British crooner Engelbert Humperdinck is to represent the UK at this year's Eurovision Song Contest.

The 75-year-old, dubbed the "King of Romance", is best known for his 1967 hit Release Me, which kept The Beatles' Strawberry Fields Forever off the number one spot.

The singer said it was "an absolute honour" to be taking part and was "excited and raring to go".

This year's competition will be held in Baku, Azerbaijan, on 26 May.

The song Humperdinck will perform has yet to be announced but the BBC said it would be recorded in London, Los Angeles and Nashville.

It will be written by Grammy award-winning producer Martin Terefe and Ivor Novello winner Sacha Skarbek, who co-wrote James Blunt hit You're Beautiful.

Humperdinck - whose real name is Arnold Dorsey - has sold more than 150 million records worldwide during his 45 year career ...

Full article, BBC, 01/03/12.

I am surprised but there will inevitably be a huge knock on effect in increased album sales and so on.

Good luck to him.

:)

Back in the day - I did like Engelbert .. Hope he does well for us ..

Way to go, Enge!! :) :flowers:

I hugely respect him for carrying on with his career and an active life. Apparently he has suffered from severe arthiritis for many years.

I just hope he does well.

Engelbert: I'll win Eurovision Song Contest

ENGELBERT Humperdinck last night vowed he has it in him to become the oldest person ever to triumph in the Eurovision Song Contest, declaring: "I am going to win it for Britain." ...

Full article, 03/03/12.

:)

LOL at Jedward's comments at the bottom of that page.

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
oh no, they are representing Ireland AGAIN!!!

Russian Euro Entry Is Singing Grannies

The Buranovo Grannies, who performed in customary peasant garb, will represent Russia against Jedward at the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest.

Russia ignored established stars to choose The Buranovskiye Babushki (Buranovo Grannies) from the far-flung Udmurtia region as they won the qualifying tournament with their cheerful folk-disco song Party for Everybody.

In heavily-accented English, the dancing pensioners sang "Party for everybody, come on and dance!" as they jigged in their traditional costumes. The studio audience at the televised qualifying contest gave them a standing ovation.

The Buranovo Grannies saw off competition from some of Russia's top pop stars, including a duet by 2008 Eurovision winner Dima Balan and former member of popular female duo Tatu, Yulia Volkova.

Their song is likely to be the first ever sung at Eurovision in a mixture of English and Udmurtian, a language from the Finno-Ugric group.

One of the group, named as Grandmother Olga, said that all they wanted was to make enough money through singing to build a church in their home village. "That is our only goal. Grandmothers do not need glory and wealth," she said.

The Buranovskiye Babushki rose to fame in Russia by singing cover versions of hits such as the Eagles' Hotel California and Yesterday by the Beatles in Udmurtian, the native language of a region in central Russia best-known for manufacturing Kalashnikov automatic rifles.

Waveguide, 08/03/12.

:)

Good luck to them. Age is not an issue.

Engelbert Humperdinck unveils UK's Eurovision song

A ballad called Love Will Set You Free is the UK's entry at the Eurovision Song Contest, it has been revealed ...

Video and full article here, BBC, 19/03/12.

:huh:

He does his best. I guess, it's a perfectly good effort for the Eurovision Song Contest. I doubt he has a chance of winning or getting anywhere close.

What a waste of a talent like Engelbert. Such a shame but I guess he knows what he is up to.

Nil points coming I think ..

It is a nice song and well sung BUT !!!!!

BRITAIN’S Eurovision hopeful Engelbert Humperdinck is already a EURO-FLOP after his much-trumpeted song went crashing out of the top 75.

In an ominous development the veteran crooner’s Eurovision entry, Love Will Set You Free, is languishing at No76.

Just 3,442 people bought the ballad despite a huge publicity campaign and airplay on radio and TV.

This follows a similarly woeful 4,811 copies sold in the first week, which saw it enter the charts at No64 ...

Full piece, the Sun, 22/05/12.

:(

The wrong song for the wrong singer for what is a very silly competition. Engelbert's huge talent and experience is being completely wasted.

Agree Eddy..

And we are first up in the Comp too - will easiley be forgotten by the end at voting time ..

Don't think it got through last night semi final but just cannot stop laughting at the words of Austria's song

Austria song

How jedward - Irelands song gor through - I have not got a clue ..

Love these ladies too

Russian song

They got through

8 PM Thursday - BBC3 is the last heat ..

I watched. Loved it to bits. Good luck to them.

:)

Sadly there does not seem to be to many really silly songs this year , I do hope the Russian Grans win - oh sorry forgot about Engelbert - good luck ..

Top of the Pops 2, Eurovision special.

Tonight on BBC2 at 11.15pm, just after Eurovision ends on BBC1. It will feature Eurovision winners and British entrants from over the years. Should be good fun.

:thumbsup:

Also:

Eurovision from the start video special: Watch 57 years of British entries

Article and lots of video links here:

Mirror, 25/05/12.

:)

Poor Enge, he did his best but that song was an absolute dirge, bottom 3 for us, probably last.

I've not been watching. I really don't know why the UK bothers to enter this competition.

I was half right, second last with 12 points. :rolleyes:

Dear me. I can't believe that the BBC could not come up with a better song than that.

Poor Engelbert. I guess that once he had signed the requisite contract he was obliged to sing whatever song was chosen.

My winner was Russia and those lovely grannies. I loved their song.

Terry Wogan article.

In all the long, and some would say weary, years that I�ve infested the television, the programme for which I received the greatest public accolades was the Eurovision Song Contest. Some might say unkindly it was because I was never in vision. But in my declining years, I like to fondly think that over the many hard yards of the Eurovision, the discerning viewer and I have aged in the wood together. As the song puts it, �we�ve seen fire and we�ve seen rain�, or if it�s hymns you prefer, we�ve soldiered on �through dungeon, fire and sword�.

In the beginning, we happy few smiled our secret smiles when others took Eurovision seriously enough to confuse it with a real song contest. Later, our little smiles became muted chuckles as television critics lambasted it for the musical rubbish that we always knew it was. We knew well that the noble objective of bringing the nations of Europe together on the dove�s wings of song was destined to show only how far apart we were, and how age-old national prejudices never die. Ah, had we but read the omens, we mightn�t be in the fix we are today ...

Full article, Telegraph, 26/05/12.

:)

Worth taking a look. Wogans says that he regrets quitting.

The singing on the show -except for two/three country's was very good - sadly its the songs them selves that let the country down ..

The winner - the song I cannot get but beautifully sung ..

Oh so sorry Russian Gran's never won ..

poor old Enge....