Continue reading TOP 100 – position 7 – CONGRATULATIONS – CLIFF RICHARD
ESC Covers wanted to write over the death of Bill Martin, a UK composer, but with the preparation for the 21 days of isolation, a lot of buying of stuff etc, we did not get to it. The times newspaper of the UK did the following article which we have copied.
Bill Martin, one of pop music’s most accomplished songwriters, has died aged 81, drawing tributes from across the industry.
A former shipyard worker who was born in Govan, Martin wrote top-ten hits for stars of the Sixties and Seventies, including Sandie Shaw and Cilla Black. He went on to write Back Home for the 1970 England World Cup squad, and Shang-a-lang for the Bay City Rollers, the sound of the title echoing the noises of the Clydeside yards.
He was behind two Eurovision Song Contest winners (ESC Covers feel this is a mistake as only Sandie was a Euroviion winner. Cliff came second) and in his later years his ring tone was Congratulations, the No 1 hit he wrote for Cliff Richard in 1968.
Phil Coulter, Martin’s songwriting partner, said his death was the end of an era.
ESC Covers favourite song by him is FOREVER AND EVER for the group Slik.
Mrs. Einstein from the Netherlands covered the 1973 Eurovision entry from the United Kingdom POWER TO ALL OUR FRIENDS in English.
Robin from Finland covered the 1968 Eurovision entry of the United Kingdom CONGRATULATIONS in Finnish as MUA ONNITELKAA.
The 1968 Eurovision entry from the United Kingdom, CONGRATULATIONS, was covered in Flemish by Paul Severs.
Probably the only song from the 60’s to make the top 100
72 – Congratulations – Cliff Richard (United Kingdom 1968)
By Steve Humphreys (Australia)
One of my favourite moments from back in Vienna 2015, was seeing just how well contestants Mans Zelmerlow (Sweden) & Guy Sebastian (Australia) got on together during that week. Then this great freindship even transcended onto the Eurovision scoreboard, when both countries gave each other 12 points. There was even talk of a future duet between Mans and Guy, that would be special. This has got me thinking how many times has two stars of the past Eurovision Song Contests have actually got together to make a duet? besides covering a Eurovision entry, itself.
So I did some searching around and came up with my own
Top 10 Eurovision artists duets.
1. Maria Haukaas Storeng & Måns Zelmerlöw- ‘Precious to Me’
2. Christer Björkman & Shirley Clamp- La Vie/ This is My Life
3. Agnetha Faltskog & Tomas Ledin- Never Again
4. Johnny Logan & Nicole – No One Makes Love like You/Niemand liebt so wie du
(composed by Ralph Siegel and Bernd Meinunger)
5. Elisabeth Andreassen & Tor Endresen- All over the World (MGP 15)
6. Olivia Newton-John & Cliff Richard- Suddenly (From Xanadu movie)
7. Timoteij Feat Alexander Rybak-Vända Med Vinden
8. Malena Ernman & Sarah Dawn Finer – Sancta Lucia (2013)
9. Jan Johansen & Jill Johnson- Let it be me
10. Anita Skorgan Med Jahn Teigen- Friendly
If you know of some other Eurovision duets, let us know in the comments,
Footnote: When putting this Top 10 together I realised that just one artist that actually technically should not be on the list, as they have not appeared on a Eurovision Song Contest stage, Who is that?
Finally we reached the end of the ABBA songs.
Thank you for the music, the songs I’m singing
Thanks for all the joy they’re bringing
Well, we had to end the whole ABBA saga off with this song, it is such a classic. Thank you ABBA for all the music and the songs we are constantly singing.
The question is name 3 Eurovision songs you constantly feel like singing
For me it is Cliff Richard and Congratulations every time I see someone is having a birthday. Then Mouth and Macneal with I see a star, and often it is the Afrikaans lyrics of it. Lastly Nicole’s Ein bisschien frieden, after all I have many versions of it (53 in total) and in 21 different languages.
