The United Kingdom was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 1976 with the song "Save Your Kisses For Me", written by Tony Hiller, Lee Sheriden, and Martin Lee, and performed by Brotherhood of Man. The British participating broadcaster, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), selected its entry through a national final titled A Song for Europe 1976. The entry eventually won the Eurovision Song Contest.
The United Kingdom's entry into the Eurovision Song Contest 1997 was "Love Shine a Light" by Katrina and the Waves. The entry was chosen during the UK selection show, The Great British Song Contest, hosted by Dale Winton on 9 March, with the results announced six days later. The UK went on to win the song contest which was being held in Dublin, Ireland, with an unprecedented 227 points. The 1997 contest is the last win for the United Kingdom so far.
Katrina and the Waves were a British rock band formed in Cambridge in 1981, widely known for their 1985 hit "Walking on Sunshine". They won the 1997 Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Love Shine a Light".
The United Kingdom was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 1998 with the song "Where Are You?", written by Scott English, Phil Manikiza, and Simon Stirling, and performed by Imaani. 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 it 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?". She 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.
Katrina Elizabeth Leskanich is an American musician and the former lead singer of the British pop rock band Katrina and the Waves. Their song "Walking on Sunshine" was an international hit in 1985. In 1997, the band won the Eurovision Song Contest for the United Kingdom with the song "Love Shine a Light". Both songs were written by Leskanich's long-term bandmate Kimberley Rew.
Katrina and the Waves is the third studio album by American/English new wave band Katrina and the Waves, released in March 1985 by Capitol Records. It was their first album on a major label, and a Top 30 hit in the US and the UK. The majority of tracks were re-mixed and overdubbed versions of songs that had appeared on their first two albums; the tracks "Walking on Sunshine" and "Going Down to Liverpool" were entirely re-recorded versions of songs from their first independently released album.
Waves is the fourth studio album by new wave band Katrina and the Waves, released in 1986 by Capitol Records. It followed their US and UK Top 30 album Katrina and the Waves (1985), reaching No. 49 on Billboard 200 and No. 70 on the UK Albums Chart. Waves sold less than half of what its predecessor had, generating a modest hit with the single "Sun Street".
Kimberley Charles Rew is an English rock singer-songwriter and guitarist. He was a member of Katrina and the Waves from 1981 to 1999 and of Robyn Hitchcock's The Soft Boys from 1978 to 1981. For Katrina and the Waves, he wrote "Walking on Sunshine" and "Love Shine a Light". The latter was performed as the United Kingdom's entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 1997, taking the country to its first victory in the contest since 1981.
"My Number One" is a song recorded by Greek-Swedish singer Helena Paparizou with music composed by Manolis Psaltakis and Christos Dantis, lyrics written by Dantis and Natalia Germanou, and produced by Dantis. It represented Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest 2005, held in Kyiv, resulting in the country's only ever victory in the contest.
"Walking on Sunshine" is a song written by Kimberley Rew for British rock band Katrina and the Waves' 1983 eponymous debut full-length album. The rerecorded version was at first released on the band's 1985 self-titled album as the album's second single and reached No. 4 in Australia, No. 9 in the United States and No. 8 in the United Kingdom. It was the Waves' first American top 40 hit, and their biggest success in the UK until "Love Shine a Light" (1997), which won them the Eurovision Song Contest 1997 held in Dublin.
"What's Another Year" is a song recorded by Irish singer-songwriter Johnny Logan with music composed and lyrics written by Shay Healy. It represented Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest 1980 held in The Hague, resulting in his first win at the contest, as well as the country's second victory.
"The Voice" is a song recorded by Irish singer and composer Eimear Quinn with music composed and lyrics written by Brendan Graham. It represented Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest 1996 held in Oslo, resulting an unprecedented fourth win in five consecutive years for a country in the contest, being Ireland's seventh overall win, and its last win to date. The single, released by Ainm Records, CNR Music and Polydor, peaked at number three in Ireland and number nine in Belgium, and was a top-30 hit in the Netherlands and a top-40 hit in the UK and Sweden. It features subliminal voices by Graham and Tracey Cullen.
"Diva" is a song recorded by Israeli singer Dana International with music composed by Tzvika Pick and lyrics written by Yoav Ginai. It represented Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest 1998 held in Birmingham, resulting in the country's third win in the contest. Her win is considered influential in making trans identity mainstream.
"Fly on the Wings of Love" is a song recorded by Danish pop-rock duo Olsen Brothers –Jørgen and Niels Olsen–, with music composed and lyrics written by Jørgen Olsen. It represented Denmark in the Eurovision Song Contest 2000, held in Stockholm, resulting in the country's second win at the contest.
Walk on Water is the ninth studio album by the British band Katrina and the Waves, released in 1997. The album includes the lead single "Love Shine a Light", the winning song of the Eurovision Song Contest 1997. It also became the band's highest charting UK single, reaching number 3. However, it was not released in the United States as a single.
"Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit" is a song recorded by Australian singer and songwriter Gina G, with music composed by Steve Rodway and lyrics written by Simon Tauber. It was her debut solo single, and it was released on 25 March 1996 by Eternal and Warner Bros. as the first single from her debut album, Fresh! (1997). It represented the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 1996, held in Oslo, where it finished in eighth place. The single topped the UK Singles Chart in May 1996, peaked at No. 12 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and was nominated for Best Dance Recording at the 40th Annual Grammy Awards in 1998. "Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit" is also the fourth-highest charting Eurovision entry in the US, behind "Nel blu dipinto du blu (Volare)" (1958), "Waterloo" (1974) and "Eres tú" (1974); it remained the last Eurovision entry to chart in the US until "Arcade", the 2019 winning entry in 2021.
The United Kingdom participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 with the song "Even If" written by Andy Abraham, Paul Wilson and Andy Watkins. The song was performed by Andy Abraham. The British entry for the 2008 contest in Belgrade, Serbia was selected via the national final Eurovision: Your Decision, organised by the British broadcaster BBC. Six acts competed in the national final and the winner was selected through three rounds of voting.
"Where Are You?" was the United Kingdom's entry to the Eurovision Song Contest 1998, performed in English by Imaani Saleem, held in Birmingham, United Kingdom. It was composed by Scott English, Phil Manikiza and Simon Stirling. The song placed second, becoming the UK's fifteenth entry to place in that position. This was the last time that the UK placed in the contest's top 2 up until the 2022 competition in which Sam Ryder, with his song "Space Man", came 2nd to Ukraine.
"Fairytale" is a song composed, written, and recorded by Belarusian-Norwegian singer-songwriter Alexander Rybak. It represented Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 held in Moscow, winning the contest. It is the first single from Rybak's debut album Fairytales released on 29 May 2009 just after the contest.
"Believe in Me" is a song by Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler from her sixteenth studio album Rocks and Honey (2013). American songwriter Desmond Child composed the song with British songwriters Lauren Christy and Christopher Braide. It was released as the album's lead single on 13 March 2013. The song was written to "uplift the world", and was completed by Child whilst having dinner with Tyler.
