LINDA MARTIN - WHY ME?

WHY ME?

LINDA MARTIN

SONGWRITER: JHONNY LOGAN

COUNTRY: IRELAND

ALBUM: WHY ME?

LABEL: COLUMBIA

GENRE: POP

YEAR: 1992

Linda Martin(born 27 March 1952) is a singer and television presenter from Northern Ireland. She is best known in Europe as the winner of the Eurovision Song Contest in 1992 with the song "Why Me?", and in Ireland as a member of the 1970s/1980s band, Chips.

She participated in the National Song Contest four times as a member of Chips, however they did not score successfully. She participated another four times in the contest as a soloist and once more as part of the group "Linda Martin and Friends". With nine participations, she has been the most frequent entrant in the National Song Contest's history. She won the contest twice, going on to represent Ireland twice at the Eurovision Song Contest.

The first of these victories was in 1984 with the song "Terminal 3", written by Johnny Logan(under his real name Séan Sherrard). The song came 2nd in the final, being beaten by 8 points. "Terminal 3" reached No.7 in the Irish charts. The second victory was in 1992 when her song "Why Me" (also written by Logan) went on to win the final in Sweden. This became Ireland's 4th victory in the Eurovision Song Contest and the song reached No.1 in the Irish charts as well as becoming a hit in many European countries.

Martin was, at the time, one of only three artists to finish both first and second at Eurovision, behind Lys Assia and Gigliola Cinquetti. Since then, only Elisabeth Andreassen and Dima Bilan have achieved this, raising the number to five. Martin was the first of the three artists to finish second first and first second, matched only later by Bilan.

"Why Me?" was the winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 1992, performed for Ireland by Linda Martin.

The result was also notable as the song was composed by Johnny Logan, who had previously won the Contest with "What's Another Year?" and the self-composed "Hold Me Now". Logan is, to date, the only person to win the Contest with a song composed for him, win the Contest with his own song and then compose another winner.

The song itself is a ballad, which builds in intensity towards the end. The singer describes her thoughts about her lover and asks why she is the lucky one to have his love, as against anyone else.

The song was performed seventeenth on the night, following the United Kingdom's Michael Ball with One Step Out of Time and preceding Denmark's Kenny Lübcke[da] & Lotte Nilsson[da] with "Alt det som ingen ser". At the close of voting, it had received 155 points, placing 1st in a field of 23.

The song was succeeded in 1993 as winner by Niamh Kavanagh, also representing Ireland, with "In Your Eyes".

Logan covered the song on his 2001 album, Reach for Me.

Sometimes I watch you passing by my window

And sometimes I watch you passing through my dreams

And sometimes, when I look at you

You take my breath away

Sometimes I try and understand your reasons

You choose to feel the way you feel about me

And sometimes, when I turn around

And you're there, like today - I wanna say

Why me

I look at you and I get to feeling

Why me

I know it true but I can't believe it

I keep on wondering why

My love shines in your eyes

Why me

I look at you and I ask myself

Why me

Sometimes I lie awake and watch you sleeping

And listen to the beating of your heart

And sometimes, when you're lying there

You take my breath away and I wanna say

Why me

I look at you and I get to feeling

Why me

I know it true but I can't believe that it's me

Who's gonna be holding you in my arms tonight

And why it's me

Who's gonna be the one to make you feel all right

Tonight

Why me

I look at you and I get to feeling

Why me

I know it true but I can't believe it

I keep on wondering why

My love shines in your eyes

Why me

I look at you and I ask myself

Why me

Why me.