Go (Scott Fitzgerald song)

Song by Scott Fitzgerald

"Go"

Eurovision Song Contest 1988 entry
Country|

United Kingdom

Artist(s)|

Scott Fitzgerald

Language|

English

Composer(s)|

Julie Forsyth

Lyricist(s)|

Julie Forsyth

Conductor|

Ronnie Hazlehurst

Finals performance
Final result|

2nd

Final points|

136

Entry chronology
◄ "Only the Light" (1987)
"Why Do I Always Get it Wrong?" (1989) ►

"Go", written and composed by Julie Forsyth (a member of the pop group Guys 'n' Dolls and the daughter of English entertainer Bruce Forsyth), was the United Kingdom's entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 1988, performed by Scott Fitzgerald. Bruce Forsyth and his wife were in the audience at the contest, supporting their daughter.

Fitzgerald won the right to perform at the contest, held in Dublin, by winning the UK national final, A Song for Europe, where he was the eighth singer to perform. Fitzgerald was also the first singer to be chosen to represent the United Kingdom via a national telephone vote. In Dublin, the song was performed fourth on the night, after Finland's Boulevard with "Nauravat silmät muistetaan", and before Turkey's Mazhar-Fuat-Özkan with "Sufi."

At the end of judging that evening, "Go" took the second-place slot with 136 points. Turkey, Belgium and Italy awarded their 12-point designations to the UK that evening. In one of the closest voting rounds up to that time, the UK lost the competition by one point to Switzerland's representative, Canadian singer Céline Dion, with her song "Ne partez pas sans moi". According to author and contest historian John Kennedy O'Connor, this was the closest contest yet, with the winning margin being just 0.73%.[1] The strong showing in the 1988 contest was an indicator of things to come for the United Kingdom, as it would become the first of eleven straight top ten placings in the contest, and the first of four second-place finishes in the next six years.

In a departure from the past two years, an easy listening ballad was on offer this year, telling the story of two former lovers meeting by chance. Fitzgerald, in the role of the lovesick man, relates the sad story; his former lover had left him years before for another man, and now that she has returned, so has all the sorrow he felt.

After Eurovision, the song placed at No. 52 on the UK Singles Chart. The song was later covered by Russian singer Philipp Kirkorov.[2]

## Charts

[edit]

Chart (1988)  | Peak
position

|

UK Singles Official Charts Company[3] | 52

## References

[edit]

1. ^ O'Connor, John Kennedy. The Eurovision Song Contest - The Official History. Carlton Books, UK. 2007 ISBN 978-1-84442-994-3
2. ^ "Russia's Philipp Kirkorov: I would write a Eurovision song for Julia Samoylova if she asked me". wiwibloggs. 1 August 2017. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
3. ^ "The UK's highest charting Eurovision stars revealed!". Official Charts. Retrieved 2015-05-10.

Preceded by

"Only the Light"
by Rikki

|  United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest
1988 | Succeeded by

"Why Do I Always Get it Wrong?"
by Live Report

|
|

* v
* t
* e

United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest

National selection (former; contestants)

Participation|

* 1957
* 1959
* 1960
* 1961
* 1962
* 1963
* 1964
* 1965
* 1966
* 1967
* 1968
* 1969
* 1970
* 1971
* 1972
* 1973
* 1974
* 1975
* 1976
* 1977
* 1978
* 1979
* 1980
* 1981
* 1982
* 1983
* 1984
* 1985
* 1986
* 1987
* 1988
* 1989
* 1990
* 1991
* 1992
* 1993
* 1994
* 1995
* 1996
* 1997
* 1998
* 1999
* 2000
* 2001
* 2002
* 2003
* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* 2007
* 2008
* 2009
* 2010
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* ~~2020~~
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023
* 2024
* 2025

Artists|

* Andy Abraham
* Olly Alexander
* The Allisons
* Michael Ball
* Bardo
* Belle and the Devotions
* Black Lace
* Blue
* Patricia Bredin
* Brotherhood of Man
* Bucks Fizz
* Pearl Carr and Teddy Johnson
* Ronnie Carroll
* Co-Co
* Josh Dubovie
* Electro Velvet
* Emma
* Jade Ewen
* Scott Fitzgerald
* James Fox
* Nicki French
* Jessica Garlick
* Gina G
* Mary Hopkin
* Engelbert Humperdinck
* Imaani
* Samantha Janus
* Javine
* Jemini
* Joe and Jake
* Bryan Johnson
* Lucie Jones
* Katrina and the Waves
* Kathy Kirby
* Lindsay
* Live Report
* Love City Groove
* Lulu
* Kenneth McKellar
* Molly
* Matt Monro
* Mike Moran
* Mae Muller
* The New Seekers
* James Newman
* Olivia Newton-John
* Lynsey de Paul
* Precious
* Prima Donna
* Remember Monday
* Michael Rice
* Cliff Richard
* Rikki
* Clodagh Rodgers
* Frances Ruffelle
* Ryder
* Sam Ryder
* Daz Sampson
* Scooch
* The Shadows
* Sandie Shaw
* Sonia
* SuRie
* Sweet Dreams
* Bonnie Tyler
* Vikki

Songs|

* "All"
* "Are You Sure?"
* "The Bad Old Days"
* "Beg, Steal or Borrow"
* "Believe in Me"
* "Better the Devil You Know"
* "Bigger than Us"
* "Boom Bang-a-Bang"
* "Children of the Universe"
* "Come Back"
* "Congratulations"
* "Cry Baby"
* "Dizzy"
* "Don't Play That Song Again"
* "Embers"
* "Even If"
* "Flying the Flag (For You)"
* "Give a Little Love Back to the World"
* "Go"
* "Hold On to Our Love"
* "I Belong"
* "I Can"
* "I Love the Little Things"
* "I Wrote a Song"
* "I'm Never Giving Up"
* "It's My Time"
* "Jack in the Box"
* "Knock, Knock Who's There?"
* "Let Me Be the One"
* "Long Live Love"
* "Looking High, High, High"
* "Love City Groove"
* "Love Enough for Two"
* "Love Games"
* "Love Is..."
* "Love Shine a Light"
* "Love Will Set You Free"
* "Making Your Mind Up"
* "A Man Without Love"
* "Mary Ann"
* "A Message to Your Heart"
* ~~"My Last Breath"~~
* "Never Give Up on You"
* "No Dream Impossible"
* "One Step Further"
* "One Step Out of Time"
* "Only the Light"
* "Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit"
* "Power to All Our Friends"
* "Puppet on a String"
* "Ring-A-Ding Girl"
* "Rock Bottom"
* "Runner in the Night"
* "Save Your Kisses for Me"
* "Say It Again"
* "Say Wonderful Things"
* "Sing, Little Birdie"
* "Space Man"
* "Still in Love with You"
* "Storm"
* "Teenage Life"
* "That Sounds Good to Me"
* "Touch My Fire"
* "We Will Be Free (Lonely Symphony)"
* "What the Hell Just Happened?"
* "Where Are You?"
* "Why Do I Always Get It Wrong"
* "You're Not Alone"

* Note: Entries scored out signify where the United Kingdom did not compete. Italics indicate an entry in a future contest.
* See also: UK Eurovision discography

* v
* t
* e

Eurovision Song Contest 1988

Countries|

| Final|

* Austria
* Belgium
* Denmark
* Finland
* France
* Germany
* Greece
* Iceland
* Ireland
* Israel
* Italy
* Luxembourg
* Netherlands
* Norway
* Portugal
* Spain
* Sweden
* Switzerland
* Turkey
* United Kingdom
* Yugoslavia

|

Withdrawn|

* Cyprus

Artists|

| Final|

* Yardena Arazi
* Luca Barbarossa
* Beathoven
* Boulevard
* La Década
* Céline Dion
* Dora
* Lara Fabian
* Scott Fitzgerald
* Afroditi Fryda
* Maxi and Chris Garden
* Hot Eyes
* Gerard Joling
* Jump the Gun
* Tommy Körberg
* Karoline Krüger
* Gérard Lenorman
* MFÖ
* Reynaert
* Srebrna krila
* Wilfried

|

Withdrawn|

* Yiannis Dimitrou

Songs|

| Final|

* "Ben Adam"
* "Chanteur de charme"
* "La chica que yo quiero (Made in Spain)"
* "Clown"
* "Croire"
* "For vår jord"
* "Go"
* "Ka' du se hva' jeg sa'?"
* "Laissez briller le soleil"
* "Lied für einen Freund"
* "Lisa Mona Lisa"
* "Mangup"
* "Nauravat silmät muistetaan"
* "Ne partez pas sans moi"
* "Shangri-La"
* "Stad i ljus"
* "Sufi"
* "Take Him Home"
* "Þú og þeir (Sókrates)"
* "Vivo (Ti scrivo)"
* "Voltarei"

|

Withdrawn|

* "Thimame"

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