| Eurovision Song Contest 1970 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country |  United Kingdom | |||
| National selection | ||||
| Selection process | Artist: Internal selection Song: A Song for Europe 1970 | |||
| Selection date(s) | 7 March 1970 | |||
| Selected entrant | Mary Hopkin | |||
| Selected song | "Knock, Knock Who's There?" | |||
| Selected songwriter(s) | ||||
| Finals performance | ||||
| Final result | 2nd, 26 points | |||
| United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest | ||||
| ||||
The United Kingdom held a national preselection to choose the song that would go to the Eurovision Song Contest 1970.
The show was held on 7 March 1970 and presented by Cliff Richard as part of the BBC1 series It's Cliff Richard!. Hopkin performed one of the six shortlisted songs each week, before performing all six in succession in the final. These performances were then immediately repeated. The votes were open to the public by post, with the results announced on 14 March, just a week before the Eurovision final itself. [1] Welsh singer Mary Hopkin had been chosen as the UK representative back in August 1969, having made her name with his such as "Those Were the Days" and "Goodbye". At the final, Hopkin was backed by singers John Evans and Brian Bennett, with the orchestra conducted alternately by John Cameron and Johnny Arthey, who directed the orchestra in Amsterdam. Hopkin was allowed to select one song for the contest, this being "You've Everything You Need", while the other five were selected from over 200 songs put forward by songwriters. "You've Everything You Need" caused a minor scandal on the day of the UK final when the Daily Mirror reported that the publishers of that song had told all their staff to send in multiple votes. Whether votes had to be then adjusted by the BBC to avoid a scandal is unknown, but the song ended up being placed second-last. [1] "Knock, Knock Who's There?" ultimately became the easy victor with 120,290 votes. The song was written by Geoff Stephens and John Carter. The votes presented below were only announced rounded up.
| Draw | Song | Songwriter(s) | Votes | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Three Ships" | Doug Flett, Guy Fletcher | 60,330 | 3 |
| 2 | "Early in the Morning of Your Life" | Alan Hawkshaw, Ray Cameron | 15,090 | 6 |
| 3 | "I'm Gonna Fall in Love Again" | Cyril Ornadel, Hal Shaper | 74,670 | 2 |
| 4 | "You've Everything You Need" | Roger Reynolds, Anthony Dyball | 39,360 | 5 |
| 5 | "Can I Believe" | Valerie Avon, Harold Spiro | 42,160 | 4 |
| 6 | "Knock, Knock Who's There?" | Geoff Stephens, John Carter | 120,290 | 1 |
Hopkin recorded all six entries, with the top two placed being released as a single. Of the others, only a bootleg version of "You've Everything You Need" was ever available commercially. [1] "Knock, Knock Who's There?" was released as a single and became a hit across Europe, peaking at No.2 in the UK, with the runner up "I'm Gonna Fall in Love Again" on the B-Side. [2] Belatedly, it also became a minor US hit for her in 1972. [3]
At the Eurovision final, BBC 1 broadcast the Contest with David Gell providing the television commentary, Tony Brandon provided the radio commentary on BBC Radio 1. The contest was also broadcast on British Forces Radio with commentary provided by John Russell. [1]
Every country had a jury of ten people. Every jury member could give one point to his or her favourite song. [4]
Mary Hopkin, credited on some recordings as Mary Visconti from her marriage to Tony Visconti, is a Welsh singer best known for her 1968 UK number 1 single "Those Were the Days". She was one of the first artists to be signed to the Beatles' Apple label.
The United Kingdom held a national preselection to choose the song that would go to the Eurovision Song Contest 1968.
The United Kingdom held a national preselection to choose the song that would go to the Eurovision Song Contest 1971.
The United Kingdom held a national preselection to choose the song that would go to the Eurovision Song Contest 1972.
The United Kingdom held a national preselection to choose the song that would go to the Eurovision Song Contest 1973.
The United Kingdom held a national pre-selection to choose the song that would go to the Eurovision Song Contest 1974.
The United Kingdom held a national preselection to choose the song that would go to the Eurovision Song Contest 1976.
The United Kingdom held a national preselection to choose the song that would go to the Eurovision Song Contest 1978. It was held on Friday 31 March 1978 at the Royal Albert Hall and presented by Terry Wogan. The songs were backed by the Alyn Ainsworth Orchestra.
The 1980 "A Song For Europe" contest was held on 26 March 1980, at the BBC Television Theatre in Shepherd's Bush and was hosted by a dinner-suited Terry Wogan. The BBC Concert Orchestra under the direction of John Coleman as conductor accompanied all the songs, but all the music was pre-recorded. The theme music was "Te deum" the Eurovision theme.
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.
"All Kinds of Everything" is a song recorded by Irish singer Dana written by Derry Lindsay and Jackie Smith. It represented Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest 1970 held in Amsterdam, resulting in the country's first ever win at the contest. The recording became an international hit.
The United Kingdom has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 65 times. Its first participation was at the second contest, in 1957, and it has entered every year since 1959. The country has won the contest five times: in 1967, with Sandie Shaw and the song "Puppet on a String"; in 1969, with Lulu and the song "Boom Bang-a-Bang"; in 1976, with Brotherhood of Man and the song "Save Your Kisses for Me"; in 1981, with Bucks Fizz and the song "Making Your Mind Up"; and in 1997, with Katrina and the Waves and the song "Love Shine a Light". The UK has also achieved a record sixteen second-place finishes, the first in 1959 and the most recent in 2022.
"Knock, Knock Who's There?" is a song written and composed by John Carter and Geoff Stephens, released on Apple Records. It was originally sung and recorded by the Welsh singer Mary Hopkin and was the United Kingdom's entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 1970, where it came second. The single version was produced by Mickie Most and reached No. 2 on the UK charts.
France participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 1970 with the song "Marie-Blanche" performed by Guy Bonnet. The song was chosen through a seven-week televised show titled Musicolor. "Marie-Blanche" came in fourth place out of twelve, and received eight points at the contest.
The United Kingdom participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 with the song "Believe in Me" written by Desmond Child, Lauren Christy and Christopher Braide. The song was performed by Bonnie Tyler, who was internally selected by the British broadcaster BBC to represent the United Kingdom at the 2013 contest in Malmö, Sweden. Tyler and the song "Believe in Me" were announced as the British entry on 7 March 2013.
The United Kingdom participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 with the song "Children of the Universe" written by Molly Smitten-Downes and Anders Hansson. The song was performed by Molly, who was internally selected by the British broadcaster BBC to represent the United Kingdom at the 2014 contest in Copenhagen, Denmark. Molly and "Children of the Universe" was announced as the British entry in a special presentation show titled The UK Launch broadcast on the BBC Red Button service in March 2014.
The United Kingdom participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 with the song "Never Give Up on You" written by Daniel Salcedo, Emmelie de Forest and Lawrie Martin. The song was performed by Lucie Jones. Songwriter Emmelie de Forest represented Denmark in the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 with the song "Only Teardrops" where she won the competition. The British entry for the 2017 contest in Kyiv, Ukraine was selected via the national final Eurovision: You Decide, organised by the British broadcaster BBC. Six acts competed in the national final and the winner was selected through the combination of a public vote and the votes of an eight-member professional jury.
The United Kingdom participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 with the song "Storm" written by Nicole Blair, Gil Lewis and Sean Hargreaves. The song was performed by SuRie. The British entry for the 2018 contest in Lisbon, Portugal was selected via the national final Eurovision: You Decide, organised by the British broadcaster BBC. Six acts competed in the national final and the winner was selected through the combination of a public vote and the votes of an eight-member professional jury.
The United Kingdom participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 with the song "Bigger than Us" written by Laurell Barker, Anna-Klara Folin, John Lundvik and Jonas Thander. The song was performed by Michael Rice. Songwriter John Lundvik represented Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest the same year with the song "Too Late for Love". The British entry for the 2019 contest in Tel Aviv, Israel was selected via the national final Eurovision: You Decide, organised by the British broadcaster BBC. Six acts competed in the national final and the winner was selected through two rounds of voting.
