Why Is It ‘Euro-Vision’ When It’s All Singing And Not Looking?
The place: Dublin. The year: 1981. The cultural ramifications: monumental.
For years the United Kingdom had been kicked around in Eurovision terms. Mocked by Belgians. Sniggered at by the Maltese. And thoroughly disrespected by the Dutch.
But finally, four plucky Brits had the singing chops and the velcro lined women’s wear to finally conquer this global talent-exhibiting behemoth. They were as delicious and bubbly as the beverage they were named after and they, of course, were Buck’s Fizz.
It was on this very evening that Making Your Mind Up was performed, the skirts were whipped off and the words ‘nil points’ was nowhere near the lips of the judging panel. In a close run contest, The Fizzers beat the German entry, Johnny Blue, by a mere four points and went on to have a gargantuan pop career selling in excess of 15 million records.
And how often do you hear Johnny Blue when you're pushing your trolley around the garden centre? Exactly.
