"Can't Wait Until Tonight" was the entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2004, performed in English and Turkish by Maximilian Mutzke. The song was written and composed by

Stefan Raab Stefan Konrad Raab (born 20 October 1966) is a German entertainer, television host, television producer, and businessman. From 1999 to 2015, he hosted the late-night talk show, late-night comedy talk show ''TV total'' on ProSieben. He also creat ...

, who previously had written both Guildo Horn's entry " Guildo hat euch lieb!" and his own " Wadde hadde dudde da?" in . Despite Germany having finished 11th at the 2003 contest and thus missing the automatic qualification that a top-ten berth would bring, the song was pre-qualified for the final as Germany (along with , and the ) was part of the " Big Four" and guaranteed a final placing at any contest. Thus, it was performed eighth on the night, following the ' Re-union with " Without You" and preceding 's Anjeza Shahini with " The Image of You". At the close of voting, it had received 93 points, placing 8th in a field of 24. Until the 2009 contest, it was the last top 10 finish for a "Big Four" country. It also was Germany's last Top 10 place until its victory in . The song is a ballad, with Max singing about his desire for his lover and telling her that he "can't wait until tonight / for being with er. He goes on to tell her about how he felt the first time he saw her and how much he wants to prove his love. The song was a jazz number, which UK commentator

Terry Wogan Sir Michael Terence Wogan (; 3 August 1938 – 31 January 2016) was an Irish radio and television broadcaster who worked for the BBC in Britain for most of his career. Between 1993 and his semi-retirement in 2009, his BBC Radio 2 weekday brea ...

likened to the music of the recent jazz phenomenon,

Jamie Cullum Jamie Paul Joseph Cullum (born 20 August 1979) is an English jazz-pop singer, pianist, songwriter and radio presenter. Although primarily a vocalist and pianist, he also accompanies himself on other instruments, including guitar and drums. He h ...

(who would write an entry for Germany 8 years later). Max appeared dressed casually in a black jumper and trousers. The performance was relatively subdued, however Max performed one chorus in Turkish, which was greeted with considerable applause by the crowd – the contest being held that year in

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

. In an interview after the performance, writer

jokingly told Sertab Erener that he had written the song specifically for her. Max was accompanied by Raab (on the acoustic guitar) and some members of the Heavytones (the band from ''

TV total ''TV total'' is a German late-night television comedy talk show which originally aired from 8 March 1999 to 16 December 2015 on ProSieben, hosted, created and produced by entertainer Stefan Raab. Following a six-year hiatus, it was revived on 1 ...

'') during his gig. It was succeeded as German representative at the 2005 contest by Gracia with " Run & Hide".

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

External links

Schild

Official Eurovision Song Contest site, history by year

Detailed info & lyrics, Diggiloo Thrush
{{authority control Eurovision songs of Germany Eurovision songs of 2004 English-language German songs 2004 songs Songs written by Stefan Raab Warner Music Group singles 2004 debut singles