Results tagged “ireen Sheer” from Boom Bang a Blog

They had waited for a win since their first appearance in 1960. They had scored nul points in 1963, 1978 and 1981, three of the six occasions they had finished bottom of the scoreboard. They were destined to be the Contest's eternal no-hopers. Then, in 1985, twenty-five years after their first appearance, something amazing happened. Norway won the Eurovision Song Contest.

If you read the Bluffer's Guide to Eurovision 1974, you'll have seen mention of British singer Ireen Sheer, who represented Luxembourg in Brighton.

Here she is, singing Bye Bye, I Love You, possibly the only French song ever performed with a British accent.

"Hmm... those Swedes I passed in the wings seemed quite talented..."

Poor Ireen had the misfortune of being the Eurovision entrant which followed ABBA in the draw - a bit like that stand-up comic who thought he was finally getting his big break with a slot on the Ed Sullivan Show, but ended up coming on right after The Beatles had finished their historic first performance and failed to make any impact at all.

However, an article of the BBC News magazine website yesterday listed 30 Britons who are really famous abroad, but nobody has the faintest idea who they are back in the UK. Can you guess who made the list? Check out number 26...

The 10 songs which competed in the 1974 Swedish Eurovision heats. Can you spot a winner?