Hooverphonic represented Belgium at the Eurovision Song Contest 2021. The band have been together for 25 years, scoring their first Top 30 hit in 2000 with the song, ‘Mad About You’.
Mad About You is featured on Hooverphonic’s third album, The Magnificient Tree. The said tree is in Kieldrecht, Belgium, where the band posed for the album cover.
Mad About You, written by band member Alex Callier, was the first single from the double platinum album, and features vocals by Geike Arnaert. The song reached number 23 in Belgium in 2000. Geike left the band in 2008. On her return in 2020, Hooverphonic re-recorded Mad About You.
Mad About You – opinions from fans
In order to find out what Eurovision fans think of this song from Hooverphonic, we asked our Eurovision Fan Panel. It includes team members as well as fans from all over the world.
Gunec G. – This is excellent. I love this 90s style. The song has a melody. Amazing how young Geike and the guys are. Geike has a great voice. The video is creepy though.
Michael O. – This fits right in with the ambient sounds from the early 2000s. Geike is in top form with her singing, and the video is worth repeat watching. An instant classic.
Charlotte J. – This is easily recognisable as Hooverphonic. Their style really is the same. It’s a nice enough song to listen to, but I get bored half way into it… but that’s basically how I felt about their Eurovision entry too, which then ended up coming to life on stage. Whenever I need background music that’s nice enough to listen to, but not strong enough to distract me from whatever I am doing, Hooverphonic will be my new band for that.
Alvaro S. – I like the consistency in Hooverphonic’s style even as years (decades actually) has passed. The story in the music video is so weird. Like really what is happening there in this inter-species romance between a human and a gigantic plant. Is it a reference to Little Shop of Horrors? It was weird but entertaining to watch.
Enis H. – Not my type of music, but I know it was popular in my country. I just dislike her voice.
Pawel J. – I did have some kind of flashback listening to “Mad about you”. The only difference is (compare to “Wrong place”) that she’s singing in a higher octave. I’m not a fan of Hooverphonic to be honest. I appreciate their talent and hard work they put into their music but it’s just not for me.
Wouter V. – I still don’t know how I managed not to hear more Hooverphonic over the years. Living in The Netherlands, frequently visiting Belgium and having a Belgian stepmother should have given me plenty of opportunity. But it was more K’s Choice I heard. But enough about that, I’ve since caught up and I’m a fan now. Their sound on every one of their songs is distinct and great, Mad About You is no exception.
Kat H. – Since Hooverphonic were chosen as the 2020 act to represent Belgium, I’m afraid to say I wasn’t a fan. “Release me” and “The wrong place” are both dull and I find it very hard to listen to the whole song without getting bored. Unfortunately the same applies to Mad about you – I can appreciate that some may love the stylings of Hooverphonic but they really aren’t my bag!
Josef S. – This is exactly the style I expected from Hooverphonic and what they actually brought to us last year with their Bond-themed Release MeI love how it combines symphonic sound with modern beat and twist. But that is something I really missed in The Wrong Place. Mad About You is rightfully the band’s best song in their history and I like to listen to it from time to time again and again.
Vica K. – Geike is a good singer, but I am not a fan of the song. The song is too dramatic for me.
You can watch the video for Mad About You below and read a little about Hooverphonic after it.
Hooverphonic – a brief biography
Alex Callier and Raymond Geerts formed Hooverphonic in 1995. Geike Arnaert was their second singer, joining in 1997.
They have released 11 studio albums, with ten of them making the Belgian Top 10, and four reaching number one. They are Hooverphonic Presents Jackie Cane, Reflection, In Wonderland and their latest, Hidden Stories.
The band are a very successful live act, all over mainland Europe, and have also released 25 singles. Several have made the Belgian Top 5 including, The Night Before, Anger Never Dies and Amalfi.
Finally, this year, their Eurovision 2021 entry, The Wrong Place gave them their first chart topper.
