Wikipedia

My Number One

For the song by Luv', seeMy Number One (Luv' song).For other uses, seeMy Number One (disambiguation).

"My Number One"is a song recorded byGreek-SwedishsingerHelena Paparizouwith music composed by Manolis Psaltakis[a]andChristos Dantis,lyrics written by Dantis andNatalia Germanou,and produced by Dantis. Itrepresented Greecein theEurovision Song Contest 2005,held inKyiv,resulting in the country's only ever victory in the contest.

"My Number One"
SinglebyHelena Paparizou
from the albumProtereotita: Euro EditionandMy Number One
B-side
  • "I Don't Want You Here Anymore" (Anapandites Kliseis)
  • "Ok"
Released24 March 2005
Recorded2005
StudioVox
Genre
Length2:58
Label
Composer(s)
Lyricist(s)
Producer(s)Christos Dantis
Helena Paparizousingles chronology
"Anapandites Kliseis"
(2003) 		"My Number One"
(2005) 		"The Light in Our Soul"
(2005)
Music video
"My Number One"onYouTube
Alternative cover
US cover forMy Number One
Eurovision Song Contest 2005entry
Country
Artist(s)
Language
English
Composer(s)
  • Manolis Psaltakis
  • Christos Dantis
Lyricist(s)
  • Christos Dantis
  • Natalia Germanou
Finals performance
Final result
1st
Final points
230
Entry chronology
◄ "Shake It" (2004)
"Everything" (2006) ►
Official performance video
"My Number One" (Final)onYouTube

Background and composition

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"My Number One" was composed by Manolis Psaltakis andChristos Dantis,with lyrics by Dantis andNatalia Germanou,and was produced by Dantis. The composition had initially been credited only to Dantis, however, a 2013 lawsuit by musician Manolis Psaltakis resulted in the credit being assigned also to him.[1]

The song is notable for casting elements oftraditional Greek musicin a contemporarydance musicsetting: its arrangement includesbouzoukisand a solo featuring aCretan lyra.[2][3]The song's lyrics describe the singer's appreciation for her lover who is lauded as her "number one" and "the only treasure [she]'ll ever have".[4]

Release and promotion

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Paparizou released "My Number One" as a single, with the release of a Swedish album which contained the song following, and a Greek re-released of her first albumProtereotitafeaturing the song and the other songs in the running for the national final. It sold over 90,000 copies in Greece and was certified double platinum.

Shortly after the song was selected for Eurovision, itsmusic videowas shot in one day at theThessaloniki Science Center and Technology MuseuminThessaloniki.Paparizou then went on a European promotional tour visiting over twenty countries on her tour, and singing on various television shows, as well as giving many interviews.

In early 2006, it was announced that "My Number One" and "Mambo!" would be remixed and released in the United States byModa Records.On 22 August, a maxi CD single was released to record stores, featuring ten remixes, and the original song;[5]the mixes were also released as digital downloads on 4 June.[6]The music video of "My Number One" premiered in the United States in 2006. There were two separate videos. One is the original video, that was also shown in Europe. The second is a re-edited version of the same video, to the beat of the Josh Harris Remix from the CD Single.

Eurovision Song Contest

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Main article:Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest 2005

TheHellenic Broadcasting Corporation(ERT) internally selectedHelena Paparizouas its performer for the50th editionof theEurovision Song Contest.ERT then selected four songs – "My Number One", "OK", "Let's Get Wild", and "The Light in Our Soul"– to be performed by her in a televisednational finalaired on 2 March 2005. Shortly before the national final, it was revealed that "The Light in Our Soul" had been already released by Big Alice, thus it was disqualified, leaving out only three songs. "My Number One" gained a combined 66.47% from televoting and jury votes winning the competition and becoming theGreek entryfor Eurovision. The chorus of the song had already become a chant forAEK Athenssupporters.

On 21 May 2005, the final for the Eurovision Song Contest was held at thePalace of SportsinKyivhosted by theNational Television Company of Ukraine(NTU), and broadcast live throughout the continent. As Greece had finished third at theprevious contest,the song had been pre-qualified for the final. Paparizou performed "My Number One" nineteenth on the evening, followingCroatia's "Vukovi umiru sami"byBoris Novkovićand LADO and precedingRussia's "Nobody Hurt No One"byNatalia Podolskaya.[7]During her performance, she did a stage show of the song, choreographed byFokas Evangelinos.[8]Some of the memorable visuals from the show include her dancing a traditional GreekPontiandance, the four dancers making the shape on the number 1 of the floor –showed from aerial camera– and her playing an imaginarylyrawhile her dancers pick her up.

At the close of voting, it had received 230 points, finishing at the head of a twenty-four-strong field, winning the contest.[9]"My Number One" held two Eurovision records: it was the first song scored an average of only 6.05 points per jury, the lowest average for a winning song at the time;[b]and it had the most sets of 12 points given out to one country until then, tying withUnited Kingdom's1997entry "Love Shine a Light".[c]

Legacy

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After its win Eurovision, a mass party started on the streets ofAthens.People went out onto the streets with Greek flags, and started singing "My Number One", as well as honking car horns. This was similar to when Greece wonEuro 2004,the2005 Eurobaskettitle and when Greece won the silver medal in the2006 FIBA World Championship.When Paparizou arrived back to Greece from Kyiv, mass crowds met her at theAthens International Airport,where she held up a Greek flag and the trophy.

"My Number One" 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 Contestheld on 22 October 2005 inCopenhagen.[10]Paparizou performed the song in the competition, where it was named as one of the five greatest Eurovision entries of all time, earning the 4th place.[11]

As the winning broadcaster, the EBU gave ERT the responsibility to host the2006 editionof the Eurovision Song Contest. The semi-final held on 18 May 2006, opened with a medley of former Eurovision songs performed by different Greek gods, with all the cast finishing with "My Number One". The final held on 20 May 2006, opened with a ballet dance, after which Paparizou was introduced as the reigning winner and she performed the song. She also performed "Mambo!"at the interval act and presented the trophy to the winners.[12]

On 22 May 2021, the interval act "Rock the Roof" in theEurovision Song Contest 2021final featured a revamped version of "My Number One" performed by Paparizou.[13]On 9 May 2024, she performed the song as part of a sing-along interval act in the second semi-final of the2024 contestheld inMalmö,Sweden.[d][15]

Track listings

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Credits and personnel

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Credits adapted from liner notes.[16]

Locations
  • Recorded at Vox Studios (Athens, Greece)
Personnel

Commercial performance

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After the Eurovision victory, the video for the song was released in several countries throughout Europe. It went to #1 in both Greece and Paparizou's native Sweden for 4 weeks and was certified gold in both countries. The song was played constantly in Greece all through the summer. The success of the single is credited to the popular remix fromChris "The Greek" Panaghiwhich Sony (Greece) commissioned for the remix.

The song peaked on the BillboardHot Dance Club Playchart at number 8 and number 25 on the Billboard Hot Dance Singles Sales. In September 2006, theGeorgie’s #1 Radio Anthem Mixwas added to popular American retailerAbercrombie & Fitch's store playlist nationwide.[17]

Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Sweden (GLF)[35] Gold 10,000^

^Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

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Country Date Label Format
Greece 24 March 2005 Sony BMG
Sweden 4 May 2005[36] Bonnier Amigo CD single,digital download
Finland
Denmark 30 May 2005[36]
Norway
Germany Sony BMG
Austria
Netherlands 6 June 2005[36] CD single
Belgium
Portugal 7 June 2005[36]
Italy 1 July 2005[36] CD Single, digital download
United States 4 June 2006[6] Moda Digital download
22 August 2006[5] CD single

Legacy

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Cover versions

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In other media

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  • In 2008, a part of this song was sampled for "Thara Thara Onthara" of Kannada-language filmBindaas.
  • In 2009, "My Number One" made its way to thePlayStation 3karaoke gameSingstarasdownloadable content.It was previously released in the Swedish version of the game, but it is the first time it has become accessible to players from all over Europe.

Notes

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  1. ^abcBy a 2013 Greek court decision.[1]
  2. ^This record was previously held byYugoslaviain1989with the song "Rock Me",and was later broken byAzerbaijanin2011with "Running Scared"byEll & Nikki.
  3. ^"My Number One" received 12 points ten times, tying it with theUnited Kingdom's1997entry "Love Shine a Light"byKatrina and the Wavesfor the record –televoting was only in place for five countries at the time–. This record was later broken by "Fairytale",the winning song in2009,which scored 12 points from sixteen countries, and is currently held by the2022winner, "Stefania",which received twenty-eight sets of 12 points from televoting and five from juries.
  4. ^In a medley with "Everyway That I Can"bySertab Erenerand "Take Me to Your Heaven"byCharlotte Perrelli.[14]

References

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  1. ^abVatmanidis, Theo (13 September 2013)."Greek court judgement against credited composer of 'My Number One'".EuroVisionary.Retrieved27 December2020.
  2. ^"My number one - Helena Paparizou".24 November 2009.
  3. ^Ivan Raykoff, Robert Deam TobinA song for Europe: popular music and politics in the Eurovision song contestAshgate Publishing Ltd Aldershot UK (2007) p.143
  4. ^"2005 Greece - lyrics".The Diggiloo Thrush.Retrieved2006-08-14.
  5. ^abStaff (2006-08-22)."My Number One [SINGLE]".Amazon.Retrieved2009-09-07.
  6. ^abStaff (2006-06-04)."My Number One (Dance Mixes)".iTunes.Retrieved2009-09-07.
  7. ^"Eurovision Song Contest 2005 - Final".Eurovision Song Contest.21 May 2005.NTU/EBU.
  8. ^Edwards, Pollyanna (26 March 2021)."Helena Paparizou to perform revamped version of 'My Number One' in Rotterdam".eurovoxx.tv.Retrieved19 May2023.
  9. ^"Official Eurovision Song Contest 2005 final scoreboard".Eurovision Song Contest.
  10. ^Bakker, Sietse (16 June 2005)."The 14 songs for Copenhagen".ESCtoday.
  11. ^Adam, Karla (24 October 2005)."Abba's 'Waterloo' is voted best song of 50 Eurovision years".The Independent.Retrieved20 May2023.
  12. ^"Eurovision Song Contest 2006".Eurovision Song Contest.20 May 2006.ERT/EBU.
  13. ^"Interval Act - Rock The Roof".Eurovision Song Contest.
  14. ^"Sing-Along Greatest Hits"onYouTubeat theEurovision Song Contest 2024second semifinal
  15. ^"Eurovision Song Contest 2024 second semifinal".Eurovision Song Contest.9 May 2024.SVT/EBU.
  16. ^"My Number One"(liner notes).Helena Paparizou.Athens, Greece:Sony Music Entertainment (Greece).2005. COL 675891 1, Barcode 5 099767 589212.{{cite AV media notes}}:CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  17. ^"Abercrombie & Fitch Store Music: 2006 Playlist By Month: September".EverythingAmbercrombie. 2008-08-04. Archived fromthe originalon 2011-07-10.Retrieved2009-01-14.
  18. ^"Helena Paparizou – My Number One "(in German).Ö3 Austria Top 40.Retrieved 2011-08-01.
  19. ^"Helena Paparizou – My Number One "(in Dutch).Ultratop 50.Retrieved 2011-08-01.
  20. ^"Helena Paparizou – My Number One "(in French).Ultratop 50.Retrieved 2011-08-01.
  21. ^Helena Paparizou — My Number One.TopHit.Retrieved 2021-10-06.
  22. ^"Helena Paparizou – My Number One "(in German).GfK Entertainment charts.Retrieved 2011-08-01.
  23. ^"Top 50 Singles Chart".IFPI Greece.2005-07-30. Archived from the original on August 26, 2005.Retrieved2011-08-01.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  24. ^"Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ "(in Hungarian).Single (track) Top 40 lista.Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved 2021-05-19.
  25. ^"Helena Paparizou – My Number One "(in Dutch).Single Top 100.Retrieved 2011-08-01.
  26. ^"Top Radio Hits Russia Weekly Chart: Sep 15, 2005".TopHit.Retrieved24 April2024.
  27. ^"Helena Paparizou – My Number One ".Singles Top 100.Retrieved 2011-08-01.
  28. ^"Helena Paparizou – My Number One ".Swiss Singles Chart.Retrieved 2011-08-01.
  29. ^"Digital Singles Charts - Turkey".Number One Top 20.Archived fromthe originalon 3 June 2011.Retrieved22 May2005.
  30. ^"Helena Paparizou Chart History (Dance Club Songs)".Billboard.Retrieved 2011-08-01.
  31. ^"Jaaroverzichten 2005".Ultratop.Retrieved2020-05-16.
  32. ^"Лучшие песни и музыка за 2005 год"(in Russian).Tophit.Archivedfrom the original on 2021-10-06.Retrieved2021-10-06.
  33. ^"Top Radio Hits Russia Annual Chart: 2005".TopHit.Archivedfrom the original on 21 April 2024.Retrieved24 April2024.
  34. ^"Årslista Singlar – År 2005"(in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan.Retrieved2020-05-16.
  35. ^"Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 2005"(PDF)(in Swedish).IFPI Sweden.Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2011-05-17.
  36. ^abcde""My Number One" all over Europe! ".Archived fromthe originalon 2011-09-29.(in Greek)MAD TV.Retrieved on July 25, 2005.
  37. ^"«Eurovision σε είδον» – Οι εκπλήξεις αρχίζουν από σήμερα! | Βίντεο"[ "Eurovision se eidon" – The surprises start today! | Video].Eurovision.ert.gr(in Greek). ERT. 6 March 2024.Retrieved7 March2024.
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Preceded by Eurovision Song Contest winners
2005 		Succeeded by
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