The Bad Old Days
Encyclopedia
"'The Bad Old Days" was the British
entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1978
, performed in English
by Co-Co
.
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.
On the night of the final, 22 April, the song was performed eighth, following Spain
's José Vélez
with "Bailemos un vals
" and preceding Switzerland
's Carole Vinci with "Vivre
". At the close of voting, it had received 61 points, placing 11th in a field of 20. At the time, this was the worst showing yet for the UK in Eurovision, surpassing the 9th place from 1966 which until 1978 had held the dubious distinction. "The Bad Old Days" held the ignominious title until 1987, when the UK finished 13th. Of all the UK entries submitted from 1975-1993, this was the only UK song that did not receive either a 12 or a 10 point score at least once in the voting sequence. The highest score awarded to The Bad Old Days was 8 points from Germany.
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 Bad Old Days" was succeeded as the British representative at the 1979 contest
by Black Lace
with "Mary Ann
".
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...
entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1978
Eurovision Song Contest 1978
The Eurovision Song Contest 1978 was the 23rd of its kind, and was held on 22 April 1978 in Paris. With Denise Fabre and Léon Zitrone as the presenters - the first time more than one presenter hosted the contest - the contest was won by Izhar Cohen & the Alphabeta who represented Israel, with their...
, 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 Co-Co
Co-Co (band)
Co-Co were a five piece British band who represented the UK for the Eurovision Song Contest 1978, staged at the Palais de Congrès in Paris, France, on 22 April 1978, with the song, "The Bad Old Days". The song was written by the husband and wife team of Stephanie de Sykes and Stuart Slater...
.
The song, written by Stephanie de Sykes
Stephanie de Sykes
Stephanie de Sykes is a British singer, and was once a girlfriend of Angus Deayton.-Biography:She attended Brays Grove School in Harlow, Essex; she returned to the school for a final reunion in June 2008 as guest of honour. She had a hit in 1974 with the Simon May penned "Born With a Smile on My...
and Stuart Slater was an uptempo love song, with the narrator recalling 'the bad old days' before they met their current partner.
On the night of the final, 22 April, the song was performed eighth, following Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
's José Vélez
José Vélez
José Vélez is a Canarian singer.In the late 1960s, a music teacher from the Organización Juvenil Española had the idea to create the music group Grupo Marabilla with some of his students, among them José Velásquez. When the group was dissolved, he began his solo career...
with "Bailemos un vals
Bailemos un vals
"'Bailemos un vals" was the Spanish entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1978, performed in Spanish by José Vélez....
" and preceding Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
's Carole Vinci with "Vivre
Vivre (Carole Vinci song)
"Vivre" is a song by Carole Vinci that represented Switzerland at the Eurovision Song Contest 1978, composed by Alain Morisod and written by Pierre Alain....
". At the close of voting, it had received 61 points, placing 11th in a field of 20. At the time, this was the worst showing yet for the UK in Eurovision, surpassing the 9th place from 1966 which until 1978 had held the dubious distinction. "The Bad Old Days" held the ignominious title until 1987, when the UK finished 13th. Of all the UK entries submitted from 1975-1993, this was the only UK song that did not receive either a 12 or a 10 point score at least once in the voting sequence. The highest score awarded to The Bad Old Days was 8 points from Germany.
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 Bad Old Days" was succeeded as the British representative at the 1979 contest
Eurovision Song Contest 1979
The Eurovision Song Contest 1979 was the 24th Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 31 March 1979 in Jerusalem, Israel. The presenters were Daniel Pe'er and Yardena Arazi, and the event was staged at the International Convention Center. Representing Israel, Gali Atari and Milk and Honey were the...
by Black Lace
Black Lace (band)
Black Lace is a British Euro pop band, best known for novelty party records, including their biggest hit, "Agadoo". The band first came to the public eye after being selected to represent the UK in the 1979 Eurovision Song Contest, in which they finished seventh with the song "Mary Ann"...
with "Mary Ann
Mary Ann (song)
"Mary Ann" was the British entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1979, performed in English by Black Lace.The song is about a man who loves a woman called Mary Ann, but can't express his sentiment to her....
".