1977 Germany: Silver Convention - Telegram (8th place @ Eurovision Song Contest in London)

Описание: Performed by: Silver Convention
Music by: Sylvester Levay
Lyrics by: Michael Kunze
Conductor: Ronnie Hazlehurst
Language: English
Placing: 8th (55 points)

"Telegram" was the German entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1977, performed in English (the first time in which the German entry had not featured at least some lyrics in German) by Silver Convention, a trio at the time consisting of Austrian Penny McLean (born Gertrude Wirschinger), German-American Ramona Wulf (born Ramona Kraft) and American Rhonda Heath.

When Silver Convention entered the Contest in 1977 they were arguably that year's most established and well-known act; they had had a series of major disco hits in Continental Europe, Scandinavia, the UK and the US; "Save Me", "Fly, Robin, Fly", "Get Up and Boogie", "No, No, Joe", "Tiger Baby", and "Everybody's Talkin' 'Bout Love" and Penny McLean had also scored several solo hits in her own right in Europe, "Lady Bump", "1, 2, 3, 4, Fire!". "Devil Eyes", "Nobody's Child" and "Dance, Bunny Honey, Dance". All of these were written and produced by the same team as their Eurovision entry, Sylvester Levay and Michael Kunze.

The language rule was brought back in the 1977 Contest, four years after it had been dropped in 1973, meaning that each country again had to sing in one of their official languages, in Silver Convention's case German. However, both Germany and Belgium had already selected their respective entries when the rule was reintroduced by the EBU, thus Silver Convention and Belgium's Dream Express were allowed to sing their songs in English.

The song is inspired by the disco music popular at the time, with the group singing about their need to send a telegram to a lover to bring him to them. A carefully choreographed dance was performed with the song, with a uniting theme throughout being "connection," ostensibly with the woman and her lover, in which all three ladies linked themselves to one another by touching each other's shoulders, and then hips, as the connection "came back."

"Telegram" only turned out to be a minor commercial success for Silver Convention (#27 Germany), with one notable exception, in Sweden the song reached #4 and became their best-selling single. The song was also released as an extended 12" remix, the 5.50 version was subsequently included on the band's fifth studio album Summer Nights.

Silver Convention scored two major US and Canadian hit singles. "Fly, Robin, Fly," maintained three weeks at #1 in late November and early December 1975, and won the group a Grammy Award for Best R&B Instrumental Performance. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc by the R.I.A.A. in December 1975. Initially the song was titled "Run, Rabbit, Run", changed by the writers moments before the recording took place. Their next success "Get Up And Boogie", which also consisted of only six different words (Get, Up, And, Boogie, That's, Right), hit #1 in Canada on June 15, 1976, had 3 weeks at #2 in the U.S in June 1976 and also peaked at #7 in the UK, in May 1976. Their next release, "No No Joe," only scored #60 in September 1976. The further singles released by the trio attempted to duplicate the sound that had made them successful briefly, but they were only minor successes. At this time, Linda G. Thompson left the group and was replaced by New Yorker Rhonda Heath. In 1994, Rhonda Heath returned to Eurovision, providing backing vocals and keyboards for the German entry "Wir Geben 'Ne Party" performed in German by Mekado. This entry did better than Silver Convention's effort, finishing third out of the 25 entries in Dublin.

The three performed their song again here in 2016. Almost 40 years after London.

   • OGAE 2016 presents SILVER CONVENTION - "TE...  

And this is what the ladies and their composer looked like in 2015:

https://ibb.co/wSL85d1

Lyrics:

Telegram
Since you're gone I'm all alone – Stop
Just can't make it on my own – Stop
Operator, did you get the line?
Rush a cable, for I've got no time

Gotta send a telegram, telegram to my baby
Yes, I'm gonna send a telegram, telegram, and then maybe
He won't keep me yearnin'
Tonight he'll be on his way, tomorrow he'll be here to stay
Help me, ma'am, I can't wait another day

Please forgive the things I said – Stop
Didn't mean to make you sad – Stop
Operator, I'll pay any rate
If my message will not be too late

Gotta send a telegram, telegram to my baby
Yes, I'm gonna send a telegram, telegram, and then maybe
He won't keep me yearnin'
Tonight he'll be on his way, tomorrow he'll be here to stay
Help me, ma'am, I can't wait another day

I was such a fool to let him go
Too proud to show that I love him so

Gotta send a telegram, telegram to my baby
Yes, I'm gonna send a telegram, telegram, and then maybe
He won't keep me yearnin'
Tonight he'll be on his way, tomorrow he'll be here to stay
Help me, ma'am, gotta send a telegram