About Lithuania...

2006 Result
History (1956 to 2005)
This year's entry
What I predicted...
What you thought...
What actually happened...
What the bookies thought...

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2006 Result

Points in Semi Final: 163
Position in Semi Final: 5th

Points in Final: 162
Position in Final: 6th
More about the 2006 result for Lithuania

2007 Contest: Directly qualified to Final

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History (1956 to 2005)

Lithuania's previous appearances: 6 year(s) out of 50 [note]
Years participated: 1994;1999; 2001-2002; 2004- [note]
Best result: 13th (2001)

Lithuania must be wondering what it's doing wrong. While its Baltic neighbours Estonia and Latvia have each carried off a Eurovision victory (in 2001 and 2002 respectively), Lithuania's record in the contest is rather less impressive. Indeed, it hardly got off to a good start, with Lithuania's first entry in 1994, performed by Ovidijus Vysniauskas, scoring 'nul points'. Perhaps wisely, Lithuania waited until 1999 before trying again, when it gained 13 points, 20th place (out of 23) and relegation for its efforts. 2001 represented Lithuania's best performance so far, when Skamp managed a more 'impressive' 13th place with 'You Got Style'. More importantly, it meant that Lithuania finally scored highly enough to participate in the following year's contest; however, it was back to business as usual with Aivaras' 'Happy You' mustering just 12 points and 23rd place in 2002.

Having had to sit out 2003, the new format of Semi Final and Final, introduced in 2004, at least means that Lithuania can take part every year. However, even using this format, the chances of Lithuania ever reaching the Final don't seem good. In 2004's Semi Final, Linas and Simona mustered just 26 points and 16th place, while 2005's effort by Laura and the Lovers did even worse, finishing last, in 25th place, with 17 points. Consequently, it's yet another Semi Final for Lithuania in 2006.
Get 'The Eurovision Song Contest: The Offical History' at Amazon.co.uk

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This year's entry

Position in Semi Final draw: 18
Position in Final draw: 14

What I said prior to the Semi Final:
"After what seems like a neverending selection process, Lithuania will be represented by LT United in Athens, performing 'We are the winners'. The winning entry won by a landslide in the Lithuanian televote, which either suggests that the Lithuanian public has a great sense of humour or no taste in music whatsoever, depending on your perspective. The song, if I can call it that, is rubbish. Performed by six men in suits and ties going under the name LT United, it consists of little more than the lyrics "We are the winners of Eurovision" repeated over and over, and sounds more like the kind of chant you would hear in a football stadium than a proper musical composition. In its sentiment, of course, 'We are the winners' has a lot in common with the 2006 Icelandic entry, where Silvía Nótt declares that she is "gonna win the f***ing final" - obviously Iceland and Lithuania can't both be right. The difference between them, however, is that the lyrics of the Icelandic song are clever and tongue in cheek, part and parcel of the outrageous character that is Silvía Nótt, with a credible 1980s-style musical composition that completes the whole Cyndi Lauper-esque performance. In contrast, the Lithuanian entry and performance just comes across as rather sad and embarrassing. What a pity that Lithuania chose this over the much cleverer 'Welcome to Lithuania' by InCulto, still a humorous song, but one that brilliantly parodied the way that countries use their Eurovision entries and promotional videos to showcase their tourist delights, packaged with a sharp lyric, enjoyable melody and great vocals.

In a year where I'm being uncharacteristically gushing about most of the songs, it therefore pains me that Lithuania has come up with *this*. It will be a travesty of the highest order if LT United qualifies for the Final - whether it does will likely depend on the European public's state of sobriety on 18 May. Meanwhile, I shall seek some solace in my Amberlife CDs - proof that Lithuania can produce excellent songs when it feels like it, even if none of those ever seem to make it to Eurovision. "

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What I predicted...

My prediction for Semi Final: 21st to 23rd
My prediction for Final: Will not qualify
See all my predictions for the 2006 Semi Final
See all my predictions for the 2006 Final

What I predicted prior to the Semi Final:
"Debate has raged in the comments section of Soult.com Eurovision's Lithuanian page, with lots of Lithuanians offering interesting explanations (some intelligent and articulate, others more rude) for why 'We are the winners' is brilliant rather than rubbish. I can see what they're getting at, but I just think there are ways of making fun of Eurovision in cleverer ways than this. For me, LT United is a novelty too far, and I think most of Europe will be completely baffled by it. Who's going to know or care that Lithuania scored nothing on its début, or finished last in 2005? People are just going to judge this 'song' on its own merits, and that surely cannot bode well for its chances of success. "
Want an alternative prediction? See Simon Hylands' 'Je t'adore, Eurovision!' site

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What you thought...

View the final leader board

In the run up to the Contest, 1,721 visitors to this site awarded points to their favourite songs in the Soult.com Eurovision Jury Vote 2006, voting as a representative of their own country's 'jury'. The votes awarded by representatives of each country were totalled, with each of the 38 participating countries (plus the 'Rest of the World') then awarding points - 12, 10, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 - based on the overall voting preference of its representatives. The points awarded to the entry from Lithuania are shown in the tables below:

Points awarded to Lithuania overall:
AL	0	HR	0	GR	0	MK	0	PL	0	ES	0
AD	1	CY	0	IS	0	MT	0	PT	0	SE	0
AM	0	DK	0	IE	0	MD	2	RO	0	CH	0
BY	1	EE	0	IL	0	MC	0	RU	0	TR	0
BE	0	FI	0	LV	10	NL	0	CS	0	UA	0
BA	0	FR	0	LT	X	NO	0	SI	0	UK	0
BG	0	DE	0	WO	0	Last updated: 18 May 2006 Next scheduled update: None
Total points: 14, from 4/39 juries
Position: 27 out of 37

Points awarded to Lithuania in the Semi Final:
AL	0	HR	0	GR	0	MK	0	PL	0	ES	0
AD	3	CY	0	IS	0	MT	0	PT	0	SE	0
AM	0	DK	0	IE	4	MD	7	RO	0	CH	0
BY	5	EE	0	IL	4	MC	0	RU	0	TR	0
BE	0	FI	0	LV	10	NL	0	CS	0	UA	0
BA	0	FR	0	LT	X	NO	0	SI	0	UK	0
BG	0	DE	0	WO	0	Last updated: 18 May 2006 Next scheduled update: None
Total points: 33, from 6/39 juries
Position: 18 out of 23

Points awarded to Lithuania in the Final:
AL	0	HR	0	GR	0	MK	0	PL	0	ES	0
AD	0	CY	0	IS	0	MT	0	PT	0	SE	0
AM	0	DK	0	IE	0	MD	0	RO	0	CH	0
BY	0	EE	0	IL	0	MC	0	RU	0	TR	0
BE	0	FI	0	LV	0	NL	0	CS	0	UA	0
BA	0	FR	0	LT	X	NO	0