B-side "Living a Lie" Format 12" single, 7" single Length 3:00 | Released 1987 Genre Pop Label Epic | |
"Hold Me Now" is a song composed and performed by Irish singer Johnny Logan. It became the winner of the 1987 Eurovision Song Contest. 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 is usually sung by Bohemians at home matches in Dalymount Park.
Contents
Overview
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. 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".
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. 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.
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". "Hold Me Now" is regarded by many fans as one of the high points of Contest history, recently being voted the third-best song in Eurovision history (behind "Waterloo" and "Nel blu dipinto di blu").
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". This cover also features Logan performing the chorus of the song at a slightly faster tempo than the traditional version. The late Macedonian superstar Toše Proeski covered this song during his concerts.
McDonalds Advertising
The song was also used in an Irish advertising campaign launched by McDonald's toward the end of 2007. These ads feature Logan bursting into the room with a McDonald's bag in an effort to cheer a series of teens in humorous predicaments. Logan interrupts his singing to pose the question "Twisty Fries?" (among other products offered by McDonald's).