Runner-up: United Kingdom 1972

I mentioned it so many times already during this series of the runners-up of Eurovision but here goes again. Isn't it fascinating how the Home Country of european entertainment so often managed to send their starlets off to Eurovision with songs they dislike and normally would never want to associate themselves with?

Perhaps there was a clash between the pop status of the chosen performers and the family friendly air the BBC wanted their national final to have, what do I know?

What I do know is that few performers fared as well with the songs selected for their national final as did The New Seekers. They were a highly popular act whose usual output would fit right into the BBC's idea of a dream entry and they gladly sang their little hearts out in Edinburgh, offering a song they genuinely seemed to like and felt they could embrace.

Mary Hopkin did not feel the same way. Neither did Clodagh Rodgers. Nor Lulu. Nor Olivia Newton-John. And the list goes on.

A deserved 2nd place?
Yes. A given hit at the time and a timeless classic today, but nowhere near as massive as Vicky Leandros' winning song. Giving your performer a song they enjoy singing isn't such a daft idea after all, it seems.



The New Seekers - Beg, Steal or Borrow (United Kingdom 1972)