"Neka mi ne svane" was the Croatia

Croatia

Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...

n 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 Croatian

Croatian language

Croatian is the collective name for the standard language and dialects spoken by Croats, principally in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Serbian province of Vojvodina and other neighbouring countries...

 by Danijela

Danijela Martinovic

Danijela Martinović, known artistically as Danijela is a popular Croatian singer with success across all of the Balkans.-Biography:...

.

The song was performed first on the night, preceding Greece

Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....

's Thalassa

Thalassa (band)

Thalassa represented Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest 1998. They performed the song "Mia Krifi Evesthisia".-History:Musician Yiannis Valvis and singer Dionisia Karoki formed the group expressly for the Eurovision Song Contest. After the national final, many artists complained that the victory...

 with "Mia Krifi Evesthisia

Mia Krifi Evesthisia

Mia Krifi Evesthisia was the Greek entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1998, performed in Greek by Thalassa....

". At the close of voting, it had received 131 points, placing 5th in a field of 25.

The song is a dramatic ballad, often described as the archetypal "Balkan Ballad" by fans, with Danijela wishing that she will "cease to exist" rather than live another day without her lover. The song begins quietly, with only Danijela's voice heard, but swells to a climax with backing vocals and light instrumentation. Memorable in her performance is when Danijela removes the black cape she wears to reveal the white evening dress beneath it and the audience starts to applause.

It is generally regarded as one of the stronger entries from the successor states of Yugoslavia

Yugoslavia

Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....

.

It was succeeded as Croatian representative

Croatia in the Eurovision Song Contest

Croatia has participated at the Eurovision Song Contest 18 times, participating every year since their debut in 1993. Together with Sweden and Malta, and the 5 countries that are for financial reasons entitled to take part every year, Croatia is one of the few countries that has not missed 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 Doris

Doris Dragovic

Dorotea "Doris" Dragović is a Croatian singer-songwriter. She represented Yugoslavia in the Eurovision Song Contest 1986 with the song "Željo moja", finishing the 11th with 49 points, and Croatia in the Eurovision Song Contest 1999 with the song "Marija Magdalena", finishing fourth with 118...

 with "Marija Magdalena

Marija Magdalena

"Marija Magdalena" was the Croatian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1999, performed in Croatian by Doris Dragović....

".