United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 1994

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Eurovision Song Contest 1994
Participating broadcaster British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
CountryFlag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom
National selection
Selection processArtist: Internal selection
Song: A Song for Europe 1994
Selection date(s)18 March 1994
Selected artist(s) Frances Ruffelle
Selected song"Lonely Symphony (We Will Be Free)"
Selected songwriter(s)
  • George De Angelis
  • Mark Dean
Finals performance
Final result10th, 63 points
United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest
◄199319941995►

The United Kingdom was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 1994 with the song "Lonely Symphony (We Will Be Free)", written by George De Angelis and Mark Dean, and performed by Frances Ruffelle. The British participating broadcaster, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), selected its entry through a national final, after having previously selected the performer internally.

Contents

Before Eurovision

Artist selection

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) revealed Frances Ruffelle as its representative for the Eurovision Song Contest 1994.

A Song for Europe 1994

Two songs each, both performed by Frances Ruffelle, were premiered during four preview programmes on BBC1 between 5 and 12 March 1994. Eight songs competed in the televised final on 18 March 1994 held at the BBC Television Centre in London and hosted by Terry Wogan following a similar format of the past two years. The show was broadcast on BBC1 and BBC Radio 2 with commentary by Ken Bruce.

A panel of experts provided feedback regarding the songs during the show. The panel consisted of Richard O'Brien and Jonathan King.

A public televote selected the winning song, "Lonely Symphony", which was revealed during a separate show broadcast on BBC1 and hosted by Terry Wogan.

A Song for Europe 1994 18 March 1994 [1]
DrawSongSongwriter(s)TelevotePlace
1"Waiting in the Wings" Tony Moore 36,8563
2"Slowboat"Rupert Wates6,5497
3"I Know These Things"Helen Turner, Shirley Kemp6,2698
4"Sink or Swim"Linzi Morgan, David Harris, Paul Fishman63,4172
5"Wrong Guy"Rick Taylor7,4066
6"One More Night"Paul Boross, Mark Holding20,6084
7"His Love"Anthony Clarke, Pam Sheyne 8,0315
8"Lonely Symphony"George De Angelis, Mark Dean99,9461

The winning song was renamed "Lonely Symphony (We Will Be Free)" and was released by Virgin on CD single with an extended version included and on standard 7" vinyl & cassette single formats, reaching no. 25 in the UK single chart. The song was renamed again as "We Will Be Free (Lonely Symphony)" for the Eurovision final in Dublin. To date, none of the other seven songs from the 1994 contest have been officially released in any format.

At Eurovision

Frances performed 6th on the night, after Iceland and before Croatia. She picked up 63 points, finishing 10th. [2] The UK jury awarded 12 points to runner up Poland.

Voting

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<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.

Frances Ruffelle is an English musical theatre actress and singer. She won a Tony Award in 1987, and represented the United Kingdom in the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Lonely Symphony ", finishing 10th. The song became a UK Top 30 hit.

"Lonely Symphony (We Will be Free)" was the United Kingdom entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 1994 in Dublin, Ireland. The song was written by George De Angelis and Mark Dean and sung by English musical theatre actress and singer Frances Ruffelle in English. It was released by Virgin Records in April 1994.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest</span>

The United Kingdom has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 66 times. Its first participation was at the second contest, in 1957, and it has entered every year since 1959. The British participant broadcaster in the contest is the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). The country has won the contest five times: in 1967, with "Puppet on a String" performed by Sandie Shaw; in 1969, with "Boom Bang-a-Bang" by Lulu ; in 1976, with "Save Your Kisses for Me" by Brotherhood of Man; in 1981, with "Making Your Mind Up" by Bucks Fizz; and in 1997, with "Love Shine a Light" by Katrina and the Waves. The UK has also achieved a record sixteen second-place finishes, the first in 1959 and the most recent in 2022.

The Eurovision Song Contest Previews are annually broadcast TV shows showcasing the entries into the forthcoming Eurovision Song Contest. They were inaugurated in 1971 for the contest in Dublin, Ireland, and have been provided by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to all participating countries ever since.

References

  1. Roxburgh, Gordon (2020). Songs for Europe: The United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest. Volume Four: The 1990s. Prestatyn: Telos Publishing. pp. 147–166. ISBN   978-1-84583-163-9.
  2. "Final of Dublin 1994". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 17 April 2021. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  3. 1 2 "Results of the Final of Dublin 1994". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 17 April 2021. Retrieved 17 April 2021.