Saturday 24 May 2008

Hell's Belles

The Eurovision Song Contest is upon us once again, so what better way to celebrate than with the UK's entry from 1984, Love Games by Belle & The Devotions? This one reached the dizzy heights of seventh place in that year's contest, which was won by Swedish Mormon brothers Herreys with Diggi-Loo Diggi-Ley, a song about a man who finds a pair of golden shoes that will make him surpass any obstacle. (John Terry really could've done with a pair of those for the penalties the other night.)

Anyway, yes, Belle & The Devotions. With Spagna supplying lead vocals:



Actually that's Kit Rolfe doing the singing (the other two's microphones were switched off, with backing vocals coming from some hidden singers offstage). Rolfe - sadly no relation to Mermaid boatyard owner Jack - had seen off, amongst others, Hazell Dean and Sinitta during that year's UK Song For Europe heats; she later teamed up with Hazell Dean herself to provide offstage backing vocals for Samantha Janus in Rome 1991, where the amusingly-surnamed one was representing Royaume-Uni in that year's contest. Sadly Janus's effort stumbled to a joint-tenth place finish. Mind you, it was a bit rubbish.

Belle & The Devotions - Love Games mp3 (available for 7 days)

Oh, I can't resist it, here's the immortal Diggi-Loo Diggi-Ley as well - gold shoes and all!

No comments: