Belle & the Devotions
Encyclopedia
Belle and the Devotions was a British
pop music
group
, ostensibly a group name for the singer Kit Rolfe. Under this name she released the singles
"Where Did Love Go Wrong?" and "Got To Let You Know" in 1983.
In 1984, two other members, Laura James and Linda Sofeld were added to the group in order to participate in the UK
heats of the Eurovision Song Contest
, A Song For Europe in 1984. "Love Games
", written by Paul Curtis
and Graham Sacher proved to be an easy winner and represented the UK at the Eurovision Song Contest 1984 in Luxembourg
.
According to John Kennedy O'Connor
's The Eurovision Song Contest - The Official History, the actions
of English football fans in the tiny state the previous autumn caused something of a backlash against the British delegation. They were booed by some of the audience. It emerged during rehearsals that a backing trio, hidden off-camera, were doing the majority of the singing, while the microphones of Sofeld and James were not even switched on. "Love Games" finished in seventh place, and reached #11 in the UK Singles Chart
. The group followed up this single with "All The Way Up", released in June 1984. It failed to chart and the threesome split up soon after.
Kit Rolfe had been involved in Eurovision before, as a backing singer for Sweet Dreams
in Munich
in 1983
, when she herself was hidden off-camera. She performed the same task for Samantha Janus
in 1991
, teaming up with Hazell Dean
to provide backing vocals in Rome
.
Rolfe also later recorded a single with Eddie "The Eagle" Edwards, "Fly Eddie Fly". The song was not a hit.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
group
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
, ostensibly a group name for the singer Kit Rolfe. Under this name she released the singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
"Where Did Love Go Wrong?" and "Got To Let You Know" in 1983.
In 1984, two other members, Laura James and Linda Sofeld were added to the group in order to participate in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
heats of the Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
, A Song For Europe in 1984. "Love Games
Love Games (Belle and the Devotions song)
"Love Games", written and composed by Paul Curtis and Graham Sacher, was the United Kingdom's entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 1984, performed by the trio Belle and the Devotions, which was headed by Kit Rolfe....
", written by Paul Curtis
Paul Curtis (musician)
Paul Michael Curtis is an English singer, songwriter, record producer from London, who holds the record for the most number of songs to make the finals of the A Song for Europe contest, the BBC's annual competition to choose the UK entry to the Eurovision Song Contest, competing with 22 separate...
and Graham Sacher proved to be an easy winner and represented the UK at the Eurovision Song Contest 1984 in Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
.
According to John Kennedy O'Connor
John Kennedy O'Connor
John Kennedy O'Connor is an author, entertainment and political commentator, based in the United States. Born in North London, United Kingdom, he has written, reported and broadcast for numerous media organizations, as well as writing, creating and producing media events for a number of...
's The Eurovision Song Contest - The Official History, the actions
Football hooliganism
Football hooliganism, sometimes referred to by the British media as the English Disease, is unruly and destructive behaviour—such as brawls, vandalism and intimidation—by association football club fans...
of English football fans in the tiny state the previous autumn caused something of a backlash against the British delegation. They were booed by some of the audience. It emerged during rehearsals that a backing trio, hidden off-camera, were doing the majority of the singing, while the microphones of Sofeld and James were not even switched on. "Love Games" finished in seventh place, and reached #11 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. The group followed up this single with "All The Way Up", released in June 1984. It failed to chart and the threesome split up soon after.
Kit Rolfe had been involved in Eurovision before, as a backing singer for Sweet Dreams
Sweet Dreams (band)
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"....
in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
in 1983
Eurovision Song Contest 1983
The Eurovision Song Contest 1983, the 28th in the series, was held in Munich, then West Germany, on 23 April 1983. The presenter was Marlene Charell. Corinne Hermes was the winner of this Eurovision with the song, "Si la vie est cadeau". This was Luxembourg's fifth victory in the contest which...
, when she herself was hidden off-camera. She performed the same task for Samantha Janus
Samantha Janus
Samantha Zoe Womack is an English actress, singer and director, both on television and stage. In recent years she has been best known for playing the role of Ronnie Branning in EastEnders, but made her name in the early 1990s as Mandy Wilkins in Game On, and also represented the United Kingdom in...
in 1991
Eurovision Song Contest 1991
The Eurovision Song Contest 1991 was the 36th Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 4 May 1991 in Rome. Due to the Gulf War and mounting tensions in Yugoslavia, RAI decided to move the contest from Sanremo to Rome, which was perceived to be more secure....
, teaming up with Hazell Dean
Hazell Dean
Hazell Dean is a British dance-pop singer, who achieved her biggest success in the 1980s as a leading Hi-NRG artist. She is best known for the top ten hits "Searchin' ", "Whatever I Do " and "Who's Leaving Who"...
to provide backing vocals in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
.
Rolfe also later recorded a single with Eddie "The Eagle" Edwards, "Fly Eddie Fly". The song was not a hit.
See also
- United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 1984United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 1984The United Kingdom was represented in the Eurovision Song Contest 1984 by Belle and the Devotions with the song "Love Games". It was chosen as the British entry through the A Song for Europe national selection process and placed seventh at Eurovision, receiving 63 points.-A Song for Europe 1984:The...