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About Malta...
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2004 Result
Points in Semi Final: 74
Position in Semi Final: 8th
Points in Final: 50
Position in Final: 12th
2005 Contest: Directly qualified to Final
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History (1956 to 2003)
Malta's previous appearances: 16 year(s) out of 48
Years participated: 1971-1972; 1975; 1991-
Best result: 2nd (2002)
Malta had a brief dalliance with Eurovision in the 1970s, taking part in 1971 (finishing last), 1972 (last again) and 1975 (a slightly better 12th). After that run of 'success', it's hardly surprising that Malta gave up, only returning in 1991. By this time, Malta had realised the advantage of singing in English, rather than the Maltese of its first two entries. Remember, from the late 1970s until 1999 only those countries with English as a native language - the UK, Ireland and Malta - could perform in English at Eurovision. Since its 1991 comeback, Malta has used English to good effect, finishing in the top ten every year between 1991 and 1998, including two 3rd places (Mary Spiteri's 'Little child' in 1992, and Chiara's 'The one that I love' in 1998). With the free language rule reintroduced in 1999, Malta seemed to suffer, its song 'Believe'n Peace' slumping to 15th - in truth, though, the song was weak, its poor result reflecting crimes against both spelling and singing. Indeed, it was back to normal after that, with an 8th place in 2000, 9th in 2001, and a tantalising 2nd for Ira Losco's '7th Wonder' in 2002. Then, in 2003, Malta sent chirpy Lynn Chircop to Eurovision...
Unfortunately, Lynn finished in 25th place with just 4 points (3 of those from Ireland), spared the indignity of coming last only because the UK's Jemini did even worse. If Malta was hoping to win the contest, it had 'To dream again', as it were. Since Malta takes Eurovision very seriously, heated debate ensued in the light of this shock result. In 2004, the new Semi Final system gives Malta a chance to participate when under normal circumstances they would have missed this year's contest through relegation.
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This year's entry
Position in Semi Final draw: 8
Position in Final draw: 6
What I said prior to the Semi Final:
"The Maltese only ever do upbeat, jolly numbers, and this year's entry is no exception. Composed by the trusted Eurovision veterans Philip Vella and Gerard James Borg (responsible for 2000's 'Desire' and 2002's '7th Wonder'), 'On again...off again' seeks to erase the memory of Lynn and restore Malta to its rightful place among Eurovision's high achievers. Malta has even drawn on a little German help, enlisting the prolific Ralph Siegel (responsible for nearly every German entry ever) as the track's producer. Performed by Julie and Ludwig (or Ludwig and Julie, if you believe their website), 'On again...off again' is dreadful but brilliant - cheesy, catchy and impossible to get out of your head. With Julie's warbly bits and Ludwig's operatic contributions, 'On again...off again' is like Julie Andrews meets Jimmy Nail - a meshing together of 'The Sound of Music' with 'Evita'. Surely this doesn't mean that we'll finally get to go to Eurovision in Valletta?"
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What I predicted...
My prediction for Semi Final: 1st to 3rd
My prediction for Final: Definite qualifier; 3rd to 7th, possible winner
What I predicted prior to the Semi Final:
"Well, don't discount the prospect of this winning. The bookmakers seem to think that Malta will proceed to the Final without much trouble, and though the song is not particularly favoured in the fan polls, nor was Ira Losco in 2002 - Maltese songs have a habit of engaging the European public, even if they irritate the fans. The song should also benefit from being performed after the noisy Portuguese entry, and for being the first song wholly in English after a run of four wholly or partly in other languages (Latvia, Israel, Andorra, Portugal). Malta's place in the Final is surely not in doubt, and with a Eurovision pedigree as impressive as theirs, another top ten placing has to be on the cards. My prediction is that with a good performance, this will end up top five in the Final. I don't think it will quite manage to win, but as the eighth song to be performed in the Semi Final, it's certainly the first real contender so far."
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What you thought...
Final Poll Ranking: out of 36 ()
(Updated 15 May 2004; change refers to movement over final week)
In the run up to the Contest, over 5,000 visitors to this site voted for their favourite song in the Soult.com Eurovision Poll.
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What actually happened
In a Semi Final of 22 songs where 10 qualify for the Final, it's perhaps surprising to have to wait until song number 8 for the first qualifier. This came courtesy of Julie and Ludwig from Malta, whose ability to qualify for the Final was much less of a surprise, despite some negative feedback from the earlier rehearsals. Though securing 8th place in the Semi Final was enough to qualify, many had expected the winsome twosome to be among the top contenders; as it was, Malta's 74 points (from 19 countries) was only a whisker ahead of Croatia in 9th (72 points) and Macedonia in 10th (71 points), and only 17 points more than the highest non-qualifier, Israel in 11th. As for the performance, Julie and Ludwig did quite a good job - this was helped by the fact that, unlike some of their competitors, Julie and Ludwig can actually sing. Fortunately, the quality of their vocal performance drew attention away from Julie's scary grimacing and Ludwig's attempts to dance. In fact, with those qualities, we may have just discovered the Maltese H and Claire.
The Final gave us another opportunity to enjoy Julie's grimacing and Ludwig's dancing, though their vocals were perhaps not quite as polished as the previous occasion. Equally, coming after the classy Serbia and Montenegro song, it could be argued that there was something faintly ridiculous and cheesy about the Maltese performance.
Still, as far as predictions are concerned, I was right when I said that "as the eighth song to be performed it's certainly the first real contender so far", given that none of the previous seven qualified. However, while I had no doubt that Malta would qualify, I predicted it would finish higher - in both the Semi Final and Final - than it actually did, my prediction of 3rd to 7th in the Final contrasting with its eventual 12th. So, correct on the first two counts, incorrect on the third - can that count as a 'close'?
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What the bookies thought...
 | Malta to win: | 15/05/04 (prior to Final) | 12-1 |
| | 13/05/04 (after Semi Final) | 14-1 |
| | 11/05/04 | 14-1 |
| | 08/05/04 | 14-1 |
| | 06/05/04 | 14-1 |
| | 04/05/04 | 14-1 |
| | 31/04/04 | 14-1 |
| | 24/04/04 | 14-1 |
| | 17/04/04 | 12-1 |
| | 07/04/04 | 16-1 |
| | 24/03/04 | 16-1 |
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Malta's betting opened at 16-1, and remained consistently high - Julie and Ludwig did just enough to gain an automatic place in the 2005 Final, but missed out on a top ten place.
(Odds quoted here were those offered by Coral.co.uk. 'F' indicates favourite, 'JF' joint favourite.)
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Links
 http://www.ludwigandjulie.com/
 http://www.maltasong.com/
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Notes (see 'History' above)
- The 1956 Contest (where each country had two songs) is counted as a single appearance;
- Countries eliminated in the 1993 preliminary heat (EE, HU, RO, SK) ARE NOT counted as making an appearance in that year's Contest;
- Countries eliminated in the 1996 preliminary heat (DE, DK, HU, IL, MK, RO, RU) ARE NOT counted as making an appearance in that year's Contest;
- Countries eliminated in the 2004, 2005 and 2006 Semi Finals ARE counted as making an appearance in that year's Contest.
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Your comments (107)
From Owlyn, Malta
Added 09:52:10 2006-07-20
good job julie & ludwig you will never come again the last two.love from Owlyn.xxxxxxxx
From nina, CROATIA
Added 17:48:16 2004-5-16
i have nothing to say and i can belive what Malta has done on Eurovision2004.i'm suprised in good way of course.well done and hope I see you again and big hugh to Ludwig
From nette, ESTONIA
Added 17:19:7 2004-5-16
Beautiful song! This song will be in my heart for a long time ...
From stephen, MALTA
Added 13:36:54 2004-5-16
its a shame that Malta does not have any neighbours where we can get any points
From Etienne better known as (IN-NIN), MALTA
Added 19:26:25 2004-5-15
we are very pleased with your performance on wednesday and we wish you the best of luck for the event .ps you made us proud to be maltese .
From Apollo, MALTA
Added 17:50:29 2004-5-15
JULIE AND LUDWIG HAVE LOVELY VOICES. WHY SHOULDN'T MALTA WIN THIS YEAR. WE HAVE A VERY NICE TALENT AND HAVE NEVER WON THE CONTEST. PLEASE VOTE FOR US AND GOOD LUCK JULIE AND LUDWIG.
From Gordy, MALTA
Added 17:23:24 2004-5-15
HI there!! Hope that the problems of Julie's Mic will be resolved tonight. COME ON MALTA. we are proud to have Julie & Ludwig in Turkey representing our Island. We have a brilliant song 'Lussu'.Good luck Guys
From sharon hayman, MALTA
Added 17:13:24 2004-5-15
please vote for malta
From TINA , AUSTRALIA
Added 17:2:43 2004-5-15
BEAUTIFUL SONG! LOVELY VOICES! Good luck, Malta! I think the southern European countries have a great chance to win this year [in no specific order - songs from Greece "Shake It" (because Sakis is hot), Malta, Spain, France (nice!), Cyprus, and even Albania]. And I also like the Turkish entry!
From Tipster JuanKaan, TURKEY
Added 15:54:28 2004-5-15
MALTA !!!
Nothing to add.. The SONG is IMPRESSIVE.
"on again, off again" this song will be in TOP 5
There are many reason...
The word "JUSTIFIED" can never be pronaunced like this by any other one..
OPERA can never be placed in such a song with such a success.. This song would be TOP if a jury had voted...
But as PEOPLE will vote and as MALTA is #6 today evening, will people forget this lovely song...
-----------
My votes from TURKEY go to your country. And this song will be in my list for a long time...
People that BET on EUROVISION should try;
http://www.bettinghelp.8m.com
From Joćo Velada, PORTUGAL
Added 15:29:23 2004-5-15
Well done, Malta! Very good song! It has everything that is needed to attain an high position in the Eurovision 2004 ranking! I'm really happy to see Malta's song in the final! Good luck for you!
From Carl u Andrea, MALTA
Added 15:14:0 2004-5-15
Prosit Julie u ludwig! Kellkhom performance tajba, ilbistu vera bis-sens.goodluck!
Qbist nhar il-erbgha mela jekk tirbah illum x'taghmel?
lol :)
From Micky, IRELAND
Added 14:58:15 2004-5-15
nice song, catchy and original. All the best to Malta from Ireland!
From kirsty, UNITED KINGDOM
Added 14:42:29 2004-5-15
I like this song a lot, i think it's very catchy. Not sure if it will win, but it deserved to get through to the final. Good Luck Malta!
From sue, MALTA
Added 14:57:2 2004-5-13
wat do u mean barby?
From barby, SLOVENIA
Added 14:51:37 2004-5-13
Hi,
Come on people. What happened yesturday. What are you pople listening to in Malta. I was there on holidays once but something so bad didn't catch my ear.
Sorry,
From dione, MALTA
Added 14:12:38 2004-5-13
What a lovely couple! A great show, reflecting the theme of the Maltese song. Warm voices as well as confidence. Beautifully dressed... Julie's dress sooo beautiful, in particular. A big well done to Philip and Gerald and the clothes designer. fab makeup. Simply Lovely. Come on Malta let's do the ENCORE`
From Andrew, MALTA
Added 9:5:1 2004-5-13
This comment is addressed to Mr Terry Wogan, who every year 9maybe not last year) states that we "should be in the sunshine sometime this year", Thanks
Well, this year's contest is being held in a basketball stadium. If Malta does ever win the Eurovision song contest, although it will cost a lot, we could have it either outside in the open with FOrt St Angelo as the backdrop, or else inside the national stadium, so really we do not have a ready made auditiorium for it, but if we do win, i can guarantee that the Maltese will all pool in to put up the contest which all of us love!! No doubt about it!
Although i am biased, the Maltese song is a great one. Its got style and class, and very original. We will have to wait and see, Forza MALTA!!!!
From Ciko, MALTA
Added 8:57:30 2004-5-13
Well done Julie and Ludwig for making it to the final. I was very disappointed with Greece's entry, tipped as favourite.
Unfortunately, Malta cannot count on the 'political' support of neighbouring countries. So let's not be too over-optimistic for a Maltese win. I will only start believing that it could happen, the moment Greece and Cyprus don't exchange full points! Probably I'm only a dreamer.
Julie, Ludwig - you already made us proud! Good luck for Sat!
From pol, UKRAINE
Added 8:9:53 2004-5-13
This is the worst song i have ever heard in my live !!!!!!
Vote for XANDEE from BELGIUM, that`s a really a good song
From Paul, MALTA
Added 8:7:26 2004-5-13
Dear Alexis,
I like my freedom of speech so I'll pretend to ignore you trying to shut me up.
Regarding Maltese performance, I don't think it was best in the contest (I mentioned my three faves and Malta wasn't in top 3) but I think your Lisa needs to work on her voice to do well next Sat (and no I'm not jealous of the Cypriot entry). The competition is now getting tougher ...
From LenLor, MALTA
Added 7:58:54 2004-5-13
I am proud to be Maltese cause there is talent and this was showed yesterday. They say our song is a repetitive one, but wow hear the rest they are all the same.
Like we said before those who criticise have all the right to do so, but please do it with some sense.
Saturday it a big day for Malta so Julie & Ludwig keep it up folks Malta will be behind you all the way. Great Couple, Great Song, Great Show.
From Maria, MALTA
Added 5:58:54 2004-5-13
Well done Julie & Ludwig and now we have to win on Saturday!!!!
Goodluck
From RAYMOMD, MALTA
Added 4:44:50 2004-5-13
AS A SMALL COUNTRY WHICH IS LIKE A BUTTON IN THE MEDDITEREAN WE ARE GLAD TO BE IN.I MUST NOT FORGETT THAT THERE ARE MUCH OTHER BIG COUNTRYS THAT THEY ARE OUT NOW. YOU OUT THERE DONT FORGETT THAT WE DONT HAVE NEIGHBOURS IN THE COMPETION BUT WE HAVE FRIENDS.I MUST BELIVE THAT THERE ARE VERY GOOD SONGS IN THE FINAL NOW BUT AS A MALTESE I THINK MY HEARTH WOULD BE WITH JULIE AND LUDWIG. GOOD LUCK TO YOU ALL
From Dolly, AUSTRALIA
Added 2:42:54 2004-5-13
Well as for of all you that believe that Malta, will not perform well this year. I have in mind that we will be in the top 5. The biggest competition in my eyes will be Denmark for sure! and Greece. With many younger audiences watching the song Shake it, I expect to see that Greece will do well, even though its a mix between Ricky Martin and Enrique Iglesias, as is the Spanish entry. I say get a life, and create some new music!
Well as for Malta's entry, good luck Julie and Ludwig, I have previewed all of the countries songs and let me tell you, yours may be far by one of the best.
And fort those 90 or so people who have commented on the Maltese song, quite abruptly might I add, listen to your own song once or twice and see how much work it needs done. Pop and Opera is in, so go shake your bon bon's somewhere else.
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