by Press Association

Cool Britannia?

One of the most notable observations about the Eurovision Song Contest is that while most countries take the competition delightfully seriously, these days the British fans often look forward to it in the same way as a pub karaoke. And this is often reflected in the songs - with gimmicks and cheesy dance routines being the norm.

We take a look at the most memorable British performances at the contest.

Sandie Shaw (1967)

Sandie was begrudgingly put forward to represent Britain as she was suffering declining record sales. She was concerned this would damage her credibility. The public voted for her to go through to the competition and sing Puppet On A String - a song she hated, but has apparently since said: "It's a song which has been the source of much grief, hilarity, circumspection and I have to admit, financial reward for many years."

She won the contest by a landslide, and became the first UK winner. To date, it's the second-biggest winner, and the song became a worldwide hit.

Lulu (1969)

Lulu's entry with Boom-Bang-A-Bang was remarkably a joint winner - sharing with Spain, the Netherlands and France - despite being the second song with a nonsense title to win, after Massiel's previous triumph with La La La.

It became a hit in the comedy world, and was parodied by Monty Python's Flying Circus with their version, entitled Bing Tiddle-Tiddle Bong.

The song is a plea from the singer to her lover to "cuddle me tight", before she explains "my heart goes boom bang-a-bang boom bang-a-bang when you are near".

Brotherhood Of Man (1976)

Save All Your Kisses For Me was another winning song for the UK. The song was released as a single before the contest, and had been No 1 two weeks before Eurovision itself.

Most fans will fondly remember their ridiculous attire and dance moves - the two males wore a black and white suit respectively, and the two females donned a white and red jumpsuit with matching berets.

They were stood still apart from the odd choreographed arm and leg movement. The song seemed to tell of a young man leaving a loved one on his way to work, before the final line, "Won't you save them for me... even though you're only three?", revealed the twist - that he was leaving a three-year-old behind.

Bucks Fizz (1981)

Bucks Fizz is a classic example of how Eurovision can propel nobodies to instant fame.

Cheryl Baker, Mike Nolan and Jay Aston were virtually unknown but beat seven other artists to win the A Song For Europe selection show, with Making Your Mind Up.

They just won the competition - with a margin of four points - but again the dance routine, with its famous skirt-ripping moves, is remembered by Eurovision fans.

Jemini (2003)

Poor old Jemini became only the second UK to score nil points at Eurovision, with their tone-deaf rendition of Cry Baby.

This time the BBC used a different voting system for the selection show. Votes were tallied separately in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and three regions of England. The Liverpudlian pair - Chris Cromby and Gemma Abbey - won the votes in Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and North England, but the high populations of South England and the Midlands reportedly meant the runner up, Emily Reed, could well have had the most votes.

Nevertheless, the pair went to Latvia and after a literally off-key performance, they blamed a technical fault which meant they couldn't hear the backing track.

Despite reaching No 15 in the charts after the publicity, their record label dropped the pair.

Back to Eurovision Special

[REPLACE]

Poor

Excellent

Your rating helps other users gauge the value of an article

Share It

... opens a new window

QUESTION OF THE WEEK

What will happen next in the Russell Brand/Katy Perry romance?
1. They’ll split up by Christmas
  21%
2. They’ll get engaged
  17%
3. Russell will cheat on Katy
  21%
4. Katy will get pregnant
  9%
5. A sex tape will be leaked
  20%
6. They'll record a duet
  3%
7. She’ll kiss a girl… and like it
  9%

21311 responses, not scientifically valid, results updated every minute.

MUSIC BLOG

MUSIC GAMES AND EXTRAS

Pop Trumps

Play our brand new and addictive version of Trumps, by pitching pop stars off against each other...

MUSIC GAMES AND EXTRAS

Search Supremo Music Quiz

No one would dare take on this quiz, but with the help of Live Search you MAY have a chance...

MUSIC GAMES AND EXTRAS

JLS: Exclusive Video Interview

JLS may have lost out to Alexandra Burke in last year's X Factor final but many industry insiders reckon they might just have the more successful career. Things are certainly looking good so far now that their debut single, Beat Again, went straight to the top of the charts.

Cool Britannia?

[REPLACE]

Share It

MORE ON MSN MUSIC

ADVERTISEMENT

QUESTION OF THE WEEK

MUSIC BLOG

MUSIC GAMES AND EXTRAS

MUSIC GAMES AND EXTRAS

MUSIC GAMES AND EXTRAS

MUSIC GAMES AND EXTRAS

MUSIC GALLERIES

MUSIC ARTICLES

POPULAR SEARCHES

MUSIC NEWS

TODAY ON MSN

MUSIC SHOPPING OFFERS