| "Hold Me Now" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byJohnny Logan | ||||
| from the albumHold Me Now | ||||
| B-side | "Living a Lie" | |||
| Released | 1987 | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 3:00 | |||
| Label | Epic | |||
| Songwriter | Seán Sherrard | |||
| Producer | Bill Whelan | |||
| Johnny Logan singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Eurovision Song Contest 1987 entry | ||||
| Country | ||||
| Artist | Seán Sherrard | |||
| As | ||||
| Language | English | |||
| Composer | Seán Sherrard | |||
| Lyricist | Seán Sherrard | |||
| Conductor | ||||
| Finals performance | ||||
| Final result | 1st | |||
| Final points | 172 | |||
| Entry chronology | ||||
| ◄ "You Can Count on Me" (1986) | ||||
| "Take Him Home" (1988) ► | ||||
| Official performance video | ||||
| "Hold Me Now" onYouTube | ||||
"Hold Me Now" is a song written and recorded by Irish singer-songwriterJohnny Logan. Itrepresented Ireland in theEurovision Song Contest 1987 held inBrussels, resulting in his second win at the contest, as well as the country's third victory. It reached #1 in Ireland, but reached #2 in UK, Norway, Sweden, Germany, they were all held off the top spot in UK, Norway and Sweden by Whitney Houston's smash singleI Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me), except in Germany where the song was held off by Madonna's major hit single,La Isla Bonita the first week then I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me) for the further two weeks.
"Hold Me Now" was written, composed, and recorded byJohnny Logan. Lyrically, It 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 [him] 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 "I will know / though we're apart / we'll always be together", which implies some sort of optimism on his part. The music is a typical power ballad, with the final chorus being introduced by a choir of backing singers –Joan Lea, Karen Black, and Alain Pentony–.[1]
Logan had previously won theEurovision Song Contest with "What's Another Year" in the1980 contest and had written "Terminal 3" forLinda Martin, placing second in the1984 contest, bothrepresenting Ireland.
On 8 March 1987, "Hold Me Now" performed by him competed in thenational selection organised byRaidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ) to select its song and performer for the32nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. The song won the competition so it became the Irish entrant –and Logan the performer– for Eurovision.[2]
On 9 May, the Eurovision Song Contest was held at theCentenary Palace inBrussels hosted by theRadio-télévision belge de la Communauté française (RTBF), and broadcast live throughout the continent. Logan performed "Hold Me Now" twentieth on the evening, followingDenmark's "En lille melodi" byAnne-Cathrine Herdorf & Bandjo and precedingYugoslavia's "Ja sam za ples" byNovi Fosili.Noel Kelehan conducted the event's live orchestra in the performance of the Irish entry.[3]
At the close of voting, it had received 172 points, placing first in a field of twenty-two, winning the contest.[4] 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". It was succeeded as winner in1988 "Ne partez pas sans moi" sung byCéline Dion representingSwitzerland. It was succeeded as Irish representative at the 1988 contest by "Take Him Home" sung byJump The Gun.
Logan would go on to write the winner song of the1992 contest, "Why Me?" performed byLinda Martin.
"Hold Me Now" is regarded as one of the high points of the contest history, it was one of fourteen songs chosen by Eurovision fans and aEuropean Broadcasting Union (EBU) reference group, from among the 992 songs that had ever participated in the contest, to participate in the fiftieth anniversary competitionCongratulations: 50 Years of the Eurovision Song Contest held on 22 October 2005 inCopenhagen,[5] where it was voted the third-best song in Eurovision history behind "Waterloo" and "Nel blu dipinto di blu". On 31 March 2015, in the Eurovision sixtieth anniversary concertEurovision Song Contest's Greatest Hits held inLondon, Logan performed the song as part of a medley with "Why Me?" and "What's Another Year".[6][7]
| "Hold Me Now 2001" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byJohnny Logan | ||||
| from the albumReach for Me | ||||
| B-side | "Hold Me Now 2001" (instrumental) | |||
| Released | 2001 | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 3:35 | |||
| Label | Epic | |||
| Songwriter | Johnny Logan | |||
| Johnny Logan singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
In 2001, Logan released the albumReach for Me, with the first two tracks being revamped versions of his Eurovision winning songs which are titled in the album as "What's Another Year 2001" and "Hold Me Now 2001" in a revamped up-beat version. "Hold Me Now" from the album had a limited chart success in Denmark where it made it to number ine on theHitlisten chart. It also made it to number 54 in SwedishHitlistan Singles Chart.
Track listing
A decade later, Johnny Logan recorded yet a new version of both winning songs now titled "What's Another Year 2010" and "Hold Me Now 2010" in his studio albumNature of Love without releasing either as a single.
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Belgium (BRMA)[33] | Gold | 25,000* |
| Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[34] | Gold | 45,000‡ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
The song is usually sung byBohemians at home matches inDalymount Park.
The song has been covered by several performers, including areggae version byTanya Stephens. It has also been updated byBelgian rapperKaye 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 superstarToše Proeski covered this song during his concerts.[35]
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The song was also used in an Irish advertising campaign launched byMcDonald's toward the end of 2007.[36][37] 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).
| Preceded by | Eurovision Song Contest winners 1987 | Succeeded by |
