View source for Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest 1999

{{Short description|none}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}
{{Infobox song contest national year
| Year                   = 1999
| Broadcaster = [[ARD (broadcaster)|ARD]]{{efn|{{lang|de|Arbeitsgemeinschaft der öffentlich-rechtlichen Rundfunkanstalten der Bundesrepublik Deutschland|i=no}}}} – {{lang|de|[[Norddeutscher Rundfunk]]|i=no}} (NDR)
| Country                = Germany
| Preselection           = ''Countdown Grand Prix 1999''
| Preselection date      = 12 March 1999
| Entrant                = [[Sürpriz]]
| Song                   = {{lang|de|Reise nach Jerusalem – Kudüs'e Seyahat|i=no}}
| Writer                 = {{unbulleted list|[[Ralph Siegel]]|[[Bernd Meinunger]]}}
| Final result           = 3rd, 140 points
}}
Germany was represented at the [[Eurovision Song Contest 1999]] with the song "{{lang|de|Reise nach Jerusalem – Kudüs'e Seyahat|i=no}}", composed by [[Ralph Siegel]], with lyrics by [[Bernd Meinunger]], and performed by the group [[Sürpriz]]. The German participating broadcaster on behalf of [[ARD (broadcaster)|ARD]], {{lang|de|[[Norddeutscher Rundfunk]]|i=no}} (NDR), organised the national final ''Countdown Grand Prix 1999'' in order to select their entry for the contest. The national final took place on 12 March 1999 and featured eleven competing acts with the winner being selected through public televoting. "{{lang|de|Hör den Kindern einfach zu|i=no}}" performed by [[Corinna May]] was originally selected as the German entry after gaining 32.6% of the votes, however the song was disqualified for having been released in 1997 by another act and replaced with runner-up "{{lang|de|Reise nach Jerusalem – Kudüs'e Seyahat|i=no}}" performed by Sürpriz.
Germany competed in the Eurovision Song Contest which took place on 29 May 1999. Performing during the show in position 21, Germany placed third out of the 23 participating countries with 140 points.
== Background ==
{{main|Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest}}
Prior to the 1999 Contest, [[ARD (broadcaster)|ARD]] had participated in the [[Eurovision Song Contest]] representing Germany forty-two times since its debut in {{Escyr|1956|the inaugural contest}}.<ref name="history">{{cite web|title=Germany Country Profile|url=http://www.eurovision.tv/page/history/by-country/country?country=9|access-date=21 September 2014|publisher=[[European Broadcasting Union|EBU]]}}</ref> It has won the contest on one occasion: {{esccnty|Germany|y=1982|t=in 1982}} with the song "{{lang|de|[[Ein bißchen Frieden]]|i=no}}" performed by [[Nicole Seibert|Nicole]]. Germany, to this point, has been noted for having appeared in the contest more than any other country; they have competed in every contest since the first edition in 1956 except for {{esccnty|Germany|y=1996|t=1996}} when it was eliminated in a pre-contest elimination round. In {{esccnty|Germany|y=1998|t=1998}}, the German entry "{{lang|de|[[Guildo hat euch lieb!]]|i=no}}" performed by [[Guildo Horn]] placed seventh out of twenty-five competing songs scoring 86 points.
As part of its duties as participating broadcaster, ARD organises the selection of its entry in the Eurovision Song Contest and broadcasts the event in the country. Since 1996, ARD had delegated the participation in the contest to its member {{lang|de|[[Norddeutscher Rundfunk]]|i=no}} (NDR). NDR had set up national finals with several artists to choose both the song and performer to compete at Eurovision for Germany. The broadcaster organised a multi-artist national final in cooperation to select its entry for the 1999 contest.<ref>{{Cite news |date=1999-03-12 |title=Grand Prix Countdown: Guildo Horn- |language=de |pages=24 |work=Die Tageszeitung: taz |url=https://taz.de/!1911993/ |access-date=2023-12-19 |issn=0931-9085}}</ref>
== Before Eurovision ==
=== ''Countdown Grand Prix 1999'' ===
[[File:ÖVB-Arena-2824.jpg|thumb|The Stadthalle in Bremen was the host venue of ''Countdown Grand Prix 1999'']]
''Countdown Grand Prix 1999'' was the competition organised by NDR to select its entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 1999. The competition took place on 12 March 1999 at the [[ÖVB Arena|Stadthalle]] in [[Bremen]], hosted by [[Axel Bulthaupt]] and [[Sandra Studer]] (who reprsented {{esccnty|Switzerland|y=1991|t=Switzerland in 1991}}) and broadcast on [[Das Erste]] as well as in Switzerland on [[SRF zwei|SF 2]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Germany: Countdown Grand Prix 1999 |url=https://eurovisionworld.com/national/germany/countdown-grand-prix-1999 |access-date=2023-12-19 |website=Eurovisionworld |language=en-gb}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |last=KG |first=imfernsehen GmbH & Co |title=Deutscher Vorentscheid zum Eurovision Song Contest: Sendetermine SRF zwei |date=2001-03-02 |url=https://www.fernsehserien.de/deutscher-vorentscheid-zum-eurovision-song-contest/sendetermine/srf2/-1 |access-date=2023-12-19 |language=de}}</ref> Eleven acts competed during the show with the winner being selected through a public televote. The national final was watched by 5.63 million viewers in Germany with a market share of 18.7%.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Cosack |first=Bettina |date=2000-02-20 |title=Stefan Raab hat den "Countdown Grand Prix Eurovision" gewonnen - nicht alle freuen sich mit ihm: Sterne wirken nur im Dunkeln |url=https://www.berliner-zeitung.de/archiv/stefan-raab-hat-den-countdown-grand-prix-eurovision-gewonnen-nicht-alle-freuen-sich-mit-ihm-sterne-wirken-nur-im-dunkeln-li.883190 |access-date=2023-12-19 |website=Berliner Zeitung |language=de}}</ref>
==== Competing entries ====
11 acts were selected by a panel consisting of representatives of the German Phono Academy from proposals received from record companies, while an additional act, [[Michael von der Heide]], was provided by the Swiss-German broadcaster [[Schweizer Fernsehen|SF DRS]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Klapheck |first=Eva-Maria |url= |title=Die Sprachenwahl beim Eurovision Song Contest und ihre Auswirkungen und Konsequenzen: Untersuchung zum Zeitraum 1999-2004 |date= |publisher=diplom.de |isbn=978-3-8324-8179-7 |language=de}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=1998-09-19 |title=Eurosong Special |url=https://www.ogae-austria.at/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/reflections_1998.pdf |website=OGAE Austria |language=de}}</ref> Among the competing artists was [[Wind (band)|Wind]] which represented {{esccnty|Germany|y=1985|t=Germany in 1985}}, {{esccnty|Germany|y=1987|t=in 1987}}, and {{esccnty|Germany|y=1992|t=in 1992}}.<ref>{{Cite web |title=GERMAN NATIONAL FINAL 1999 |url=http://natfinals.50webs.com/90s_00s/Germany1999.html |access-date=2023-12-19 |website=natfinals.50webs.com}}</ref> One of the participating acts, "{{lang|de|Verdammt, ich lieb dich - immer noch|i=no}}" written by Bernd Dietrich and Matthias Reim and to have been performed by Matthias Reim, was withdrawn prior to the competition.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Deutschland |url=https://www.ecgermany.de/esc/1999/laender/de |access-date=2023-12-19 |website=www.ecgermany.de |language=de-de}}</ref>
{| class="sortable wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto;"
|-
!Artist
!Song
!Songwriter(s)
|-
|Carol Bee
|"Lover Boy"
|[[Candy DeRouge]], Carol Bee
|-
|Cathrin
|"Together We're Strong"
|Hermann Weindorf, Peter Bischof-Fallenstein
|-
|[[Corinna May]]
|"Hör den Kindern einfach zu"
|Frank Zumbroich
|-
|Elvin
|"Heaven"
|Andreas Linse, Eric Brodka
|-
|[[Jeanette Biedermann]]
|"Das tut unheimlich weh"
|Andreas Bärtels, Rick Rossi, [[Kristina Bach]]
|-
|Megasüß
|"Ich habe meine Tage"
|Windsor Robinson, Jürgen Magdziak, Claus Funke
|-
|[[Michael von der Heide]]
|"Bye Bye Bar"
|Thomas Fessler, Jeannot Steck, Micha Lewinsky
|-
|Naima
|"Itsy Bitsy Spider"
|Oliver Göddecke, Alexander Seidl, Robert Parr
|-
|[[Patrick Lindner]]
|"Ein bißchen Sonne, ein bißchen Regen"
|Alfons Weindorf, [[Bernd Meinunger]]
|-
|[[Sürpriz]]
|"Reise nach Jerusalem – Kudüs'e Seyahat"
|[[Ralph Siegel]], Bernd Meinunger
|-
|[[Wind (band)|Wind]]
|"Lost in Love"
|Norbert Beyerl, Werner Schüler
|}
==== Final ====
The televised final took place on 12 March 1999. The winner, "{{lang|de|Hör den Kindern einfach zu|i=no}}" performed by [[Corinna May]], was selected solely through public televoting held in Germany and Switzerland. In addition to the performances of the competing entries, the interval acts featured the Israeli singer [[Noa (singer)|Noa]], the Israeli saxophonist [[Giora Feidman]] and the German music producer Thomas M. Stein.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Germany 1999 |url=http://mylittleworld.nfshost.com/edb/german99.htm |access-date=2023-12-19 |website=mylittleworld.nfshost.com}}</ref> 681,000 votes were cast in the final.<ref name=":0" />
{| class="sortable wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto; text-align:center"
|+ Final – 12 March 1999
|-
! Draw
! Artist
! Song
! Televote
! Place
|-
| 1
| align="left" | [[Jeanette Biedermann]]
| align="left" | "Das tut unheimlich weh"
| 12.2%
| 4
|-
| 2
| align="left" | Carol Bee
| align="left" | "Lover Boy"
| {{N/A|Unknown}}
| 7
|-
| 3
| align="left" |[[Patrick Lindner]]
| align="left" | "Ein bißchen Sonne, ein bißchen Regen"
| {{N/A|Unknown}}
| 6
|-
| 4
| align="left" | Megasüß
| align="left" | "Ich habe meine Tage"
| {{N/A|Unknown}}
| 8
|-
| 5
| align="left" | [[Sürpriz]]
| align="left" | "Reise nach Jerusalem – Kudüs'e Seyahat"
| 16.2%
| 2
|-
| 6
| align="left" | Elvin
| align="left" | "Heaven"
| {{N/A|Unknown}}
| 9
|- style="font-weight:bold; background:gold;"
| 7
| align="left" | [[Corinna May]]
| align="left" | "Hör den Kindern einfach zu"
| 32.6%
| 1
|-
| 8
| align="left" | Naima
| align="left" | "Itsy Bitsy Spider"
| {{N/A|Unknown}}
| 11
|-
| 9
| align="left" | [[Michael von der Heide]]
| align="left" | "Bye Bye Bar"
| {{N/A|Unknown}}
| 5
|-
| 10
| align="left" | [[Wind (band)|Wind]]
| align="left" | "Lost in Love"
| {{N/A|Unknown}}
| 10
|-
| 11
| align="left" | Cathrin
| align="left" | "Together We're Strong"
| 15.9%
| 3
|}
=== Disqualification and replacement ===
On 16 March 1999, it was announced that Corinna May had been disqualified as her song was released on CD in 1997 by the German band Number Nine under the title "Where Have All the Good Times Gone?", contrary to the Eurovision Song Contest rules. Runner-up of the national final, "{{lang|de|Reise nach Jerusalem – Kudüs'e Seyahat|i=no}}" performed by [[Sürpriz]], therefore replaced May as the German entry for the 1999 contest.<ref>{{cite web |date=16 March 1999 |title=German entrant dropped in Eurovision row |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/297877.stm |access-date=29 August 2022 |publisher=BBC News}}</ref> Despite claims that "{{lang|de|Reise nach Jerusalem – Kudüs'e Seyahat|i=no}}" had similarities with the song "{{lang|de|Wohin geht die Reise hin?|i=no}}", released in 1984 by the German group Harmony Four, the entry was allowed to participate in the contest following a review by the [[European Broadcasting Union]] (EBU) and the [[Israel Broadcasting Authority]] (IBA).<ref name=":1" />
==At Eurovision==
[[File:Binyanei-HaUmah.JPG|right|thumb|200x200px|The Eurovision Song Contest 1999 took place at the [[International Convention Center (Jerusalem)|International Convention Center]] in Jerusalem, Israel, on 29 May 1999.]]
The Eurovision Song Contest 1999 took place at the [[International Convention Center (Jerusalem)|International Convention Center]] in Jerusalem, Israel, on 29 May 1999. According to the [[Rules of the Eurovision Song Contest|Eurovision rules]], the 23-country participant list for the contest was composed of: the previous year's winning country and host nation, the seventeen countries which had obtained the highest average points total over the preceding five contests, and any eligible countries which did not compete in the 1998 contest. Germany was one of the seventeen countries with the most average points and thus was permitted to participate. On 17 November 1998, an allocation draw was held which determined the running order and Germany was set to perform in position 21, following the entry from {{esccnty|Malta|y=1999}} and before the entry from {{esccnty|Bosnia and Herzegovina|y=1999}}.<ref name="1999 rules">{{cite web |title=Rules of the 44th Eurovision Song Contest, 1999 |url=http://www.eurosong.net/archive/esc1999.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225102116/http://www.eurosong.net/archive/esc1999.pdf |archive-date=25 February 2021 |access-date=13 March 2021 |publisher=European Broadcasting Union}}</ref><ref name="participants">{{cite web |title=44th Eurovision Song Contest |url=http://www.ebu.ch:80/tv-cec_participants_99.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010307121806/http://www.ebu.ch:80/tv-cec_participants_99.html |archive-date=7 March 2001 |access-date=21 May 2023 |publisher=European Broadcasting Union |language=fr, en}}</ref> Germany finished in third place with 140 points.<ref>{{cite web |title=Final of Jerusalem 1999 |url=https://eurovision.tv/event/jerusalem-1999/final |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210412110459/https://eurovision.tv/event/jerusalem-1999/final |archive-date=12 April 2021 |access-date=12 April 2021 |publisher=European Broadcasting Union}}</ref>
In Germany, the show was broadcast on [[Das Erste]] which featured commentary by [[Peter Urban (presenter)|Peter Urban]].<ref name="Schweiz">{{cite news |date=29 May 1999 |title=Radio TV Samstag |language=de |trans-title=Radio TV Saturday |page=14 |work=Freiburger Nachrichten |url=https://www.e-newspaperarchives.ch/?a=d&d=FZG19990528-01 |access-date=26 June 2022 |via=[[e-newspaperarchives.ch]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=3 May 2017 |title=Moderator Peter Urban kommentiert seit 20 Jahren den ESC |language=de |trans-title=Presenter Peter Urban has been commenting on the Eurovision Song Contest for 20 years |work=[[Berliner Morgenpost]] |url=https://www.morgenpost.de/kultur/tv/article210442163/Moderator-Peter-Urban-kommentiert-seit-20-Jahren-den-ESC.html |url-status=live |access-date=21 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180705031146/https://www.morgenpost.de/kultur/tv/article210442163/Moderator-Peter-Urban-kommentiert-seit-20-Jahren-den-ESC.html |archive-date=5 July 2018}}</ref> The show was watched by 4.79 million viewers in Germany.<ref>{{cite web |date=14 May 2011 |title=Beste ESC-Quoten 1980 - Fast 18 Millionen Zuschauer |url=https://www.digitalfernsehen.de/news/medien-news/maerkte/hintergrund-beste-esc-quoten-1980-fast-18-millionen-zuschauer-394777/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200324181633/https://www.digitalfernsehen.de/news/medien-news/maerkte/hintergrund-beste-esc-quoten-1980-fast-18-millionen-zuschauer-394777/ |archive-date=24 March 2020 |access-date=11 June 2023 |publisher=Digital Fernsehen |language=de}}</ref> NDR appointed [[Renan Demirkan]] as its spokesperson to announce the top 12-point score awarded by the German televote.
=== Voting ===
Below is a breakdown of points awarded to Germany and awarded by Germany in the contest. The nation awarded its 12 points to {{esccnty|Turkey|y=1999}} in the contest.{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
{| class="wikitable"
|-
|+ Points awarded to Germany<ref name="1999detailed">{{cite web |title=Results of the Final of Jerusalem 1999 |url=https://eurovision.tv/event/jerusalem-1999/final/results/germany |publisher=European Broadcasting Union |access-date=12 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210412114544/https://eurovision.tv/event/jerusalem-1999/final/results/germany |archive-date=12 April 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
! scope="col" width="20%" | Score
! scope="col" | Country
|-
! scope="row" | 12 points
| {{Unbulleted list|{{Esc|Israel|y=1999}}|{{Esc|Netherlands|y=1999}}|{{Esc|Poland|y=1999}}|{{Esc|Portugal|y=1999}}|{{Esc|Turkey|y=1999}}}}
|-
! scope="row" | 10 points
| {{Unbulleted list|{{Esc|Austria|y=1999}}|{{Esc|Belgium|y=1999}}|{{Esc|Bosnia and Herzegovina|y=1999}}}}
|-
! scope="row" | 8 points
| {{Esc|France|y=1999}}
|-
! scope="row" | 7 points
| {{Unbulleted list|{{Esc|Estonia|y=1999}}|{{Esc|Spain|y=1999}}}}
|-
! scope="row" | 6 points
| {{Esc|Slovenia|y=1999}}
|-
! scope="row" | 5 points
| {{Unbulleted list|{{Esc|Denmark|y=1999}}|{{Esc|Iceland|y=1999}}}}
|-
! scope="row" | 4 points
|
|-
! scope="row" | 3 points
| {{Unbulleted list|{{Esc|Croatia|y=1999}}|{{Esc|Malta|y=1999}}|{{Esc|Norway|y=1999}}}}
|-
! scope="row" | 2 points
| {{Esc|Sweden|y=1999}}
|-
! scope="row" | 1 point
| {{Esc|United Kingdom|y=1999}}
|}
{{col-2}}
{| class="wikitable"
|-
|+ Points awarded by Germany<ref name="1999detailed" />
|-
! scope="col" width="20%" | Score
! scope="col" | Country
|-
! scope="row" style="background:gold" | 12 points
| {{Esc|Turkey|y=1999}}
|-
! scope="row" style="background:silver" | 10 points
| {{Esc|Croatia|y=1999}}
|-
! scope="row" style="background:#CC9966" | 8 points
| {{Esc|Bosnia and Herzegovina|y=1999}}
|-
! scope="row" | 7 points
| {{Esc|Israel|y=1999}}
|-
! scope="row" | 6 points
| {{Esc|Estonia|y=1999}}
|-
! scope="row" | 5 points
| {{Esc|Austria|y=1999}}
|-
! scope="row" | 4 points
| {{Esc|Poland|y=1999}}
|-
! scope="row" | 3 points
| {{Esc|Iceland|y=1999}}
|-
! scope="row" | 2 points
| {{Esc|Sweden|y=1999}}
|-
! scope="row" | 1 point
| {{Esc|Malta|y=1999}}
|}
{{col-end}}
==Notes==
{{notelist}}
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest}}
{{Eurovision Song Contest 1999}}
[[Category:Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest|1999]]
[[Category:Countries in the Eurovision Song Contest 1999]]
[[Category:1999 in German music|Eurovision]]
[[Category:1999 in German television|Eurovision]]