Lejla
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"Lejla" was the Bosnian and Herzegovinian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006, performed in Bosnian by Hari Mata Hari. It was composed by Eurovision Song Contest 2004 runner-up Željko Joksimović from Serbia and Montenegro, and the lyrics were written by Fahrudin Pecikoza and Dejan Ivanović.
The song was first performed in the semi-final, as Bosnia had not finished in the top ten at the previous Contest. Here, it was performed twenty-second (following Estonia's Sandra Oxenryd with "Through My Window" and preceding Iceland's Silvia Night with "Congratulations"). Here, it received 267 points, placing second in a field of 23 and qualifying for the final.
In the final, it was performed thirteenth (following Romania's Mihai Trăistariu with "Tornerò" and preceding Lithuania's LT United with "We Are The Winners"). At the close of voting, it had received 229 points, placing third in a field of 24 and meaning that Bosnia would have an automatic final berth in their next Contest.
The song is a folk-inspired ballad, with the singer asking the tititular Lejla "Can it be that you love another?" before declaring that if someone else proposes to her, he will leave.
The performance featured the entire band wearing white suits and, as the final bridge began, linking arms and walking towards the front of the stage. Many fans and commentators remarked on the emotional power of the final notes of the song (the line "Što voljeh tebe, Lejla" - "For loving you, Lejla"), which the lead singer sustained for quite some time.
Pre-contest publicity had heavily favoured this song, particularly given that there was a belief that a ballad would win. While it did not achieve the expected result, the third-place finish was Bosnia's best as an independent nation.
