Our Euro vision has never dimmed
It’s 60 years since the UK first took part in the Eurovison Song Contest and 20 years since Katrina And The Waves brought us victory with Love Shine A Light. Eurovision expert DEAN ASKER looks back at the UK’s past entries
IT WAS great when it all began. The UK first took part in the Contest in 1957, just a year after the first competition. Patricia Bredin sang All, which, at one minute 52 seconds, was the shortest song in the contest, a record that stood until 2015 when Finland entered a ditty that was only one minute 25 seconds long. Patricia came seventh out of 10 entries, and, although not linked to the relatively disappointing result, we took the next year out, returning in 1959. Since then the UK hasn’t missed a contest.
JUST A SECOND
THE UK started getting its act together in 1959. Pearl Carr and Teddy Johnson’s Sing, Little Birdie was a classic British entry: up tempo, catchy, performed with gusto, and featuring a gimmick in the shape of a finger-puppet bird. It should have won, but came second, a position the UK has found itself in a record 15 times.
JUST WHO’S PULLING THE STRING?
TRY as we might the UK just couldn’t win the contest. After second places in 1960, 1961, 1964 and 1965, the BBC, who is responsible for selecting our entry, asked Sandie Shaw to represent the UK in 1967.
Although still a big star, Sandie’s record sales were declining, so, despite some reservations about how the contest would affect her credibility, she agreed. Puppet on a String, performed by a barefoot Sandie, scored the UK its first victory.
Although she never liked the song, it became her third number one and a massive international hit.
CONGRATULATIONS?
FOLLOWING Sandie’s win, the UK hosted the 1968 contest at London’s Royal Albert Hall. Cliff Richard, left, was hot favourite to win for the home team with Congratulations, written by the same composers of Puppet, Phil Coulter and Bill Martin.
Apparently Cliff was so nervous during the voting that he locked himself in the loo! But when they were counted, it was Spain who triumphed by one point with La, La, La. There have been rumours since that Spanish dictator, Franco, somehow fixed the result.
Undeterred, Cliff gave the contest another go in 1973, coming third with Power To All Our Friends.
GOLDEN YEARS
THE UK won for the second time in 1969 when a fresh faced Lulu, sang another archetypal chirpy British entry, Boom Bang A Bang. In the contest’s only ever tie, Lulu did have to share the victory with three other countries.
The next UK win came just seven years later in 1976 as Brotherhood Of Man swept the board with Save Your Kisses For Me, one the contest’s most well known hits.
IF AT FIRST YOU DON’T SUCCEED
EVER heard of Rita Crudgington? Thought not. It’s the real name of Eurovision legend, Cheryl Baker, one quarter of Bucks Fizz, who secured the UK’s fourth win in 1981 with Making Your Mind Up.
But it wasn’t all plain sailing and skirt-ripping for Cheryl. She was part of Co-Co, the British entry from 1978, who, with The Bad Old Days, came 11th. It was the UK’s worst result at the time.
Good job Cheryl didn’t give up. In a career that included three number one hits, Bucks Fizz are, without doubt, the most successful UK act to have used the contest as a launchpad to fame and fortune.
SECONDS OUT
THE 1980s saw the UK doing moderately well, gaining another couple of second places, notably in 1988 when Scott Fitzgerald, top left, was pipped at the post by a certain CelineC Dion, singing for Switzerland.
In the early 1990s some more familiarf names flew the British flag, including Samantha Janus, left, now better known as Samantha Womack of EastEnders fame. She took the UK to 10th place in 1991 with A Message To Your Heart.
Michael Ball and Sonia, left, also threw their hats in the ring in 1992 and 1993 respectively, but again came, you’ve guessed it, second.
BRIT POP
TTHE mid-late 90s saw the UK oon top form. We pushed musical boundaries with Love City Groove and their self-titled rap song in 1995. The year after came one of the UK best ever entries and a number one to boot, Gina G’s Ooh Aah, Just A Little Bit, which inexplicably only managed eighth.
But the crown was ours again in 1997 when 80s pop combo, Katrina and the Waves won big with the anthemic Love Shine A Light.
The 1998 contest was held in Birmingham, and the brilliant Where Are You? by Imaani gave us another runner’s up medal.
ALL GOOD THINGS COME TO AN END
SUCCESS wasn’t to last. In 2000, Nicki French sang Don’t Play That Song Again and Europe took it literally as we came 16th. But hats off to Nicki – she loves the contest and her positive attitude has made her extremely popular with the fans.
Our annus horribilis was 2003 when duo Jemini sang off key, and scored the dreaded nul points with Cry Baby.
Scooch’s Flying The Flag in 2007 was plain embarrassing, and, just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse, former X Factor runner up Andy Abraham shared last place in 2008.
STILL ROCK BOTTOM?
SOME national pride was restored in 2009 when Andrew Lloyd Webber penned It’s My Time for Jade (5th), and boyband Blue deserved better than 11th in 2011 with I Can.
Another last place came in 2010 with the Pete Waterman track That Sounds Good To Me (it obviously didn’t), and Engelbert Humperdinck (2012) and Bonnie Tyler (2013) didn’t do much better.
And, just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse, along came Electro Velvet’s cringefest, Still In Love With You, in 2015.
Our hopes this year rest on the shoulders of Lucie Jones with the solid ballad, Never Give Up On You.