The United Kingdom participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 1988 with its entry "Go" performed by
Scott Fitzgerald
Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald (September 24, 1896 – December 21, 1940) was an American novelist, essayist, and short story writer. He is best known for his novels depicting the flamboyance and excess of the Jazz Age—a term he popularize ...
and written by
Julie Forsyth
Julie Forsyth is an Australian actress best known for her stage performances, and probably Lotis, the talking lift from '' Lift Off''.
In the 1980s and 1990s she was associated with director Jean Pierre Mignon at the Anthill theatre company in ...
. The song was chosen through the "
A Song for Europe
A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes'' ...
" national final which consisted of eight songs in 1988. At the
Eurovision Song Contest 1988
The Eurovision Song Contest 1988 was the 33rd edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Dublin, Ireland, following Johnny Logan's win at the with the song " Hold Me Now". Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU ...
, Fitzgerald and his song was placed second with 136 points.
Before Eurovision
A Song for Europe 1988
A total of 182 songs were submitted and at no time during the judging phase were the names of either the composers, authors or publishers divulged.
On the first listening phase, seven sessions at 26 songs per session were heard. Every song entered was played for 150 seconds each and voted upon. Eight judges consisting of music publishers' professional staff and members of the record buying public represented by staff of PRS and MCPS. When adding the votes, the MPA office checked whether any member of the panel had any interest in the songs and if found that an interest existed, that member's vote was replaced by an average mark. The twelve songs from each session with the highest points were put forward to the Second Listening.
The Second Listening consisted of four sessions with 21 songs per session. All songs reaching this stage were mixed and re-numbered so that they were not played in the same order as first listening. Songs were then played again for 150 seconds each and voted upon. Eight judges consisting of similar representatives as the first session but individuals called at different times so that they did not appear with the same people as previous voting. When adding these votes, the MPA office checked whether any member of the panel had any interest in the songs and if found that an interest existed, that member's vote was replaced by an average mark. Eleven songs from each session with the highest points went forward to Third Listening.
With the third listening, this consisted of one session divided into four sections at 11 songs per section, making a total of 44 songs. All songs reaching this stage were again mixed and re-numbered so that they were not played in the same order as previous listenings. The songs were played for two minutes each and voted upon. Fifteen judges consisting of similar representatives as previous sessions but also invited were special guests which included successful songwriters and record producers. No member serving on this panel had any interest in any of the songs. Top 3 from each session automatically put through to the final 20. Bottom 4 from each section were eliminated.
Middle 4 from each session put forward for Fourth listening.
On the Fourth Listening was one session of 16 songs. All songs reaching this stage were again mixed and re-numbered so that they were not played in the same order as previous hearings. Songs were played for 2 minutes each and voted upon. Continuation of third session and therefore the same judges were in attendance. The 8 songs with the highest score went forward to Fifth and final listening.
The Fifth Listening was consisted of one session of 20 songs to be reduced to 8 songs for the Song for Europe broadcast. The listening was held at a meeting at the BBC Television Centre under the auspices of
James Moir, Head of Variety. Judges consisting of Radio 2 and Television producers, representatives of the
Music Publishers Association
The Music Publishers Association of the United States (MPA) is a non-profit music publishing organization based in New York City. Founded in 1895, the MPA is the oldest music trade organization in the United States which addresses issues pertain ...
(MPA), British Phonographic Industry and British Academy of Songwriters Composers and Authors.
The final 8 competing entries were previewed on both ''
Wogan
''Wogan'' is a British television talk show which was broadcast on BBC1 from 1982 until 1992, presented by Terry Wogan. It was usually broadcast live from the BBC Television Theatre in Shepherd's Bush, London, until 1991. It was then broadcast ...
'' and on
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 15 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the station broadcasts a wide range of content. ...
.
Format
The 1987 contest was something of an experiment when compared to other contests of the era, with studio set was much larger, 10 songs were used instead of 8, and the songs were picked by the Music Publisher's Association, and the record industry, in order to have a selection of songs that were more contemporary pop, instead of just songs that could win the Eurovision Song Contest. All of this changed in 1988 as the 8 song format returned, the songs were screened by just the MPA, and as such the songs were less contemporary than in the previous contest. Also gone was the regional jury voting to decide the winner.
For the first time since 1975, the public voted on the songs, although this time it was by telephone voting instead of postcards. Also introduced was a celebrity panel, to comment on the songs. They had no role in the selection of the winner, merely to pass comment. The panel were
Mike Batt
Michael Philip Batt, LVO (born 6 February 1949) is an English singer-songwriter, musician, arranger, record producer, director and conductor. He was formerly the Deputy Chairman of the British Phonographic Industry.
Having achieved substantial ...
who discussed songs 2 and 6,
Bruce Welch
Bruce Welch (born 2 November 1941 as Bruce Cripps) is an English guitarist, songwriter, producer, singer and businessman best known as a founding member of the Shadows.
Biography
Welch's parents (Stan Cripps and Grace Welch) moved him to 15 B ...
who won the contest with the
Brotherhood of Man
Brotherhood of Man are a British pop group who achieved success in the 1970s. They won the 1976 Eurovision Song Contest with "Save Your Kisses for Me".
Created in 1969 by songwriter and record producer Tony Hiller, Brotherhood of Man was initia ...
talked about songs 4 and 8,
Gloria Hunniford
Mary Winifred Gloria Hunniford, OBE (born 10 April 1940) is a Northern Irish television and radio presenter, broadcaster and singer. She is known for presenting programmes on the BBC and ITV, such as '' Rip Off Britain'', and her regular appear ...
who passed comment on songs 3 and 7 and
George Martin
Sir George Henry Martin (3 January 1926 – 8 March 2016) was an English record producer, arranger, composer, conductor, and musician. He was commonly referred to as the "Fifth Beatle" because of his extensive involvement in each of the B ...
who talked about songs 1 and 5.
Additionally for the first time, the phone numbers to call appeared on screen and prior to the end of part one, a reprise of all the competing songs was played. A total of 337,557 telephone votes were cast.
Final
The final was held on 25 March 1988, in Studio 1 at the
BBC Television Centre
Television Centre (TVC) is a building complex in White City, London, White City, West London, that was the headquarters of BBC Television between 1960 and 2013. After a refurbishment, the complex reopened in 2017 with three studios in use for ...
. It was hosted by
Terry Wogan
Sir Michael Terence Wogan (; 3 August 1938 – 31 January 2016) was an Irish radio and television broadcaster who worked for the BBC in the UK for most of his career. Between 1993 and his semi-retirement in December 2009, his BBC Radio 2 weekd ...
. The theme music and title sequence were the same the one used in the previous year, a revamped
Te Deum
The "Te Deum" (, ; from its incipit, , ) is a Latin Christian hymn traditionally ascribed to AD 387 authorship, but with antecedents that place it much earlier. It is central to the Ambrosian hymnal, which spread throughout the Latin Chur ...
. The BBC Concert Orchestra under the direction of
Ronnie Hazlehurst
Ronald Hazlehurst (13 March 1928 – 1 October 2007) was an English composer and conductor who, having joined the BBC in 1961, became its Light Entertainment Musical Director.
Hazlehurst composed the theme tunes for many well-known Britis ...
as conductor accompanied all the songs, but despite performing live, the orchestra were off-screen, behind the set. The contest was broadcast on Radio 2 and BBC 1.
The winner was chosen by televoting, which was "Go" performed by
Scott Fitzgerald
Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald (September 24, 1896 – December 21, 1940) was an American novelist, essayist, and short story writer. He is best known for his novels depicting the flamboyance and excess of the Jazz Age—a term he popularize ...
.
UK Discography
*Camino - ''High Windows'': PRT/Tamarin PYS11.
*Klass - ''One More Chance'': OK Records OK012.
*Scott Fitzgerald - ''Go'': PRT PYS10.
At Eurovision
The contest was staged at the
RDS Simmonscourt Pavilion in Dublin on 30 April. 21 nations took part and the UK performed in 4th position, following Finland and preceding Turkey. Scott Fitzgerald scored well and was involved in a tense battle for first place with Switzerland's entrant
Celine Dion
Céline Marie Claudette Dion ( ; born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Noted for her powerful and technically skilled vocals, Dion is the best-selling Canadian recording artist, and the best-selling French-language artist of all time. Her ...
. With only Yugoslavia left to vote, the UK was in first place with 136 points followed by Switzerland with 131. The Yugoslav jury proceeded to award Switzerland six points and after that it seemed highly likely that the UK would be given one of the higher remaining set of points. However as Yugoslavia announced its seven, eight, ten and twelve points, it transpired that it had awarded the UK no points at all, as the Yugoslav jury awarded its 12 points to France, leaving Switzerland with a one-point lead and allowing them to savour a dramatic victory.
BBC 1
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...
broadcast the final on television, with commentary provided by
Terry Wogan
Sir Michael Terence Wogan (; 3 August 1938 – 31 January 2016) was an Irish radio and television broadcaster who worked for the BBC in the UK for most of his career. Between 1993 and his semi-retirement in December 2009, his BBC Radio 2 weekd ...
.
Ray Moore had been scheduled to provide the radio commentary for
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 15 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the station broadcasts a wide range of content. ...
, but Moore was undergoing treatment for cancer at the time, so
Ken Bruce
Kenneth Robertson Bruce (born 2 February 1951) is a British broadcaster who is best known for hosting his long-running weekday mid-morning show on BBC Radio 2 from 1986 to 1990, and then again since 1992.
Early life and career
Bruce was born a ...
fulfilled the commitments. This was Bruce's first involvement with presenting the Eurovision for radio. Bruce would go on to do the radio commentary until .
Colin Berry
Colin Derrick Berry (born 29 January 1946) is a British radio disc jockey, presenter and newsreader, best known for his many years at BBC Radio 2.
Career Early years
Berry began his radio career reading news on Radio Caroline in 1965. Before ...
served as spokesperson for the UK jury.
The members of the UK jury included Nicola Chapman, Terry Clarke, Alfred Collet, Geoff Dennis, James Douglas, Alison Fox, Mike Goss, Carol Holroyd, Muir Johnson, Karen Marsden, Mavis Masters, Molly Roberts, Andrew Sidell, Renate Smith, Paul Tunnicliffe, and Robert Unsworth.
"Go" was a minor hit in the UK charts.
Chart Archive - Scott Fitzgerald
/ref>
Voting
References
{{Eurovision Song Contest 1988
1988
File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...
Countries in the Eurovision Song Contest 1988
Eurovision
The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pr ...
Eurovision
The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pr ...