We have a good one to begin the 40s on The Euro Yard’s Eurovision Top 100 countdown: “Making Your Mind Up” by Bucks Fizz.
You may remember this song for giving up one of the most iconic moments in the Eurovision Song Contest’s history: The double skirt-rip. There were other things to like about it, and I would imagine the juries in 1981 agreed, seeing as how it won.
The United Kingdom claimed its fourth victory in the contest, perhaps a bit unexpectedly.
Vital Information: “Making Your Mind Up”
| Song | Making Your Mind Up |
| Performed By | Bucks Fizz |
| Written By | John Danter & Andy Hill |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 1981 |
| Language(s) Performed In | English |
| How It Fared | Won (136 Points) |
| Was It Fair? | Yes |
What I Liked
They did the most they could with staging, that’s for sure – perhaps the most of almost any other song to this point. It still wasn’t much of a thing back in 1981, and the production values of the contest then were nowhere near what they are in modern times, but they delivered the most energy they could. That was the first sign that people needed to pay attention to this song. They delivered a complete performance and if you wanted to be truly entertained, you got what you wanted.
“Fun” and “iconic” are two words that could describe this performance. Iconic, you already know why, and “fun” because it had a quicker beat and a jumpiness to it that would make you want to put on some ugly sweater from the early 1980s and start hopping and bobbing.
In fact, the song was so energetic, iconic, and memorable that it overcame the fact that one of the singers was a little off-key. Might have gone even higher if not for it.
Other Facts
- The United Kingdom beat Germany in 1981 by just four points. Don’t feel too bad for them, however: Germany won the contest for the first time the following year.
- In an interview with The Guardian, Bucks Fizz member Cheryl Baker said she felt the skirt rip was the reason they won Eurovision. (Simpson, 2022)
- Britain would not win the contest again until 1997.
- Bucks Fizz and the United Kingdom performed 14th in the running order.
And If You Want to See Some More “Making Your Mind Up”
You can click the link to see the YouTube video from 1981.
References
Simpson, D. (2022, May 5). How we made Bucks Fizz’s Making Your Mind Up. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2016/aug/02/how-we-made-bucks-fizz-making-your-mind-up
