Rock Bottom

Album: Best of Lynsey de Paul (1977)
Charted: 19
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Songfacts®:

  • After winning two Ivor Novello Awards in quick succession, almost anything Lynsey de Paul achieved next would have seemed like an anti-climax, but coming runner up in the Eurovision Song Contest couldn't have been too disappointing. The easy listening duet "Rock Bottom," which was both co-written and performed with Mike Moran, scored 121 votes in the 1977 contest, behind the winning entry "L'Oiseau Et L'Enfant" by Marie Myriam of France with 136 votes. The UK entry was though more successful commercially; released on the Polydor label and backed by "Shouldn't Say That," it went on to become a top ten hit in many European countries.
  • There are two editions of the sheet music, copyright Chappell of London, published by Editions Chappell of Paris, and also, published by Chappell of Ilford, copyright Chappell of London; the latter of which is credited as "BRITAIN'S WINNING ENTRY SONG FOR EUROPE 1977". >>
    Suggestion credit:
    Alexander Baron - London, England, for above 2

Comments: 3

  • Brian from AsiaMade #2 on the Euro Hitchart Top 50 on the 4th June 1977.

    In Switzerland it was ranked the 15th best performing chart hit of 1977.

    According to Billboard Magazine dated 3rd December 1997, "250,000 copies of "Rock Bottom," the U.K. 1977 Eurovision entry by Lynsey de Paul and Mike Moran, were sold in Germany alone".
  • Bobby from Atlanta, GaThis clever song could be about a troubled love affair or the poor state of the UK economy in the mid 1970's, a point underscored by the mock of of the Financial Times that Lynsey holds at the beginning of Lynsey and Mike's Eurovision appearance. Certainly more intellectual than the usual Eurovision entries of the period.
  • Bertie from Birmingham, United Kingdom"Rock Bottom" was a bigger commercial success than
    "L'Oiseau Et L'Enfant" since it charted in more countries and reached the following positions:

    No.1 in Switzerland;
    No 2 in Austria;
    No. 4 in Germany;
    No. 6 in Sweden;
    No. 7 in Norway;
    No. 7 in Ireland;
    No. 10 in France;
    Surprisingly, it only reached No. 19 in the UK, but this was the summer of 1977 and punk rock ruled the airways and charts.

    Now if only the U.K. could do that well in Eurovision nowadays.
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