View source for Sing, Little Birdie

{{Short description|1959 song by Pearl Carr & Teddy Johnson}}
{{Infobox song
| name          = Sing, Little Birdie
| cover         = Sing,_Little_Birdie.jpg
| alt           =
| type          = single
| artist        = [[Pearl Carr & Teddy Johnson]]
| album         =
| released      =
| format        =
| recorded      = [[London]], [[England]]
| studio        =
| venue         =
| genre         = [[Pop music|Pop]]
| length        = 1:50
| label         = [[Columbia Graphophone Company|Columbia]]
| composer      = [[Stan Butcher]]
| lyricist      = Syd Cordell
| producer      =
| prev_title    =
| prev_year     =
| next_title    = How Wonderful To Know
| next_year     =
| misc          = {{Infobox song contest entry | embed=yes
| song         = {{flagicon|United Kingdom}} "Sing, Little Birdie"
| image        =
| caption      =
| year         = 1959
| country      = United Kingdom
| artist       = {{Plainlist|
* Pearl Lavinia Carr
* Edward Victor Johnson }}
| as           = [[Pearl Carr & Teddy Johnson]]
| with         =
| language     = English
| languages    =
| composer     = [[Stan Butcher]]
| lyricist     = Syd Cordell
| conductor    = [[Eric Robinson (conductor)|Eric Robinson]]
| place        = 2nd
| points       = 16
| prev         = All
| prev_link    = All (song)
| prev_year    = 1957
| next         = Looking High, High, High
| next_link    = Looking High, High, High
}}
}}
"'''Sing, Little Birdie'''" is a song recorded by husband-and-wife duo [[Pearl Carr & Teddy Johnson]] with music composed by [[Stan Butcher]] and English lyrics written by Syd Cordell. It {{esccnty|United Kingdom|t=represented the United Kingdom}} in the [[Eurovision Song Contest 1959]] held in [[Cannes]], placing second. It was the first British Eurovision entrant to be recorded, reaching number 12 in the UK singles chart.
==Background==
===Conception===
"Sing, Little Birdie" was composed by [[Stan Butcher]] with English lyrics by Syd Cordell.<ref name="DG">{{Cite web |title=Sing, Little Birdie - lyrics|url=http://www.diggiloo.net/?1959uk|website=The Diggiloo Thrush}}</ref>
===Selection===
On 2 March 1959, [[Pearl Carr & Teddy Johnson]] performed "Sing, Little Birdie" in the first semi-final of the [[Eurovision: Your Country Needs You|Eurovision Song Contest British Final]], the {{esccnty|United Kingdom|y=1959|t=national preliminary round}} organized by the [[BBC|British Broadcasting Corporation]] (BBC) to select its song and performer for the {{escyr|1959||4th edition}} of the [[Eurovision Song Contest]]. On 5 March 1959, the duo also performed in the second semi-final with the song "That's It, That's Love", making them the only act to ever perform two songs in the same multi-artist formatted British Eurovision pre-selection round; the duo also being double-entered in the British national preliminary round for the {{escyr|1960||1960 contest}}. [[Polly Brown]] would perform two contending songs in the British pre-selection round for the {{escyr|1976||1976 contest}} but as distinct acts: herself and as a member of [[Sweet Dreams (1970s band)|Sweet Dreams]].
"Sing, Little Birdie" was one of six songs to advance to the national final held on 7 March 1959, at the close of which "Sing, Little Birdie" was announced as the {{esccnty|United Kingdom|t=British entrant}} for Eurovision; the semi-final and final results for the British Finals of 1959 were determined by seven regional panels each comprising fourteen members.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://eurovisionworld.com/national/united-kingdom/eurovision-british-final-1959|title=United Kingdom: Eurovision British Final 1959|website=eurovisionworld.com}}</ref>
===Eurovision===
On 11 March 1959, the Eurovision Song Contest was held at the {{lang|fr|[[Palais des Festivals et des Congrès]]|i=unset}} in [[Cannes]] hosted by {{lang|fr|[[Radiodiffusion-Télévision Française]]|i=unset}} (RTF) and broadcast live throughout the continent. Pearl Carr & Teddy Johnson performed "Sing, Little Birdie" tenth in a field of eleven entrants. [[Eric Robinson (conductor)|Eric Robinson]] conducted the event's live orchestra in the performance of the British entry.<ref>{{Cite episode|title=Eurovision Song Contest 1959|episode-link=Eurovision Song Contest 1959|series=Eurovision Song Contest|series-link=Eurovision Song Contest|network=[[Radiodiffusion-Télévision Française|RTF]] / [[EBU]]|date=11 March 1959}}</ref>
At the close of voting, the song finished in second place, bettered by the {{esccnty|Netherlands|y=1959}}' entrant "[[Een beetje]]" by [[Teddy Scholten]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://eurovision.tv/event/cannes-1959/final|title=Official Eurovision Song Contest 1959 scoreboard|website=[[Eurovision Song Contest]]}}</ref>
===Aftermath===
Having failed to participate in the {{escyr|1956||inaugural edition}} due to missing the entry deadline, the BBC had made a disappointing Eurovision debut in {{escyr|1957}} with "[[All (song)|All]]" by [[Patricia Bredin]], finishing seventh in a field of ten: no recording had been made of "All" and the BBC had not participated in {{escyr|1958||1958 contest}}. The second place showing of "Sing, Little Birdie" at the 1959 contest was the first evidence of the United Kingdom being a potent force at Eurovision: four subsequent British Eurovision entrants would take second place at the contest finals before it would score its first Eurovision victory in {{escyr|1967}} with "[[Puppet on a String (Sandie Shaw song)|Puppet on a String]]" by [[Sandie Shaw]].
==Legacy==
The song was mentioned in the ''[[Monty Python's Flying Circus]]'' sketch "[[World Forum/Communist Quiz]]" in 1970 as having won the 1959 contest as the correct answer by [[Mao Zedong]] when it actually finished second.
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Eurovision Song Contest 1959}}
{{United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest}}
[[Category:Songs about birds]]
[[Category:Columbia Graphophone Company singles]]
[[Category:Eurovision songs of 1959]]
[[Category:Eurovision songs of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:1959 songs]]