Hold Me Now (Johnny Logan song)

Infobox ESC entry
song = flagicon|Ireland "Hold Me Now"


caption =
year = 1987
country = Ireland
artist = Seán Sherrard
as = Johnny Logan
with =
language = English
languages =
composer = Seán Sherrard
lyricist = Seán Sherrard
conductor = Noel Kelehan
place = 1st
points = 172
lyrics = [http://www.diggiloo.net/?1987ie from Diggiloo Thrush]
clip =
prev = You Can Count On Me
prev_link = You Can Count On Me (song)
next = Take Him Home
next_link = Take Him Home

"Hold Me Now" is a song composed and performed by Johnny Logan from Ireland. In 1987 Johnny Logan won the Eurovision Song Contest with the song. Logan had previously won with What's Another Year? in the 1980 Contest and would go on to write the winner of the 1992 Contest (Why Me? for Linda Martin for whom he had previously written Terminal 3 at the 1984 Contest)

The song holds the distinction of being one of the very few self-composed songs to win the Contest, and is regarded by many fans as one of the high points of Contest history, recently being voted the third-best song in history (behind "Waterloo" and "Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu").

After Logan had been proclaimed the winner with this song, he was overcome with emotion during the reprise and was unable to reach the high notes in this part of the song. As he had when he won in 1980 with What's Another Year?, he shouted "I still love you, Ireland".

The song was performed twentieth on the night (following Denmark's Anne-Cathrine Herdorf & Drengene with En Lille Melodi and preceding Yugoslavia's Novi Fosili with Ja Sam Za Ples). At the close of voting, it had received 172 points, placing 1st in a field of 22.

The song was succeeded as winner in 1988 by Celine Dion representing Switzerland with Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi.
It was succeeded as Irish representative at the 1988 Contest by Jump The Gun with Take Him Home.

Lyrics

Lyrically, the song is a ballad sung from the point of view of a man whose love interest is leaving him for someone else ("from now on you'll be with someone else instead of me"). The singer pleads with his girlfriend to "touch, touch me the way you used to do" in order to leave him with good memories of their relationship, even as they "fill this memory/for the last time".
The chorus then tells the girl "don't say a word", as they prepare to part. Despite the sad nature of the parting, the singer says that "I will know/though we're apart/we'll always be together", which implies some sort of optimism on his part.

:"What do you say when words are not enough?":-- from "Hold Me Now"

Music

The music (also composed by Logan) is that of a typical Eurovision power ballad, with the final chorus being introduced by a chorus of backing singers before they are joined by Logan's voice again.

Covers

The song has been covered by several performers, including a reggae version by Tanya Stephens. It has also been updated by Belgian rapper Kaye Styles as "Don't Cry". The cover also features Logan performing the chorus of the song at a slightly faster tempo than the traditional version.

McDonalds Advertising

The song was also used in an advertising campaign launched by McDonalds toward the end of 2007. These ads feature Logan bursting into the room with a McDonalds bag in an effort to cheer a series of teens in humorous predicaments. Logan interrupts his singing to pose the question "Twisty Fries?".

References

*citeweb|url=http://eurocovers.blogspot.com/2006/11/jamaica-can-i-have-your-votes-please-pt_18.html|title=Jamaica, can I have your votes please? pt. 2|author=Eurocovers|accessdate=2007-04-13