- Cry Baby (Jemini song)
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For other uses, see Crybaby.
"Cry Baby"Eurovision Song Contest 2003 entry Country United Kingdom Artist(s) Chris Cromby
Gemma AbbeyAs Jemini Language English Composer(s) Martin Isherwood Lyricist(s) Martin Isherwood Finals performance Final result 26th Final points 0 Appearance chronology ◄ Come Back (2002) Hold On to Our Love (2004) ► "Cry Baby", written and composed by Martin Isherwood, was the United Kingdom's entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 2003, and was performed by the duo Jemini. It was the only song entered by the United Kingdom to earn no points from any other countries.[1]
Selection process
Jemini were selected to take part in Eurovision by a public phone poll in the BBC's A Song for Europe competition. However, given the novel voting procedure used in the selection that year, some people questioned whether they really were the popular choice in any meaningful sense, a question which obviously loomed larger after the outcome in Latvia. The new system was essentially a synthesis of the familiar popular vote, and the points system that had existed before telephone voting was first deemed feasible in 1988. Votes were tallied separately in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and three regions of England (North, South and the Midlands), and were then converted into points. What to many seemed the unsatisfactory nature of this arrangement was exacerbated by the fact that, due to a clash with football coverage, the competition was only televised in Scotland on minority channel BBC Two, leading to the possibility of a very low number of votes from there. However, this was not the case, with over 100,000 votes cast in total for the duo.[2]
Eurovision performance
For their Eurovision appearance, Chris Cromby and Gemma Abbey were accompanied on stage by three female backing singers, and a guitarist named Kirk. The song was a simple pop ditty about a woman telling her lover that their relationship is over.
The Eurovision failure prompted a great deal of mirth and consternation in the British and European media. Jemini admitted that their performance was off-key, and claimed they were unable to hear the backing track due to a technical fault. Chris claimed that Terry Wogan had before the contest warned them that they would not get any points due to the Iraq War.[3] although the majority of the media blamed the result on the poor quality of the song and that it was sung out of tune[4][5] with Louis Walsh branding the song 'a disgrace' and 'so out of tune they deserved to be last'. Following the show their dressing room was broken into and vandalised. Author and historian John Kennedy O'Connor notes in The Eurovision Song Contest - The Official History that with a record field of 26 entries, this made the UK's failure the most spectacular in the history of the contest.[6]
The exposure the duo received after the contest gave them a No. 15 hit in the UK Singles Chart with the single "Cry Baby".[7]
References
- ^ "Jemini single set to sink". BBC. 2003-05-27. http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/music/newsid_2941000/2941618.stm. Retrieved 2008-07-21.
- ^ "Eurovision copy claims rejected". BBC. 2003-03-19. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/2864785.stm. Retrieved 2008-07-21.
- ^ "UK act hits Eurovision low". BBC. 2003-03-25. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/2935874.stm. Retrieved 2008-07-21.
- ^ Tina Miles. "News - Liverpool Local News - Jemini’s Eurovision flop not our fault, says singer Chris Cromby". Liverpool Echo. http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-news/local-news/2009/05/16/jemini-s-eurovision-flop-not-our-fault-says-singer-chris-cromby-100252-23636132/. Retrieved 2011-05-17.
- ^ Wells, Matt (2003-05-28). "Nul points - UK out of tune with Europe". The Guardian (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2003/may/26/bbc.arts.
- ^ O'Connor, John Kennedy (2007). The Eurovision Song Contest - The Official History. Carlton Books. ISBN 978-1-84442-994-3.
- ^ "Jemini make top 20". BBC. 2003-06-01. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/2954758.stm. Retrieved 2008-07-21.
Preceded by
Come BackUnited Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest
2003Succeeded by
Hold On to Our LoveSongs of the Eurovision Song Contest 2003 1. "Everyway That I Can" · 2. "Sanomi" · 3. "Ne ver', ne boysia" · 4. "I'm Not Afraid To Move On" · 5. "Give Me Your Love" · 6. "Weil der Mensch zählt" · 7. "Keine Grenzen-Żadnych granic" · 8. "Open Your Heart" · 9. "Dime" · 10. "Don't Break My Heart" · 11. "We've Got the World" · 11. "Let's Get Happy" · 13. "One More Night" · 14. "Hasta la Vista" · 15. "Više nisam tvoja" · 16. "Ne brini" · 17. "Never Let You Go" · 18. "Monts et merveilles" · 19. "Words for Love" · 20. "Feeling Alive" · 21. "Eighties Coming Back" · 22. "Deixa-me sonhar (só mais uma vez)" · 23. "Nanana" · 24. "Hello From Mars" · 25. "To Dream Again" · 26. "Cry Baby"(songs arranged by final results) Categories:- Eurovision songs of the United Kingdom
- Eurovision songs of 2003
- 2003 singles
- 2003 in British music
- Eurovision songs that scored no points
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