What happened to UK's Song For Europe 1979: Schlager-Pop 5-Guys'n'Dolls

As Eurovision history goes 1976 gave us Brotherhood of Man- The UK's winning Vocal-pop group of the moment - but that same year a second group gained greater populality this same year- In fact the group even had there own TV music show in 1976 'The Guys'n'Dolls Show' on ITV this was on the back of 2x Top 5 British hits 'There's a whole lot of loving' & 'You don't have to say you love me'

As well a Eurovision song- that was called

'How do you mend a broken Heart?'

this tune was submitted for Song for Europe 1979. Along with irish sisters The Nolans- 'Harry My Honolulu' these 2 songs alone gave UK a great chance of winning honours at Eurovision in Jerusalem. Instead the dreaded 'Mary-Ann' came to pass? How could this have happened we ask? How did a nation come to be represented by Black Lace! when UK had so much more to offer?

The answer was- BBC industrial-action, a whole 'Song for Europe' Live contest after been rehearsed & set to go on air Live on Thursday 8th March 1979 at Royal Albert Hall was pulled on the night- When suddenly the whole audience was sent home & the artists told the show would not go on! The full account of the event-horror can read here in Paul Griggs (Guys n Dolls) Memories here So it ended up that a small panel listened to records of the 12 entries and came up with Black Lace as a winner- did they play the other 11 songs all at the wrong speed we ask! or a power cut.

So it came to be Guys 'n' Dolls just perfect for Eurovision never had a real chance of Euro fame. Guys 'n' Dolls had recently been slimmed down to just a 4-piece band as the duo of David Van Day & Thereze Bazar had been dropped from the original 6 -piece. They went on to greater huge success in the 80's as Dollar. Another pop band of the eighties that never ventured into the Eurovision arena, Dollar were constantly compared to Buck Fizz of course- and there was even the copy-cat Bardo duo- they sung 'One Step Further' in 1982. This could so easily have been a Dollar hit

of the early eighties. As well as one of UK's biggest pop-hits from Eurovis' Land at this time.

Certainly 'How do you mend a broken heart?' would have been a better choice for Eurovision 1979. Guys 'n' Dolls did have great success following 1979 only in Holland with a new record deal with EMI, in fact during the 80's the foursome relocated accoss the channel in Holland. More recently all 6 original members reformed Guy'n'Dolls for the dutch fans in 2008. See them with Thereze & David Van Day on their 'Love Train'

Dollar- became the pop duo of the eighties

However sadly Guy'n'Dolls never went near Eurovision/Song for Europe again! could you really blame them after 79?