United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 1957
Encyclopedia
The United Kingdom
took part in the Eurovision Song Contest
for the first time in 1957. The country was represented by Patricia Bredin with the song “All
” written by Reynell Wreford and Alan Stranks. The entry was chosen during a national final called A song for Europe. The United Kingdom actually wanted to take part in the first Eurovision Song Contest in 1956, but was disqualified because the entries were submitted too late.
The national final was held over four stages - three semi finals and a grand final. All shows were presented by David Jacobs
, who would host many other British national finals the following years. Seven singers presented one song each in the first two semi finals, in the third semi final, five songs took part. Most of the song titles in the heats got lost and so did the results. The tables below contain the information that is still known. Two songs in each heat went forward to the national final, where every song was presented twice by two different artists and with a different arrangement. Except of the song “Once”, the first performance was by the singer who performed it in the semi final, the second performance was with one exception by artists who had not taken part in the heats. At the end of the show, a jury voted for the best song, which was “All”. After the show, the BBC
has internally chosen Patricia Bredin to perform the song in Frankfurt
.
with “Amours mortes (tant de peine)
” and preceding Italy
with “Corde della mia chitarra
”. At the close of voting, the United Kingdom had received six points and finished seventh among the ten countries. However, the United Kingdom had received points from five of the nine other countries, which means more than half of them. It would take the United Kingdom until 1978 not to finish in the first half of the scoreboard again.
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...
took part in 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...
for the first time in 1957. The country was represented by Patricia Bredin with the song “All
All (song)
"All" was the United Kingdom entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 1957 performed in English by Patricia Bredin. At a length of 1:52 minutes, it has the distinction of being the shortest entry in the history of the Contest as well as being the first song to be performed in English.The song was...
” written by Reynell Wreford and Alan Stranks. The entry was chosen during a national final called A song for Europe. The United Kingdom actually wanted to take part in the first Eurovision Song Contest in 1956, but was disqualified because the entries were submitted too late.
A song for Europe 1957
 |
|
| Final: | February 12, 1957 |
|---|---|
| Semi-finals: | January 22 January 29 February 12 |
| Presenter: | David Jacobs David Jacobs (disc jockey) David Lewis Jacobs CBE is a British actor and broadcaster who gained prominence as presenter of the peak-time BBC Television show Juke Box Jury and the BBC Radio 4 political forum, Any Questions?-Early career:... |
| Venue: | BBC studios, London London London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its... |
| Voting: | A jury selected the winning song. The performer was chosen internally. |
| Number of contestants | 7 (1st semi final) 7 (2nd semi final) 5 (3rd semi final)11 (final) |
The national final was held over four stages - three semi finals and a grand final. All shows were presented by David Jacobs
David Jacobs (disc jockey)
David Lewis Jacobs CBE is a British actor and broadcaster who gained prominence as presenter of the peak-time BBC Television show Juke Box Jury and the BBC Radio 4 political forum, Any Questions?-Early career:...
, who would host many other British national finals the following years. Seven singers presented one song each in the first two semi finals, in the third semi final, five songs took part. Most of the song titles in the heats got lost and so did the results. The tables below contain the information that is still known. Two songs in each heat went forward to the national final, where every song was presented twice by two different artists and with a different arrangement. Except of the song “Once”, the first performance was by the singer who performed it in the semi final, the second performance was with one exception by artists who had not taken part in the heats. At the end of the show, a jury voted for the best song, which was “All”. After the show, the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
has internally chosen Patricia Bredin to perform the song in Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
.
First semi final
| # | Singer | Song | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lita Roza Lita Roza Lita Roza was a British singer. Her 1953 number one hit record " That Doggie in the Window?" afforded Roza the privilege of being the first British female singer to top the UK Singles Chart, and the first Liverpudlian to do so.-Biography:Born Lilian Patricia Lita Roza in Liverpool, Lancashire,... |
The Way It Goes | Q |
| 2 | Denis Lotis | Seven | Q |
| 3 | Marian Ryan | ? | - |
| 4 | John Hanson John Hanson (singer) John Hanson was a Canadian-born British tenor and actor, who starred in several West End musicals during the 1950s and 1960s.... |
? | - |
| 5 | Janie Marden | ? | - |
| 6 | The Keynotes | ? | - |
| 7 | Bill McGuffie Quartet Bill McGuffie Bill McGuffie was a highly experienced pianist who went on to become a film composer and conductor. He also made several television appearances before this, most notably in Softly, Softly as a pub pianist.... |
? | - |
Second semi final
| # | Singer | Song | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jill Day | ? | - |
| 2 | Ronnie Hilton Ronnie Hilton Ronnie Hilton was an English singer and radio presenter. According to his obituary in The Guardian newspaper, "Hilton was one of those 1950s vocalists whose career coincided with rock and roll's 1956 onslaught on the ballad dominated hit parade... |
For Your Love | Q |
| 3 | Edna Savage Edna Savage Edna Savage was a traditional pop singer in the United Kingdom.She was born in Warrington, Cheshire, England. She had two sisters, both older. Her father was a landscape gardener, her mother an amateur singer. She left school at age 15... |
? | - |
| 4 | Bryan Johnson | ? | - |
| 5 | Lorrae Desmond Lorrae Desmond Lorrae Desmond, MBE is a Australian singer, entertainer, and character actress, with a career spanning over 50 years... |
? | - |
| 6 | Frank Horrox | ? | - |
| 7 | Frank Weir Quartet Frank Weir Frank Weir was a British orchestra leader and jazz musician. He reached #1 on the UK Singles Chart in 1954 with Vera Lynn and the song "My Son, My Son", and with positive reviews in Variety, Cash Box and Billboard.... |
Once | Q |
Third semi final
| # | Singer | Song (Music/Lyrics) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carole Carr | ? | - |
| 2 | Shirley Eaton Shirley Eaton Shirley Eaton is an English actress.Eaton appeared regularly in British films throughout the 1950s and 1960s, and achieved notability for her performance as Bond Girl Jill Masterson in the 1964 James Bond film Goldfinger... |
? | - |
| 3 | Bill Maynard Bill Maynard Walter Frederick George Williams , better known by the stage name Bill Maynard, is an English comedian and actor.-Early life and career:... |
? | - |
| 4 | The Keynotes | Don't Cry Little Doll | Q |
| 5 | Malcolm Lockyer Quartet Malcolm Lockyer Malcolm Lockyer was a film composer and conductor.In his early years he developed an interest in dance and from here gathered an interest in music. At the age of nineteen he became a musician in the Royal Air Force and in 1944 joined the Buddy Featherstonhaugh Sextet... |
All (Reynell Wreford/Alan Stranks) |
Q |
Final
| # | First singer | Second singer | Song (Music/Lyrics) | Pts | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Keynotes | Bill Maynard Bill Maynard Walter Frederick George Williams , better known by the stage name Bill Maynard, is an English comedian and actor.-Early life and career:... |
Don't Cry Little Doll | 14 | 4th |
| 2 | Pauline Shepherd | Carole Carr | Once | 23 | 2nd |
| 3 | Denis Lotis | The Keynotes | Seven | 13 | 5th |
| 4 | Malcolm Lockyer Quartet Malcolm Lockyer Malcolm Lockyer was a film composer and conductor.In his early years he developed an interest in dance and from here gathered an interest in music. At the age of nineteen he became a musician in the Royal Air Force and in 1944 joined the Buddy Featherstonhaugh Sextet... |
Patricia Bredin Patricia Bredin Patricia Bredin is a British actress and one-time singer from Hull, England, who was best known as the very first United Kingdom representative in the Eurovision Song Contest. She took part in the 1957 contest, held in Frankfurt, and finished in seventh place out of ten entries with the song All,... |
All All (song) "All" was the United Kingdom entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 1957 performed in English by Patricia Bredin. At a length of 1:52 minutes, it has the distinction of being the shortest entry in the history of the Contest as well as being the first song to be performed in English.The song was... (Reynell Wreford/Alan Stranks) |
39 | 1st |
| 5 | Ronnie Hilton Ronnie Hilton Ronnie Hilton was an English singer and radio presenter. According to his obituary in The Guardian newspaper, "Hilton was one of those 1950s vocalists whose career coincided with rock and roll's 1956 onslaught on the ballad dominated hit parade... |
Alan Bristow | For Your Love | 13 | 5th |
| 6 | Lita Roza Lita Roza Lita Roza was a British singer. Her 1953 number one hit record " That Doggie in the Window?" afforded Roza the privilege of being the first British female singer to top the UK Singles Chart, and the first Liverpudlian to do so.-Biography:Born Lilian Patricia Lita Roza in Liverpool, Lancashire,... |
Stan Roderick | The Way It Goes | 18 | 3rd |
Commercial success
Patricia Bredin has never recorded the song and it was therefore also never released as a single. Neither reached any of the songs the UK single charts despite the popularity of some of the contestants.At Eurovision
At the Eurovision Song Contest, Patricia Bredin delivered an operatic performance of “All”, which is still the shortest entry ever in the Eurovision Song Contest having lasted about two minutes. The song was performed third that night following LuxembourgLuxembourg in the Eurovision Song Contest 1957
Luxembourg was represented in the Eurovision Song Contest 1957 by Danièle Dupré with the song "Amours mortes ", written by Jean-Pierre Kemmer and Jacques Taber. The entry had been chosen internally by the broadcaster.- The entry :...
with “Amours mortes (tant de peine)
Amours mortes (tant de peine)
"Amours mortes " was the Luxembourgish entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1957, performed in French by French singer Danièle Dupré....
” and preceding Italy
Italy in the Eurovision Song Contest 1957
Italy used the Sanremo Music Festival to their entry to the Eurovision Song Contest 1957, held in Frankfurt, Germany.Their entry was Corde della mia chitarra, sung by Nunzio Gallo. At the contest, the song performed 4th on the night, and at the close of the voting had received 7 points, placing 6th...
with “Corde della mia chitarra
Corde Della Mia Chitarra
"Corde della mia chitarra" was the Italian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1957, performed in Italian by Nunzio Gallo....
”. At the close of voting, the United Kingdom had received six points and finished seventh among the ten countries. However, the United Kingdom had received points from five of the nine other countries, which means more than half of them. It would take the United Kingdom until 1978 not to finish in the first half of the scoreboard again.
Voting
Every country had a jury of ten people. Every jury member could give one point to his or her favourite song.Points given
- 2 points to ItalyItaly in the Eurovision Song Contest 1957Italy used the Sanremo Music Festival to their entry to the Eurovision Song Contest 1957, held in Frankfurt, Germany.Their entry was Corde della mia chitarra, sung by Nunzio Gallo. At the contest, the song performed 4th on the night, and at the close of the voting had received 7 points, placing 6th...
- 2 points to AustriaAustria in the Eurovision Song Contest 1957Austria took part for the first time in the Eurovision Song Contest 1957. The country was represented by Bob Martin with the song "Wohin, kleines Pony?" written by Kurt Svab and Hans Werner.- Before the contest :...
- 2 points to FranceFrance in the Eurovision Song Contest 1957France took part in the Eurovision Song Contest for the second time in 1957. The country was represented by Paul Desjardins with the song “La belle amour”. Paule Desjardins was a rather unknown singer at the time of the contest...
- 2 points to DenmarkDenmark in the Eurovision Song Contest 1957Denmark took part in the Eurovision Song Contest for the first time at the Eurovision Song Contest 1957, held in Frankfurt, Germany. The Danish entry was chosen during a national final called Dansk Melodi Grand Prix....
- 1 point to LuxembourgLuxembourg in the Eurovision Song Contest 1957Luxembourg was represented in the Eurovision Song Contest 1957 by Danièle Dupré with the song "Amours mortes ", written by Jean-Pierre Kemmer and Jacques Taber. The entry had been chosen internally by the broadcaster.- The entry :...
- 1 point to the Netherlands
Points received
- 2 points from SwitzerlandSwitzerland in the Eurovision Song Contest 1957After their win in 1956, Switzerland continued with their format of a national final to select their entry for the 1957 contest.Three artists competed to represent Switzerland: last year's winner Lys Assia; Jo Roland, who participated at the national final of 1956; and Gianni Ferraresi.-National...
- 1 point from the Netherlands
- 1 point from AustriaAustria in the Eurovision Song Contest 1957Austria took part for the first time in the Eurovision Song Contest 1957. The country was represented by Bob Martin with the song "Wohin, kleines Pony?" written by Kurt Svab and Hans Werner.- Before the contest :...
- 1 point from LuxembourgLuxembourg in the Eurovision Song Contest 1957Luxembourg was represented in the Eurovision Song Contest 1957 by Danièle Dupré with the song "Amours mortes ", written by Jean-Pierre Kemmer and Jacques Taber. The entry had been chosen internally by the broadcaster.- The entry :...
- 1 point from BelgiumBelgium in the Eurovision Song Contest 1957Belgium was represented in the Eurovision Song Contest 1957 by Bobbejaan Schoepen with the song "Straatdeuntje", written by Harry Frekin and Eric Franssen and performed in Dutch. The song was chosen during a national final with Schoepen performing all entries.- The national final :In the national...