United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 1959
| Eurovision Song Contest 1959 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country |  United Kingdom | |||
| National selection | ||||
| Selection process | A Song For Europe | |||
| Selection date(s) | Semi-finals 2 February 1959 5 February 1959 Final 7 February 1959 | |||
| Selected entrant | Pearl Carr & Teddy Johnson | |||
| Selected song | "Sing, Little Birdie" | |||
| Selected songwriter(s) |
| |||
| Finals performance | ||||
| Final result | 2nd, 16 points | |||
| United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest | ||||
| ||||
The United Kingdom held a national preliminary round to choose the song that would go to the Eurovision Song Contest 1959. The semi-finals were held on 2–5 February 1959 and the final was held on 7 February 1959. All were presented by Pete Murray.
"Sing, Little Birdie" was a pop song which won the national and went on to come second in the contest, it was the UK's best result up until that point. The UK has since come in 2nd place 15 times, the last time was in 1998 and has won 4 time; twice in the 1960s, once in the 1970s, once in the 1980s and once in the 1990s.
A Song for Europe 1959
Semifinal 1
- Broadcast on BBC Television on 2 February 1959
| Draw | Artist | Song | Finalist |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marion Keene | "I'll Be With You" | NO |
| 2 | Pearl Carr & Teddy Johnson | Sing, Little Birdie | YES |
| 3 | Glen Mason | Suddenly | YES |
| 4 | Don Rennie | "How Could I Know" | NO |
| 5 | Steve Martin | One Lonely Heart | YES |
| 6 | Sheila Buxton | "Love Me, Love Me" | NO |
Semifinal 2
- Broadcast on BBC Television on 5 February 1959
| Draw | Artist | Song | Finalist |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lita Roza | This Is My Town | YES |
| 2 | Lester Ferguson | "This I Will Tell You My Son" | NO |
| 3 | Pearl Carr & Teddy Johnson | "That's It, That's Love" | NO |
| 4 | Rosemary Squires | "Cha Cha Chocola" | NO |
| 5 | John Hanson | "Success Song" | YES |
| 6 | Valerie Shane | "Oh, Oh, Reckon I Must Be In Love" | YES |
Final
- Broadcast on BBC Television on 7 February 1959
| Draw | Artist | Song | Place |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pearl Carr & Teddy Johnson | "Sing, Little Birdie" | 1st |
| 2 | Glen Mason | "Suddenly" | 3rd |
| 3 | Steve Martin | " One Lonely Heart" | 4th |
| 4 | Lita Roza | "This Is My Town" | 2nd |
| ? | John Hanson | "Success" | ? |
| ? | Valerie Shane | "Oh, Oh, Reckon I Must Be In Love" | ? |
"Sing, Little Birdie" won the national and went on to come second in the contest.
At Eurovision
On the night of the final Pearl Carr & Teddy Johnson performed tenth in the running order, following Austria and preceding Belgium. At the close of the voting "Sing Little Birdie" had received 16 points, placing United Kingdom 2nd of the 11 entries. The English jury awarded 5 of its 10 points to Switzerland.[2]
Points Awarded to United Kingdom
| 10 points | 9 points | 8 points | 7 points | 6 points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 points | 4 points | 3 points | 2 points | 1 point |
Points awarded by United Kingdom
| 10 points | |
| 9 points | |
| 8 points | |
| 7 points | |
| 6 points | |
| 5 points |  Switzerland
|
| 4 points | |
| 3 points | |
| 2 points |  Belgium Denmark
|
| 1 point |  Netherlands
|
References
- ^ a b c "Eurovision Song Contest British Heats". Songs4europe.com. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
- ^ ESC History - United Kingdom 1959