
with "Reise nach Jerusalem - Kudüs'e seyahat
".
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1998
Eurovision Song Contest 1998
The Eurovision Song Contest 1998 was the 43rd Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 9 May 1998 at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, United Kingdom. The presenters were Terry Wogan and Ulrika Jonsson...
, performed in German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
by Guildo Horn & Die Orthopädischen Strümpfe
Guildo Horn
Guildo Horn He is mainly famous for his eccentric stage persona, which includes outrageous clothes and very extroverted antics.At the Eurovision Song Contest 1998, he came in 7th with the title "Guildo hat euch lieb!" ....
. The song was performed ninth on the night (following Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
's Dana International
Dana International
Sharon Cohen , professionally known as Dana International is an Israeli pop singer of Yemenite Jewish ancestry. She has released eight albums and three additional compilation albums, positioning herself as one of Israel's most successful musical acts ever...
with "Diva
Diva (song)
"Diva" was the winning song of the Eurovision Song Contest 1998 performed in Hebrew by Dana International representing Israel. The music was composed by Tzvika Pick, and the lyrics by Yoav Ginai. It totalled 172 points in the polling.The song became the last entry entirely in a language other than...
" and preceding Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
's Chiara with "The One That I Love
The One That I Love
"The One That I Love" was the Maltese entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1998, performed in English by Chiara.The song is a ballad, with Chiara telling her lover how she feels about him, comparing the love she has for him to that of eating doughnuts...
"). At the close of voting, it had received 86 points, placing 7th in a field of 25.
Written by television host Stefan Raab
Stefan Raab
Stefan Konrad Raab is a German entertainer, television host, comedian and musician. Raab began his television career hosting the comedy show Vivasion in 1993 and has been hosting the late-night comedy show TV total since 1999. He became well-known in 1994 after composing a hit single spoofing...
under the pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
"Alf Igel" (a reference to prolific composer Ralph Siegel
Ralph Siegel
Ralph Siegel is a German record producer and songwriter. He is married to the opera singer Kriemhild Jahn. He has three daughters, one of them Giulia Siegel divorced from German entrepreneur Hans Wehrmann....
), the song is a tongue-in-cheek parody of the schlager
Schlager
Schlager music is a style of popular music prevalent in Central and Northern Europe and the Balkans and also in France and Poland. In Portugal, it was adapted and became pimba music...
style for which Germany had become known at previous Contests. Horn (whose backing band's name translates as "the Orthopedic Stockings") sings about his desire to return to "a time of tenderness/When Caressing and Cuddling and Loving/Were always written with capitals" and "When I daily wrote in a poetry book:/Yoo hoo hoo – I love you".
He promises the object of his affections - singing in the third person - that if she is ever sad, he will come to her house and sing songs. Later still he expresses a desire to fly away to the stars, before explaining that "If the stars weren't so far away/And from there I'd send you the proof of my love:/Nut wedges and raspberry ice cream". The performance was equally tongue-in-cheek, with Horn climbing on the lighting gantries of the stage while dressed in a green velvet shirt, as well as playing a series of cowbells during the song. He also came into the audience, and ruffled the hair of Katie Boyle
Katie Boyle
Katie Boyle is an Italian-born British actress, television personality, and game show panelist, well known for appearing on TV panel games such as What's My Line? and for presenting the Eurovision Song Contest in the 1960s and 1970s....
, former Eurovision hostess and guest of honour. Perhaps unsurprisingly, footage of this performance appeared in a montage of "Unforgettable performances" at the Congratulations
Congratulations (Eurovision)
Congratulations: 50 Years of the Eurovision Song Contest was a television programme organised by the European Broadcasting Union to commemorate the Eurovision Song Contest's fiftieth anniversary and to determine the Contest's most popular entrant of its fifty years. It took place at Forum,...
special in late 2005. The single release also saw a video produced with a similarly irreverent take on things.
While the song did not win, it is credited with rekindling German interest in the Contest, as well as paving the way for Raab's own entry two years later with "Wadde hadde Dudde da?
Wadde Hadde Dudde Da?
"Wadde hadde dudde da?" was the German entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2000, performed in an invented dialect of German by comedian Stefan Raab...
". Following Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
's "Boom Boom Boomerang
Boom Boom Boomerang
"Boom Boom Boomerang" was the Austrian representative in the Eurovision Song Contest 1977, performed in German by Schmetterlinge....
" and Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
's "Euro-Vision
Euro-Vision
"Euro-Vision" was the Belgian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1980, performed in French by Telex.The song was performed nineteenth on the night, following Spain's Trigo Limpio with "Quédate esta noche". At the close of voting, it had received 14 points, placing 17th in a field of 19...
", it is considered to be the third parody song to make an appearance at the Contest.
It was succeeded as German representative
Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest
Germany has participated in every Eurovision Song Contest since its beginning in 1956, although its entry in 1996 did not qualify past the pre‐selection round, and therefore was not seen in the broadcast final. No other country has been represented as often. France and the United Kingdom come in a...
at the 1999 Contest
Eurovision Song Contest 1999
The Eurovision Song Contest 1999 was the 44th Eurovision Song Contest, held on 29 May 1999 in Jerusalem, Israel after Dana International won the contest the previous year in the United Kingdom. The venue for the contest was the International Convention Center...
by Sürpriz
Sürpriz
Sürpriz were a short-lived six-member German-Turkish musical group, consisting of Cihan Özden, Deniz Filizmen, Yasemin Akkar, Filiz Zeyno, Savaş Uçar and Bülent Ural, known for their participation in the 1999 Eurovision Song Contest....
with "Reise nach Jerusalem - Kudüs'e seyahat
Reise Nach Jerusalem - Kudüs'e Seyahat
"Reise nach Jerusalem – Kudüs'e seyahat" was the German entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1999, performed in German, Turkish and English by Sürpriz.The song was performed twenty-first on the night, following Malta's...
".