The Schlagerboys were first into my box last night, where they chose medley B as our next bunch of songs to compete for your votes in UK50. As a special treat, we decided to throw out the tunes that were going to be in medley B and let the boys themselves choose today’s songs instead (and today’s special guests to introduce them), because B is for boys after all. Chig even suggested that we could stick with the ‘B is for boys’ theme and choose three songs by male UK artists. The Schlagerboys took as much notice of me as everybody else does, quite wisely, and chose three songs by women.

Just in case anyone should think that this is merely Chig letting two friends join in for a laugh, let me point out that the Schlagerboys are genuine, international Eurovision celebrities. Firstly, they were being consulted by Swedish newspaper Expressen, to offer a UK perspective on this year’s Melodifestivalen heats, quoted and pictured in the paper and on the website. Then, they were mentioned LIVE on Norwegian telly during the Melodi Grand Prix final, by the singer who they’d gone to Oslo to stalk support!

Here’s the proof, on YouTube. The interviewer says to Jenny Jenssen something like “…the Grand Prix opens new doors for people” and then mentions her “English fanclub”. At this point, the Schlagerboys can be heard screaming like girls. Jenny then says something we can’t quite understand, but includes the word “evening” and then the immortal words, “Schlagerboys, yes!”



It’s a TV classic, better in this edited version than the full clip, wherein the camera turns to the Schlagerboys themselves, with their ‘We ‘heart’ Jenny Jenssen’ placards and it becomes woefully clear that they are the only people in the audience supporting her. So now the whole of Norway knows they are mad.

By a strange twist of fate (not), it’s time to turn again to Norway, for today’s special guests, as the Schlagerboys invite onto the stage Bettan and Hanne, better known as the first ever Eurovision winners to represent Norway, from 1985.

Velkommen...Bobbysocks!

“Hallo! Hyggelig å treffe deg”

Beklager, jeg snakker ikke norsk…so we’ll continue in English, if it’s okay with you two?

Bettan: “Ja. I mean ‘yes’. Thank you for naming this group after me.”
Hanne: “It’s not B for Bettan, it’s B for Bobbysocks. It’s both of us”
Bettan: “Oh.”
Hanne: “Bettan’s not even your real name anyway, is it Elisabeth?”
Bettan: “Er, no, but let’s get on with introducing these UK songs.”
Hanne: “Yes, let us do that. They're all quite good this time, aren’t they? The Schlagerboys have chosen well.”
Bettan: “Schlagerboys, yes! They’re all good songs, but none of them won, did they?”
Hanne: “No, we are much better.”

Bettan: “The first one is Jack In The Box, which was only four years after Puppet On A String. You Brits love your songs about toys, don’t you?”
Hanne: “Maybe it’s because children choose the UK’s songs?"
Bettan: “Yes, I have seen Scooch and Daz Sampson. What’s the second song?”
Hanne: “It’s a song about someone who doesn’t know who’s at the door.”
Bettan: “Couldn’t Mary Hopkin see her knockers?”
Hanne: “Apparently not.”

Bettan: “The third one is by an Australian woman who the UK dragged in to represent them.”
Hanne: “Ooh, ah, it’s Gina G at last.”
Bettan: “No, it’s Olivia Newton-John.”
Hanne: “But she’s actually English. She was born in Cambridge. Not a lot of people know that.”
Bettan: “Why are you doing Michael Caine impressions? It’s time for us to go. Ha det!
Hanne: “Ja, ha det!”


Ha det, Bobbysocks. Tack! Interesting. We have an international contest in our ‘sounds of the ‘70s’ Group Bobbysocks, as Northern Ireland’s Clodagh takes on Welsh Mary and English Aussie Olivia. Who will win? You decide!

The songs are:

UK 1971 - Jack In The Box – Clodagh Rodgers (4th of 18 songs)
UK 1970 - Knock, Knock, Who’s There? – Mary Hopkin (2nd of 12 songs)
UK 1974 – Long Live Love – Olivia Newton-John (=4th of 17 songs)

Do you like Clodagh bouncing up and down on your spring? Are you one of Mary’s knockers? Is Olivia the one that you want?

Download Chig’s medley of all three songs in Group Bobbysocks here. Or watch the YouTube videos below. Then cast your votes in the comments box, like this:

12 points - your favourite song
6 points - your second favourite song
0 (nul points) - your least favourite song

UK 1971 - Jack In The Box – Clodagh Rodgers:
Pink sequinned hotpants. You go girl!



UK 1970 - Knock, Knock, Who’s There? – Mary Hopkin:
In the early 1970s, Chig used to get Mary Hopkin and Mary Peters confused. They are hardly similar, but Chig wasn't even four when Hopkin did this and was only six when Peters won Olympic gold in 1972. Even now, Chig is often confused by Marys.



UK 1974 – Long Live Love – Olivia Newton-John:
Why did she wear her nightie?

Labels: Group Bobbysocks, UK50

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