Flying the Flag (for You)

Infobox Single
Name = Flying the Flag (for You)


Caption = Natalie Powers (top left), Russ Spencer (bottom left), David Ducasse (top right), Caroline Barnes (bottom right)
Album = Eurovision Song Contest 2007
Artist = Scooch
Released = 30 April 2007 (digital download)
7 May 2007 (CD single)
Format = Digital download, CD single
Recorded = 2007
Genre = Bubblegum dance
Length = 3:04
Label = Warner Bros.
Writer = Russ Spencer
Morten Schjolin
Andrew Hill
Paul Tarry
Chart position = #5 (UK)
#19 (Europe)
#48 (Ireland)
Last single = "For Sure"
(2000)
This single = "Flying the Flag (for You)"
(2007)
Next single =
Misc = Audiosample
Upper caption = Audio sample
Audio file = Flying the flag sample.oggInfobox ESC entry
song = flagicon|United Kingdom "Flying the Flag (for You)"


caption =
year = 2007
country = United Kingdom
artist = Russ Spencer,
Natalie Powers,
Caroline Barnes,
David Ducasse
as = Scooch
with =
language = English
languages =
composer = Andrew Hill,
Morten Schjolin,
Russ Spencer,
Paul Tarry
lyricist = Andrew Hill,
Morten Schjolin,
Russ Spencer] ,
Paul Tarry
place = 23rd
points = 19
place_semi =
points_semi =
lyrics = [http://www.diggiloo.net/?2007uk from Diggiloo Thrush]
clip =
prev = Teenage Life
prev_link = Teenage Life
next = Even If
next_link = Even If

"Flying the Flag (for You)" is a song written by Russ Spencer, Morten Schjolin, Andrew Hill, and Paul Tarrycite web|url=http://www.eurovision.tv/content/view/472/281/|title=Passport of SCOOCH|publisher=European Broadcasting Union (eurovision.tv)|accessdate=2007-05-13] and performed by British pop/bubblegum dance group Scooch.

The song was entered into "" in 2007, the British national pre-selection competition for the Eurovision Song Contest, and represented the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 in Helsinki, Finland. The song came 23rd with a total of 19 points, the same as France who finished 22nd cite web|url=http://www.eurovision.tv/addons/scoreboards/2007/final.html|title=Eurovision Song Contest 2007 Final Scoreboard|publisher=European Broadcasting Union (eurovision.tv)|date=2007-05-12|accessdate=2007-05-13]

ong information

Scooch had reformed to hope to perform at the Eurovision Song Contest 2007, and the song was specifically written for the Contest (Eurovision rules state that the song must be an original composition.)cite web|url=http://www.eurovision.tv/addons/files/Extract_ESC2007Rules.pdf|title=Eurovision Song Contest|pages=p. 3|quote=The entries (lyrics and music) must not have been commercially released and/or publicly performed before 1 October 2006.|accessdate=2007-05-14|format=PDF] Russ, as the captain, opens and closes the song with captain's announcements. Natalie and Caroline sing the vocals of the song, as David offers passengers confectioneries. The lyrics are heavily based on actual experiences of flying.cite news|url=http://www.esctoday.com/news/read/8602|title=19. Flag reinterpreted for UK act.|author=Barry Viniker|date=2007-05-08|accessdate=2007-05-14] The song contains a liberal amount of sexual innuendo,cite news|url=http://music.guardian.co.uk/pop/story/0,,2038168,00.html|date=2007-03-20|accessdate=2007-05-14|title=Assume crash position|publisher="The Guardian" Online] the most overt being "...and blow into the mouthpiece" and "Would you like something to suck on for landing, sir?" (the latter was omitted or changed for some tea-time television performances). The camp style was both praised and criticised - "The Guardian" noted that the song was, in terms of Eurovision, outdated and similar to Buck's Fizz's winning entry in 1981, while Tim Moore called the song "a fine song in Eurovision tradition".cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6651815.stm|title="The worst show in living memory."|publisher=BBC News|author=Tim Moore|date=2007-05-13|accessdate=2007-05-14]

Music video

The original music video was just their final performance on ""; Scooch recorded a new version once their contract with Warner Bros. had been signed.

Conforming to the lyrics, the second video starts with the quartet in the front of the aeroplane, with Spencer as the captain. The video continues with all of the members as stewards walking up and down the plane, with a cameo appearance from Sister Mary McArthur, who was invited to take part after the band saw her lip sync video.. [cite news|url=http://esctoday.com/news/read/8332|title=Scooch: The new video... & that nun again.|date=2007-04-27|accessdate=2007-05-12|author=Barry Viniker]

Later in the video each member of the band is seen dancing in front of the flags of selected countries that are all participating in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007, in addition to the flag of the European Union.

"Flying the Flag" in Helsinki

"Flying the Flag (for You)" was the nineteenth song to be sung during the Eurovision Song Contest..cite web|url=http://www.eurovision.tv/content/view/546/282/|title=Eurovision Song Contest Final Participants (in running order)|accessdate=2007-05-13|publisher=European Broadcasting Union (eurovision.tv)] The song scored only nineteen points: twelve from Malta, and seven from Ireland, two nations known for awarding points to the United Kingdom - although according to the Head of the Maltese Delegation, Malta voted twelve partly in protest to regional block voting which, had made the Contest "not about the songs any more",cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6654719.stm|title=Malta slates Eurovision's voting|date=2007-05-13|accessdate=2007-05-14|publisher=BBC News] an opinion shared by "five or six other countries". Due to the low score that Scooch had received (in fact, only Ireland were lower on the scoreboard), the song received negative press by newspapers - in particular, "The Sunday Mirror" commented that the song made the United Kingdom "the laughing stock of Europe",cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6651515.stm|title=Papers bemoan UK Eurovision score|date=2007-05-13|accessdate=2007-05-13|publisher=BBC News] while "The Sunday Times" referred to the song as a "crash landing" (rather than a disaster).cite news|url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article1782856.ece|title=UK's Scooch nosedive at Eurovision|author=Brendan Bourne|date=2007-05-13|accessdate=2007-05-13|publisher=The Times Online]

International promotion

On 18 April 2007 it was announced that Scooch had been signed to the Warner Bros. label. [cite news|url=http://esctoday.com/news/read/8261|title=Exclusive: Warner Bros sign Scooch, single out May 7th.|date=2007-04-18|accessdate=2007-05-12|author=Barry Viniker] This would help them to promote and release their single to a broader range of fans in the United Kingdom and abroad. As part of the contract, Scooch recorded certain phrases of the song in French, German, Spanish, Bulgarian, and Danish. [cite news|url=http://esctoday.com/news/read/8284|title=Exclusive: 5 language versions for Scooch|date=2007-04-20|accessdate=2007-05-12|author=Barry Viniker]

Track listings and formats

;CDcite web|title=HMV.co.uk singles: Flying the Flag (For You) (CD)|url=http://www.hmv.co.uk/hmvweb/displayProductDetails.do?ctx=280;-1;-1;-1&sku=636260|publisher=HMV.co.uk|accessdate=2007-05-13]
# "Flying The Flag (For You)" [Eurovision 2007 Version] (3:04)
# "Flying The Flag (For You)" [Karaoke Version] (3:04)

;DVDcite web|title=HMV.co.uk singles: Flying the Flag (For You) (DVD)|url=http://www.hmv.co.uk/hmvweb/displayProductDetails.do?ctx=12;2;65;-1&sku=646747|publisher=HMV.co.uk|accessdate=2007-05-13]
# "Flying The Flag (For You)" [Video]
# "How To" Special Scooch Dance Feature [Video]
# "Flying The Flag (For You)" [Karaoke Version] [Video]
# "Flying The Flag (For You)" [Audio]

Chart positions

The official single version was available from 30 April 2007cite web|url=http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=252758632&s=143444|title=iTunes Store - Scooch - Flying the Flag (for You) single|format=requires iTunes|accessdate=2007-05-13|date=2007-04-30] and was released as a physical CD single in the following week, on 7 May 2007.

The song's peak position in the UK Top 40 was #5, on the first week of release. In the second week of the release, the song had the most physical sales of any song in the chart, effectively giving Scooch their first UK Number 1 on any of the UK charts. [cite news|url=http://esctoday.com/news/read/8732|title=UK: The new Sweden?|date=2007-05-17|accessdate=2007-06-17|author=Barry Viniker]

References