From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Eurovision Song Contest 2009
Country  United Kingdom
National selection
Selection process Eurovision: Your Country Needs You
Selection date(s)Introduction show:
3 January 2009
Heats:
10 January 2009
17 January 2009
Semi-final:
24 January 2009
Final:
31 January 2009
Selected entrant Jade Ewen
Selected song" It's My Time"
Selected songwriter(s)
Finals performance
Final result5th, 173 points
United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest
◄2008 • 2009 • 2010►

The United Kingdom participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 with the song " It's My Time" written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Diane Warren. The song was performed by Jade Ewen. The British entry for the 2009 contest in Moscow, Russia was selected via the national final Eurovision: Your Country Needs You, organised by the British broadcaster BBC. Six acts competed in the national final which consisted of two heats, a semi-final and a final, during which the winner was selected entirely through a public televote.

As a member of the " Big Four", the United Kingdom automatically qualified to compete in the final of the Eurovision Song Contest. Performing in position 23, the United Kingdom placed 5th out of the 25 participating countries with 173 points.

Background

Main article: United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest

Prior to the 2009 contest, the United Kingdom has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest fifty-one times. [1] Thus far, the United Kingdom has won the contest five times: in 1967 with the song " Puppet on a String" performed by Sandie Shaw, in 1969 with the song " Boom Bang-a-Bang" performed by Lulu, in 1976 with the song " Save Your Kisses for Me" performed by Brotherhood of Man, in 1981 with the song " Making Your Mind Up" performed by Bucks Fizz and in 1997 with the song " Love Shine a Light" performed by Katrina and the Waves. To this point, the nation is noted for having finished as the runner-up in a record fifteen contests. Up to and including 1998, the UK had only twice finished outside the top 10, in 1978 and 1987. Since 1999, the year in which the rule was abandoned that songs must be performed in one of the official languages of the country participating, the UK has had less success, thus far only finishing within the top ten once: in 2002 with the song " Come Back" performed by Jessica Garlick. For the 2008 contest, the United Kingdom finished in twenty-fifth place (last) out of twenty-five competing entries with the song "Even If" performed by Andy Abraham.

The British national broadcaster, BBC, broadcasts the event within the United Kingdom and organises the selection process for the nation's entry. Despite calls from the leader of the Conservative Party David Cameron for a withdrawal due to the 2008 South Ossetia war, BBC announced that the United Kingdom would participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 on 28 May 2008. [2] [3] BBC has traditionally organised a national final featuring a competition among several artists and songs to choose the British entry for Eurovision. For their 2009 entry, the broadcaster announced that a national final involving a public vote would be held to select United Kingdom's entry.

Before Eurovision

Eurovision: Your Country Needs You 2009

Main article: UK national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest

Eurovision: Your Country Needs You 2009 was the national final developed by the BBC in order to select the British entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2009. Six acts competed over four televised shows between 10 and 31 January 2009 held at the BBC Television Centre in London and hosted by Graham Norton. [4] All shows in the national final were broadcast on BBC One as well as streamed online via the broadcaster's website bbc.co.uk. [5]

Contestants

On 18 October 2008, BBC announced an open submission for interested artists to submit their applications in the form of a video recording of themselves performing a cover version of a popular song or a self-written song. Eligible artists were those being 17 years old by 1 January 2009 and living in a country within the European Economic Area. The application period lasted until 21 November 2008. [6] [7] Additional applicants were provided to the BBC by casting companies through professional organisations including agents, stage schools, vocal teachers, open mic events, regional print press and radio stations. The received applications were reviewed and a shortlist was compiled by BBC producers and presented to a professional panel consisting of Andrew Lloyd Webber (composer of the British song), Colin Barlow ( Universal Music representative) and BBC producers that ultimately selected six contestants to compete in the national final following auditions as well as vocal and staging workshops held in London. [8] [9] [10] The six contestants were announced during an introduction show on 3 January 2009 which covered the background preparation and selection processes of the national final. [11] [12] [13]

Results summary

Colour key
  Act received the most public votes
  Act was in the "danger zone" but saved by Andrew Lloyd Webber
  Act was eliminated by Andrew Lloyd Webber
Weekly results per act
Act Heat 1 Heat 2 Semi-final Final
Jade Ewen Safe Safe Safe Winner
Francine and Nicola Gleadall Safe Safe Safe Runner-up
Mark Evans Safe Safe Safe 3rd place
Emperors of Soul Safe Safe Eliminated Eliminated
(Heat 3)
Charlotte Finlay Safe Eliminated Eliminated
(Heat 2)
Damien Flood Eliminated Eliminated
(Heat 1)

Shows

Heats

Two heats took place on 10 and 17 January 2009. [14] [15] In addition to individual performances of the six contestants, the female contestants together performed the songs "One Rock & Roll Too Many" from Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Starlight Express in the first heat and " Rhythm of the Night" by DeBarge in the second heat, while the male contestants together performed the songs " No Matter What" by Boyzone in the first heat and " Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" by Starship in the second heat. The contestants together also performed the winning song for the United Kingdom in 1976 " Save Your Kisses for Me" by Brotherhood of Man in the second heat. Guest performer in the first heat was Lemar who performed the song " Weight of the World" from his latest album The Reason, while guest performer in the second heat was the group The Saturdays which performed the song " Up" from their latest album. [16] [17] [18]

A panel of experts provided feedback alongside Lloyd Webber regarding the performances during the shows. The panel in the first heat consisted of Lulu (Eurovision Song Contest winner for the United Kingdom in 1969 with " Boom Bang-a-Bang") and Arlene Phillips (choreographer, talent scout and television presenter), while the panel in the second heat consisted of Lulu and Duncan James (singer, actor and member of Blue). A public televote selected two contestants to be up for elimination (the "danger zone") and Andrew Lloyd Webber eliminated one of the contestants. [19] [20]

Heat 1 – 10 January 2009
Draw Artist Song (Original artist) Result
1 Emperors of Soul " Love Train" ( The O'Jays) Safe
2 Mark Evans " Your Game" ( Will Young) Safe
3 Charlotte Finlay " Because of You" ( Kelly Clarkson) "Danger zone"
4 Damien Flood " How Am I Supposed to Live Without You" ( Michael Bolton) Eliminated
5 Francine and Nicola Gleadall " You've Got a Friend" ( Carole King) Safe
6 Jade Ewen " Déjà Vu" ( Beyoncé) Safe
Heat 2 – 17 January 2009
Draw Artist Song (Original artist) Result
1 Francine and Nicola Gleadall " The Promise" ( Girls Aloud) Safe
2 Emperors of Soul " Kiss" ( Prince) "Danger zone"
3 Jade Ewen " The Voice Within" ( Christina Aguilera) Safe
4 Charlotte Finlay " Rain on Your Parade" ( Duffy) Eliminated
5 Mark Evans " Me and Mrs. Jones" ( Billy Paul) Safe
Semi-final

The four remaining contestants competed in the semi-final on 24 January 2009. [14] [15] In addition to their performances, the female contestants performed the song " I'll Stand by You" by The Pretenders, while the male contestants performed the song " Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" by Elton John. Guest performers were Lulu performing the winning song for the United Kingdom in 1969 " Boom Bang-a-Bang", and Alesha Dixon performing the song " Breathe Slow". [21] [22]

A panel of experts provided feedback alongside Lloyd Webber regarding the performances during the show. The panel consisted of Dixon and Emma Bunton (singer-songwriter and actress). [23] The contestants each performed two songs: a ballad and an up-tempo song. [24] A public televote selected two contestants to be up for elimination (the "danger zone") and Andrew Lloyd Webber eliminated one of the contestants. [25] [26]

Semi-final – 24 January 2009
Artist Draw First Song (Original artist) Draw Second Song (Original artist) Result
Mark Evans 1 " Rock Your Body" ( Justin Timberlake) 5 " I Don't Want to Talk About It" ( Rod Stewart) Safe
Jade Ewen 2 " All by Myself" ( Eric Carmen) 6 " Think" ( Aretha Franklin) "Danger zone"
Emperors of Soul 3 " Patience" ( Take That) 7 " Uptown Girl" ( Billy Joel) Eliminated
Francine and Nicola Gleadall 4 " About You Now" ( Sugababes) 8 " All I Have to Do Is Dream" ( The Everly Brothers) Safe
Final

The three remaining contestants competed in the final on 31 January 2009. In addition to their performances, the contestants performed the winning song for the United Kingdom in 1981 " Making Your Mind Up" by Bucks Fizz in a group. Guest performers included Lulu performing the song " Relight My Fire" by Dan Hartman with the eliminated contestants Damien Flood, Charlotte Finlay and Emperors of Soul, and previous Eurovision Song Contest winner Dima Bilan who won the contest for Russia in 2008 with the song " Believe". [25] [27]

A panel of experts provided feedback alongside Lloyd Webber regarding the performances during the show. The panel consisted of previous panellists Lulu and James. The contestants each performed three songs, including a previously performed song during the preceding three heats and the British song " It's My Time". [28] [29] A public televote selected Jade Ewen as the winning artist.

Final – 31 January 2009
Artist Draw First Song (Original artist) Draw Second Song (Original artist) Draw ESC Song Place
Jade Ewen 1 " Lady Marmalade" ( Labelle) 6 " The Promise" ( Girls Aloud) 9 " It's My Time" 1
Mark Evans 2 " Try a Little Tenderness" ( The Commitments) 5 " Déjà Vu" ( Beyoncé) 7 3
Francine and Nicola Gleadall 3 " Sweet About Me" ( Gabriella Cilmi) 4 " Me and Mrs. Jones" ( Billy Paul) 8 2

Ratings

Viewing figures by show
Show Date Viewers
(in millions) 		Share Ref.
Introduction show 3 January 2009 4.9 21% [30] [31]
Heat 1 10 January 2009 5 22% [32]
Heat 2 17 January 2009 4.6 22% [33]
Semi-final 24 January 2009 Un­known
Final 31 January 2009 5.5 30% [34]

Promotion

Jade Ewen made several appearances across Europe to specifically promote "It's My Time" as the British Eurovision entry. On 7 February, Jade Ewen performed "It's My Time" during the final of the Maltese Eurovision national final. [35] She also performed the song between 18 February and 7 March during the Greek Eurovision national final, [36] the presentation show of the 2009 Bosnian Eurovision entry, [37] and the Russian and Ukrainian Eurovision national finals. [38] [39] On 18 April, Ewen performed during the Eurovision in Concert event which was held at the Amsterdam Marcanti venue in Amsterdam, Netherlands and hosted by Marga Bult and Maggie MacNeal, and appeared during the RTL 4 programme Life and Cooking. [40] On 3 May, Ewen performed "It's My Time" during Taniec z Gwiazdami, the Polish version of Strictly Come Dancing. [41] Prior to the contest, Ewen was interviewed by Russian magazine OK! which gave away more than 100,000 copies of "It's My Time" to readers from Russia and Ukraine. [42]

In addition to their international appearances, on 17 May, Jade Ewen performed during the UK Eurovision Preview Party, which was held in London, United Kingdom and hosted by Nicki French and Paddy O'Connell. [43] On 1, 2 and 4 May, Ewen appeared on the BBC One programmes Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, Saturday Kitchen and The One Show, respectively.

At Eurovision

Jade Ewen during a press meet and greet

According to Eurovision rules, all nations with the exceptions of the host country and the " Big Four" (France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom) are required to qualify from one of two semi-finals in order to compete for the final; the top nine songs from each semi-final as determined by televoting progress to the final, and a tenth was determined by back-up juries. As a member of the "Big Four", the United Kingdom automatically qualified to compete in the final on 16 May 2009. [44] In addition to their participation in the final, France is also required to broadcast and vote in one of the two semi-finals. During the semi-final allocation draw on 30 January 2009, the United Kingdom was assigned to broadcast and vote in the first semi-final on 12 May 2009.

In the United Kingdom, the semi-finals were broadcast on BBC Three with commentary by Paddy O'Connell and Sarah Cawood, while the final was televised on BBC One with commentary by Graham Norton and broadcast on BBC Radio 2 with commentary by Ken Bruce. [45] [46] [47] Norton replaced Terry Wogan following his retirement as the British commentator since 1980. [48] [49] The British spokesperson, who announced the British votes during the final, was Duncan James.

Final

Jade Ewen took part in technical rehearsals on 9 and 10 May, followed by dress rehearsals on 15 and 16 May. This included the jury final on 15 May where the professional juries of each country watched and voted on the competing entries. The running order for the semi-finals and final was decided by through another draw on 16 March 2009 and the United Kingdom was subsequently placed to perform in position 23, following the entry from Romania and before the entry from Finland. [50] [51]

The British performance featured Jade Ewen on stage with the LED screens displaying white chandeliers. Ewen made her entrance on a staircase in the middle of the stage with four violinists dressed in black tailcoats and bow ties, and was later joined by the co-composer of "It's My Time" Andrew Lloyd Webber who played the piano. [52] [53] The singer wore a dress designed by designer Amanda Wakeley during the performance, which was choreographed by Arlene Philips. [54] The performance also featured smoke effects. [55] [56] The United Kingdom placed fifth in the final, scoring 173 points. [57]

Voting

The voting system for 2009 involved each country awarding points from 1–8, 10 and 12, with the points in the final being decided by a combination of 50% national jury and 50% televoting. Each nation's jury consisted of five music industry professionals who are citizens of the country they represent. This jury judged each entry based on: vocal capacity; the stage performance; the song's composition and originality; and the overall impression by the act. In addition, no member of a national jury was permitted to be related in any way to any of the competing acts in such a way that they cannot vote impartially and independently.

Following the release of the full split voting by the EBU after the conclusion of the competition, it was revealed that the United Kingdom had placed tenth with the public televote and third with the jury vote in the final. In the public vote, the United Kingdom scored 105 points, while with the jury vote, the United Kingdom scored 223 points.

Below is a breakdown of points awarded to the United Kingdom and awarded by the United Kingdom in the second semi-final and grand final of the contest, and the breakdown of the jury voting and televoting conducted during the two shows:

Points awarded to the United Kingdom

Points awarded to the United Kingdom (Final) [58]
Score Country
12 points   Greece
10 points
8 points
7 points
6 points
5 points
4 points
3 points
2 points
1 point

Points awarded by the United Kingdom

Detailed voting results

The following members comprised the British jury:

Detailed voting results from the United Kingdom (Final) [60] [61]
Draw Country Results Points
Jury Televoting Combined
01   Lithuania 8 8 4
02   Israel
03   France 4 4 1
04   Sweden
05   Croatia
06   Portugal 1 1
07   Iceland 10 5 15 8
08   Greece 10 10 5
09   Armenia 2 2
10   Russia
11   Azerbaijan 1 4 5 3
12   Bosnia and Herzegovina 3 3
13   Moldova
14   Malta 7 6 13 6
15   Estonia
16   Denmark 3 3
17   Germany 12 2 14 7
18   Turkey 6 12 18 12
19   Albania
20   Norway 8 7 15 10
21   Ukraine 5 5 2
22   Romania
23   United Kingdom
24   Finland
25   Spain

References

  1. ^ "United Kingdom | Country profile | Eurovision Song Contest". Eurovision.tv. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
  2. ^ Devine, Peter (20 August 2008). "If David Cameron was Prime Minister". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 23 August 2008.
  3. ^ Kuipers, Michael (28 May 2008). "United Kingdom will not withdraw". ESCToday. Retrieved 26 May 2008.
  4. ^ Viniker, Barry (17 September 2008). "UK: X Factor style selection for Eurovision". ESCToday. Retrieved 20 December 2008.
  5. ^ Klier, Marcus (31 January 2009). "Tonight - United Kingdom: National final". Esctoday. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  6. ^ Davies, Russell (18 October 2008). "UK selection – "Your country needs you"". ESCToday. Retrieved 20 December 2008.
  7. ^ "Your country needs you – How to Enter". BBC. 18 October 2008. Archived from the original on 21 October 2008. Retrieved 20 December 2008.
  8. ^ "Lloyd Webber pens Eurovision song". BBC News. 18 October 2008. Retrieved 18 October 2008.
  9. ^ "US writer pens UK Eurovision song". BBC News. 10 January 2009. Retrieved 10 January 2009.
  10. ^ "Eurovision Your Country Needs You - About Your Country Needs You". bbc.co.uk. 5 January 2009. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  11. ^ Eurovision: Your Country Needs You: Introduction Show. British Broadcasting Corporation (3 January 2009). Retrieved on 2009-01-03.
  12. ^ Viniker, Barry (3 January 2009). "UK: The six acts competing for Eurovision". esctoday.com. Retrieved 3 January 2009.
  13. ^ Murray, Gavin (3 January 2009). "UK National Selection – Introduction show". Retrieved 8 January 2009.
  14. ^ a b Viniker, Barry (9 January 2009). "Exclusive: Biggest UK promotion push for Eurovision planned". ESCToday. Retrieved 9 January 2009.
  15. ^ a b Fisher, Luke (9 January 2009). "United Kingdom: 17-piece band on Your Country Needs You!". Oikotimes. Retrieved 9 January 2009.
  16. ^ Murray, Gavin (10 January 2009). "United Kingdom: First elimination show". Retrieved 10 January 2009.
  17. ^ Murray, Gavin (17 January 2009). "United Kingdom: Second elimination show". Retrieved 17 January 2009.
  18. ^ Davies, Russell (16 January 2009). "UK: This weeks song choices". ESCToday. Retrieved 16 January 2009.
  19. ^ "Damien first to be eliminated in United Kingdom". eurovision.tv. 10 January 2009. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  20. ^ Klier, Marcus (17 January 2009). "United Kingdom: four Eurovision acts to the semi-final". ESCToday. Retrieved 17 January 2009.
  21. ^ Murray, Gavin (24 January 2009). "United Kingdom: National Semi-final". Retrieved 24 January 2009.
  22. ^ Wells, Simon (24 January 2009). "Live from London, 'Your Country Needs You' Semifinal". Oikotimes. Retrieved 24 January 2009.
  23. ^ Fisher, Luke (17 January 2009). "United Kingdom: Charlotte leaves Your Country Needs You". oikotimes. Retrieved 17 January 2009.
  24. ^ Davies, Russell (22 January 2009). "United Kingdom: semi-final song choices!". ESCToday. Retrieved 22 January 2009.
  25. ^ a b Wells, Simon (24 January 2009). "United Kingdom: Lineup and details for 'Your Country Needs You' final". Oikotimes. Retrieved 24 January 2009.
  26. ^ Klier, Marcus (24 January 2009). "United Kingdom: three acts to the national final". ESCToday. Retrieved 24 January 2009.
  27. ^ Klier, Marcus (25 January 2009). "United Kingdom: Song title announced". ESCToday. Retrieved 25 January 2009.
  28. ^ Klier, Marcus (28 January 2009). "United Kingdom: Saturday's song choices". ESCToday. Retrieved 28 January 2009.
  29. ^ "Songs for the Grand Final". BBC. 28 January 2009. Retrieved 28 January 2009.
  30. ^ Viniker, Barry (5 January 2009). "British Public answer nation's Eurovision call". ESCToday. Retrieved 8 January 2009.
  31. ^ Fisher, Luke (5 January 2009). "United Kingdom: Positive viewing figures for Your Country Needs You". Oikotimes. Retrieved 8 January 2009.
  32. ^ Viniker, Barry (12 January 2009). "Five million tune in for UK Eurovision live show". ESCToday. Retrieved 12 January 2009.
  33. ^ Plunkett, John (19 January 2009). "TV ratings: ITV's Demons lose some magic". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 25 January 2021. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  34. ^ "Your Country Needs You show watched by 5.4m". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  35. ^ Horvat, Ivan (21 January 2009). "Malta: Hadise and UK representative in Eurosong final". esctoday.com. Retrieved 22 January 2009.
  36. ^ Viniker, Barry (16 February 2009). "Jade to perform Eurovision entry in Greece". ESCToday. Retrieved 16 February 2009.
  37. ^ Klier, Markus (1 March 2009). "Live – Song Presentation in Bosnia and Herzegovina". ESC Today. Archived from the original on 18 March 2009. Retrieved 7 March 2009.
  38. ^ Klier, Markus (7 March 2009). "National Final in Russia". ESC Today. Retrieved 7 March 2009.
  39. ^ McLoughlin, Jamie (6 March 2009). "The Further Adventure of Jade Ewen – Boom Bang a Blog". Boom Bang a Blog. Retrieved 7 March 2009.
  40. ^ Romkes, René (26 March 2008). "Netherlands: Eurovision in Concert 2009". ESCToday. Retrieved 26 April 2009.
  41. ^ "YouTube". Retrieved 7 June 2014 – via YouTube.[ dead YouTube link]
  42. ^ "UK: Jade Ewen – The queen of Russian media". ESCToday. 5 May 2009. Archived from the original on 9 May 2009. Retrieved 5 May 2009.
  43. ^ Hondal, Victor (17 April 2009). "Scala ready for another big Eurovision evening". ESCToday. Retrieved 26 April 2009.
  44. ^ Viniker, Barry (14 September 2008). "Eurovision 'Big Four' final spots confirmed". ESCToday. Retrieved 14 September 2008.
  45. ^ "Eurovision Song Contest 2009 Semi-final 1". Radio Times. 4 May 2009. Retrieved 4 May 2009.
  46. ^ Rendall, Alasdair (5 December 2008). "United Kingdom: Bye bye Terry...hello Graham". Oikotimes. Retrieved 5 December 2008.
  47. ^ Viniker, Barry (18 May 2009). "Jump in viewing figures proves Cowell wrong Britain's got Eurovision Talent". esctoday.com. Retrieved 19 May 2009.
  48. ^ "Norton is Eurovision's new Wogan". BBC News. 5 December 2008. Retrieved 5 December 2008.
  49. ^ Repo, Juha (5 December 2008). "UK: Terry Wogan retires from Eurovision". ESCToday. Retrieved 5 December 2008.
  50. ^ Siim, Jarmo (16 March 2009). "Results: Draw for the Running Order!". EBU. Retrieved 16 March 2009.
  51. ^ Klier, Marcus (16 March 2009). "Live: Draw of the running order". ESCToday. Retrieved 16 March 2009.
  52. ^ Nikkhah, Roya (31 January 2009). "No more nul points at Eurovision?". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 3 February 2009. Retrieved 31 January 2009.
  53. ^ West-Soley, Richard (15 May 2009). "The final : First dress rehearsal". Esctoday. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  54. ^ "Jade Ewen – The UK (It's My Time) – Exclusive interview during her promotional tour!". 20 April 2009. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 7 June 2014 – via YouTube.
  55. ^ "Is it the United Kingdom's time?". eurovision.tv. 9 May 2009. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  56. ^ "UK: Jade balancing with Lloyd Webber". eurovision.tv. 10 May 2009. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  57. ^ "Grand Final of Moscow 2009". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 25 April 2021. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  58. ^ a b "Results of the Grand Final of Moscow 2009". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 26 April 2021. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
  59. ^ "Results of the First Semi-final of Moscow 2009". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 26 April 2021. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
  60. ^ Bakker, Sietse (31 July 2009). "Exclusive: Split jury/televoting results out!". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  61. ^ "Eurovision Song Contest 2009 – Full Results". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original (XLS) on 6 June 2011.

External links

Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/?title=United_Kingdom_in_the_Eurovision_Song_Contest_2009&oldid=1220380722"