Weil der Mensch zählt

"Weil der Mensch zählt" ("Man is the measure of all things", literally "Because the human counts") was the Austrian representative in the Eurovision Song Contest 2003, performed in German as well as Steiermarkish (a dialect of German) by Alf Poier.

The song was performed second on the night, following Iceland's Birgitta with "Open Your Heart" and preceding Ireland's Mickey Harte with "We've Got the World". At the close of voting, it had received 101 points, placing 6th in a field of 26.

The song is intended as a sendup of the entire contest (much in the vein of a previous Austrian entry - Schmetterlinge's Boom Boom Boomerang) and its excesses. Lyrically, it is about farmyard animals and their habits, but also features a number of non sequiturs about Adam and Eve and "the African dromedary". The thick accent in which the song is delivered also adds to the humour, as even a native German speaker may find it hard to follow the lyrics at times.

Musically, the song switches tempo from a simple folk melody during the verse to a singalong chorus before featuring loud guitar chords (to which Poier famously danced in his performance), after which the lyrics record Poier grunting in the manner of a rock star.

The performance itself is also memorable, as the animals mentioned in the song were present - in cardboard cut-out form - on stage playing various instruments.

Despite the controversy of Poier's humour, the song has become...
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