United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 1980

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United Kingdom in the
Eurovision Song Contest 1980

Eurovision Song Contest 1980
Participating broadcaster| British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
Country|  United Kingdom
Selection process| A Song for Europe 1980
Selection date| 26 March 1980
Competing entry
Song| "Love Enough for Two"
Artist| Prima Donna
Songwriters|

* Stephanie de Sykes
* Stuart Slater

Placement
Final result| 3rd, 106 points
Participation chronology
| ◄1979 • | 1980 | • 1981►

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The United Kingdom was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 1980 with the song "Love Enough for Two", written by Stephanie de Sykes and Stuart Slater, and performed by the group Prima Donna. The British participating broadcaster, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), selected its entry through a national final.

## Before Eurovision

[edit]

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### A Song for Europe 1980

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A Song for Europe 1980 was held on 26 March 1980 at the BBC Television Theatre in London and was hosted 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. 12 songs were chosen by the Music Publisher's Association.

Following his second place in the 1979 contest, songwriter Richard Gillinson was asked to submit a song to replace the disqualified entry "Tell Me" by the New Seekers, which was eliminated two weeks before the final after the group began promoting the track before the contest.[1] Gillinson's song "Surrender" was performed by the same artist who presented his 1979 song, Kim Clark. The lead vocal of "Tell Me" was taken by New Seeker Nicola Kerr, who had been one of the 'Plus Two' who had finished 3rd for Ireland in 1977.

The twelve songs were voted on by 14 regional juries, who awarded 1-12 points to each song. Each of the 11 jurors awarded 1-5 points to each song, the total scores being added up, with the song earning the most points being awarded 12 points, the second placed song earned 11, the third 10 and so on, down to 1 point for the song with the fewest votes.

The jury spokesperson could be seen on screen awarding the votes, sometimes with the jury members in vision. These were broadcast from the BBC's 14 regional news studios.

Owing to a tie break and with the live show quickly running out of time, a clearly flustered Terry Wogan, unsure of what to do in this unprecedented circumstance, returned to the 14 juries who were hastily asked to pick their favourite between songs two and five.

A Song for Europe 1980 - 26 March 1980[1] Draw  | Artist  | Song  | Songwriter(s)  | Points  | Tiebreak  | Place

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1 | Scramble | "Don't Throw Your Love Away" | Peter Morris | 97  | — | 6
2 | Maggie Moone | "Happy Everything" | Geoff Stephens, Don Black | 131  | 6 | 2
3 | Plain Sailing | "Easy" | Colin Stewart, Alan Stewart, Paul Stewart, Robert Freeman | 111  | — | 4
4 | Sonja Jones | "Here We'll Stay" | Tony Colton, Jean Roussell | 56  | — | 11
5 | Prima Donna | "Love Enough for Two" | Stephanie de Sykes, Stuart Slater | 131  | 8 | 1
6 | Jacqui Scott | "Symphony for You" | Johnny Goodison, Keith Mansfield | 67  | — | 8
7 | Duke and the Aces | "Love Is Alive" | Paul Curtis | 94  | — | 7
8 | Roy Winston | "Everything's All Right" | Roy Winston | 58  | — | 10
9 | Midnite | "Love Comes, Love Grows" | Gary Sulsh, Stuart Leathwood | 62  | — | 9
10 | The Main Event | "Gonna Do My Best" | Terry Bradford | 45  | — | 12
11 | Pussyfoot | "I Want to Be Me" | Mick Flinn, Mark Stevens | 111  | — | 4
12 | Kim Clark | "Surrender" | Richard Gillinson | 129  | — | 3
Regional jury votes[1] Draw  | Song  |

Aberdeen

Newcastle

Plymouth

Leeds

Southampton

Bangor

London

Cardiff

Birmingham

Glasgow

Belfast

Bristol

Norwich

Manchester

| Total

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1  | "Don't Throw Your Love Away"  | 10 | 7 | 5 | 8 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 5 | 7 | 3 | 97
2  | "Happy Everything"  | 11 | 8 | 8 | 11 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 6 | 10 | 12 | 8 | 5 | 131
3  | "Easy"  | 6 | 5 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 11 | 111
4  | "Here We'll Stay"  | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 56
5  | "Love Enough for Two"  | 8 | 12 | 9 | 12 | 9 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 11 | 6 | 131
6  | "Symphony for You"  | 5 | 10 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 11 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 67
7  | "Love Is Alive"  | 7 | 11 | 11 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 9 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 7 | 94
8  | "Everything's All Right"  | 2 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 10 | 2 | 8 | 58
9  | "Love Comes, Love Grows"  | 4 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 62
10  | "Gonna Do My Best"  | 3 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 45
11  | "I Want to Be Me"  | 9 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 11 | 1 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 111
12  | "Surrender"  | 12 | 9 | 4 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 5 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 129
Tie-Break[1]
2  | "Happy Everything"  | X |  |  | X |  |  |  |  | X | X | X | X |  |  | 6
5  | "Love Enough for Two"  |  | X | X |  | X | X | X | X |  |  |  |  | X | X | 8
Regional jury spokespersons[1]

* Aberdeen - Gerry Davis
* Newcastle - Mike Neville
* Plymouth - Donald Heighway
* Leeds - Brian Baines
* Southampton - Peter Macann
* Bangor - Alun Evans
* London - Colin Berry
* Cardiff - Iwan Thomas
* Birmingham - David Stevens
* Glasgow - Douglas Brock
* Belfast - Mike Baguley
* Bristol - Derek Jones
* Norwich - Gill Hewitt
* Manchester - John Mundy

## At Eurovision

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At the Eurovision itself, "Love Enough for Two" scored 106 points and was positioned third overall. The event took place in the Hague in the Netherlands and was won by Ireland's "What's Another Year?" by Johnny Logan.[2]

Terry Wogan provided the BBC television commentary, whilst Steve Jones provided the BBC Radio 2 commentary. Regular Eurovision radio commentator Ray Moore served as spokesperson for the UK jury. This was the start for Wogan's continuous television commentary which he would do every year until 2008.[citation needed]

### Voting

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Points awarded to the United Kingdom[3] | Score  | Country

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12 points  |  Sweden
10 points  |

* Denmark
* Switzerland

8 points  |

* Luxembourg
* Morocco
* Spain

7 points  |

* Austria
* Netherlands
* Portugal

6 points  |

* Belgium
* Ireland

5 points  |

* France
* Turkey

4 points  |  Finland
3 points  |  Germany
2 points  |
1 point  |
Points awarded by the United Kingdom[3] | Score  | Country

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12 points  |  Ireland
10 points  |  Germany
8 points  |  Luxembourg
7 points  |  Switzerland
6 points  |  Austria
5 points  |  France
4 points  |  Italy
3 points  |  Greece
2 points  |  Netherlands
1 point  |  Belgium

## References

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1. ^ a b c d e Roxburgh, Gordon (2016). Songs for Europe: The United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest. Volume Three: The 1980s. Prestatyn: Telos Publishing. pp. 11–36\. ISBN 978-1-84583-118-9.
2. ^ "Final of The Hague 1980". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 12 April 2021. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
3. ^ a b "Results of the Final of The Hague 1980". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 12 April 2021. Retrieved 12 April 2021.

* 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
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* 1986
* 1987
* 1988
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* 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 1980

Countries|

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

Artists|

* Bamses Venner
* Samira Bensaïd
* José Cid
* Blue Danube
* Katja Ebstein
* Sverre Kjelsberg and Mattis Hætta
* Tomas Ledin
* Johnny Logan
* Vesa-Matti Loiri
* Maggie MacNeal
* Paola
* Ajda Pekkan
* Prima Donna
* Profil
* Sophie and Magaly
* Alan Sorrenti
* Telex
* Trigo Limpio
* Anna Vissi and the Epikouri

Songs|

* "Amsterdam"
* "Autostop"
* "Bitakat Hob"
* "Cinéma"
* "Du bist Musik"
* "Euro-Vision"
* "Um grande, grande amor"
* "Hé, hé m'sieurs dames"
* "Huilumies"
* "Just nu!"
* "Love Enough for Two"
* "Non so che darei"
* "Papa Pingouin"
* "Pet'r Oil"
* "Quédate esta noche"
* "Sámiid ædnan"
* "Tænker altid på dig"
* "Theater"
* "What's Another Year"

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