Thirty years ago Bonnie Tyler scored the biggest hit of her career - when "Total Eclipse Of The Heart" stormed the charts here, there and everywhere - and what could be a better way to celebrate than to take part in the Eurovision Song Contest?
Bonnie Tyler - Believe In Me (United Kingdom 2013)
It's been a while since Bonnie was a regular hitmaker, that should be admitted right away, but her name is still mentioned with a certain amount of respect around the continent and she feels more relevant than The Hump did last year. She is not a bad choice at all.
I'm more puzzled by the fact that her chosen entry isn't more striking and most of all that it doesn't really reflect Bonnie's old style, the one the audiences would instantly recognise.
This is however an old pattern for British representatives - once a big name is secured to do the job, no particular effort goes into finding an equally smashing song. In the past there was no need to. If you gave Europe a Sandie Shaw, a Lulu or a Cliff Richard the points would come flying in also for an underwhelming, old-fashioned song.
Surprisingly, few UK entries through the years have been cutting edge, progressive or groundbreaking. "Believe In Me" fits perfectly into that line of entries - pleasant, inoffensive and radio friendly. It's nice but not more.
However, Bonnie seems to believe in her own song. The final result is more engaging than this song would really deserve and all credit for that comes down to the performer herself.
Potential winner:
No. Too lean and too fleeting to win, but if Bonnie Tyler has a good night she could collect more points than the British viewers have grown accustomed to.
My grade: 3/5
One of the few UK star entrants to get reasonably modern entries that fit into his regular catalogue was Cliff Richard - it gave him considerable chart success and also had a certain impact on what kind of song you could send to eurovision.
I remain doubtful regarding how much impact this year's entry will have on future eurosongs.
Cliff Richard - Power To All Our Friends (United Kingdom 1973)
All the more surprising when a track like 'This Is Gonna Hurt' is on the same album that the BBC picked 'Believe in Me' from... I'm beginning to think the BBC have the right singer, the right album, but the wrong song. Track 1, not Track 4, please!
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