The 1984 Song For Europe saw a lot more variety in the
eight song final. Out went the glut of identikit boy-girl groups
and in came a camp Motown clone, and a couple of soon-to-be gay
musical icons. The Motown retro-ness took victory, but both
Sinitta and Hazell Dean (back eight years after her first
attempt) would soon be atop the hi-energy charts and then
bona-fide pop princesses in the Stock Aitken Waterman stable.
As the all-female trio in '84 fared no better than the mixed
groups, the BBC stipulated that only solo artists and duos could
compete in 1985. As happened quite often in the weaker
1980s fields, the opening song took the crown, and Vikki fared
well in the contest itself. Notable contestants this year
included 70s star Alvin Stardust and TV presenter
Fiona Kennedy.
By 1986 groups were allowed back, and to celebrate, a
new incarnation of the 60s hitmakers Vanity Fair turned
up. They were joined by quite a variety of styles, at least
compared to the previous few years. The outcome was the first
British Eurosong that could be classified as "rock" - well light
rock, but still something of a departure. Ryder's lead singer
was the son of veteran actor Bill Maynard, who entered the very
first SFE in 1957.
1987 saw somewhat less variety and nobody remotely
famous among the participants, despite the number of finalists
being upped to ten. As in 1983 and 1985 the first song
performed took the crown, presumably because the jurors had
awarded Rikki points in the hope that something better would
come along, but nothing did. After the UK's poorest result
to date in Europe, the regional juries were scrapped and
replaced by telephone votes.
The 1988 final reverted to eight songs, and for the
first time, "experts" passed comment on the songs after each was
performed. This practice was to continue for the next two years
until it was deemed too prejudicial to the voting. Scott
Fitzgerald was the only "name" and his final song easily
saw off the opposition.
In 1989 one very powerful singer swung the contest in
a field of unknowns. Pony-tailed Ray Caruana lifted "Why Do I
Always Get It Wrong" to new heights above a field of more
traditional Eurovision styles. One of the big ballads, "Shame"
was later covered by Elkie Brooks.
1990 saw the first contest after the downfall of the
Berlin Wall and across the continent composers were penning
ditties about the world, peace and love. In this context it's no
surprise that Emma's bang-on-the-money song romped to victory,
leaving in it's wake contributions from TV presenter Kim
Goody and seventies pop stars John Miles and Bay City
Roller Les McKeown.
The same vibe was alive and well in 1991 as Samantha
Janus song (from the same composer to boot) bizarrely married
the on-topic message with a presentation in the style of Belle
and The Devotions seven years earlier. Honest old fashioned
singers like veteran Malcolm Roberts were left standing.
The strange juxtaposition was too much for Europe and the BBC
knew that another revamp was necessary.
        
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