2005: The Winner

HELENA PAPARIZOU WITH "MY NUMBER ONE" FOR GREECE

PHOTO: eurovision.de

I knew this song was one of the favorites of the year but I never paid it much mind. I thought the opening lyric was so cheesy, I dismissed the song. I had forgotten this is Eurovision and sometimes, a little cheese can go a long way. As it crawled up the scoreboard that May night, over taking my favorites, I realized what a roller coaster Eurovision could be. This Greek dance-tune using traditional Greek instruments, including a freaking Cretan lyre*, had all the makings of a winner. A schlager melody sung by a, to the Europeans, recognizable face.

The Swedish-born Greek star was famous in both Sweden and Greece. That's the factor I failed to take into account. Since the Icelandic entry failed to qualify with a familiar face, why would Greece be any different? But maybe it had something to do with the fact that Helena had a song, with her former band Antique, that become a giant pan-European hit. Antique itself had represented Greece in 2001, coming in 2nd place with another large hit. Indeed, so big was Helena's fame, that her win that night was only a shock to me.* A lyre is this.

Final Score: 230 pts (1st Place out of 24)

Written by Manolis Psaltakis, Christos Dantis and Natalia Germanou.

Final Performance:

Music Video: