Antique
An antique ( la, antiquus; 'old', 'ancient') is an item perceived as having value because of its aesthetic or historical significance, and often defined as at least 100 years old (or some other limit), although the term is often used loosely ...
, a duo consisting of
Helena Paparizou
Helena Paparizou (; , ; born 31 January 1962) is a Swedish-born Greek singer, songwriter and television personality. Born and raised in Sweden to Greeks, Greek parents, she enrolled in various arts schools before launching a career in Sweden in ...
and
Nikos Panagiotidis
Antique is a Greek singing duo consisting of Helena Paparizou (; born 1982) and Nikos Panagiotidis (; born 1978), originating from Sweden and combining Greek popular music and lyrics with a Nordic dance-pop beat. Both Paparizou and Panagiotidis ...
, both born and raised in
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
by Greek parents. It was the entry in the
Eurovision Song Contest 2001
The Eurovision Song Contest 2001 was the 46th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Copenhagen, Denmark, following the country's victory at the with the song " Fly on the Wings of Love" by Olsen Brothers. Organised by the E ...
, performed in
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
and
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
(the first Greek entry not to be performed entirely in Greek).
Prior to entering the contest the group had had two Top 10 hits in both Greece and Sweden, "
Opa Opa
"Opa Opa" is a song by Greek singer Notis Sfakianakis, released as a single from his second album ''Ise Ena Pistoli'' in 1992. Opa Opa is a laïko dance song and was written and produced by singer Giorgos Alkaios in 1999.
The song has been cov ...
" and "
Dinata Dinata
"Dinata" or "Dynata" is a song from the album '' Meno Ektos''; its music was composed by Ara Dinkjian, its lyrics written by Lina Nikolakopoulou and it was first sung by Eleftheria Arvanitaki while Arto Tuncboyaciyan features in non verbal singi ...
". "(I Would) Die for You" was released as a CD single by
Bonnier Music
Cosmos Music, formerly Bonnier Amigo Music Group (BAMG), is an independent record company based in Stockholm, Sweden.
Bonnier Amigo Music Group was formed in 2001 when the record company and distributor Amigo Musik merged with the record com ...
and
EMI
EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At the time of its break-up in 201 ...
International following the contest. The CD single was certified platinum in Greece and gold in Sweden. The song was included on Antique's second album, '' Die for You'', released as ''Die for You/Tha Pethaina Gia Sena'' in the Greek market.
Eurovision
The song was performed twenty-second on the night following 's
Fabrizio Faniello
Fabrizio Faniello (born 27 April 1981) is a Maltese pop singer. He represented Malta at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2001 and 2006.
Family
Fabrizio Faniello is the eldest of three children born to Vincenzo and Anna Faniello. He has two y ...
Rollo & King
Rollo & King was a Denmark, Danish group, formed by Søren Poppe and Stefan Nielsen (musician), Stefan Nielsen, who represented Denmark in the Eurovision Song Contest 2001. The two men named themselves after two dog names. They topped the charts ...
with "
Never Ever Let You Go
"Never Ever Let You Go", originally released as "Der står et billede af dig på mit bord" (), is a 2001 song by Danish musical duo Rollo & King. The song represented Denmark in the Eurovision Song Contest 2001 after winning ''Dansk Melodi Grand P ...
". At the close of voting, it had received 147 points (12 points from and ), placing 3rd in a field of 23. ''
MAD TV
''Mad TV'' (stylized as ''MADtv'') is an American sketch comedy television series originally inspired by '' Mad'' magazine. In its initial run, it aired on Fox from 1995 to 2009. After a one-off reunion show in 2015 to celebrate the twentiet ...
'', May 13, 2001. Retrieved on April 9, 2008.
The song, with lyrics by Antonis Pappas and music by Nikos Terzis, who would later compose "
Love Me Tonight
''Love Me Tonight'' is a 1932 American pre-Code musical comedy film produced and directed by Rouben Mamoulian, with music by Rodgers and Hart. It stars Maurice Chevalier as a tailor who poses as a nobleman and Jeanette MacDonald as a princess ...
" for , is an up-tempo number inspired in part by
Greek folk music
Greek traditional music (Greek: παραδοσιακή μουσική, "traditional music"; also δημοτικά τραγούδια, "folk songs") includes a variety of Greek styles played by ethnic Greeks in Greece, Cyprus, Australia, the Un ...
. Lyrically, it deals with the realization on the part of the singers, who sing in unison for most of the performance, that their love is all that matters. They tell each other that "I would die for you/Look into my eyes and see it's true".
The contest performance was a relatively static affair, with both singers as well as the backing vocalists standing in front of microphones to sing. Helena Paparizou, however, wore a tight white outfit, standing out against the black-clad backing singers and her duet partner. While the contest had by this point embraced pre-recorded music,
Nikos Panagiotidis
Antique is a Greek singing duo consisting of Helena Paparizou (; born 1982) and Nikos Panagiotidis (; born 1978), originating from Sweden and combining Greek popular music and lyrics with a Nordic dance-pop beat. Both Paparizou and Panagiotidis ...
performed with the traditional Greek instrument
bouzouki
The bouzouki (, also ; el, μπουζούκι ; alt. pl. ''bouzoukia'', from Greek ), also spelled buzuki or buzuci, is a musical instrument popular in Greece. It is a member of the long-necked lute family, with a round body with a flat top and ...
throughout.
The third-place finish was Greece's highest place until , when Paparizou, this time performing solo, won the contest with "
My Number One
"My Number One" is a song recorded by Greek-Swedish singer Helena Paparizou, written by Manos Psaltakis, Christos Dantis, Natalia Germanou and produced by Christos Dantis. It was the at the Eurovision Song Contest 2005, held in Kyiv, awarding ...
".
It was succeeded as Greek representative at the 2002 contest by
Michalis Rakintzis
Mihalis Rakintzis (Greek: Μιχάλης Ρακιντζής) is a Greek singer. He was born in Athens, on 3 April 1957, and studied Mechanical Engineering in Great Britain.S.A.G.A.P.O.".
Track listing
*Greek release
# "(I Would) Die For You" (English Version) (3:00)
# "(I Would) Die For You" (
Eurovision
The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pr ...
Version) (3:00)
# "(I Would) Die For You" (Greek Version) (3:00)
# "(I Would) Die For You" (Extended Version)
*Promo single
# "(I Would) Die For You" (Eric S Radio)
# "(I Would) Die For You" (Die For Disco Radio)
# "(I Would) Die For You" (Nordlight Vs C&N Project)
# "(I Would) Die For You" (BGTH Remix Radio)
# "(I Would) Die For You" (Eric S Club)
# "(I Would) Die For You" (BGTH Remix Extended)
# "(I Would) Die For You" (Die For Disco Instrumental)
# "(I Would) Die For You" (Eurovision Version)
# "(I Would) Die For You" (Extended Version)