Conception "Hold Me Now" was written, composed, and recorded by
Johnny Logan. Lyrically, It is a ballad sung from the point of view of a man whose love interest is leaving him for someone else ("from now on you'll be with someone else instead of me"). The singer pleads with his girlfriend to "touch, touch [him] the way you used to do" in order to leave him with good memories of their relationship, even as they "fill this memory / for the last time". The chorus then tells the girl "don't say a word", as they prepare to part. Despite the sad nature of the parting, the singer says "I will know / though we're apart / we'll always be together", which implies some sort of optimism on his part. The music is a typical power ballad, with the final chorus being introduced by a choir of backing singers –Joan Lea, Karen Black, and Alain Pentony–.
Eurovision Logan had previously won the
Eurovision Song Contest with "
What's Another Year" in the and had written "
Terminal 3" for
Linda Martin, placing second in the , both . On 8 March 1987, "Hold Me Now" performed by him competed in the organised by
Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ) to select its song and performer for the of the Eurovision Song Contest. The song won the competition so it became the Irish entrant –and Logan the performer– for Eurovision. On 9 May, the Eurovision Song Contest was held at the
Centenary Palace in
Brussels hosted by the (RTBF), and broadcast live throughout the continent. Logan performed "Hold Me Now" twentieth on the evening, following 's "
En lille melodi" by
Anne-Cathrine Herdorf & Bandjo and preceding 's "
Ja sam za ples" by
Novi Fosili.
Noel Kelehan conducted the event's live orchestra in the performance of the Irish entry. At the close of voting, it had received 172 points, placing first in a field of twenty-two, winning the contest. After Logan, had been proclaimed the winner with this song, he was overcome with emotion during the reprise and was unable to reach the high notes in this part of the song. As he had when he won in 1980 with "What's Another Year", he shouted "I still love you, Ireland". It was succeeded as winner in "
Ne partez pas sans moi" sung by
Céline Dion representing . It was succeeded as Irish representative at the 1988 contest by "
Take Him Home" sung by
Jump The Gun.
Aftermath Logan would go on to write the winner song of the , "
Why Me?" performed by
Linda Martin. "Hold Me Now" is regarded as one of the high points of the contest history, it was one of fourteen songs chosen by Eurovision fans and a
European Broadcasting Union (EBU) reference group, from among the 992 songs that had ever participated in the contest, to participate in the fiftieth anniversary competition
Congratulations: 50 Years of the Eurovision Song Contest held on 22 October 2005 in
Copenhagen, where it was voted the third-best song in Eurovision history behind "
Waterloo" and "
Nel blu dipinto di blu". On 31 March 2015, in the Eurovision sixtieth anniversary concert ''
Eurovision Song Contest's Greatest Hits'' held in
London, Logan performed the song as part of a medley with "Why Me?" and "What's Another Year". == Later versions ==