United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 1981
Encyclopedia
The United Kingdom and the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) held a national final titled "A Song for Europe 1981" to choose who would represent them in the Eurovision Song Contest 1981
. "A Song for Europe 1981" was held on 11 March 1981 where Bucks Fizz
was chosen with "Making Your Mind Up
" as the entrant. At Eurovision, he placed first winning the competition with 136 points.
Gary Benson
, as a songwriter, had qualified for the UK finals of 1974 and 1975 and 1977 (writing "Someday", "Don't Throw it All Away" (which he would later release himself and earn a top 20 hit) and "After All This Time" for Olivia Newton John, The Shadows
and Wesley Park and Smith respectively. In 1981 he performed his own entry, a ballad called "All Cried Out".
Unity were described as a female chorale, led by Sue Glover. Glover had previously been a member of Brotherhood of Man
and had also provided Eurovision backing vocals for the UK's Lulu
in 1969 and Germany's Joy Fleming
in 1975. Unity (whose number included The Bill
actress Lisa Maxwell
) performed "For Only a Day", an anthem. The chorus was of five children called Lisa, Tracey, Linda, Annabel and Astra. It went on to be the Miss World
song in the 1980s. The song was written by Chris Gunning and John Dawson Read.
Another strong anthemic ballad was "Wish" performed by Beyond. The song was written by Don Gould and Steve Elson. Beyond went on to be the backing band of Kate Robbins
later that year where they scored a top ten hit with "More Than in Love".
Bucks Fizz
was a two boy-two girl outfit singing "Making Your Mind Up
". The song was a Rock'n'Roll 1950s-style number which depended as much on the dance routine as the vocal performance. Writers Andy Hill
and John Danter were also responsible for the next song, "Have You Ever Been in Love" performed by Gem.This was another heart-rending ballad which later became a big hit for Leo Sayer
.
Lezlee Carling performed another mid-tempo ballad, "Where Are You Now", written by Lindsey Moore. Lezlee Carling would later make an appearance on Three of a Kind in 1982.
She was followed by the best-known act of the night, Liquid Gold
. "Don't Panic" was similar in style to their 1980 hit "Dance Yourself Dizzy" and both were written by Adrian Baker. The band was so sure of victory that they pre-recorded an appearance for that week's edition of Top of the Pops
The prizes were presented by Terry Wogan to John Danter, one of the songwriters, and to Mike Nolan, one of the performers. Terry then incorrectly announced the winning song as "Where are you now?"
won the Eurovision Song Contest
for the United Kingdom
with their song "Making Your Mind Up
". It won 136 points from the 19 juries, beating West Germany
's Lena Valaitis
whose Johnny Blue won 132 points.
The points given to the United Kingdom by each of the 19 other national juries were as follows (points shown in order that they were awarded):
Overall the United Kingdom was not in the lead until France awarded them 7 points; the lead before that point had changed a couple of times between France and Ireland. The UK only lost the lead one more time before the end of the competition, to Switzerland when the UK jury placed its own vote. Interestingly, only two countries gave the United Kingdom the full 12 points: Israel and the Netherlands.
When the UK jury placed their vote they gave the full 12 points to Switzerland, placing them in the lead over the UK. The UK didn't regain the lead until two sets of results later, when Belgium gave the UK 8 points and didn't award Switzerland any at all.
Eurovision Song Contest 1981
The Eurovision Song Contest 1981 was the 26th Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 4 April 1981 at the Simmonscourt Pavilion of the Royal Dublin Society in Dublin. The presenter was Doireann Ní Bhriain...
. "A Song for Europe 1981" was held on 11 March 1981 where Bucks Fizz
Bucks Fizz (band)
Bucks Fizz are an English pop group who achieved success in the 1980s, most notably for winning the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Making Your Mind Up". The group was formed in January 1981 specifically for the contest and comprised four vocalists: Bobby G, Cheryl Baker, Mike Nolan and...
was chosen with "Making Your Mind Up
Making Your Mind Up
"Making Your Mind Up" is a song by British pop group Bucks Fizz. It was the winner of the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest and a UK Number-one single...
" as the entrant. At Eurovision, he placed first winning the competition with 136 points.
A Song for Europe 1981
The BBC reduced the number of finalists from twelve to eight in 1981. Terry Wogan hosted the contest on March 11th. It was held at the Television Theatre. 581 songs were submitted to the Music Publisher's Association to pick eight songs. There was an orchestra off screen, under the baton of John ColemanThe songs
A group called Headache opened the contest with "Not Without Your Ticket (Don't Go)" written by Luis Jardim and Jean Gilbert.Gary Benson
Gary Benson
Gary Benson is a professional poker player and sports bettor. He has won a World Series of Poker bracelet in addition to other titles as a poker player.- Early life and career :...
, as a songwriter, had qualified for the UK finals of 1974 and 1975 and 1977 (writing "Someday", "Don't Throw it All Away" (which he would later release himself and earn a top 20 hit) and "After All This Time" for Olivia Newton John, The Shadows
The Shadows
The Shadows are a British pop group with a total of 69 UK hit-charted singles: 35 as 'The Shadows' and 34 as 'Cliff Richard and the Shadows', from the 1950s to the 2000s. Cliff Richard in casual conversation with the British rock press frequently refers to the Shadows by their nickname: 'The Shads'...
and Wesley Park and Smith respectively. In 1981 he performed his own entry, a ballad called "All Cried Out".
Unity were described as a female chorale, led by Sue Glover. Glover had previously been a member of Brotherhood of Man
Brotherhood of Man
Brotherhood of Man are a British pop group who achieved success in the 1970s, most notably by winning the 1976 Eurovision Song Contest with "Save Your Kisses for Me"....
and had also provided Eurovision backing vocals for the UK's Lulu
Lulu (singer)
Lulu Kennedy-Cairns, OBE , best known by her stage name Lulu, is a Scottish singer, actress, and television personality who has been successful in the entertainment business from the 1960s through to the present day...
in 1969 and Germany's Joy Fleming
Joy Fleming
Joy Fleming is a German singer who is probably best-known for her performance in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1975...
in 1975. Unity (whose number included The Bill
The Bill
The Bill is a police procedural television series that ran from October 1984 to August 2010. It focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work...
actress Lisa Maxwell
Lisa Maxwell (actress)
Lisa Maxwell is an English actress and television presenter.-Early life:Born in the Elephant & Castle district of Southwark, South London in November 1963, she was trained at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts, and first acted on TV aged 11 in a schools programme A Place Like Home...
) performed "For Only a Day", an anthem. The chorus was of five children called Lisa, Tracey, Linda, Annabel and Astra. It went on to be the Miss World
Miss World
The Miss World pageant is the oldest surviving major international beauty pageant. It was created in the United Kingdom by Eric Morley in 1951...
song in the 1980s. The song was written by Chris Gunning and John Dawson Read.
Another strong anthemic ballad was "Wish" performed by Beyond. The song was written by Don Gould and Steve Elson. Beyond went on to be the backing band of Kate Robbins
Kate Robbins
Katherine Robbins is an English actress, comedienne and singer.-Biography:Robbins is a first cousin once removed of Paul McCartney and older sister of Amy Robbins . She attended Wirral Grammar School for Girls and won the Drama Prizes each year, notably with her monologue "All this glitters is not...
later that year where they scored a top ten hit with "More Than in Love".
Bucks Fizz
Bucks Fizz (band)
Bucks Fizz are an English pop group who achieved success in the 1980s, most notably for winning the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Making Your Mind Up". The group was formed in January 1981 specifically for the contest and comprised four vocalists: Bobby G, Cheryl Baker, Mike Nolan and...
was a two boy-two girl outfit singing "Making Your Mind Up
Making Your Mind Up
"Making Your Mind Up" is a song by British pop group Bucks Fizz. It was the winner of the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest and a UK Number-one single...
". The song was a Rock'n'Roll 1950s-style number which depended as much on the dance routine as the vocal performance. Writers Andy Hill
Andy Hill (composer)
Andy Hill is a British music producer and songwriter who scored many hits during the 1980s and 90s...
and John Danter were also responsible for the next song, "Have You Ever Been in Love" performed by Gem.This was another heart-rending ballad which later became a big hit for Leo Sayer
Leo Sayer
Leo Sayer is a British singer-songwriter, musician, and entertainer whose singing career has spanned four decades. Sayer became a naturalised Australian citizen in 2009. Sayer was a top singles and album act on both sides of the Atlantic in the 1970s...
.
Lezlee Carling performed another mid-tempo ballad, "Where Are You Now", written by Lindsey Moore. Lezlee Carling would later make an appearance on Three of a Kind in 1982.
She was followed by the best-known act of the night, Liquid Gold
Liquid Gold
Liquid Gold was an English disco group, from Brackley in Northamptonshire. Their biggest success came in 1980 with Dance Yourself Dizzy, which peaked at number two on the UK chart.-Career:...
. "Don't Panic" was similar in style to their 1980 hit "Dance Yourself Dizzy" and both were written by Adrian Baker. The band was so sure of victory that they pre-recorded an appearance for that week's edition of Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
The voting
Seven regional juries voted on the songs. They were based in Birmingham (spokesperson: David Stevens), Cardiff (Ewan Thomas), Manchester (John Mundy), Belfast (Peter Dixon), Edinburgh (Jim O' Hara), London (Ray Moore) and Bristol (Andy Battern Foster). The final scoreboard was:- 1st - Making Your Mind Up - 97 points
- 2nd - Don't Panic - 70 points
- 3rd - Wish - 67 points
- 4th - Have You Ever Been in Love - 63 points
- 4th - All Cried Out - 63 points
- 6th - Where are You Now - 56 points
- 7th - Not Without Your Ticket (Don't Go) - 50 points
- 8th - For Only a Day - 38 points
The prizes were presented by Terry Wogan to John Danter, one of the songwriters, and to Mike Nolan, one of the performers. Terry then incorrectly announced the winning song as "Where are you now?"
At Eurovision
1981 was the year that Bucks FizzBucks Fizz (band)
Bucks Fizz are an English pop group who achieved success in the 1980s, most notably for winning the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Making Your Mind Up". The group was formed in January 1981 specifically for the contest and comprised four vocalists: Bobby G, Cheryl Baker, Mike Nolan and...
won 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 United Kingdom
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...
with their song "Making Your Mind Up
Making Your Mind Up
"Making Your Mind Up" is a song by British pop group Bucks Fizz. It was the winner of the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest and a UK Number-one single...
". It won 136 points from the 19 juries, beating West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
's Lena Valaitis
Lena Valaitis
Lena Valaitis is a Lithuanian-German Schlager singer. She had her greatest success during the 1970s and 1980s and competed in three Eurovision Song Contests.- Personal life:...
whose Johnny Blue won 132 points.
The points given to the United Kingdom by each of the 19 other national juries were as follows (points shown in order that they were awarded):
| Country | Points |
|---|---|
| Austria Austria Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the... | 4 |
| Turkey Turkey Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe... | 8 |
| West Germany West Germany West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990.... | 4 |
| 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... | 5 |
| Israel Israel The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea... | 12 |
| Denmark Denmark Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark... | 10 |
| Yugoslavia Yugoslavia Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century.... | 10 |
| Finland Finland Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside... | 3 |
| France France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... | 7 |
| 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... | 8 |
| 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... | 12 |
| Ireland Ireland Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth... | 10 |
| Norway Norway Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million... | 3 |
| Portugal Portugal Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the... | 6 |
| Belgium Belgium Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many... | 8 |
| Greece Greece Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe.... | 6 |
| Cyprus Cyprus Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the... | 4 |
| 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.... | 8 |
| Sweden Sweden Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund.... | 8 |
Overall the United Kingdom was not in the lead until France awarded them 7 points; the lead before that point had changed a couple of times between France and Ireland. The UK only lost the lead one more time before the end of the competition, to Switzerland when the UK jury placed its own vote. Interestingly, only two countries gave the United Kingdom the full 12 points: Israel and the Netherlands.
How the UK jury voted
| Points | Country | Song | Performer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | France France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... | "Humanahum Humanahum Humanahum was the French entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1981, performed in French by the Tahitian singer Jean Gabilou. Gabilou was the first singer from a French overseas territory to represent France at Eurovision... " | Jean Gabilou Jean Gabilou Jean Gabilou is a Tahitian singer. He also represented France in the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest.-Early life:... |
| 2 | Sweden Sweden Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund.... | "Fångad i en dröm Fångad i en dröm "Fångad i en dröm" is a song by Björn Skifs performed in Swedish, which represented Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest 1981.... " | Bjorn Skifs Björn Skifs Björn Nils Olof Skifs is a Swedish singer, songwriter, actor, and screenwriter.Björn Skifs formed his first musical group Slam Creepers’ in 1963. Slam Creepers’ split in 1969 and Skifs went on to form a new band, Blåblus, in 1972. As Blue Swede, the band had a #1 hit on Billboard Hot 100 in 1974... |
| 3 | Belgium Belgium Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many... | "Samson Samson (song) "Samson" was the Belgian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1981, performed in Dutch by Emly Starr.The song was performed sixteenth on the night, following Portugal's Carlos Paião with "Playback" and preceding Greece's Yiannis Dimitras with "Feggari Kalokerino"... " | Emly Starr Emly Starr Emly Starr is a Belgian singer in the Dutch language. She also appeared in the documentary film Santiago Lovers by Romano Ferrari.... |
| 4 | Israel Israel The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea... | "Halayla Halayla Halayla , listed as Halaylah in the official Eurovision website, was the Israeli entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1981, performed in Hebrew by Hakol Over Habibi.... " | Habibi |
| 5 | Denmark Denmark Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark... | "Krøller eller ej Krøller Eller Ej "Krøller eller ej" was the Danish entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1981, performed in Danish by Tommy Seebach and Debbie Cameron.... " | Debbie Cameron Debbie Cameron Deborah Cameron is an American singer of Bahamian ethnicity who has had a career in music in Denmark.... and Tommy Seebach Tommy Seebach Tommy Seebach , born Tommy Seebach Mortensen in Copenhagen, Denmark, was a popular Danish singer, composer, organist, pianist and producer. He is best known as front man of Sir Henry and his Butlers and for numerous contributions to the Danish version of the Eurovision Song contest, Dansk Melodi... |
| 6 | 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... | "Het is een wonder Het Is Een Wonder "Het is een wonder" was the Dutch entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1981, performed in Dutch by Linda Williams.The song is a ballad, with Williams singing about the effect that meeting her lover has had on her. She explains that she had not previously experienced happiness, but now she is... " | Linda Williams Linda Williams Linda Williams is the name of:* Linda Williams , folk singer in duo Robin and Linda Williams*Linda Williams , Dutch singer*Linda Williams , American academic... |
| 7 | West Germany West Germany West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990.... | "Johnny Blue Johnny Blue Johnny Blue was the German entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1981, performed in German by Lena Valaitis.The song was performed third on the night... " | Lena Valaitis Lena Valaitis Lena Valaitis is a Lithuanian-German Schlager singer. She had her greatest success during the 1970s and 1980s and competed in three Eurovision Song Contests.- Personal life:... |
| 8 | Greece Greece Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe.... | "Fegari Kalokerino Fegari Kalokerino "Feggari Kalokerino" was the Greek entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1981, performed in Greek by Yiannis Dimitras.... " | Yiannis Dimitras |
| 10 | Cyprus Cyprus Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the... | "Monika Monika "Monika" was the debut entry for Cyprus in the Eurovision Song Contest, performed in Greek at the Eurovision Song Contest 1981 by Island .... " | Island Island (music group) Island was a band formed for the Eurovision Song Contest 1981.It consisted of: Alexia Bassiliou, Areti Kassapi Haralbidou, Aristos Moskovakis, Roger Lee and Doros Georgiadis.... |
| 12 | 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.... | "Io senza te Io senza te "Io senza te" is a song by Peter, Sue and Marc, performed in Italian, that represented Switzerland in the Eurovision Song Contest 1981.... " | Peter, Sue and Marc Peter, Sue and Marc Peter, Sue and Marc were a Swiss music group from Bern. The members were Peter Reber , Sue Schell , and Marc Dietrich... |
When the UK jury placed their vote they gave the full 12 points to Switzerland, placing them in the lead over the UK. The UK didn't regain the lead until two sets of results later, when Belgium gave the UK 8 points and didn't award Switzerland any at all.