As you all know by now, Bonnie Tyler did not fare as well at Eurovision as some had hoped. But, in placing 19th, at least she fared better than Engelbert Humperdink, who finished second-to-last above only Norway’s Tooji.

In the run-up to Malmö and at the competition itself, Bonnie turned into a name dropping machine with 3 in every 10 words seeming to be “Rocks and Honey”—the name of her new album. (We’re serious. Read one of her press conference transcripts here). It’s obvious that she was going after publicity rather than the microphone-shaped winner’s trophy. If she actually wanted to win she could have done a lot better with other tracks on the album (namely “This Is Gonna Hurt” and “Sunshine”). Now that she’s had her three minutes in the Eurovision spotlight she must be asking herself if it was really worth it.

One week after the contest “Rocks And Honey” is nowhere to be found in the U.K. album Top 100. And “Believe in Me” isn’t even in the U.K. Top 100 singles anymore (it did manage to chart at #96 last week). You may think it’s just further proof the U.K. lacks interest in Eurovision. But a series of other Eurovision songs suggests otherwise. “Only Teardrops”, “Tomorrow”, “You” and “I Feed You My Love” are charting at 16, 66, 72 and 80 respectively. Even Loreen’s “Euphoria” from 2012 is doing better than “Believe in Me”. It jumped 113 places to reach 75.

You may think that’s only the U.K.’s reaction. As everyone in the U.K. knows, Bonnie Tyler is really popular in Europe, as the BBC kept proclaiming this Eurovision season. Surely this would have done a little better on the continent. That’s where this goes horribly wrong. Eurovision has done nothing for her in mainland Europe either. After the grand final, “Rocks and Honey” did not move past its peak position in Denmark, Germany and Switzerland, where it had already reached spots 28, 59 and 59, respectively.

Bonnie asked Europe to believe in her. Those who did were duped.

Photo: Dennis Stachel (EBU)

 

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Anthony
Anthony
10 years ago

Tochto, if the BBC don’t want to win Eurovision, then AT LEAST they make a very serious effort for the UK to do well, just as they did in 2009. Despite Bonnie Tyler’s best efforts, this year’s attempt from the BBC is as bad as the England football team’s performance against Ireland last night

lena the robot
lena the robot
10 years ago

she had a sore throat, BLESS…. BBC get real and get real and get emma gouliding or withdraw, which is better 4 the u.k.

tochto
10 years ago

Surely the point is that the BBC don’t want to win Eurovision! After all the scrutiny of the BBC’s spending in the past few years it’s not that surprising. What they do want, however, is good ratings and big names like Bonnie Tyler will bring those. It’s a sorry situation, but I can’t see the BBC sending a winner for the UK anytime in the near future…

Mo Comfort
Mo Comfort
10 years ago

I honestly don’t think it’s the right artist we need to send to eurovision, we just have to send a song that’s actually good and have someone who can competently perform it.
It is ultimately all down to the song, it doesn’t really matter to the competition whether or not we send a known artist but that is what seems to matter for the BBC.

CookyMonzta
CookyMonzta
10 years ago

Humperdinck tried to go out with a bang; Tyler tried as well (for both, top 10 probably would have been satisfactory, for their ages). Both failed. I gather the U.K. will stay far away from artists they consider over the hill, and stay away from the cheese, and once again give the young lions a shot.

My first thought is Little Mix. They’re just getting started. But I would not send them with a dance tune if I were their production team, because that is what too many people will see coming. Send them with a power ballad.

CookyMonzta
CookyMonzta
10 years ago

Before I am misunderstood here, 3 or 4 years after such an artist is past his or her prime–maybe 10 years at most–is short enough a time that such a fading artist is still capable of competing with the young lions on the Eurovision stage, as opposed to 20 or 30 years past their prime, when people are asking why are they even on that stage (other than perhaps to go out with a bang, rather than a whimper).

CookyMonzta
CookyMonzta
10 years ago

@Fikri: They can’t send One Direction or The Wanted, or even Adele. They are waaaay too popular TODAY for the U.K. to risk sending them now. It will smack of abject desperation and the televoters and juries are more likely to punish them for it.

They’d best wait until 3 or 4 years until after their best days are way behind them, like Katrina and the Waves did before they entered and won in 1997.

Bogdan Honciuc
10 years ago

@ Christian.

“Sugababes, Atomic Kitten or Steps”? LOL. Are you writing from the Middle Ages? I didn’t even know these groups still existed.

Penny
Penny
10 years ago

Bless her, as calculated as people might want it to seem, I think Bonnie really enjoyed herself on the night. The little squeal after she says ‘Thank You’ is so adorable! Her 19th place isn’t exactly glorious but she has at least sort of vindicated the BBC’s strategy of sending a relatively famous face to get us out of the bottom slot. That doesn’t mean they should go for the triple though…assuming they can’t lure anyone else out of retirement…quite worried they might go for Elaine Paige…

Gavin
Gavin
10 years ago

It would be great to lt te audience choose our entry. However the BBC have to give us credible songs. All equally brilliant with superb and charismatic and talented singers. Year after year after year I’m constantly unimpressed by the so g choosen or the so ha presented for selection… In other countries finals their is usually one song that hooks me. So… How are we going to hange this??? As for Bonnie it seemed like a PR campaign from day one. A half hearted attempt, with everyone justifying it from the BBC. I like the song… But I don’t… Read more »

Fikri
Fikri
10 years ago

One Direction or The Wanted. Boom! London 2015. 😛

x
x
10 years ago

Lithuanian news website delfi.lt has come under a hacker attack after it published an article on alleged attempts to rig televoting in the Eurovision Song Contest in favour of the Russian entry. During the Wednesday attack, the website’s editorial office received a letter in Russian, threatening with “radical actions”, if the article is not removed. “The information is harmful for both the country (Russia) and our countrywoman Dina Garipova’s reputation. We insist that the information on the website be removed within one hour. Otherwise, radical action will be taken against your “media of public disinformation,” the letter reads. According to… Read more »

Anthony
Anthony
10 years ago

The UK send songs to the Eurovision Song Contest that couldn’t even make a number 1 hit in their own country! The British public then expects the rest of Europe to vote for them, when other entrants top the charts in their countries. And if the UK ends up doing badly, they all then stick the blame on the rest of Europe.

R
R
10 years ago

I wasn’t really surpirsed that bonnie didn’t do well at eurovision because the way that she was speaking in her interviews before eurovision seemed as though that she wasn’t really motivated to try and win eurovision :/ it was almost as if she was already defeated before she had even sung :/ I just hope that the bbc realises that they need to start bringing some more fresh and younger talent to eurovision to have any chance of winning it. If the bbc start taking eurovision more seriously then we maybe could still win eurovision with the right song

Christian
Christian
10 years ago

They should send Sugababes, Atomic Kitten or Steps with a mega-dance-stomper. I would love it!

Joe Ent
Joe Ent
10 years ago

They need to let us chose who goes through again

Kiki
Kiki
10 years ago

yeah, the BBC needs to realize that 1980 is not 2013. british eurovision fans want something modern, something good, something that will sell and something that will win!!!

Kris
Kris
10 years ago

Bonnie Tyler sold millions of albums in the 80’s.

We are in 2013.