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United Kingdom in 1970
Mary Hopkin
Song
Knock, knock (who's there?)
Composer(s)
John Carter, Geoff Stephens
More information
Biography
Mary Hopkin (born 03/05/50 in Glamorgan) started her career in singing at a very early age. After singing in a rock band she tried her hands on a solo career. And successfully, as, after having recorded some songs in Welsh (her native language), famous model Twiggy saw Mary perform in Opportunity Knocks and recommended her to Paul McCartney. Mary's first chart success came with the second single release on the Beatles' Apple label. Her single Those Were The Days dislodged The Beatles' Hey Jude from the top of the UK charts, making it the first time in charts history the first and the second release on a new label reached the number spot consecutively in any chart. The song would return to the UK charts in 1991 as part of The Apple EP. But Those Were The Days wasn't the end for Mary. Her next release Goodbye didn't make the top spot in the UK, but did the trick in several other European countries. Temma Harbour brought her yet more success, but it was Knock, Knock (Who's There?) that brought Mary back to the top 3 in the European charts. After her participation in the Eurovision Song Contest her success dwindled however. Only Think About Your Children made a dent in the UK charts. Subsequent releases still charted in the UK charts, but stayed in the lower regions of the charts. After 1971 the hits dried up and only in 1976 Mary briefly returned to the UK charts with If You Love Me. Mary had brief spells with the groups Sundance and Oasis in the early to mid-80's and it's her recordings with Oasis that are very much sought after by her fans and collectors alike. Due to illness Mary had to refrain from working with Oasis and the group split shortly after. Incidentally this Oasis is a different outfit from the one with Liam Gallagher. This outfit consisted of Julian Lloyd-Webber and Peter Skellern. Peter Skellern scored some hits as a solo singer in the mid-70's and amongst his biggest were You're A Lady and Hold On To Love.
In many respects this year's UK entry was a joined force of the giants. Not only Mary Hopkin was a celebrity at the time. John Carter also was a big name in the late 60's to mid-70's. John started his career in the early-60's as a member of Carter Lewis & The Southerners. When this group dissolved John started doing session work and his voice can be heard on such big hits as Sandie Shaw's Always Something There To Remind Me and Keith West's Excerpt From A Teenage Opera. First chart success came, when John joined the Ivy League, a group that also consisted of his former band mate Ken Lewis. They started to record hits like Tossing And Turning and Funny How Love Can Be. John was replaced in the Ivy League by Tony Burrows (see Brotherhood of Man, UK 1976). John was reunited in 1967 with Tony Burrows and Ken Lewis for the group The Flowerpot Men, a reincarnation of the Ivy League that would eventually become White Plains in 1970. Hits of both groups were Let's Go To San Francisco and My Baby Loves Lovin'. John went on to work with White Plains after his contribution to the Eurovision Song Contest and several other UK hits with this group followed in the early-70's. When the White Plain's hits dried up after 1973, the group renamed themselves once again and reappeared in the charts in 1974 as The First Class with the big hit Beach Baby, a song that was co-witten by John's wife Gillian Shakespeare like most of the other First Class songs. Soon afterwards John Carter concentrated his efforts on songwriting. Something he achieved his biggest hits with, considering Mary Hopkin's Eurovision entry bettered the Ivy League's Tossing And Turning by one position in the UK charts.
Geoff Stephens was a famous song writer at the time and also is the man behind a lot of songs for Sunny Leslie (UK 1969 and see UK 1976) and other artists.
Country profile
Do you want to learn more about United Kingdom ? At worldatlas.com you can read a detailed country profile, including maps, flags and you can even listen to the national anthem!
History
We are currently updating our country history pages and therefore, they are temporarily unavailable! How many times they won? Who represented the country in 1960? This and a lot more is available in the history section soon!
All Participations for United Kingdom
| Year | Artist | Song | Points | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Andy Abraham | Even if | 0 | 18 |
| 2007 | Scooch | Flying the flag (for you) | 19 | 23 |
| 2006 | Daz Sampson | Teenage life | 25 | 19 |
| 2005 | Javine | Touch my fire | 18 | 22 |
| 2004 | James Fox | Hold on to our love | 29 | 16 |
| 2003 | Jemini | Cry baby | 0 | 26 |
| 2002 | Jessica Garlick | Come back | 111 | 3 |
| 2001 | Lindsay D. | No dream impossible | 28 | 15 |
| 2000 | Nicki French | Don't play that song again | 28 | 16 |
| 1999 | Precious | Say it again | 34 | 14 |
| 1998 | Imaani | Where are you? | 166 | 2 |
| 1997 | Katrina and The Waves | Love shine a light | 227 | 1 |
| 1996 | Gina G | Just a little bit | 77 | 8 |
| 1995 | Love City Groove | Love city groove | 76 | 10 |
| 1994 | Frances Ruffelle | We will be free (Lonely symphony) | 63 | 10 |
| 1993 | Sonia | Better the devil you know | 164 | 2 |
| 1992 | Michael Ball | One step out of time | 139 | 2 |
| 1991 | Samantha Janus | A message to your heart | 47 | 10 |
| 1990 | Emma | Give a little love back to the world | 87 | 6 |
| 1989 | Live Report | Why do I always get it wrong | 130 | 2 |
| 1988 | Scott Fitzgerald | Go | 136 | 2 |
| 1987 | Rikki | Only the light | 47 | 13 |
| 1986 | Ryder | Runner in the night | 72 | 7 |
| 1985 | Vikki | Love is... | 100 | 4 |
| 1984 | Belle and the Devotions | Love games | 63 | 7 |
| 1983 | Sweet Dreams | I'm never giving up | 79 | 6 |
| 1982 | Bardo | One step further | 76 | 7 |
| 1981 | Bucks Fizz | Making your mind up | 136 | 1 |
| 1980 | Prima Donna | Love enough for two | 106 | 3 |
| 1979 | Black Lace | Mary Ann | 73 | 7 |
| 1978 | Co-Co | The bad old days | 61 | 11 |
| 1977 | Lynsey de Paul and Mike Moran | Rock bottom | 121 | 2 |
| 1976 | Brotherhood of Man | Save your kisses for me | 164 | 1 |
| 1975 | The Shadows | Let me be the one | 138 | 2 |
| 1974 | Olivia Newton-John | Long live love | 14 | 4 |
| 1973 | Cliff Richard | Power to all our friends | 123 | 3 |
| 1972 | The New Seekers | Beg, steal or borrow | 114 | 2 |
| 1971 | Clodagh Rodgers | Jack in the box | 98 | 4 |
| 1970 | Mary Hopkin | Knock, knock (who's there?) | 26 | 2 |
| 1969 | Lulu | Boom bang-a-bang | 18 | 1 |
| 1968 | Cliff Richard | Congratulations | 28 | 2 |
| 1967 | Sandie Shaw | Puppet on a string | 47 | 1 |
| 1966 | Kenneth McKellar | A man without love | 8 | 9 |
| 1965 | Kathy Kirby | I belong | 26 | 2 |
| 1964 | Matt Monro | I love the little things | 17 | 2 |
| 1963 | Ronnie Carroll | Say wonderful things | 28 | 4 |
| 1962 | Ronnie Carroll | Ring-a-ding girl | 10 | 4 |
| 1961 | The Allisons | Are you sure? | 24 | 2 |
| 1960 | Bryan Johnson | Looking high, high, high | 25 | 2 |
| 1959 | Pearl Carr and Teddy Johnson | Sing little birdie | 16 | 2 |
| 1957 | Patricia Bredin | All | 6 | 7 |
