Conception "Sing, Little Birdie" was composed by
Stan Butcher with English lyrics by Syd Cordell.
Selection On 2 March 1959,
Pearl Carr & Teddy Johnson performed "Sing, Little Birdie" in the first semi-final of the
Eurovision Song Contest British Final, the organized by the
British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) to select its song and performer for the of the
Eurovision Song Contest. On 5 March 1959, the duo also performed in the second semi-final with the song "That's It, That's Love", making them the only act to ever perform two songs in the same multi-artist formatted British Eurovision pre-selection round; the duo also being double-entered in the British national preliminary round for the .
Polly Brown would perform two contending songs in the British pre-selection round for the but as distinct acts: herself and as a member of
Sweet Dreams. "Sing, Little Birdie" was one of six songs to advance to the national final held on 7 March 1959, at the close of which "Sing, Little Birdie" was announced as the for Eurovision; the semi-final and final results for the British Finals of 1959 were determined by seven regional panels each comprising fourteen members.
Eurovision On 11 March 1959, the Eurovision Song Contest was held at the in
Cannes hosted by (RTF) and broadcast live throughout the continent. Pearl Carr & Teddy Johnson performed "Sing, Little Birdie" tenth in a field of eleven entrants.
Eric Robinson conducted the event's live orchestra in the performance of the British entry. At the close of voting, the song finished in second place, bettered by the ' entrant "
Een beetje" by
Teddy Scholten.
Aftermath Having failed to participate in the due to missing the entry deadline, the BBC had made a disappointing Eurovision debut in with "
All" by
Patricia Bredin, finishing seventh in a field of ten: no recording had been made of "All" and the
BBC had not participated in . The second place showing of "Sing, Little Birdie" at the 1959 contest was the first evidence of the United Kingdom being a potent force at Eurovision: four subsequent British Eurovision entrants would take second place at the contest finals before it would score its first Eurovision victory in with "
Puppet on a String" by
Sandie Shaw. ==Legacy==