Fly with me to number 25 on the Eurovision Top 100 list. Today’s feature is a cute, happy British song called “Sing Little Birdie.”
We are throwing it way back to the first era of the Eurovision Song Contest in 1959. This song was the United Kingdom’s first successful entry at Eurovision, and the first of what would be (at least) 16 second-place finishes. That’s a lot of silver medals, but in my view, a few of them should have been golds. Yes, this is one of them.
“Sing Little Birdie” was Britain’s second entry in the Eurovision Song Contest. Their first act in 1957 was an operatic piece that did not do well, so this was the United Kingdom’s first taste of any success. It would not be their last.
Vital Information: “Sing Little Birdie”
| Song | Sing Little Birdie |
| Performed By | Pearl Carr & Teddy Johnson |
| Written By | Syd Cordell & Stan Butcher |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 1959 |
| Language(s) Performed In | English |
| How It Fared | 2nd place (16 points) |
| Was It Fair? | Yes, but should have won |
What I Liked
Some words which might be used to describe this song are peppy, perky, jolly, and cheery. Yes, a thesaurus may have been involved. I’ll throw in bright and joyful as well; those were not on the list of the thesaurus words.
Keeping its time period in mind, this is the sort of upbeat song people might well have liked in 1959. I was getting a bit of Bing Crosby crooner energy from Teddy Johnson, but then again, a number of performers from that era could have given me that as well.
They came with props, too – specifically, the little birdie. Now, I have to say that in general, when a Eurovision song goes to whistling, I tend not to like it. At least these two had the good sense to limit it to what seemed necessary in the context of the performance (the birdie singing, as it were). Any more of it and this song probably doesn’t make the top 100 at all.
Other Facts
- Carr & Johnson were a husband-and-wife duo, and the first duet Britain ever sent to the contest. They were married for over 60 years and both lived to be 98 years old.
- They also tried to represent the United Kingdom in 1960, but they were beaten out in pre-selection by Teddy’s brother, Bryan Johnson.
- Carr & Johnson went second-to-last, 10th, in the running order.
If You Want to See “Sing Little Birdie”
Then you should find a video, obviously.
