Love? (Donna and Joe song)
 "Love?" | |
|---|---|
| Eurovision Song Contest 2005 entry | |
| Country | |
| Artist(s) | |
| Language | |
| Composer(s) | |
| Lyricist(s) |
Karl Broderick |
| Finals performance | |
| Semi-final result |
14th |
| Semi-final points |
53 |
| Appearance chronology | |
| ◄ "If My World Stopped Turning" (2004) | |
| "Every Song Is a Cry for Love" (2006) ► | |
"Love?" was the Ireland's entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2005, performed in English by Donna and Joe.
History
It was the first Irish entry to be performed in a Eurovision semi-final. The song is an up-tempo duet with the brother-and-sister duo singing about the problems that love can cause. They explain, for example, that "Love can make you happy/Love can make you cry/Love can be the best/Until it's passed you by". The song was criticised by many fans for being a break from the traditional Irish ballad,[1] as well as having a relatively repetitive structure.
The song was only ever performed in the semi-final. Ireland had not finished in the top ten at the previous Eurovision Song Contest, thus they were required to enter that year's semi-final. In the semi-final, it was the twenty-second performance (following Bulgaria's Kaffe with "Lorraine" and preceding Slovenia's Omar Naber with "Stop"). At the close of voting, Ireland's entry had received 53 points, placing 14th in a field of 25. Thus Ireland missed out on the final and were again required to qualify through the semi-final at their next Contest appearance.
Brian Kennedy with "Every Song Is a Cry for Love" succeeded this as Ireland's entry at the 2006 Contest in Athens.
Legacy
Despite its infamy, the song has lived on in the ears, if not the hearts, of Irish people. For several years now Today FM disc jockey Ray Foley has used clips from the song in a segment of his radio show called "The Entertainment Update". In this, Ray, his co-host JP and the show's producer inform listeners of entertainment news across the world. After closing their segment with (usually) a bad pun, and fake laughter from the three "anchors", the four-note dramatic flourish from "Love?" is heard.
References
- ↑ "Love? - Donna and Joe (Ireland 2005)". Moopy Eurovision forum. Retrieved 2009-08-02.