There were a few “tra-la-las”, several acoustic guitars, long-haired chaps dressed up in bow ties and – the height of fashion – a very brown set.
Tonight, millions will tune into an outrageous glitterfest of Eurovision campness, with pyrotechnics, occasional bum notes, forgettable ballads and, for a few performers, that most unwelcome of guests, a positive Covid-19 test.
There will be the usual technical challenges, laborious voting and a spirited UK performance of Embers by James Newman, shot down by political differences and a whiff of anti-Brexit hostilities.
All very different 50 years ago, when a victory for the tiny principality of Monaco sparked an unusual sequence of events that eventually led to Eurovision rolling into Edinburgh’s Usher Hall.
Monaco’s first and only Eurovision victory in Dublin in April 1971 had seen Un Banc, Un Arbre, Une Rue performed by Severine, a French singer who had never even visited Monaco, leave Spain, Germany and UK entry, Clodagh Roger’s Jack In The Box, trailing in its wake.
COMMENT: Eurovision Song Contest can teach Scotland some lessons
Gordon Roxburgh, author of four volumes of Eurovision bible, Songs For Europe, and a fan since 1968 when Cliff Richard’s Congratulations was beaten by a song called La La La, recalls Monaco quickly withdrew from hosting the 1972 show.
“Finding a suitable venue in Monaco was one problem. The other was Radio Monte Carlo entered on behalf of the country, and was a small broadcaster that faced picking up the bill.
“Spain and Germany both said ‘no’. Then the UK said it would do it.”
The BBC budgeted about £30,000 for the event, which eventually soared to more than £81,000.
The Usher Hall, with its fine acoustics, grand auditorium and accessibility for performers from 18 countries, beat Blackpool to host the all-live event.
Five-piece group The New Seekers, including Auchterarder singer Eve Graham, carried UK hopes for a show that was staid by today’s standards but still had plenty of off-stage dramas.
“We had just come from London having had a No 1 for I’d Like To Teach the World To Sing,” she recalls. “Things had suddenly taken off and we were at the peak of ‘Seekermania’.
“By the time we got to Edinburgh, we were surrounded by fans everywhere we went, with no crowd control; we didn’t have bouncers.
“There were riot police trying to control crowds that had blocked Princes Street,” she adds.
“Police were on horseback trying to clear the street and the manager of the hotel was worried he would have to pay if we didn’t keep the kids back.
“In the end, they knocked the revolving doors at the Caledonian Hotel askew trying to squeeze through.”
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All performers at the 1972 Usher Hall contest, hosted by Dunfermline-born actress Moira Shearer, performed live to the estimated 400 million viewers – the last time contestants appeared without the benefits of pre-recorded backing tracks.
The pyrotechnics and skin-tight leotards would come later.
With the Usher Hall too small for the entire Eurovision contingent, jurors were located in the Great Hall of Edinburgh Castle, surrounded by knights’ armour and weapons, while the half-time entertainment was courtesy of a four-year-old recording of the Edinburgh Military Tattoo.
Despite their popularity, The New Seekers’ Beg, Steal or Borrow was pipped into second place by a forgettable Luxembourg entry (Apres Toi, sung by Vicky Leandros).
“No-one thought Eurovision would turn into what it has become,” adds Eve.
“It was all about the song then and the songwriter got the trophy. Now it’s a competition for whoever can be the glitziest. I don’t watch it.”
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However, Eurovision fan Scott Blair, who has launched a petition calling for Scotland to be able to compete as an individual nation in the contest, will be watching. “I love the energy in the run-up to the competition, the array of new and interesting songs from across Europe, the crazy and memorable moments from each year, the interesting systems and strategies in voting and especially the competition of it,” he says.
He puts the UK’s traditional failure down to various factors, including its automatic entry to the final due to its financial contribution as one of the “Big Five” nations, and the song selection process by committee rather than public vote.
“Like most nations, I don’t really think the UK wants to win,” he adds.
“Anyone who’s seen the Eurovision episode of Father Ted or the recent film Eurovision Song Contest: The Story Of Fire Saga understands it’s expensive to host.”
Regardless, he hopes the world’s largest song contest might return to UK soil. “It would be amazing for the UK to host it, even more so if it returned to Scotland, similar to 1972,” he says.
“Imagine Eurovision 2022 taking place at the Hydro or Edinburgh Castle? I think it would spark a new-found appreciation for the song contest if it was hosted in the UK.”
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