"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 Rollo & King was a Danish group, formed by Søren Poppe and 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 their first album ''Midt i en ...

. The song represented

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

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 ...

after winning ''Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2001'', Denmark's national final for the Eurovision Song Contest.

Background

The song is from the perspective of a man who has lost his lover. He pleads with her to return and promises that he will "never ever let you go".

Production

Originally, the band had planned to enter the ''Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2001'' with a song called "Den eneste ene". However, the song was rejected by

Mega Records Mega Records was a Nashville, Tennessee-based music label founded in 1970 by former RCA Records executive Brad McCuen along with Harry E. Pratt. Its most successful recording artist was Sammi Smith who also recorded the label's very first single. ...

, with the director saying "it's shit". In a week, the band found an unfinished idea called "Der står et billede af dig på mit bord", which the director approved.

Eurovision Song Contest

''Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2001''

''Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2001'' was the selection process used to select the Danish entry for the

. On 4 January 2001, the 10 songs that were scheduled to compete in the contest were revealed. In polls and rehearsals before the show, "Never Ever Let You Go" was regarded as a favorite to win the contest, with the song, according to Danish newspaper

Berlingske ''Berlingske'', previously known as ''Berlingske Tidende'' (, ''Berling's Times''), is a Danish national daily newspaper based in Copenhagen. It is considered a newspaper of record for Denmark. First published on 3 January 1749, ''Berlingske'' ...

, earned the biggest applause from the audience. The final took place at the Herning Conference Centre in Herning, on 17 February 2001. The winner was selected by the votes of 4 televoting regions (4/5) and an expert jury (1/5) in two rounds. In the first round, the top five entries were selected to proceed to the second round. The song was performed in Danish for the contest. In the second round, the song would win by a wide margin, scoring a near perfect score of 58 points.

At Eurovision

The song was performed twenty-third (last) on the night, following 's Antique with " Die for You". At the close of voting, it had received 177 points (12 points from , , , , and ), placing 2nd in a field of 23. It was succeeded as Danish representative at the 2002 contest by

Malene Malene ( grc, Μαλήνη or Μαληνή) was a town of ancient Aeolis in the Atarneitis. At Malene, Histiaeus was defeated by the Persians The Persians are an Iranian ethnic group who comprise over half of the population of Iran. They sha ...

with " Tell Me Who You Are".

Critical reception

Some members of the

Folketing The Folketing ( da, Folketinget, ; ), also known as the Parliament of Denmark or the Danish Parliament in English, is the unicameral national legislature (parliament) of the Kingdom of Denmark—Denmark proper together with the Faroe Islands ...

, Denmark's parliament, praised the song. Frank Jensen, who at the time was the

Justice Minister of Denmark The Danish Minister for Justice ( da, Justitsministeren) is the head of the Ministry of Justice and a cabinet member. As the head of the department, the minister is responsible for: * The General judicial system including ** The Police of Denma ...

, said that he expected the song to do well in the contest, saying "they are doing well with the bookmakers, but maybe they will be beaten at the finish line by our hereditary enemies in any competition - namely the Swedes. But let's see now. I think they will do well. And should "We not win this time, so it does not matter so much... As long as we are well placed... and that Denmark makes a great international event."

Charts

References

{{Eurovision Song Contest 2001 Eurovision songs of 2001 Eurovision songs of Denmark 2001 songs 2001 singles