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United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 1984

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Eurovision Song Contest 1984
Participating broadcasterBritish Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
Country United Kingdom
National selection
Selection processA Song for Europe 1984
Selection date(s)4 April 1984
Selected artist(s)Belle and the Devotions
Selected song"Love Games"
Selected songwriter(s)
Finals performance
Final result7th, 63 points
United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest
◄1983 • 1984 • 1985►

The United Kingdom was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 1984 with the song "Love Games", written by Paul Curtis and Graham Sacher, and performed by Belle and the Devotions. The British participating broadcaster, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), selected its entry through a national final.

Before Eurovision

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A Song for Europe 1984

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The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) used once again the television show A Song for Europe to select its entry, as it had since its debut at the contest in 1957.

The BBC held the national final on 4 April 1984 at Studio 1 of the BBC Television Centre in London, hosted once again by 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. Of the entrants, songwriter Paul Curtis had no less than four of the eight entries (going on to take three of the top four places). The votes of eight regional juries based in Edinburgh, Norwich, Belfast, London, Cardiff, Manchester, Bristol and Birmingham decided the winner. Each jury region awarded 15 points to their favourite song, 12 points to the second, 10 points to the third and then 9, 8, 7, 6 and 5 points in order of preference for the songs from 4th to 8th.[1] In an plan to modernise the show, computer graphics where used for the first time during the voting.

Singers Sinitta and Hazell Dean would later go on to become successful chart acts - both under the producership of Stock Aitken Waterman.[2] The latter scoring her first top 10 hit just a few weeks after the contest.[3]

A Song for Europe 1984 – 4 April 1984[4]
Draw Artist Song Songwriter(s) Points Place
1 Caprice "Magical Music" Mike Finesilver 60 6
2 Nina Shaw "Look at Me Now" Jeremy Paul 78 3
3 Bryan Evans "This Love Is Deep" Steve Glen, Mike Burns, Nicky Chinn 53 8
4 Belle and the Devotions "Love Games" Paul Curtis, Graham Sacher 112 1
5 First Division "Where the Action Is" Paul Curtis, Graham Sacher 79 2
6 Miriam Anne Lesley "Let It Shine" Paul Curtis 62 5
7 Sinitta "Imagination" Paul Curtis, Tony Hiller 77 4
8 Hazell Dean "Stay in My Life" Hazell Dean, Mike Bradley 55 7
Detailed Jury Votes[4]
Draw Song
Edinburgh
Norwich
Belfast
London
Cardiff
Manchester
Bristol
Birmingham
 Total
1 "Magical Music" 9 5 7 8 5 10 9 7 60
2 "Look at Me Now" 8 10 8 9 15 9 7 12 78
3 "This Love Is Deep" 7 6 9 6 7 7 5 6 53
4 "Love Games" 15 15 15 15 10 12 15 15 112
5 "Where the Action Is" 12 8 6 12 8 15 8 10 79
6 "Let It Shine" 10 7 12 5 9 5 6 8 62
7 "Imagination" 6 12 10 10 12 6 12 9 77
8 "Stay in My Life" 5 9 5 7 6 8 10 5 55
Jury Spokespersons[4]
Jury Spokesperson
Edinburgh Ken Bruce
Norwich Judi Lines
Belfast Diane Harron
London Colin Berry
Cardiff Iwan Thomas
Manchester Alan Yardley
Bristol Vivien Creegor
Birmingham Paul Coia

UK Discography

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  • Nina Shaw - Look At Me Now: Red Bus RBUS90.
  • Bryan Evans - This Love Is Deep: Charisma CB413.
  • Belle & The Devotions - Love Games: CBS A4332 (7" Single)/TA4332 (12" Single).
  • First Division - Where The Action Is: Panther PAN3.
  • Miriam Anne Lesley - Let It Shine: RCA RCA403.
  • Sinitta - Imagination: Magnet MAG258.
  • Hazell Dean - Stay In My Life: Proto ENA116.

At Eurovision

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Belle & the Devotions were booed at the Contest partly as reaction after English football fans had run riot in Luxembourg a few months earlier, causing extensive damage to the city and by the Dutch delegation in protest that the three backing singers for the group who were in fact performing the song were never seen by the TV viewers (the BBC maintained that this was because one was pregnant) whereas the two members of the Devotions, Laura James and Linda Sofeld, were miming their vocals. Despite the reception, the group finished 7th with 63 points and reaching no.11 in the UK singles chart, the highest chart placing of any UK entry between 1983 and 1994.[5] Sweden ended up winning the competition with the song "Diggi-Loo Diggi-Ley".

Terry Wogan once again provided the television commentary for BBC 1, for the second consecutive year Radio 2 opted not to broadcast the contest, however the contest was broadcast on British Forces Radio with commentary provided by Richard Nankivell. The BBC appointed again Colin Berry as its spokesperson to announce the results of the British jury.

Voting

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References

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  1. ^ Songs4europe - 1984 Song for Europe
  2. ^ Official Charts Company - Sinitta(Link redirected to OCC website)
  3. ^ Official Charts Company - Hazell Dean(Link redirected to OCC website)
  4. ^ a b c Roxburgh, Gordon (2016). Songs for Europe: The United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest. Volume Three: The 1980s. Prestatyn: Telos Publishing. pp. 181–198. ISBN 978-1-84583-118-9.
  5. ^ "Final of Luxembourg 1984". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 15 April 2021. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
  6. ^ a b "Results of the Final of Luxembourg 1984". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 16 April 2021. Retrieved 16 April 2021.
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