 "Bad Old Days" | |
|---|---|
| Eurovision Song Contest 1978 entry | |
| Country | |
| Artists |
|
| As | |
| Language | English |
| Composers |
|
| Lyricists |
|
| Conductor | |
| Finals performance | |
| Final result | 11th |
| Final points | 61 |
| Entry chronology | |
| ◄ "Rock Bottom" (1977) | |
| "Mary Ann" (1979) ► | |
"Bad Old Days" was theBritish entry in theEurovision Song Contest 1978, performed inEnglish byCo-Co.
The song, written byStephanie de Sykes and Stuart Slater was an uptempo love song, with the narrator recalling the 'bad old days' before they met their current partner.[1]
On the night of the final, 22 April, the song was performed eighth, followingSpain'sJosé Vélez with "Bailemos un vals" and precedingSwitzerland'sCarole Vinci [fr] with "Vivre". At the close of voting, it had received 61 points, placing 11th in a field of 20.[2]
At the time, this was the worst showing yet for the UK in Eurovision, lower than the 9th place in 1966 which until 1978 had held the dubious distinction. "Bad Old Days" held the ignominious title until 1987, when the UK finished 13th. Of all the UK entries submitted from 1975-1993, this was the only UK song that did not receive either a 12 or a 10 point score at least once in the voting sequence. The highest score awarded to "Bad Old Days" was 8 points from Germany.
"Bad Old Days" was succeeded as British representative at the1979 contest byBlack Lace with "Mary Ann".
The single reached No.13 in the UK during a seven-week chart run. The song entered the UK Singles Chart at no.39 for the week the contest was staged. In the following week, it rose rapidly to no.16. Its eventual peak of 13 occurred three weeks after their failure in the contest.[3] It was to be the group's only hit.
| Chart (1978) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK SinglesOfficial Charts Company[4] | 13 |
| Preceded by | United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 1978 | Succeeded by |
