2001 Greece: Antique - I would die for you (3rd place at Eurovision Song Contest in Copenhagen)

Performed by: Antique Music by: Nikos Terzis Lyrics by: Antonis Pappas Language: Greek & English Placing: 3rd (147 points) Other versions: Greek, English Here is the Greek version of the song: “(I Would) Die for You“ is a song released by Antique. It was the Greek entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2001, performed in English and Greek (the first Greek entry not to be performed entirely in Greek) by Antique, a duo consisting of Elena Paparizou and Nikos Panagiotidis, both born and raised in Sweden by Greek parents. Prior to entering the Contest the group had had two Top 10 hits in both Greece and Sweden, “Opa Opa“ and “Dinata Dinata“. “(I Would) Die for You“ was released as a CD single by Bonnier Music and EMI 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. The song, with lyrics by Antonis Pappas and music by Nikos Terzis, who would later compose “Love Me Tonight“ for Belarus, is an up-tempo number inspired in part by Greek folk music. 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. Elena 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 performed with the traditional Greek instrument bouzouki throughout. The third-place finish was Greece’s highest place until the 2005 Contest, when Paparizou, this time performing solo, won the Contest with “My Number One“. Antique was a Swedish-Greek singing duo consisting of Helena Paparizou (Έλενα Παπαρίζου; born 1982) and Nikos Panagiotidis (Νίκος Παναγιωτίδης; born 1978), originating in Sweden and combining Greek popular music and lyrics with a Nordic dance pop beat. Both Paparizou and Panagiotidis were born and raised in Sweden by Greek parents. They were the first ever to be nominated for a Swedish Grammis in the category modern dance with a Greek song. In 2001, Antique were selected to represent Greece at the Eurovision Song Contest in Copenhagen with the song “Die for You“, sung in a blend of English and Greek, ending with a third place – only behind Estonia and hosts Denmark. This group was famous in Scandinavian countries, Cyprus, Greece, Germany and Italy. Lyrics: (I would) Die for you Κάθησα και σκέφτηκα Κι είδα ότι μ’ αγαπάς Μόνο εσύ, μόνο εσύ Όλα τ’ αλλα ψεύτικα Μόνο η δίκη σου αγκαλιά Με κρατά στη ζωή Cause I would die for you Look into my eyes and see it’s true Really, I could never lie to you Just to make you see that No one else could ever love you like the way I do Die for you Look into my eyes and see it’s true Really, I could never lie to you Just to make you see that No one else could ever love you like the way I do Καθησά και σκέφτηκα Κι είδα ότι μ’ αγαπάς Μόνο εσύ, μονό εσύ Cause I would die for you Look into my eyes and see it’s true Really, I could never lie to you Just to make you see that No one else could ever love you like the way I do Die for you Look into my eyes and see it’s true Really, I could never lie to you Just to make you see that No one else could ever love you like the way I do Cause I would die for you English: (I would) Die for you Kathisa ke skeftika Ki eitha oti m’ agapas Mono esi, mono esi Ola t’ ala pseftika Mono i thiki su agalia Me krata sti zoi Cause I would die for you Look into my eyes and see it’s true Really, I could never lie to you Just to make you see that No one else could ever love you like the way I do Die for you Look into my eyes and see it’s true Really, I could never lie to you Just to make you see that No one else could ever love you like the way I do Kathisa ke skeftika Ki eitha oti m’ agapas Mono esi, mono esi Cause I would die for you Look into my eyes and see it’s true Really, I could never lie to you Just to make you see that No one else could ever love you like the way I do Die for you Look into my eyes and see it’s true Really, I could never lie to you Just to make you see that No one else could ever love you like the way I do Cause I would die for you