"Everyway That I Can" is the winning song of the Eurovision Song Contest 2003 sung in English by Sertab Erener. The song was written by Demir Demirkan in early 2003 and produced and arranged byOzan Çolakoğlu, famous for his works with pop idolTarkan. Having previously selected Erener to represent the nation, Turkish broadcaster TRT chose her song to represent Turkey in the 2003 Eurovision Song Contest in Riga. Initially "Everyway That I Can" caused controversy with the Turkish public, considered too racy by some and too pop oriented by others. Criticism also arose by Sertab's decision to perform the song in English instead of in Turkish. The song, which combines up-tempo strings with Turkish traditional instruments, was not considered a favourite to win - in fact Russian duet t.A.T.u. were the hottest favourites since Cliff Richard's entrant in 1968, and Spain was second. Turkey performed fourth on the night in May and received an explosive reception afterwards. The song had been re-written slightly to include some high notes and a belly dancing routine was added. Erener sang counter to the rhythm in places and the backing vocals were synthesised with Turkish stringed instruments. The voting on the night saw Russia, Turkey and Belgium switch places at the top a number of times before Slovenia eventually gave Turkey the victory by just two points.
Eurovision victory and worldwide success
The track was released all over Europe after the win, shooting to the top of the charts in Turkey, Greece and Eastern Europe, holding the #1 position in Sweden for three weeks, breaking the top ten in Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, and Austria and charting in the top twenty in Germany and Switzerland. It received the platinum certification in Greece and gold in Sweden. The video of the release sees Erener in an Ottoman style castle, its rose gardens, imperial harem and Turkish Bath. Roses carry a major symbolism throughout the video. Erener is dressed in traditional Turkish styles, and Turkish female dancers are also present. Remixes of the song were also released, including a Turkish version, a club remix, and a European dance remix. A live version was brought out and also included on the original single CD, along with two Galleon club remixes. The track was included on the official Eurovision 2003 CD as the original version, however.
After Eurovision
Erener performed the single as a medley at the 2004 final in Istanbul using male dancers but the same choreography, and included it in her first English album No Boundaries. In 2005, the song competed in as one of the fourteen best ever Eurovision entrants, and finished ninth, beating popular artists such as Celine Dion's "Ne partez pas sans moi", Johnny Logan and Dana International in the process. Erener herself appeared onstage to perform the final verse of the song on the night. In 2006, it was entered in Die Grand Prix Hitliste, a German version of the above, and beat off stiff competition from ABBA's Waterloo and eleven others to finish second. Ruslana's Wild Dances, the Ukrainian 2004 winning entry, was first. The song was also included in a compilation of Sertab Erener's national and international hits released in 2007.
