Lithuania Sings a Song Declaring Itself the Winner

MAY 15 2006 · 12:25

LT United · "We Are the Winners" · Lithuania · 2006 Placement: 6 · Score: 162 · Language: English · Composers: Arnoldas Lukošius · Venue: OAKA Indoor Hall · Host: Athens, Greece · Type: performance innovation · Broadcast: digital hd LT United — six men in matching black suits — take the Athens OAKA stage. The chorus of their song is literally 'We are the winners of Eurovision!' repeated over and over. The staging features synchronized arm-pumping choreography. The Eurovision audience initially processes it as sincere bravado before the irony registers — LT United are mocking Eurovision's earnest pageantry by declaring victory before voting. 162 points for 6th place. Lordi win for Finland with 'Hard Rock Hallelujah'. Context LT United had been assembled specifically for Eurovision by Lithuanian broadcaster LRT. The meta-comedic concept was deliberate — a Lithuanian satirical intervention into Eurovision's competitive seriousness. The track had been a Lithuanian radio novelty hit for weeks before the contest. Legacy The 2006 LT United card is now standard reference in Eurovision meta-commentary scholarship. The 6th-place finish validated the satirical gamble — the contest actually rewarded self-aware entries. Subsequent LT entries have occasionally gestured toward similar meta-awareness. The 'We Are the Winners' chant continues to circulate at Eurovision viewing parties worldwide as ironic anthem.