Go (Scott Fitzgerald song)

Last updated
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg "Go"
Eurovision Song Contest 1988 entry
Country
Artist(s)
Language
English
Composer(s)
Julie Forsyth
Lyricist(s)
Julie Forsyth
Conductor
Finals performance
Final result
2nd
Final points
136
Entry chronology
◄ "Only the Light" (1987)
"Why Do I Always Get it Wrong?" (1989) ►

"Go", written and composed by Julie Forsyth (a member of the pop group Guys 'n' Dolls and the daughter of English entertainer Bruce Forsyth), was the United Kingdom's entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 1988, performed by Scott Fitzgerald. Bruce Forsyth and his wife were in the audience at the contest, supporting their daughter.

Fitzgerald won the right to perform at the contest, held in Dublin, by winning the UK national final, A Song for Europe , where he was the eighth singer to perform. Fitzgerald was also the first singer to be chosen to represent the United Kingdom via a national telephone vote. In Dublin, the song was performed fourth on the night, after Finland's Boulevard with "Nauravat silmät muistetaan", and before Turkey's Mazhar-Fuat-Özkan with "Sufi."

At the end of judging that evening, "Go" took the second-place slot with 136 points. Turkey, Belgium and Italy awarded their 12-point designations to the UK that evening. In one of the closest voting rounds up to that time, the UK lost the competition by one point to Switzerland's representative, Canadian singer Céline Dion, with her song "Ne partez pas sans moi". According to author and contest historian John Kennedy O'Connor, this was the closest contest yet, with the winning margin being just 0.73%. [1] The strong showing in the 1988 contest was an indicator of things to come for the United Kingdom, as it would become the first of eleven straight top ten placings in the contest, and the first of four second-place finishes in the next six years.

In a departure from the past two years, an easy listening ballad was on offer this year, telling the story of two former lovers meeting by chance. Fitzgerald, in the role of the lovesick man, relates the sad story; his former lover had left him years before for another man, and now that she has returned, so has all the sorrow he felt.

After Eurovision, the song placed at No. 52 on the UK Singles Chart. The song was later covered by Russian singer Philipp Kirkorov. [2]

Charts

Chart (1988)Peak
position
UK Singles Official Charts Company [3] 52

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eurovision Song Contest 1995</span> International song competition

The Eurovision Song Contest 1995 was the 40th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, held on 13 May 1995 at the Point Theatre in Dublin, Ireland. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Radio Telefís Éireann (RTÉ), and presented by Mary Kennedy, the contest was held in Ireland following the country's victory at the 1994 contest with the song "Rock 'n' Roll Kids" by Paul Harrington and Charlie McGettigan. It was the third consecutive contest to be held in Ireland – the first and only time in the history of the event that a country has hosted three editions in a row – and the second consecutive edition to be held in the Point Theatre in Dublin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eurovision Song Contest 1994</span> International song competition

The Eurovision Song Contest 1994 was the 39th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, held on 30 April 1994 at the Point Theatre in Dublin, Ireland. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Radio Telefís Éireann (RTÉ), and presented by Cynthia Ní Mhurchú and Gerry Ryan, the contest was held in Ireland following the country's victory at the 1993 contest with the song "In Your Eyes" by Niamh Kavanagh. It was the first time that any country had hosted two successive editions of the contest, following the previous year's contest held in Millstreet.

The United Kingdom participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 1988 with its entry "Go" performed by Scott Fitzgerald and written by Julie Forsyth. The song was chosen through the "A Song for Europe" national final which consisted of eight songs in 1988. At the Eurovision Song Contest 1988, Fitzgerald and his song was placed second with 136 points.

The United Kingdom competed in the Eurovision Song Contest 1998. In addition, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) was also the host broadcaster and staged the event at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham on 9 May 1998 after the nation won the competition in 1997 with the song "Love Shine a Light" performed by Katrina and the Waves. The BBC organised a public selection to select its entry for the contest, The Great British Song Contest 1998. Eight songs competed over two rounds, with four songs selected through a radio-broadcast semi-final advancing to the televised final round, held on 15 March 1998, where viewers selected the winning entry through televoting. Imaani received the most votes and was selected to represent the UK in the contest with the song "Where Are You?". Imaani performed 16th at the international contest, and at the close of the voting process the UK finished in second place with 166 points, the nation's 15th second-place finish since its debut.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UK national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest</span> BBC TV show

Eurovision: You Decide is the most recent name of a BBC television programme that was broadcast annually to select the United Kingdom's entry for the Eurovision Song Contest. The show had previously gone under several other names, including Festival of British Popular Songs (1957), Eurovision Song Contest British Final (1959–1960), The Great British Song Contest (1996–1999), Eurovision: Making Your Mind Up (2004–2007), Eurovision: Your Decision (2008), and Eurovision: Your Country Needs You (2009–2010), but was known, for most of its history, as A Song for Europe.

Guys 'n' Dolls were a UK pop group, initially comprising a three-girl/three-boy line-up and later becoming two-girl/two-boy. In the mid-1970s, they scored UK top-ten hits with the singles "There's a Whole Lot of Loving" and "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me". In the late 1970s they found further success in the Netherlands, where they had a number-one hit with "You're My World".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the Eurovision Song Contest</span> History of the annual song competition

The Eurovision Song Contest was first held in 1956, originally conceived as an experiment in transnational television broadcasting. Following a series of exchange broadcasts in 1954, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) commissioned an international song competition, from an idea developed by Sergio Pugliese and Marcel Bezençon and originally based on the Italian Sanremo Music Festival.

<span title="French-language text"><span lang="fr" style="font-style: normal;">Ne partez pas sans moi</span></span> 1988 single by Céline Dion

"Ne partez pas sans moi" is a song recorded by Canadian singer Celine Dion. The song was written by Atilla Şereftuğ and Nella Martinetti. It is best known as the Swiss winning entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 1988, held in Dublin. To date, it is the last French language song to win the contest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Voice (Eimear Quinn song)</span> Song by Brendan Graham, originally performed by Eimear Quinn at Eurovision

"The Voice" is a song by Irish singer Eimear Quinn that was the winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 1996, representing Ireland. The music was composed, and the lyrics were written, by Brendan Graham, who had also written and composed "Rock 'n' Roll Kids", the Irish winner from the 1994 contest. The victory, which was Ireland's fourth in five years, was their seventh – and to date last – contest victory, setting a record for the most contests won by a single country that would only be tied by Sweden in 2023 with the song "Tattoo".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Save Your Kisses for Me</span> Song performed by Brotherhood of Man at the 1976 Eurovision Song Contest

"Save Your Kisses for Me" was the winning song of the Eurovision Song Contest 1976, performed for the United Kingdom by Brotherhood of Man in The Hague, Netherlands. The lyrics and music were written by Tony Hiller, Lee Sheriden, and Martin Lee, the latter two being members of the band. The song became a worldwide hit, reaching No. 1 in many countries, including the UK, where it became the biggest-selling song of the year. Overall, it remains one of the biggest-selling Eurovision winners ever, and the biggest such seller in the UK.

Scott Fitzgerald is a Scottish singer and musical actor, who experienced international music chart success in the 1970s and later represented the UK at the 1988 Eurovision Song Contest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shady Lady (Ani Lorak song)</span> 2008 single by Ani Lorak

"Shady Lady" is a song recorded by Ukrainian singer Ani Lorak. It is best known as the Ukraine entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 2008, held in Belgrade. It was composed by Philipp Kirkorov and written by Karen Kavaleryan. However, around the time of the contest there were many rumors in Greece stating that popular composer Dimitris Kontopoulos had actually composed the song. Although his name was not credited during the Eurovision Song Contest performances, it was later confirmed that Kontopoulos was indeed a producer of the song.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack in the Box (song)</span> Single

"Jack in the Box", written by David Myers and composed by John Worsley, was the United Kingdom's entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 1971, performed by the Northern Irish singer Clodagh Rodgers.

"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.

"Give a Little Love Back to the World", written and composed by Paul Curtis, was the United Kingdom's entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 1990, performed by Emma. At the age of 15, Emma was the youngest-ever entrant on behalf of the United Kingdom at Eurovision.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">La Voix (song)</span> 2009 song by Malena Ernman

"La voix" is a song by Swedish singer Malena Ernman, which served as the Swedish entry at the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest, held in Moscow, Russia. It was composed by Fredrik Kempe, with lyrics by both Kempe and Ernman. It is the first Swedish entry to contain lyrics in French, as well as being the last Swedish entry to have contained lyrics in a language other than English. Despite the fact that France's Patricia Kaas would get a relatively good placing in the final, Ernman drew further attention to Francophone culture in the semi-final, as well in the grand final, despite her ultimate placing (21st).

Russia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 1995 in Dublin, Ireland. The Russian broadcaster Russian Public Television (ORT) internally selected Philipp Kirkorov with the song "Kolybelnaya dlya vulkana", written by Ilya Bershadskiy and Ilya Resnik, to represent the nation. Prior to Kirkorov's selection, ORT organised a public selection process to select the Russian entrant. While the event did take place, the jury could not decide on the winner of selection and ultimately opted to choose the artist internally.

Russia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 1997 in Dublin, Ireland. The Russian entry was selected internally by the Russian broadcaster Russian Public Television (ORT). Alla Pugacheva represented Russia with the song "Primadonna", which placed 15th and scored 33 points at the contest.

Russia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 with the song "You Are the Only One" written by Philipp Kirkorov, Dimitris Kontopoulos, John Ballard and Ralph Charlie. The song was performed by Sergey Lazarev who was internally selected by the Russian broadcaster All-Russia State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company (VGTRK) to compete at the 2016 contest in Stockholm, Sweden. Lazarev's appointment as the Russian representative was announced on 10 December 2015, while the song, "You Are the Only One", was presented to the public on 5 March 2016.

"You Are the Only One" is a song performed by Russian singer Sergey Lazarev. The song represented Russia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016, and was written by Philipp Kirkorov and Dimitris Kontopoulos, the same team behind Ukraine's 2008 second place song; and John Ballard and Ralph Charlie. The song was released as a digital download on 5 March 2016 through State Television Company. On 28 July 2016, Lazarev released a Russian version of the song, entitled "Pust' ves' mir podozhdyot". He did a version the song in duet with Elena Paparizou during the Home concert series to replace the cancelled 2020 Contest.

References

  1. O'Connor, John Kennedy. The Eurovision Song Contest - The Official History. Carlton Books, UK. 2007 ISBN   978-1-84442-994-3
  2. "Russia's Philipp Kirkorov: I would write a Eurovision song for Julia Samoylova if she asked me". wiwibloggs. 1 August 2017. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
  3. "The UK's highest charting Eurovision stars revealed!". Official Charts . Retrieved 2015-05-10.
Preceded by United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest
1988
Succeeded by