If you were on the board to decide the UK Eurovision song & could choose any song from the back catalogue of UK artists

[thesurreyyouth]

I listened to this years entry from James Newman & hope it won’t be another null points. He’s a credible song writer but not sure it will stand out enough. To have a real chance of winning (politics apart) what song would you choose to put through?

Hmm, it’s a bit difficult to answer. The obvious choice would be someone like Adele but that’s just due to her popularity and record sales whereas stand alone songs I’m not sure whether she would get higher than the bottom 5.

I’d go with Wannabe by the Spice Girls. That’s pretty catchy for Eurovision.

i used to love Eurovision as a child in the era when UK had a fighting chance but not so much now as it’s such a long programme & the tactical political voting is a bit annoying. But imagine if wannabe was entered as a new song by the newly formed Spice girls, would they get 12 points for the voting countries?

Well surely almost anything by the Beatles ? Ideally something that can be accompanied by a dance so cheesy it could top the after show pizzas.

"Penny Lane" has a nice bouncy feel to it. I can see a stage full of dancers dressed as flowers for some reason, with grand mimes of pocket watches and a photograph of Her Magde on the backscreen.

I'm wasted in IT

To be honest, even if George and John rose from the dead so we could enter a surprise Beatles reunion, I don't think we'd win Eurovision in the same year we left the EU .

Unless those entrants who are EU members give us douze points in sympathy ...

I think the problem with the question is that although you said politics aside, it has been political, waaaay before Brexit was even a thought. So even if someone mega famous all around the world was to debut their brand new single live on Eurovision as the UK entry, it wouldn’t stand a chance of winning, even if they released the song afterwards and it went to number one in all of those countries that voted!

Which actually begs the question, should we still bother funding it? I enjoy watching it but it seems a waste of money.

I think the problem with the question is that although you said politics aside, it has been political, waaaay before Brexit was even a thought.

When I was at Uni, in 1985, my housemates (who came from Northern Ireland) Republican brother sat down with a grid he'd made to allow him to show how countries were ganging up on the Irish. Apparently at the end he'd proved it.

Actually forget the above post, just looked it up and we came 5th in 2009 so not that long ago in the scheme of things

Surely if 1direction were an unheard of band & entered with that’s what makes you beautiful or live while you’re young, both upbeat pop songs with camp outfits and even camper dancing the UK could get more than 0 even the year of Brexit?

That’s 11 years ago @BritneyPeedOnALadybug it’s got to be our turn in the top 10 after so long

Let's face it: we've tried everything and the UK just doesn't canvass the votes of other EBU members in the way others do. The Beeb run the show for the UK. Getting a following for a song before the contest is key. If you look at the most successful country it's Sweden (I think!) and the contest to select their entry is a really big deal there.

I'd go for Elbow and "Throw Those Curtains Wide ". A proper feel good song.

All over the world - ELO
You and me song - Wannadies

Haven't watched eurovision for many years but both would get my vote

I would go for Queen and Don’t Stop Me Now. I can’t think of anything catchier.

If we became like Sweden and made more of a song and dance about choosing the entry it wouldn’t matter how much the British like the song as it would still be down to the other countries to vote. Or are you saying other countries are aware of their entry before the contest? I didn’t realise it would need so much effort! So James Newman can’t just rock up on the night, perform then wait for votes?

Or perhaps Queen we are the champions or radio gaga

I was just going to say Elbow One Day Like This (like MrsJosh) but we wouldn't win anyway.
1985 is only a couple of years after Johnny Logan won for Ireland for the first time and two years before he won for the second and then there was the run of Irish wins with the female artists so I don't see how anyone can make out that Ireland were ever ganged up on. (I may be the owner of a Spotify every song ever playlist )

I reckon 5,6,7,8 by Stepps would have could chance..

I think Englebert Humperdink put a lot of effort in a few years ago. He toured Europe - went on local radio stations etc, but it didn't really help much.

European pop music is generally quite inferior to ours, and just different. We don't stand a chance.

It's good fun though - and a good excuse for a party.

I still miss Terry Wogan though

A lot of the entrants from other countries do far more PR and not just at the contest.

The attitude that the music from other countries is inferior is quite arrogant and want garner votes.

Coldplay Paradise, if it were brand new.

@MrsJoshNavidi I think you mean One Day Like This...you get nil points if the name of the song is wrong!

Eurovision is hopelessly naff, therefore winning Eurovision is über naff, and to be avoided at at all costs.

Finishing last at Eurovision should be the ambition of any cool country, therefore we should choose our entry accordingly. The evidence suggests we have been making a great job of this, with ‘nul points’ a regular achievement, so we should just carry on picking whichever random crappy act emerges from the existing process.

@AgeLikeWine but a win is a win even if the competition is naff! I don’t think James is a crap artist as he has a good pedigree of writing songs for big artists. Artists from the UK are successful selling music around the world, yet we don’t/can’t choose a winning Eurovision song

Lily the pink by the Scaffold it's just quirky enough to win.