Cross Your Heart
Encyclopedia
"Cross Your Heart" was the Irish
entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1974
, performed in English
by Tina Reynolds
.
Reynolds performed all eight songs in the Irish national heats on RTE
's Saturday evening entertainment series The Likes of Mike, where she sang four songs in English
and four in Irish
. The result was decided, for the first time since 1967, by a public postal vote in which "Cross Your Heart" won by a landslide with 16,686 votes, 11,000 clear of the runner-up "Is Liom É".
The song is moderately up-tempo, with Reynolds using a number of childhood rhymes ("cross your heart and hope to die" and "sticks and stones wouldn't break my bones") to communicate to a would-be lover how serious she is about a potential relationship, with the contrast between the serious intention and the playful nature of the rhymes being drawn out throughout the lyrics. She sings that, although her heart has been broken before, she has no intention of giving up on love now. She also reminds her lover that "so many hearts are broken by one little lie".
The song was performed thirteenth on the night (following the Netherlands
' Mouth & MacNeal
with "I See A Star
" and preceding Germany
's Cindy & Bert
with "Die Sommermelodie
"). At the close of voting, it had received 11 points, placing 7th in a field of 17.
It was succeeded as Irish representative
at the 1975 Contest
by The Swarbriggs
with "That's What Friends Are For
".
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1974
Eurovision Song Contest 1974
The Eurovision Song Contest 1974 was the 19th Eurovision Song Contest. It was held in the seaside resort of Brighton on the south coast of the United Kingdom...
, performed in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
by Tina Reynolds
Tina Reynolds
Tina Reynolds or simply Tina as she was known professionally, represented Ireland in the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest.Her song "Cross Your Heart" came seventh but was a number 1 hit in the Irish charts....
.
Reynolds performed all eight songs in the Irish national heats on RTE
RTE
RTÉ is the abbreviation for Raidió Teilifís Éireann, the public broadcasting service of the Republic of Ireland.RTE may also refer to:* Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 25th Prime Minister of Turkey...
's Saturday evening entertainment series The Likes of Mike, where she sang four songs in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and four in Irish
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
. The result was decided, for the first time since 1967, by a public postal vote in which "Cross Your Heart" won by a landslide with 16,686 votes, 11,000 clear of the runner-up "Is Liom É".
The song is moderately up-tempo, with Reynolds using a number of childhood rhymes ("cross your heart and hope to die" and "sticks and stones wouldn't break my bones") to communicate to a would-be lover how serious she is about a potential relationship, with the contrast between the serious intention and the playful nature of the rhymes being drawn out throughout the lyrics. She sings that, although her heart has been broken before, she has no intention of giving up on love now. She also reminds her lover that "so many hearts are broken by one little lie".
The song was performed thirteenth on the night (following the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
' Mouth & MacNeal
Mouth & MacNeal
Mouth & MacNeal was a pop duo from the Netherlands. They are best known for their million selling recording of "How Do You Do".-Career:They were formed in 1971 when record producer Hans van Hemert brought together the solo talent of Mouth and Maggie MacNeal...
with "I See A Star
I See a Star
"I See a Star" was the Dutch entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1974, performed in English by Mouth & MacNeal....
" and preceding Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
's Cindy & Bert
Cindy & Bert
Cindy & Bert are a German schlager vocal duo from Völklingen, Saarland consisting of Jutta Gusenberger and Norbert Berger...
with "Die Sommermelodie
Die Sommermelodie
"Die Sommermelodie" was the West-German entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1974, performed in German by Cindy & Bert...
"). At the close of voting, it had received 11 points, placing 7th in a field of 17.
It was succeeded as Irish representative
Republic of Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest
Ireland first participated in the Eurovision Song Contest at the 1965 Contest in Naples, participating in every subsequent Contest but two: the 1983 Contest in Munich and the 2002 Contest in Tallinn...
at the 1975 Contest
Eurovision Song Contest 1975
The Eurovision Song Contest 1975 was the 20th edition of the contest hosted by SR and held in Stockholm, Sweden. The arena for the event was the newly built Stockholm International Fairs in Älvsjö in southern Stockholm. ABBA's victory in Brighton the previous year gave Sweden the right to host the...
by The Swarbriggs
The Swarbriggs
Thomas Sheridan and John James Swarbrigg are Irish music promoters and former pop musicians. As The Swarbriggs they represented Ireland at the 1975 Eurovision Song Contest with That's What Friends Are For. As The Swarbriggs Plus Two, with Nicola Kerr and Alma Carroll, they competed again in 1977...
with "That's What Friends Are For
That's What Friends Are For (Eurovision song)
That's What Friends Are For was the Irish entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1975, performed in English by The Swarbriggs.The song is an mid-tempo number, with the singers calling on their listeners to help each other in times of need, because "That's what friends are for"...
".