Long Live Love (Olivia Newton-John song)

"Long Live Love" is a song by Australian singer, songwriter and actress Olivia Newton-John, released in 1974. It was the British entrant to the Eurovision Song Contest 1974 in Brighton, United Kingdom.

"Long Live Love"
Cover of the Belgian release
Single by Olivia Newton-John
from the album Long Live Love
B-side"Angel Eyes"
ReleasedMarch 1974
GenrePop
Length2:46
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)John Farrar
Olivia Newton-John singles chronology
"Let Me Be There"
(1973)		 "Long Live Love"
(1974)		 "If You Love Me (Let Me Know)"
(1974)
Eurovision Song Contest 1974 entry
Country
Artist(s)
Language
English
Composer(s)
Lyricist(s)
  • Valerie Avon
  • Harold Spiro
Conductor
Finals performance
Final result
4th
Final points
14
Entry chronology
◄ "Power to All Our Friends" (1973)
"Let Me Be the One" (1975) ►

Background

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".

A Song For Europe

"Long Live Love" was the third time Avon and Spiro had submitted a co-composition of theirs for consideration as 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[2] - gained 18,018 votes.[3]

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."

At Eurovision

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[3] 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."

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

On 10 August 2022, Eurovision’s official YouTube channel uploaded the song’s performance from the 1974 contest in Brighton in tribute to Olivia after her death.

Chart performance

In the British Isles "Long Live Love" charted in the UK with a #11[4] peak and reached #9[5] in Ireland: the track also afforded Newton-John a #11 hit in her adopted homeland of Australia.[6] 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,[7] 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.[8] 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).[9][10]

Charts

Cover versions

Newton-John herself recorded a German-language version of "Long Live Love", while renderings in Norwegian and Finnish were recorded by respectively Gluntan ("Det er et sted")[14] and Päivi Paunu ("Kun rakastaa").[15]. Anthony Newley covered the song and it was issued as a single (MGM M12744) in the U.S. in 1974

References
  1. "Olivia Newton-John - United Kingdom - Brighton 1974". Eurovision Song Contest. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  2. Kruger, Debbie (30 August 1994). "Olivia Newton-John Interview". debbiekruger.com. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  3. Ewbank, Tim (2008). Olivia: the biography of Olivia Newton-John. London: Piatkus. p. 97-100. ISBN 978-0-7499-0984-0.
  4. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  5. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Long Live Love". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  6. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. p. 217. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  7. "Olivia Newton-John – Long Live Love". VG-lista. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  8. "VG Lista - Singles Top 20 - 17/1974". VG-lista. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  9. "Olivia Newton-John – Long Live Love" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  10. "Olivia Newton-John – Long Live Love" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  11. Pennanen, Timo (2021). "Olivia Newton-John". Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 (PDF) (in Finnish). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 183. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  12. "National Top 100 Singles for 1974". Kent Music Report. 30 December 1974. Retrieved 15 January 2022 – via Imgur.
  13. "Jaaroverzichten 1974" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  14. "Gluntan – Det Er Et Sted / Du Lever Som Du Engang Har Lært" at Discogs
  15. "Päivi Paunu Ja Kai Hyttinen – Nään Täysikuun / Kun Rakastaa" at Discogs
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