1975 : Geraldine Branagan - Toi (Luxembourg)

 

 

"Toi" ("You") was the Luxembourgish entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1975, performed in French by Irish singer Geraldine Branagan. The entry had a high pedigree, being penned by three authors/composers who had all written/composed previous Eurovision winners. Pierre Cour had been partly responsible for the 1960 winner "Tom Pillibi" and Bill Martin and Phil Coulter had created the 1967 winner "Puppet on a String".

 

The song is a ballad, with Geraldine telling her lover that "my life doesn't exist without you" and pledging her unending love to him. Geraldine recorded the song in two languages; French and her mother tongue English, the latter as "You". At the close of voting, it had received 84 points, placing 5th in a field of 19.

 

With her trademark mane of blonde hair and dazzling smile Geraldine Branagan was one of the most glamorous stars of the 80’s. Hit records in Ireland, number one albums in South Africa, being the first to entertain the Irish troops in the Lebanon, representing Luxembourg in the Eurovision Song Contest….. She took them all in her stride, pausing only to be regularly photographed for the covers of glossy magazines!

 

The advertising world were quick to spot her potential and she was signed up to front a number of campaigns on T.V. and print media for major brands including SUNSILK SHAMPOO, GUINNESS and the FORD MOTOR COMPANY, with whom she enjoyed a five year association

 

Although she then swapped careers, devoting her time to her family with husband Phil Coulter, she never lost her passion for singing, her looks or her sense of style!

 

 

1976 : Anne-Karine Strom - Mata Hari (Norway)

 

 

Most underrated ESC song from the most underrated ESC participant.

 

"Mata Hari" was the Norwegian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1976, performed in English by Anne-Karine Strøm.

 

The song is an up-tempo number, in which Strom sings about the difficulties she faces in life. The cure for these, she sings, is to borrow some of the mystique of Mata Hari, to whom she addresses the song. The sexual exploits of the famous woman are implied to have been considerable.

 

Prior to the contest "Mata Hari", a very modern and contemporary disco-style song, had been expected to do well, but it was suggested afterwards that Strøm's rather odd outfit and performance on the night may have cost votes. With two last-place finishes from three entries, Strom is usually cited as the least successful artist to have appeared in more than one Eurovision Song Contest as the only artist to date finish in last place twice.

 

Anne-Karine Strom is a Norwegian singer, best known for having taken part in the Norwegian Eurovision Song Contest selection, Melodi Grand Prix, in six consecutive years between 1971 and 1976. Strom had represented Norway at Eurovision twice before, once in 1973 as part of vocal group The Bendik Singers and again as a solo performer in the 1974 Contest. In the late 1970s Strom began performing in musical cabarets with Ostein Sunde and her then husband Ole Paus. She released three albums between 1978 and 1986, which reflected a move towards a more serious style of music.

 

 

1977 : Lynsey de Paul and Mike Moran - Rock Bottom (United Kingdom)

 

 

"Rock Bottom" was the British entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1977, performed in English by Lynsey de Paul and Mike Moran. It was also written by de Paul and Moran.

 

The song says that when people are in a bad situation they should work to solve problems and not be pessimistic about tragedies. Apparently it represents the situation at the time; Eurovision 1977 was almost canceled due to budget restrictions. The BBC, who had to host the contest that year, did not give the song its whole-hearted support.

 

It charted in several European countries, topping the charts in Switzerland, #2 in Austria, #4 in Germany, #6 in Sweden, #7 in Ireland and Norway and #10 in France. In the U.K., it reached #19 at a time when punk and disco ruled the airwaves. Nevertheless, on the basis of sales from the record-buying public of Europe, it was the winning entry, outperforming the contest's winner.

 

Lynsey de Paul is an English singer-songwriter. Allmusic journalist Craig Harris stated that "one of the first successful female singer-songwriters in England, de Paul has had an illustrious career".

 

Her breakthrough came early in 1972 as the co-writer (with Ron Roker) of The Fortunes' top 10 U.K. hit, "Storm in a Teacup". She was credited as 'L. Rubin' on the record. Around this time, she was also had chart success in the Netherlands as the writer of "On the Ride", a Top 30 hit by the Continental Uptight Band.

 

A few months later she was propelled into the limelight as the performer of her own hit song "Sugar Me", which reached the Top 10 of the UK Singles Chart (#5), as well as the top of the singles charts in the Netherlands, Spain and Belgium, the first UK female singer-songwriter to do this. "Sugar Me" was covered in the US by Nancy Sinatra and Claudine Longet, and more recent cover versions are still being released (see below). Noted for her keyboard skills, ability to write catchy songs and sultry looks, De Paul went on to be a regular chart and TV fixture over the next five years. Her follow up single to "Sugar Me" was the amusing "Getting a Drag" (UK #18) which was a light hearted dig at the glam rock scene. After the relatively poor chart performance of her third single "All Night" which was written with Ron Roker and peaked in the UK at #56, de Paul returned to the U.K. Top 20 with "Won't Somebody Dance With Me" which she always felt should have been her third single. She was the first woman to be awarded an Ivor Novello Award for this ballad, which was also a hit in Ireland and the Netherlands. The BBC Radio 1 disc jockey Ed Stewart spoke the words "May I Have The Pleasure Of This Dance" near the end of the record (he often played the record on his Junior Choice programme on Saturday mornings) although Tony Blackburn and Dave Lee Travis spoke these words when she appeared on BBC Television's Top of the Pops. De Paul recorded the female lyric to Mott The Hoople's album track version of "Roll Away the Stone", but she was replaced by female trio Thunderthighs on the hit single version of the song. In 1973, when Mick Ralphs left Mott the Hoople, his replacement Luther Grosvenor was contractually obliged to change his name - de Paul suggested Ariel Bender. After appointing Don Arden, her new manager at the end of 1973, de Paul released "Ooh I Do", which hit the charts in the UK, Netherlands and Japan. The song's co-writer, Barry Blue, also recorded a version of the song as an album track.

 

A second Ivor Novello award followed a year later for "No Honestly", which was also the theme tune to a hit ITV comedy of the same name, and provided her with another UK Top 10 hit, peaking at #7. The TV series No Honestly was followed by Yes Honestly, and although Georgie Fame wrote and performed the theme tune to the first series of Yes Honestly, an instrumental version of de Paul's "No Honestly" was chosen as the theme for the second series. De Paul continued to release a number of singles through the 1970s and early 1980s, including the UK hit "My Man and Me", which she performed an acoustic version of on The Old Grey Whistle Test.

 

 

1978 : Co-Co - The Bad Old Days (United Kingdom)

 

 

Co-Co were a five piece British band who represented the UK for the Eurovision Song Contest 1978 with the song, "The Bad Old Days". The group were originally called Mother's Pride. The song, written by Stephanie de Sykes and Stuart Slater was an uptempo love song, with the narrator recalling 'the bad old days' before they met their current partner.

 

At the time, the group consisted of Terry Bradford, Josie Andrews, Cheryl Baker, Keith Hasler and Paul Rogers. For their performance in Paris, a drummer named Charlie Brennan was added to the group. They won the preliminary heat A Song for Europe, having previously placed second, again as a quintet, but with only Bradford, Hasler and Baker in the original line-up, together with Peter Perrera and another female singer, Vivien Banks, who later joined the New Seekers, when they appeared in the 1976 UK final, singing "Wake Up". Perrera appeared in the 1976 contest with a shaved head, having promised his band mates he would go bald if they made the final. Additionally, the group returned as a quartet (minus Andrews and Rogers, but with a new female singer Helen Bailey) as The Main Event, for the 1980 A Song for Europe contest. Oddly, despite this new line-up, Josie Andrews still appeared on stage with the group, providing backing vocals to the main quartet. On this occasion they placed last with the song "Gonna Do My Best", written by Bradford. Bradford also wrote a song for the 1979 UK final, "Harry, My Honolulu Lover", performed by The Nolan Sisters, which placed fourth. Stephanie de Sykes and Stuart Slater also won the A Song for Europe contest a second time, in 1980, with the song "Love Enough for Two" performed by Prima Donna, ironically beating the new line up of Co-Co in the process.

 

In 1981, Cheryl Baker returned to the UK contest, as part of the group Bucks Fizz. When Bucks Fizz won the UK final, Baker thus became only the third singer ever to represent the UK twice, following in the footsteps of Ronnie Carroll and Cliff Richard. When Bucks Fizz went on to win the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Making Your Mind Up", Baker became one of the few artists to take part in Eurovision to win at their second attempt. According to The Eurovision Song Contest - The Official History by John Kennedy O'Connor, Baker also made the second biggest improvement by a Eurovision competitor in the contest, moving up from eleventh in 1978 to first in 1981.

 

The single reached No.13 in the UK during a seven week chart run. The song entered the UK singles chart at no.39 for the week the contest was staged. In the following week, it rose rapidly to no.16. Its eventual peak of 13 occurred three weeks after their failure in the contest. It was to be the group's only hit. The group had no further successful hit singles, and only released one album, Bad Old Days in 1978.

 

 

 

1979 : Anita Skorgan - Oliver (Norway)

 

 

"Oliver" was the Norwegian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1979, performed in Norwegian by Anita Skorgan. This was Skorgan's second participation in the Contest; in 1977 she had placed 14th out of 18 entries with a beautiful song "Casanova".

 

The song is a moderately up-tempo number, with Skorgan addressing a former lover (with whom she sings she broke up four weeks ago) who she sees in a disco. She tells him that if she happens to walk past him, she will ask him for a dance, because she believes that he misses her and she is prepared to give him another chance. English ("Oliver"), German ("(Tanz mit mir) Oliver"), French ("Il faut danser") and Swedish ("Oliver") versions of the song were also released after the Contest.

 

As her music career expanded, the demand for Anita Skorgan grew also. Before she knew it, she landed multiple appearances on the hit television show "Melodi Grand Prix" seven times between 1976 and 1985. Anita again represented Norway at the Eurovision Song Contest as a co-writer and backing singer in 1988. She was also one of the writers of "You Used To Be Mine", which came fifth in Norway's Melodi Grand Prix 1999, the show which selected the country's entry to the 1999 Eurovision Song Contest in Jerusalem, Israel.

 

Additional instances of her filmographic life include appearances on Prima Veras saga om Olav den hellige in 1983 and Stjerner i sikte in 1997. In 1995 she gave her voice for the singing parts of the Disney movie Pocahontas, and in the sequel too. Two years later, in 1997, she again gave her voice for Anastasia in Anastasia, and in 1998, she sings as Kayley in the movie Quest for Camelot.

 

 

 

 

1980 : Prima Donna - Love Enough For Two (United Kingdom)

 

 

"Love Enough for Two" was the British entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1980, performed in English by Prima Donna.

 

The song is uptempo and about the love between two people.

 

Prima Donna were the United Kingdom representatives in the Eurovision Song Contest 1980. The group comprised sisters Kate Robbins and Jane Robbins, Sally Ann Triplett, Danny Finn, Alan Coates and Lance Aston (brother of Jay Aston, who performed with Bucks Fizz, the following year's contest winners, who went on to enjoy a string of major hits). Finn was a former member of The New Seekers and was married to fellow ex-Seeker Eve Graham. He later retired from music to work for a kitchen design company, reverting to his original name, Kevin. Robbins later had a successful career as a comedienne, impressionist and actress.

 

Prima Donna performed the song "Love Enough for Two" which finished in third place, with 106 points. The song was written and composed by Stephanie de Sykes and Stuart Slater. It was their second entry to reach the Eurovision final, having also composed "The Bad Old Days" in 1978 for Co-Co.

 

Their journey to the Eurovision Song Contest final in The Hague was not straightforward. They only won the UK heat A Song For Europe after a countback after the initial regional voting had placed them joint first with Maggie Moone. In an unrehearsed panic, host Terry Wogan asked each of the fourteen regional juries to cast a single vote for which of the songs they preferred. Some juries voted against the way they had earlier in the show and with the scoreboard unable to keep up, the entire process descended into farce. Regardless, Prima Donna were declared the winners and went forward to Eurovision.

 

Author and historian John Kennedy O'Connor notes in his The Eurovision Song Contest - The Official History that Triplett is one of only four singers to have sung for the United Kingdom in the competition twice, alongside Ronnie Carroll, Cliff Richard and Cheryl Baker of Bucks Fizz. O'Connor also noted that this was the first UK entry, since 1964, not to make the UK Singles Chart prior to the Eurovision final, eventually peaking there at #48.

 

Triplett returned to Eurovision in 1982, as one half of the group Bardo. Aston tried again to reach the Eurovision final, performing with another ex-New Seeker Kathryn Ann Rae, in the 1983 A Song For Europe contest, as part of the group Audio. They finished fourth of the eight shortlisted entries with the song "Love On Your Mind", written by Trevor Spencer and Marty Kristian, another New Seeker. Jane Robbins', sister, Emma Robbins, also had another attempt at the UK Eurovision ticket, in 1989 as part of female quartet The Pearls. They were also placed fourth of eight entries in the contest with the song "Love Come Down".

Edited December 28, 201212 yr by AlexRange

 

1981: Bucks Fizz - Making Your Mind Up (United Kingdom)

 

 

On 11 March 1981, Bucks Fizz performed "Making Your Mind Up" at the Song for Europe finals and despite being up against favourites and current chart group Liquid Gold, won the contest with ease. From this point, the group undertook much promotion of the song around the UK, including an appearance on Top of the Pops, whereby the single entered the UK charts at 24. It rose to No.5 the following week. A promotional video was filmed by the BBC for the Eurovision previews as they had done in previous years. The video depicts the group walking around Harrods department store in London. In line with other previous preview videos, the group do not lipsynch any of the words. This video has never been released on any official Bucks Fizz video or DVD releases, in its place is the group's first appearance on Top of the Pops.

 

On 4 April the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest was staged in Dublin. In a close contest throughout the voting procedure, "Making Your Mind Up" managed to secure a victory with 136 points, beating second-placed Germany by a small margin of four.

 

The song is held in affectionate regard by many Eurovision fans, and is generally considered to be a good example of a pop song from the Contest. Reaction was less favourable to the group's performance of the song, which was considered to be off-key, and led to much criticism that the members were chosen more for appearance than vocal ability. In addition, the performance is remembered for the point at which the two male members of the group removed the skirts of the two female members – only to reveal shorter skirts beneath them. Member Cheryl Baker has since commented on their poor performance stating that she sang the song in a higher key to the rest of the group due to nerves. Mike Nolan has said that on the night the microphones got mixed up, with Baker and Jay Aston singing on the lead microphones which had a higher volume.

 

"Making Your Mind Up" went to No.1 in the UK following the victory and remained there for three weeks, becoming one of the biggest selling songs of the year. It also saw the group in high demand throughout Europe, with the single hitting No.1 in many countries and charting in the top ten in Australia. The record eventually sold four million copies worldwide.

 

The single began a run of 20 UK hits for Bucks Fizz and was quickly followed up by "Piece of the Action" and debut album, Bucks Fizz. At the end of the decade, "Making Your Mind Up" was No.47 in the UK top selling singles of the 1980s. Despite the success of the song, fans of the group don't consider it to be a good representation of their work, while member Cheryl Baker doesn't rate it as one of their best songs.

 

 

 

 

 

1982: Mess - Sonntag (Austria)

 

 

"Sonntag" ("Sunday") was the Austrian representative in the Eurovision Song Contest 1982, performed in German by Mess.

At the close of voting, it had received 57 points, placing 9th in a field of 18.

 

The song is in praise of lying around on a Sunday, which is described as being one of the best things to do.

 

The duo consisted of Fritz (Michael Scheickl) and Elisabeth 'Lizzy' Engstler. Their song was composed by Michael Mell and written by Rudolf Leve; the conductor was Richard Österreicher. The song finished 9th out of 18 with 57 points. Michael was married to Elisabeth but they have since divorced. Elizabeth now works as a presenter with ORF.

 

 

Most of these songs are from white females. :o

Most of these songs are from white females. :o

There weren't many non-white females in Eurovision before the 80s. Or decent entries, for that matter.

There weren't many non-white females in Eurovision before the 80s. Or decent entries, for that matter.

 

Oh right! It must be Pavel making a big deal out of things as usual (because he made the link between Alex's music taste and alleged racism). :lol:

Edited December 28, 201212 yr by ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

 

1983: Sweet Dreams - I'm Never Giving Up (United Kingdom)

 

 

"I'm Never Giving Up", written and composed by Ron Roker, Jan Pulsford, and Phil Wigger, was the United Kingdom's entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 1983, performed by the trio Sweet Dreams.

 

Assembled specifically to perform "I'm Never Giving Up" in the 1983 edition of A Song for Europe - A Song For Europe being the UK national preliminary round in the Eurovision contest - Sweet Dreams were often compared to Bucks Fizz the mixed-gender quartet who'd given the UK a high profile victory at Eurovision 1981 with "Making Your Mind Up": indeed Bucks Fizz were the evident prototype for several acts entered in the 1982 edition of A Song For Europe - including Lovin' Feeling a 1982 entrant which had featured Bobby McVay in an otherwise female quartet who'd finished fourth with "Different Worlds, Different People" - and also A Song For Europe 1983.

 

The song was sung up-tempo and related to the story of the singers "never giving up" in their quest to win back their lover, and restoring their love "the way it was before." The trio was dressed in exercise gear, with McVay colour-coordinated in blue, and Gray and Kray in red and yellow accessories, respectively. Also unique that year was their use of stools as props, sliding off them at one point to signify a key change in the melody.

 

Sweet Dreams were a British vocal trio comprising teenagers Carrie Gray, Helen Kray and Bobby McVay who represented the UK in Eurovision 1983 with the song "I'm Never Giving Up".

 

On the night of Eurovision 1983, held at Rudi-Sedlmayer-Halle in Munich, Sweet Dreams performed "I'm Giving Up" third in a field of twenty to finish the contest in sixth place. In 2008 Carrie Gray - now known as Carrie Grant - would state: "We came sixth, which actually at the time was really shameful, but these days that would be a strong result." While the sixth place finish of "I'm Never Giving Up" at Eurovision 1983 represented an improvement over the seventh place finish at Eurovision 1982 for the 1982 UK Eurovision entrant "One Step Further" by Bardo, "One Step Further" had afforded Bardo a #2 UK hit while Sweet Dreams' "I'm Never Giving Up" failed to reach the UK Top 20, a TOTP performance by Sweet Dreams not boosting the song. "I'm Never Giving Up" did afford Sweet Dreams a Top 30 hit in Ireland peaking there at #25. After Eurovision, the song was placed at #21 on the UK Singles Chart during an eight week run. It would become Sweet Dreams' only hit before they disbanded at the end of 1983.

 

The members of Sweet Dreams had a follow-up single to "I'm Never Giving Up" entitled "17 Electric (Look Out!)" released in August 1983: to downplay the group's Eurovision association the single was credited to Dreams. This single "17 Electric (Look Out!)" failed to chart predicating the dissolution of the Sweet Dreams/Dreams trio by the end of 1983. Carrie Grant would opine on the failure of "I'm Never Giving Up" to become a major hit or afford Sweet Dreams lasting success: "Eurovision was so popular [in the UK] when I was growing up. It started to go off the boil [in 1983 when] there was a backlash for the first time.

 

McVay went on to become a local radio presenter. Gray married singer David Grant, and became a vocal coach. In this role she appeared in BBC Television's Fame Academy in 2002-2004, and has also participated in BBC Three Eurovision programmes.

 

The group should not be confused with the duo Sweet Dreams, which had a hit in the 1970s, and also attempted to represent the UK at Eurovision in 1976.

 

 

 

1984: Sophie Carle - 100 % D'Amour (Luxembourg)

 

 

"100% d'amour" ("100% of love") was the Luxembourgish entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1984, performed in French by 19-year-old musical newcomer Sophie Carle. Despite Luxembourg's storied history in the Contest, which included five wins at that point, Carle was only the fourth singer to represent Luxembourg who was native to the Grand Duchy.

 

The song is a ballad, with Carle asking to be given "100% of love" to maintain her sanity in the modern world. During the live performance, Carle allegedly had trouble keeping her own harmony over her loud keyboard and drum machine accompaniments, which led to a largely off-key performance.

 

The relatively unsuccessful representation by Carle on home turf caused her to place her singing career on permanent hiatus. Instead, Carle pursued an acting career, in which she is still active as of 2008.

Edited December 29, 201212 yr by AlexRange

 

1985: Vikki Watson - Love Is (United Kingdom)

 

 

"Love Is", written and composed by James Kaleth and Vikki Watson, was the United Kingdom's entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 1985, performed by the latter composer, Vikki Watson, credited at Eurovision as Vikki.

 

The first female soloist to compete for UK at Eurovision since Olivia Newton-John with "Long Live Love" at Eurovision 1974 and also the first female composer of a UK Eurovision entrant to sing her composition in the contest, Vikki won the right to perform at Gothenburg by winning the UK national final, A Song for Europe, where she was the first singer to perform.

 

The song was a contemporary ballad about a man and a woman who are both too afraid to plunge head-first with their emotions into a love affair; while both of them want to be loved by the other, both of them are letting their heads rule their hearts. In the chorus, Vikki sings that "love is" the product of a number of impulsive decisions, such as "taking a chance on two hearts beating as one." Vikki nominally used a single chair as a prop, first sitting in it while singing the song, then circling it and abandoning it entirely by the second half of the song.

 

Despite the high showing at Gothenburg, the song placed at #49 on the UK Singles Chart. The B-Side of the Single was "Lead Me Through the Darkness"

 

Now Vikki is best known as her mononym Aeone is a British composer, who now lives in Los Angeles, California. Her music has been classified as new age, folk or world music. She has released four albums, one of which was an internet only release. She now works extensively in film and tv and has over 60 movie trailers to her credit.

 

1986: Lise Haavik - Du Er Fuld Af Logn (Denmark)

 

 

"Du Er Fuld Af Logn" ("You're full of lies") was the Danish entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1986, performed in Danish by Lise Haavik.

 

The song is sung from the perspective of a woman telling a male friend that she knows that he is as attracted to her as she is to him. She dismisses his claim that they are "just friends" as being untrue and asks for "four days" with him - before saying that she will change his mind in 24 hours.

 

Lise Haavik was born in Narvik, Norway. She moved to Denmark in 1982 to study economics at the University of Odense and the Copenhagen Business School. Haavik partnered with John Hatting in late 1983 and they soon married. At that point, she pursued music full-time and stopped her economics studies.

 

One year after moving to Denmark, Haavik entered the weekly magazine "Se & Hør" (See and Hear) amateur song contest, where she placed second. She soon after met John Hatting late in 1983 when he advertised through a record company for a female singer with whom he could start a duo. The company sent Haavik, and they formed the duo "Trax".

 

She represented Denmark in the 1986 Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Du er fuld af løgn" (You are full of lies). While both partners were present at the Contest, only Haavik sang and was credited during the performance (Hatting would be credited earlier on as composer). The song was successful in the Contest, placing sixth out of 20 entries that evening. This would be the only time Haavik would appear at Eurovision, having tried and failed to represent Denmark in 1984 and 1985. She also made an attempt to represent Norway in 1988.

 

Haavik continues to work in music, with her most recent offering, the English language "Cry Me a River", released in 2007.

 

 

 

1987: Marcha - Rechtop In De Wind (Netherlands)

 

 

"Rechtop in de wind" ("Upright in the wind") was the Dutch entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1987, performed in Dutch by Marcha.Together with her backingvocals on stage: Marjolijn Keuning, Yolanda Smit, Guus Westdorp, Cees Stolk and Paul Kloote.

 

The song is a dramatic ballad, sung from the perspective of a woman whose relationship has just ended. Marcha describes her feelings as the relationship ends, and goes on to sing that she told herself to be strong and to stand "upright in the wind", even if that wind became a "hurricane".

 

Marcha, also known as Marga Bult, is a Dutch singer and television presenter, who has been a member of the groups Tulip, Babe and Dutch Divas.

 

In 1979, Marcha joined forces with former Teach-In singer Marianne Wolsink to form the duo Tulip. They had only released two singles however when, in 1981, Marcha was chosen from over 200 candidates as the replacement for the departing lead singer Gemma van Eck in girl group Babe, who had established themselves since 1979 as regular chart performers, with six top 30 singles in the Netherlands. Known as Marga Bult during this time, she recorded two albums and 14 singles with Babe, and toured extensively across Europe and Asia, before the group disbanded in June 1986.

 

In the 1990s Marcha moved into television presenting, working on shows for several Dutch channels. In 2000, she joined fellow Dutch Eurovision veterans Maggie MacNeal and Sandra Reemer to form the Dutch Divas, who quickly established themselves as a popular live act, particularly with the Dutch gay community. Reemer left the group in 2005 and was replaced briefly by another Eurovision performer, Justine Pelmelay, who remained with the group for a year, since when Marcha and MacNeal have continued as a duo. In 2010 she still performs as a solo artist. Besides her performances she is also a regular presenter for the regional broadcasting company RTV Oost.

 

 

1988

 

 

Edited March 1, 20169 yr by Electric Top 10

 

1989: Fani Polymeri & Yiannis Savvidakis - Apopse As Vrethoume (Cyprus)

 

 

"Apopse as vrethume" ("Let's Meet Tonight") was the Cypriot entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1989, performed in Greek by Fani Polymeri and Yiannis Savvidakis.

 

At the close of voting, it had received 51 points, placing 11th in a field of 22.

 

The song is a love duet, with the singers pledging to "meet tonight" and describing the world they intend to create for themselves as a result. An English version was written by Anastasiou with the title "Tonight Will Last Forever" was also recorded.

 

Fanny's wedding dress is the most beautiful outfit in ESC history.

 

 

 

 

1990: Maywood - Ik Wil Alles Met Je Delen (Netherlands)

 

 

"Ik wil alles met je delen" ("I want to share everything with you") was the Dutch entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1990, performed in Dutch by Maywood. The English language version was entitled "No more winds to guide me".

 

The song is a ballad, with the singer telling her lover that she wants to share everything with him - including the hard times in life. She sings that life is a "merry-go-round", and that if she is there when things are bad, she will also be there when they are good.

 

Alice and Caren had already acquired some experience in show business as a live act called "Colt 45" and as a recording act under the name of "De Karinas".

 

In the late 70s it was not easy to get success in the music business. A distinctive sound had to be created in order to be recognized by the record-buying public. The sound of Maywood songs was immediately recognizable, whether it were the uptempo songs or the melancholic ballads: Caren's powerful voice combined with Alice's talent to write wonderful melodies and last but not least their very own arrangements of the songs were the ingredients to this special sound. Furthermore, every song sounded differently. Alice never just copied an earlier song. Producer Pim Koopman discovered the duo one day and was impressed by their talent. Working with the record label EMI, he convinced them and Maywood signed a recording contract soon afterwards.

 

Since "I met you / If you and I" was the very first single released by Maywood in The Netherlands and followed by "You treated me wrong / I can't let you" go now. Both releases were local successes. 'You treated me wrong' brought Maywood to the charts in Scandinavia and South Africa. But the real break-through came with the next release: Mother, how are you today / Let me know. Maywood was taken to the top of the charts with the follow-up single: Late at night / One, two three. This recording was not only a big hit at home, but also in many European countries and finally released in 14 countries all over the world. 'Mother, how are you today' and 'Late at night' were also recorded in German, but did not gain the same success as the English versions. One more version of 'Mother, how are you today' was recorded: Madre, aimed at the Spanish speaking market.

 

The first album, simply titled MAYWOOD was released in the fall of 1980. Many live performances followed in their home country and in several countries around Europe.

The album reached gold status in The Netherlands and in Sweden. One more single was taken from that album: Give me back my love / That certain feeling. Again, a hit in The Netherlands and neighbouring countries.

 

Suddenly something went wrong. Their singles did not reach the top of the charts anymore. Were the wrong songs picked to be singles? Due to the success of 'Madre', a compilation album of the hits of Maywood was recorded in Spanish language for the South American market. Title: CREO EN EL AMOR. In these first 3 years Maywood did not only appear live in their home country and on TV, but also toured in South Africa and South America. They took part in international song contests in Seoul (South Korea) and the Yamaha-Festival in Tokyo (Japan). In addition to several awards in The Netherlands, Maywood received also international prizes, like 'Artist of the year 1982' in South Africa.

 

Maywood appeared back to the public in 1984 with a new single: Standing in the twilight / Stay with me, published by a new record company: Polygram. In 1987 Maywood took part in the international song contest in East Germany (Rostock), called 'Menschen und Meer'. Participating song: Wings of an eagle. This song was awarded with 3 prizes, but never recorded in the studio, which could be certainly called "A big mistake".

 

In 1990 came the chance for Alice and Caren to be introduced to a world-wide audience when they won the national heat for the biggest song contest: Grand Prix d'Eurovision de la chanson. Maywood travelled to Zagreb (Yugoslavia) in May 1990 to represent The Netherlands with the song Ik wil alles met je delen, ending up on rank 15. This song was backed with Wat zijn we met de wereld aan het doen? and released as a single. An English version was recorded and released as well: No more winds to guide me / I was born to love you. Back home an entire album of songs in Dutch language was recorded and released under the title ACHTER DE HORIZON on the Dureco label. The last single from that album was Ik blijf naar jou verlangen / Zonder jou.

 

In 1991 Maywood released a CD as a special thank you to their fans, 6-songs-containing CD titled: SIX OF THE THIRTIES. Only 500 copies were produced by the record company Fan Records. This CD came in a collector's box with a certificate with number of the limited edition and an additional picture of Maywood. In the same year another special project was finished in Germany. An album with songs of the 60s came out: WALKING BACK TO HAPPINESS.

 

The final single of Maywood turned out to be "Blue sunday morning / You're making me crazy" was released in 1994. The last album presented to the record buyer was MORE MAYWOOD in 1994. Some of the early songs, such as 'Mother, how are you today', 'Late at night', 'Give me back my love', and 'Rio' were newly recorded in order to be included in this album. In the following year (1995) Alice and Caren decided to pursue solo careers.

Edited December 29, 201212 yr by AlexRange

 

1991: Samantha Janus - A Message to Your Heart (United Kingdom)

 

 

A Message to Your Heart", written and composed by Paul Curtis, was the United Kingdom's entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 1991, performed by Samantha Janus.

 

Samantha Janus won the right to perform at Rome by winning the UK national final, A Song for Europe, where she was the third singer to perform. As in the previous three years, the winner was picked via a nationwide telephone vote. Samantha Janus won over second-place finisher Brendan Faye by only 13,000 votes, in the slimmest margin since the telephone vote was introduced.

 

Like the previous year, composer Paul Curtis submitted a topical entry for consideration; this time, the subjects were the less fortunate, suffering from poverty and starvation. Janus sung of the contrasts between the people who "are hungry just from being born", and the people who have too much, with "their only hunger being greed." The "message to [the] heart" refers to Janus imploring the better-off to, at the very least, say a prayer for the less fortunate, ending with the well-known John Bradford quotation, "There but for the grace of God, go I."

 

In a somewhat ironic twist, the melody of the song is up-tempo. On the night of the Contest, Janus was dressed in a pink mini-dress, flanked by three women (Zoe Picot, Lucy Moorby, and Nikki Belsher) in white mini-dresses. Janus was also joined by two other "ghost" backing singers, masked by a music stand at the back of the stage; Kit Rolfe who had competed for the UK before in 1984 with the song "Love Games" (which, it was claimed, had also used "ghost" singers offstage), and Hazell Dean, who had worked extensively with Stock, Aitken and Waterman in the eighties.

 

After Eurovision, the song placed at #30 on the UK Singles Chart, and was in the chart for 3 weeks.

 

Janus went on to become a successful actress, starring in the sitcom Game On and the soap EastEnders. Despite her achievements, her entry into the Eurovision is frequently remarked upon. She has said regarding the experience that her failure in the contest devastated her at the time and thought it would spell the end of her career. She has also called her appearance 'ridiculous', in that she was dressed in a pink mini-dress while singing about starving children and says the lyrics of the song are burned into her memory forever.