United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 1981
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1981 was the year that Bucks Fizz won the Eurovision Song Contest for the United Kingdom with their song "Making Your Mind Up". It won 136 points from the 19 juries, beating West Germany's Lena Valaitis whose Johnny Blue won 132 points.
The points given to the United Kingdom by each of the 19 other national juries were as follows (points shown in order that they were awarded):
| Country | Points |
|---|---|
| Austria | 4 |
| Turkey | 8 |
| West Germany | 4 |
| Luxembourg | 5 |
| Israel | 12 |
| Denmark | 10 |
| Yugoslavia | 10 |
| Finland | 3 |
| France | 7 |
| Spain | 8 |
| Netherlands | 12 |
| Ireland | 10 |
| Norway | 3 |
| Portugal | 6 |
| Belgium | 8 |
| Greece | 6 |
| Cyprus | 4 |
| Switzerland | 8 |
| Sweden | 8 |
Overall the United Kingdom was not in the lead until France awarded them 7 points; the lead before that point had changed a couple of times between France and Ireland. The UK only lost the lead one more time before the end of the competition, to Switzerland when the UK jury placed its own vote. Interestingly, only two countries gave the United Kingdom the full 12 points: Israel and the Netherlands.
How the UK jury voted
| Points | Country | Song | Performer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | France | Humanahum | Jean Gabilou |
| 2 | Sweden | Faangad I En Droem | Bjorn Skiffs |
| 3 | Belgium | Samson | Emly Starr |
| 4 | Israel | Halayla | Habibi |
| 5 | Denmark | Kroeller Eller Ej | Debbie Cameron and Tommy Seebach |
| 6 | Netherlands | Het Is Een Wonder | Linda Williams |
| 7 | West Germany | Johnny Blue | Lena Valaitis |
| 8 | Greece | Feggari Kalokerino | Yiannis Dimitras |
| 10 | Cyprus | Monika | Island |
| 12 | Switzerland | Io Senza Te | Peter, Sue and Marc |
When the UK jury placed their vote they gave the full 12 points to Switzerland, placing them in the lead over the UK. The UK didn't regain the lead until two sets of results later, when Belgium gave the UK 8 points and didn't award Switzerland any at all.
See also
External Link:
- Bucks Fizz Official Website (http://www.bucksfizzofficial.co.uk/)
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