Long Live Love (Olivia Newton-John song)
 "Long Live Love" |
|
|---|---|
| Eurovision Song Contest 1974 entry | |
| Country | |
| Artist(s) | |
| Language | |
| Composer(s) | |
| Lyricist(s) | |
| Conductor | |
| Finals performance | |
| Final result |
4th
|
| Final points |
14
|
| Appearance chronology | |
| ◄ "Power to All Our Friends" (1973) | |
| "Let Me Be the One" (1975) ► | |
"Long Live Love" was the British entrant to the Eurovision Song Contest 1974 in Brighton, United Kingdom. It was sung by Olivia Newton-John in English.
The song's composers, Valerie Avon and Harold Spiro, had worked together as staff writers for Belwin Mills Publishing since 1970 and had placed songs with several artists: Newton-John had recorded the Avon/Spiro composition "Don't Move Away" as a duet with Cliff Richard, the track serving as B-side to Richard's 1971 hit "Sunny Honey Girl".
"Long Live Love" was the third bid Avon and Spriro had made to have a song of their composing be the UK Eurovision entrant, having finished 4th in a field of six at A Song For Europe 1970 with "Can I Believe" while at A Song For Europe 1971 the Avon/Spiro composition "In My World of Beautiful Things" had finished 6th in a field of six.
Newton-John introduced one of each of the six nominated songs on a broadcast of Jimmy Savile's Clunk Click TV show; on 23 February 1974 a TV broadcast entitled A Song For Europe 1974 announced the tally of viewers' mailed-in ballots, with "Long Live Love" the clear victor at 27,387 votes. The runner-up, "Angel Eyes" - which was Newton-John's favourite - gained 18,018 votes.
Considered a strong contender for Eurovision 1974, "Long Live Love" was performed second on the night of the final (following Finland's Carita Holmström singing "Keep Me Warm" and preceding Spain's Peret with "Canta y sé feliz"). The conductor for the number was Nick Ingman and Newton-John was backed by a five-woman chorale which included the Ladybirds, the trio who had sung backup for Sandie Shaw on her victorious performance of "Puppet on a String" at Eurovision 1967. At the close of voting "Long Live Love" had received 14 points to place in a three way tie for 4th in a field of 17, "Bye Bye I Love You" by Ireen Sheer singing for Luxembourg and "Celui qui reste et celui qui s'en va" by Romuald singing for Monaco also having accrued 14 points. Newton-John admitted post-contest: "I was never really happy with the song I had to sing."
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