Weil Der Mensch Zählt
Encyclopedia
"Weil der Mensch zählt" ("Man is the measure of all things", literally "Because the human counts") was the Austria
n representative in the Eurovision Song Contest 2003
, performed in German
as well as Steiermarkish
(a dialect of German
) by Alf Poier
.
The song was performed second on the night, following Iceland
's Birgitta
with "Open Your Heart" and preceding Ireland
's Mickey Harte
with "We've Got the World
". At the close of voting, it had received 101 points, placing 6th in a field of 26.
The song is intended as a sendup of the entire contest (much in the vein of a previous Austrian entry - Schmetterlinge's Boom Boom Boomerang
) and its excesses. Lyrically, it is about farmyard animals and their habits, but also features a number of non sequiturs
about Adam and Eve
and "the African dromedary". The thick accent in which the song is delivered also adds to the humour, as even a native German speaker may find it hard to follow the lyrics at times.
Musically, the song switches tempo from a simple folk melody during the verse to a singalong chorus before featuring loud guitar chords (to which Poier famously danced in his performance), after which the lyrics record Poier grunting in the manner of a rock star.
The performance itself is also memorable, as the animals mentioned in the song were present - in cardboard cut-out form - on stage playing various instruments.
Despite the controversy of Poier's humour, the song has become one of the best-loved Contest entries of recent years.
An English
translation can be found on the Diggiloo website. http://www.diggiloo.net/?2003at. Here you can also read what the lyrics would be like in standard German
.
It was succeeded as Austrian representative
at the 2004 Contest
by Tie Break
performing "Du bist
".
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n representative in the Eurovision Song Contest 2003
Eurovision Song Contest 2003
The Eurovision Song Contest 2003 was the forty-eighth Eurovision Song Contest, held at the Skonto Hall in Riga, Latvia on 24 May 2003. The hosts were Marie N and Renārs Kaupers. Sertab Erener, the Turkish entrant, won the contest with "Everyway That I Can", scoring 167 points. The winning...
, performed in German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
as well as Steiermarkish
Austro-Bavarian
Bavarian , also Austro-Bavarian, is a major group of Upper German varieties spoken in the south east of the German language area.-History and origin:...
(a dialect of German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
) by Alf Poier
Alf Poier
Alf Poier is an Austrian artist and stand-up comedian.Born in Judenburg in Styria, he started doing cabaret in 1995 in Graz, and has won several prizes for his work, including the Salzburger Stier in 1998, the Deutscher Kleinkunstpreis, Prix Phanteon and RTL Comedy Award in 2000 and the Austrian...
.
The song was performed second on the night, following Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
's Birgitta
Birgitta Haukdal
Birgitta Haukdal Brynjarsdóttir , also known by her mononym Birgitta, is an Icelandic singer. She rose to domestic media prominence as the lead singer of pop band Írafár...
with "Open Your Heart" and preceding Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
's Mickey Harte
Mickey Joe Harte
Michael Joseph Harte or now simply known as Mickey Harte is a professional singer-songwriter from Lifford, County Donegal, Ireland. He was chosen to represent Ireland in the 2003 Eurovision Song Contest with "We've Got the World"...
with "We've Got the World
We've Got The World
"We've Got the World" was the Irish entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2003, performed in English by Mickey Harte.The song is a moderately up-tempo number, with Harte singing to his lover. He tells her that "We've got the world tonight/Let's hold on together", and explains that she is the reason...
". At the close of voting, it had received 101 points, placing 6th in a field of 26.
The song is intended as a sendup of the entire contest (much in the vein of a previous Austrian entry - Schmetterlinge's Boom Boom Boomerang
Boom Boom Boomerang
"Boom Boom Boomerang" was the Austrian representative in the Eurovision Song Contest 1977, performed in German by Schmetterlinge....
) and its excesses. Lyrically, it is about farmyard animals and their habits, but also features a number of non sequiturs
Non sequitur (absurdism)
A non sequitur is a conversational and literary device, often used for comedic purposes. It is a comment that, because of its apparent lack of meaning relative to what it follows, seems absurd to the point of being humorous or confusing....
about Adam and Eve
Adam and Eve
Adam and Eve were, according to the Genesis creation narratives, the first human couple to inhabit Earth, created by YHWH, the God of the ancient Hebrews...
and "the African dromedary". The thick accent in which the song is delivered also adds to the humour, as even a native German speaker may find it hard to follow the lyrics at times.
Musically, the song switches tempo from a simple folk melody during the verse to a singalong chorus before featuring loud guitar chords (to which Poier famously danced in his performance), after which the lyrics record Poier grunting in the manner of a rock star.
The performance itself is also memorable, as the animals mentioned in the song were present - in cardboard cut-out form - on stage playing various instruments.
Despite the controversy of Poier's humour, the song has become one of the best-loved Contest entries of recent years.
An English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
translation can be found on the Diggiloo website. http://www.diggiloo.net/?2003at. Here you can also read what the lyrics would be like in standard German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
.
It was succeeded as Austrian representative
Austria in the Eurovision Song Contest
Austria has appeared frequently at the Eurovision Song Contest. The country has won once, in 1966, with the song "Merci Chérie".In recent years, Austria's entries have tended towards the humorous, in contrast with the dance-pop achieving success. 2003 saw comedian and personality Alf Poier perform...
at the 2004 Contest
Eurovision Song Contest 2004
The Eurovision Song Contest 2004, was the 49th Contest and it was held in the Abdi İpekçi Arena in Istanbul, Turkey. This was the first occasion in which the contest was held in Turkey after they had won the competition in 2003 with Sertab Erener singing "Everyway That I Can"...
by Tie Break
Tie Break
Tie Break may refer to:*A Tiebreaker at an end of a set or game such as tennis etc.*Tie Break -an Austrian boyband*Tie Break - a Polish jazz group...
performing "Du bist
Du Bist
"Du bist" was the Austrian entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 2004, performed in German by Tie Break. It was the only song in the Austrian semi-finals of this year to be sung in German....
".