Johnny Blue was the German entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1981, performed in German by Lena Valaitis.
The song was performed third on the night (following Turkey's Modern Folk Üçlüsü & Ayşegül Aldinç with "Dönme Dolap" and preceding Luxembourg's Jean-Claude Pascal with "C'est peut-être pas l'Amérique"). At the close of voting, it had received 132 points, placing 2nd in a field of 20.
The song is a ballad about the tititular "Johnny Blue" a blind boy who is shunned by other children because of his disability. He receives a guitar and soon learns how to play it, writing popular songs encouraging others to overcome their problems - and thus attaining the fame and popularity that was always his right. Valaitis also recorded the song in English under the same title; "Johnny Blue".
Written and composed by Ralph Siegel and Bernd Meinunger, the song has become something of a favourite in Germany, placing 9th in the Best of Eurovision poll in 2006.
It was succeeded as German representative at the 1982 Contest by Nicole with "Ein bißchen Frieden".
Read more about Johnny Blue: References and External Links
Famous quotes containing the words johnny and/or blue:
“Wha lies here?
I, Johnny Doo.
Hoo, Johnny, is that you?
Ay, man, but a’m dead noo.”
—Anonymous. “Johnny Doo,” from Geoffrey Grigson’s Faber Book of Epigrams and Epitaphs, Faber & Faber (1977)
“...the shiny-cheeked merchant bankers from London with eighties striped blue ties and white collars and double-barreled names and double chins and double-breasted suits, who said “ears” when they meant “yes” and “hice” when they meant “house” and “school” when they meant “Eton”...”
—John le Carré (b. 1931)