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Eurovision Fact #470:
The United Kingdom has been the runner up for first place more than any other nation with a total of 16 second place finishes.
Their first second place ranking came in 1959 thanks to Pearl Carr and Teddy Johnson and their song 'Sing Little Birdie.'
Their most recent second place finish came in 2022 thanks to Sam Ryder's 'Space Man.' This occurred after a long period of low rank and last place finishes for the UK.
[Source]
Country introductions in the Eurovision Song Contest Grand Prix Eurovision de la Chanson Européenne 1959
I’ve been watching through the old contests and yesterday, while watching the 1959 contest, I came to the realization that “Solovey” (Ukraine 2020) feels a bit like the antithesis of “Sing, Little Birdie” (UK 1959).
“Sing, Little Birdie” is about a couple who are unabashedly in love with each other and very open about it, encouraging the bird in the song to “sing, and help our love along.”
“Solovey”, meanwhile, is about loving someone in secret and not wanting anyone (especially the singer’s mother) to know about it, begging the nightingale to “not sing so early.”
I just found that kinda neat!
Alice & Ellen Kessler - Heute Abend wollen wir tanzen geh'n
As we embark on a new decade, the sad reality is that many of our beloved stars who took center stage at the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) are no longer with us. On the 16th of February, the United Kingdom woke up to the news that Pearl Carr, their ESC representative in 1959, had passed away aged 98
Pearl Carr competed at Eurovision in its 4th edition, held in Cannes, France, against 10 other countries. As part of a duo alongside her late husband Teddy Johnson, she performed “Sing, Little Birdie”, receiving 16 points overall and finishing in 2nd place
Beyond Eurovision, the pair were successful both as a duo and as solo artists. Pearl’s husband, Teddy Carr, was no stranger to the spotlight in the United Kingdom. He enjoyed a long-lasting career in radio and children’s television before sadly passing away in June 2018, also aged 98
Carr, on the other hand, was the lead singer with the Keynotes, who had a number of hit singles in the UK during the 1950s. As a duo, you’d find Pearl Carr and Teddy Johnson in the British charts, or appearing regularly on entertainment programmes. The pair were also residents onstage at the West End, before eventually retiring
Pearl and Teddy’s finish as runner-up had a game-changing impact on the United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest that many younger fans may not be aware of
When the pair entered the 4th Eurovision Song Contest, the UK had a far from perfect track record. Year one: The UK missed the entry deadline and didn’t participate. Year Two: The UK finishes 7th out of 10th. Year Three: the UK didn’t participate
When “Sing Little Birdie” scored 2nd place in Year Four, Pearl and Teddy showed Europe, and perhaps more importantly the British public, that the UK had the potential to be a force to be reckoned with at Eurovision. Thanks to their impact, the UK managed a string of four 2nd place finishes and an eventual win in 1967 with “Puppet on a String” by Sandie Shaw
It goes without saying that the UK could really do with a sprinkle of Pearl’s magic this year, at Eurovision and beyond. Here’s to Pearl, and the hope that her story may inspire the BBC and the British public once again, just like it did over 60 years ago
With twins returning to Eurovision this year via Azerbaijan, we need some twin participant facts: how many, the first (Germany 1959, both still alive), the sad story of Sophie and Magaly, the fact that Netherlands 2021 had twins, etc.
Eurovision Fact #337:
Germany's 1959 representatives, Alice and Ellen Kessler, were the first twins to ever perform in the Eurovision Song Contest. The duo is most famous for their dancing abilities, and have appeared in many films in the 50s and 60s. Their song 'Heut' Woll'n Wir Tanzen Geh'n' placed 8th overall.
The Kesslers started their careers in 1942 and are still active actors today.
The twins' were very popular in the United States in the late 50s and 60s, but remain heavily popular in their native Germany and Italy.
In fact, when they agreed to be on the cover of the Italian edition of Playboy at the age of 40, that edition of the magazine sold more copies than any other edition in history, and the record still stands.
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Eurovision Fact #342:
In total, there have been 11 sets of twins at Eurovision.
The first pair to appear was the Kessler twins, who represented Germany in 1959. The Kesslers finished 8th overall.
Next, Luxembourg was represented by Sophie and Magaly Gilles in 1980. The sisters finished 9th overall.
In 2004, the Turkish entry, Athena, was comprised of twin brothers Hakan and Gökhan Özoğuz. The pair finished 4th in the Grand Final, the best result by any set of twins at Eurovision.
North Macedonia's 2009 entry, rock band Next Time, also consisted of twin brothers. Martin and Stefan Filipovski unfortunately did not make it to the Grand Final, placing 10th in the First Semi-Final.
The following year, the Belarusian group 3+2 brought twin sisters Alena and Ninel Karpovich, the "2" in 3+2, to the Eurovision stage. The group finished 24th in the Grand Final.
2011 saw two sets of twins: John and Edward Grimes representing Ireland as Jedward, and sisters Daniela and Veronika represtned Slovakia as TWiiNS. Jedward finished 8th in the Grand Final, but TWiiNS only placed 13th in the Second Semi-Final.
The following year, Jedward returned to represent Ireland, but only managed to place 19th in the Grand Final.
In 2014 there was once again two sets of twins: France was represented by the group TWIN TWIN, which consisted of Eurovision's first fraternal twins, Lorent and François Ardouvin, and their friend Patrick. The group finished last, 26th, at the Grand Final. On the other hand, Russia was represented by the Tolmachevy Sisters, Anastasia and Maria. The duo also won the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in 2006. At Copenhagen, they managed to place 7th in the Grand Final.
In 2017, the group OG3NE, representing the Netherlands, consisted of three sisters, two of which were fraternal twins: Amy and Shelley. The two are a year younger than their sister Lisa. The group placed 11th at the Grand Final.
Finally, for this year's contest (2023), Azerbaijan will be represented by TuralTuranX.
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