Long Live Love (Olivia Newton-John song)

"Long Live Love"
Eurovision Song Contest 1974 entry
Country	United Kingdom
Artist(s)	Olivia Newton-John
Language	English
Composer(s)	Valerie Avon & Harold Spiro
Lyricist(s)	Valerie Avon & Harold Spiro
Conductor	Nick Ingman
Finals performance
Final result	4th
Final points	14
Appearance chronology
◄ "Power to All Our Friends" (1973)
"Let Me Be the One" (1975) ►

"Long Live Love" was the British entrant to the Eurovision Song Contest 1974 in Brighton, United Kingdom. It was sung by Olivia Newton-John in English.

The song's composers, Valerie Avon and Harold Spiro, had worked together as staff writers for Belwin Mills Publishing since 1970 and had placed songs with several artists: Newton-John had recorded the Avon/Spiro composition "Don't Move Away" as a duet with Cliff Richard, the track serving as B-side to Richard's 1971 hit "Sunny Honey Girl".

"Long Live Love" was the third bid Avon and Spriro had made to have a song of their composing be the UK Eurovision entrant, having finished 4th in a field of six at A Song For Europe 1970 with "Can I Believe" while at A Song For Europe 1971 the Avon/Spiro composition "In My World of Beautiful Things" had finished 6th in a field of six.

Newton-John introduced one of each of the six nominated songs on a broadcast of Jimmy Savile's Clunk Click TV show; on 23 February 1974 a TV broadcast entitled A Song For Europe 1974 announced the tally of viewers' mailed-in ballots, with "Long Live Love" the clear victor at 27,387 votes. The runner-up, "Angel Eyes" - which was Newton-John's favourite - gained 18,018 votes.

Considered a strong contender for Eurovision 1974, "Long Live Love" was performed second on the night of the final (following Finland's Carita Holmström singing "Keep Me Warm" and preceding Spain's Peret with "Canta y sé feliz"). The conductor for the number was Nick Ingman and Newton-John was backed by a five-woman chorale which included the Ladybirds, the trio who had sung backup for Sandie Shaw on her victorious performance of "Puppet on a String" at Eurovision 1967. At the close of voting "Long Live Love" had received 14 points to place in a three way tie for 4th in a field of 17, "Bye Bye I Love You" by Ireen Sheer singing for Luxembourg and "Celui qui reste et celui qui s'en va" by Romuald singing for Monaco also having accrued 14 points. Newton-John admitted post-contest: "I was never really happy with the song I had to sing."

Newton-John made recorded versions of all the songs she had performed for UK Eurovision 1974 consideration, these tracks making up half of Long Live Love, a December 1974 Olivia Newton-John album release, with "Angel Eyes" being utilized as the B-side of the single release of "Long Live Love."

In the British Isles "Long Live Love" charted in the UK with a #11 peak and reached #9 in Ireland: the track also afforded Newton-John a #11 hit in her adopted homeland of Australia. In anticipation of a boost from its expected strong Eurovision showing, "Long Live Love" was widely released throughout mainland Europe with the track having its highest global impact in Norway with a three-week chart peak tenure at #3, being kept from #1 by the chart-topping 1974 Eurovision victor "Waterloo" (ABBA) with first "Devil Gate Drive" (Suzi Quatro) and then "Seasons in the Sun" (Terry Jacks) at #2. However "Long Live Love" did not afford Newton-John widespread European success, otherwise charting only on Belgium's Dutch chart (#7) and in Finland (#9). Newton-John herself recorded a German-language version of "Long Live Love", while renderings in Norwegian and Finnish were recorded by respectively Gluntan (no) ("Det Er Et Sted") and Päivi Paunu ("Kun Rakastaa").

"Long Live Love" was succeeded as British representative at the 1975 contest by The Shadows "Let Me Be the One". Olivia Newton-John would be the last solo act to represent the UK at Eurovision until Eurovision 1985.

Chart positions

Chart (1974)	Peak position
Australian ARIA Singles Chart	11
Ireland Top Singles Chart	9
UK Singles Chart	11

Sources and external links

This article was based on informations from: Diggiloo net

Ewbank, Tim (2008). Olivia: the biography of Olivia Newton-John. London: Piatkus. p. 97-100. ISBN 978-0-7499-0984-0

Preceded by "Power to All Our Friends" by Cliff Richard	United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 1974	Succeeded by "Let Me Be the One" by The Shadows

Olivia Newton-John singles

1970s	If Not for You "If Not for You" "Banks of the Ohio" Olivia "What is Life" "Just a Little Too Much" Let Me Be There "Take Me Home, Country Roads" "Let Me Be There" Long Live Love "Long Live Love" "I Honestly Love You" If You Love Me, Let Me Know "If You Love Me, Let Me Know" "I Honestly Love You" Have You Never Been Mellow "Have You Never Been Mellow" "Please Mr. Please" Clearly Love "Something Better to Do" "Let It Shine" Come on Over "Come on Over" "Jolene" Don't Stop Believin' "Don't Stop Believin'" "Every Face Tells a Story" "Sam" Making a Good Thing Better "Making a Good Thing Better" Grease "You're the One That I Want" "Summer Nights" "Hopelessly Devoted to You" Totally Hot "A Little More Love" "Deeper Than the Night" "Totally Hot"

1980s	Xanadu "Magic" "Xanadu" "Suddenly" Physical "Physical" "Make a Move on Me" "Landslide" Greatest Hits Vol. 2 "Heart Attack" "Tied Up" Two of a Kind "Twist of Fate" "Take a Chance" "Livin' in Desperate Times" Soul Kiss "Soul Kiss" "Toughen Up" The Rumour "The Rumour" "Can't We Talk It Over in Bed" Warm and Tender "Reach Out for Me" "When You Wish upon a Star"

1990s	Back to Basics "I Need Love" "Deeper Than a River" Gaia: One Woman's Journey "No Matter What You Do" "Don't Cut Me Down" Back with a Heart "I Honestly Love You (1998 version)" "Back with a Heart"

2010s	Grace and Gratitude "Help Me to Heal" A Few Best Men "Mickey (Chew Fu Fix)"

Featured singles	"I Can't Help It" "The Best of Me" "Had to Be" "Falling" "Physical (Glee cast version)" "You Have to Believe" (with Dave Aude and Chloe Lattanzi)

Other singles	"Till You Say You'll Be Mine" "Rest Your Love on Me" "Spirit of the Florest" "The Grease Megamix" "Grease: The Dream Mix" "One Heart at a Time" "Love Shouldn't Hurt" "Hope Is Always Here" "When You Wish upon a Star (2011 version)" "Magic (Peach & Murphy remix)"

UK national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest

Contestants

Winners	Patricia Bredin Pearl Carr & Teddy Johnson Bryan Johnson The Allisons Ronnie Carroll Matt Monro Kathy Kirby Kenneth KcKellar Sandie Shaw Cliff Richard Lulu Mary Hopkin Clodagh Rodgers The New Seekers Olivia Newton-John The Shadows Brotherhood of Man Lynsey de Paul & Mike Moran Co-Co Black Lace Prima Donna Bucks Fizz Bardo Sweet Dreams Belle and the Devotions Vikki Watson Ryder Rikki Scott Fitzgerald Live Report Emma Samantha Janus Michael Ball Sonia Frances Ruffelle Love City Groove Gina G Katrina and the Waves Imaani Precious Nicki French Lindsay Jessica Garlick Jemini James Fox Javine Hylton Daz Sampson Scooch Andy Abraham Jade Ewen Josh Dubovie Joe and Jake

Songs	"All" "Sing, Little Birdie" "Looking High, High, High" "Are You Sure?" "Ring-a-Ding Girl" "Say Wonderful Things" "I Love the Little Things" "I Belong" "A Man Without Love" "Puppet on a String" "Congratulations "Boom Bang-a-Bang" "Knock, Knock Who's There?" "Jack in the Box "Beg, Steal or Borrow" "Power to All Our Friends" "Long Live Love "Let Me Be the One" "Save Your Kisses for Me" "Rock Bottom" "The Bad Old Days" "Mary Ann" "Love Enough for Two" "Making Your Mind Up" "One Step Further" "I'm Never Giving Up" "Love Games "Love Is "Runner in the Night" "Only the Light" "Go" "Why Do I Always Get it Wrong?" "Give a Little Love Back to the World" "A Message to Your Heart" "One Step Out of Time" "Better the Devil You Know" "Lonely Symphony" "Love City Groove" "Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit" "Love Shine a Light" "Where Are You?" "Say It Again" "Don't Play That Song Again" "No Dream Impossible" "Come Back" "Cry Baby" "Hold Onto Our Love" "Touch My Fire" "Teenage Life" "Flying the Flag (For You)" "Even If" "It's My Time" "That Sounds Good to Me" "You're Not Alone"

United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest

Eurovision Song Contest 1974

Countries

Final (by final results)	Sweden (winner) Italy Netherlands United Kingdom Luxembourg Monaco Israel Ireland Spain Belgium Greece Yugoslavia Finland Norway Germany Switzerland Portugal

Withdrawn	France Malta

Artists

Final (by final results)	ABBA Gigliola Cinquetti Mouth and MacNeal Olivia Newton-John Ireen Sheer Romuald Kaveret Tina Reynolds Peret Jacques Hustin Marinella Korni Grupa Carita Holmström Anne-Karine Strøm feat. Bendik Singers Cindy & Bert Piera Martell Paulo de Carvalho

Withdrawn	Dani Enzo Guzman

Songs

Final (by final results)	"Waterloo" "Sì" "I See a Star" "Long Live Love" "Bye Bye I Love You" "Celui qui reste et celui qui s'en va" "Natati La Khayay" "Cross Your Heart" "Canta y sé feliz" "Fleur de liberté" "Krasí, thálassa ke t' agóri mu" "Moja generacija" "Keep Me Warm" "The First Day of Love" "Die Sommermelodie" "Mein Ruf nach dir" "E depois do adeus"

Withdrawn	"La vie à vingt-cinq ans" "Paċi Fid Dinja"

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