These are the 10 best ESC songs from Great Britain

In our series we list the best contributions from various ESC countries. This time: Great Britain's best songs.

Great Britain has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 65 times. The country stopped premiering only in 1956 and 1958.

Great Britain has won the Eurovision Song Contest five times – Sandy Shaw in 1967 (“Puppet on a String”), Lulu in 1969 (“Boom Bang-a-Bang”), and Brotherhood of Man in 1976 (“Save Your Kisses for Me”). ), Buck's Fizz (“Making Your Mind Up”) in 1981 and Katrina and the Waves (“Love Shine a Light”) in 1997.

Here are what we think are the 10 best ESC songs from the UK, in alphabetical order (early 2024):

Brotherhood of Man – Save Your Kisses for Me (1976)

A good pop melody and catchy dance – that alone was enough to make a lasting impression on the brotherhood of man. To this day, “Save Your Kisses for Me” is one of ESC's biggest hits.

Bucks Fizz – Making Your Mind Up (1981)

Five years later, a British quartet appeared on the ESC stage in a similar set-up – and won, trick outfits included. By the way, Bugs Fizz was established specifically for the Eurovision Song Contest, which turned out to be a brilliant decision.

Imani – Where are you? (1998)

When you think of ESC 1998, you immediately think of Dana International and the “Diva” anthem. But British singer Imani almost denied her victory – she came in second.

Katrina and the Waves – Love Shine a Light (1997)

In the shallow nineties of the ESC, an already well-known group won: Katrina And The Waves, who celebrated their breakthrough with “Walking On Sunhine”, entered the Eurovision Song Contest with the fraternity anthem “Love Shine”. A Light”. 1997 and won by a huge margin.

Lulu – Boom Bang-A-Bang (1969)

When Lulu won the ESC in 1969 with the beautiful song “Boom Bang A Bang”, she wasn't alone: ​​four countries shared the top spot that year. Of course, the path turned out to be even more classic.

Cliff Richard – Congratulations (1968)

Cliff Richard tried twice at ESC, but was unsuccessful despite being the favorite. In 1968 he was only one point short of Massiel, who won with “Congratulations”. Consolation: The song was still a hit across Europe.

Sam Ryder – The Spaceman (2022)

When Great Britain was almost on its knees after several disappointments at the ESC, the spaceman arrived: Sam Ryder, with the power of his voice, would bring the country out of the Eurovision slump in 2022 and take second place – only the Kalush Orchestra could not pass. him.

Sandy Shaw – Puppet on a String (1967)

He scored his first win for the United Kingdom: Sandy Shaw won the hearts of the judges with “Puppet on a String” in 1967 – in the end he scored twice as many points as Ireland's Sean Dunby. .

Sonia – Better The Devil You Know (1993)

A little bit of eighties, a little bit of nineties and a lot of power: Sonya impressed with “Better the Devil You Know” in 1993 and only had to give way to Irish Niamh Kavanagh.

New Seekers – Beg, Steal or Borrow (1972)

Another runner-up, this time with a typical seventies sound and look. New Seekers won the appeal, but Vicky Leandros for Luxembourg was ultimately the jury's favourite.

All the best lists of ESC countries

Photo: EBU