'WHY ME?', LINDA MARTIN ACHIEVES ANOTHER IRISH WIN

Linda Martin

Today, The Grandma has been talking with The Watsons about Linda Martin, the Irish singer who won the Eurovision Song Contest representing their country in 1992 and singing Why Me.

Ireland first entered the Eurovision Song Contest in 1965. The country famously won 4 out of 5 contests in the 1990s and became the first country to win 3 times in a row. 

Ireland has won the Eurovision Song Contest a record 7 times in total.

Before talking about Linda Martin, The Grandma has offered a new Cambridge Key English Test A2 Example to The Watsons.

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Linda Martin (born 27 March 1952) is a singer and television presenter from Northern Ireland.

She is best known in Europe as the winner of the Eurovision Song Contest in 1992 with the song Why Me, and in Ireland as a member of the 1970s/1980s band, Chips.

Martin is of Irish, Scottish and Italian ancestry. Her family's surname was originally Martini. Her paternal great-grandfather Francis Martini was born in Dublin to immigrants from Saronno near Milan, Italy.

Martin's maternal great-grandparents, William Green and Elizabeth Nangle had a coal-mining background; they had transferred to Belfast from Larkhall, Scotland.

Martin started off her musical career when she joined the band Chips in Omagh in 1969. They quickly became one of the top bands in Ireland on the live circuit and released hit singles Love Matters, Twice a Week and Goodbye Goodbye during the mid to late 1970s.

In 1972, Martin broke away from Chips to be a vocalist with new band Lyttle People, but rejoined Chips the following year.

Johnny Logan & Linda Martin

The group appeared on Opportunity Knocks in 1974 and appeared a number of times on British television promoting their singles, but never scored a UK hit. With multiple entries to the Irish National finals of the Eurovision Song Contest, the band carried on into the 1980s.

They scored a final Irish hit in 1982 with David's Song, after which Martin broke away when she won the Castlebar Song Contest with Edge of the Universe in 1983. From this point she concentrated on a solo career as well as occasional live appearances with Chips until they recruited a new lead singer (Valerie Roe) in the late 1980s.

She participated in the National Song Contest four times as a member of Chips, however they did not score successfully. She participated another four times in the contest as a soloist and once more as part of the group Linda Martin and Friends.

With nine participations, she has been the most frequent entrant in the National Song Contest's history. She won the contest twice, going on to represent Ireland twice at the Eurovision Song Contest.

More information: RTE

The first of these victories was in 1984 with the song Terminal 3, written by Johnny Logan, under his real name Séan Sherrard. The song came 2nd in the final, being beaten by 8 points. Terminal 3 reached No.7 in the Irish charts. 

The second victory was in 1992 when her song Why Me, also written by Logan, went on to win the final in Sweden. This became Ireland's 4th victory in the Eurovision Song Contest and the song reached No.1 in the Irish charts as well as becoming a hit in many European countries.

Martin was, at the time, one of only three artists to finish both first and second at Eurovision, behind Lys Assia and Gigliola Cinquetti. Since then, only Elisabeth Andreassen and Dima Bilan have achieved this, raising the number to five. Martin was the first of the three artists to finish second first and first second, matched only later by Bilan.

She has presented the RTÉ quiz show The Lyrics Board, one of the broadcaster's more popular formats. She served as one of Louis Walsh's behind-the-scenes team on the first series of ITV's The X Factor.

Linda Martin

She also served as a judge on the first, second and fourth seasons of RTÉ's You're a Star and on Charity You're a Star in Summer 2005 and Summer 2006. 

She was dismissed from the 2007 season, however, speaking on Saturday Night with Miriam on RTÉ television on 28 July 2007, she insisted that she was open to being invited back on to the show.

Martin has not ruled out a return to Eurovision following Ireland's dismal performance in the 2007 contest finishing last with only five points. She was a guest performer at Congratulations, the 50th anniversary Eurovision concert in Copenhagen, Denmark, in October 2005. 

Martin was also the Irish spokesperson for Eurovision Song Contest 2007 and was one of the five judges for Eurosong 2009 (Irish Selection for Eurovision). In 2012, she was the mentor for Jedward in the Irish Eurovision final Eurosong 2012.

During the interval of Eurovision 2013 the host Petra Mede presented a light hearted history of the contest, during which she explained to viewers that Johnny Logan had won the competition three times, in 1980, 1987 and 1992. 

Appearing alongside Linda Martin in some vintage footage she joked that he had won the third time disguised as a woman, saying, I recognise a drag queen when I see one. The joke proved controversial, particularly in the Irish media. 

However, on 1 June 2013, during an appearance on RTÉ's The Saturday Night Show Martin claimed that she had actually benefited from all the publicity. On the same show she performed a cover of the song Get Lucky by Daft Punk.

Martin has also appeared in pantomime, in Dublin. She starred in Cinderella as the Wicked Stepmother, Snow White as the Evil Queen and Robin Hood as herself, at the Olympia Theatre.

She toured Menopause the Musical with Irish entertainer Twink. While on tour, Twink described Martin as a cunt during a tirade in May 2010. The two had been friends for 30 years but both said afterwards that they had no plans to speak to each other again.

More information: The Irish Sun

You never know what kind of magic could happen

if Johnny came up with the right song.

Linda Martin

JOHNNY LOGAN, IRISH RECORD IN EUROVISION HISTORY

Johnny Logan in Eurovision, 1980

Today, The Grandma has been talking with The Watsons. They continue isolated and working in Rennette Watson's candidature to Eurovision Song Contest, although they do not know anything about the new date.

The Grandma has explained some curiosities about Johnny Logan, the only singer that has won this Contest twice in 1980 and in 1987 representing Ireland. He also helped to win another Contest for Ireland in 1992 as composer.

Johnny Logan became one of the most popular singers during the 80's thanks to his participations and triomphs in the Eurovision Song Contest.

Before talking about Johnny Logan, The Grandma has offered a new Cambridge Key English Test A2 Example to The Watsons, their first Listening.

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Johnny Logan (born 13 May 1954) is an Australian-born Irish singer and composer.

He is known as being the only performer to have won the Eurovision Song Contest twice, in 1980 and 1987. He also composed the winning song in 1992.

Logan first won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1980, with the song What's Another Year written by Shay Healy. In 1984, Logan composed the song Terminal 3 which placed second at Eurovision, performed by Linda Martin.

He won the contest for a second time in 1987 with Hold Me Now, which he also wrote himself. His third win came in 1992, as composer of Linda Martin's winning entry Why Me?.

Johnny Logan won Eurovision in 1980

Johnny Logan was born on May 13, 1954 as Seán Patrick Michael Sherrard in Frankston, Australia.

Logan's father Charles Alphonsus Sherrard was a Derry-born Irish tenor known by the artistic name Patrick O'Hagan. The family moved back to Ireland when Logan was three years old. He learnt the guitar and began composing his own songs by the age of thirteen.

On leaving school he apprenticed as an electrician, while performing in pubs and cabaret. His earliest claim to fame was starring as Adam in the 1977 Irish musical Adam and Eve and Joseph in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

Logan adopted the stage name Johnny Logan after the main character of the film Johnny Guitar and released his first single in 1978. He first attempted to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1979, when he placed third in the Irish National Final with the song Angie. Readers of The Connaught Telegraph in Ireland voted Logan as Best New Male Artist.

In 1980, Logan again entered the Irish National selection for the Eurovision Song Contest with the Shay Healy song What's Another Year, winning the Irish final on 9 March in Dublin. Representing Ireland in the Netherlands, Logan won the Eurovision Song Contest on 19 April. The song became a hit all over Europe and reached number one in the UK.

In London was released in June and Save Me shortly after. With confusion by radio stations over which to play, both singles flopped. Another single released in late 1980, a cover of a recent Cliff Richard song, Give A Little Bit More was a more concerted effort and although it narrowly missed the chart.

Logan blames his lack of success in the UK on poor management and his inexperience.

More information: Johnny Logan

Most people are intelligent enough

to know when songs are contrived.

When you contrive songs,

you get four or five songs squeezed into one.
 

Johnny Logan

In early 1983, Logan attempted a comeback in the UK with the song Becoming Electric with a new sound and image and promotional push, but the failed to chart.

In 1985, Logan released his third studio album Straight From The Heart which failed to chart. He also collaborated on the charity single You'll Never Walk Alone in aid of the Bradford City Disaster Fund.

In 1986, Logan rebranded himself as Logan with the song Stab in the Back, which also failed to chart.

In 1987, Logan made another attempt at Eurovision and with his self-penned song, Hold Me Now, he represented Ireland at the Eurovision Song Contest in Belgium. The song won the contest and Logan became the first person to win the contest twice.

Hold Me Now became a major European hit and reached number two in the UK. Logan released a cover of the 10cc song I'm Not in Love, produced by Paul Hardcastle as a follow-up, and an album Hold Me Now.

More information: Eurovision Song Reviews

In 1988, Logan released Heartland which became a hit in the Irish charts and from then on, concentrated on his career in Ireland and Europe.

In 1990, Logan recorded a country version of Miss You Nights with Elvis Presley's backing band The Jordanaires. He also wrote and sung the theme song Angels Don't Hide for the German television show Blue Blood.

Having composed the Irish Eurovision Song Contest 1984 entry for Linda Martin, Terminal 3, which finished in second place, Logan repeated the collaboration in 1992 when he gave Martin another of his songs, Why Me.  

Johnny Logan won Eurovision in 1987

The song became the Irish entry at the finals in Sweden. The song took the title and cemented Logan as the most successful artist in Eurovision history with three wins.

Author and historian John Kennedy O'Connor notes in his book The Eurovision Song Contest - The Official History that Logan is the only lead singer to have sung two winning entries and one of only five authors/composers to have written/composed two winning songs.

On 16 April 1997 Logan left his handprints in concrete on the Walk of Fame in Rotterdam; The largest Star Boulevard in Europe.

Logan continues to perform and write songs. He is sometimes referred to as Mister Eurovision by fans of the contest and the media at large. He has continued his love of participating in musical theatre, having toured Norway with Which Witch, an opera-musical originating in that country.

In October 2005, Hold Me Now was voted as the third most popular song in Eurovision history at the 50th anniversary concert in Copenhagen, Denmark. What's Another Year was also nominated amongst the 14 finalists. Logan has sold more than 3 million copies worldwide. Hold Me Now is also a global million-seller.

Logan has continued to have success, particularly in the Scandinavian countries. His 2007 album, The Irish Connection went platinum in Denmark, twice platinum in Norway and gold in Sweden.

In 2009 and 2010, he performed in the Celtic rock opera Excalibur, and continued to do so in 2011.

Logan was one of the recording artists that appeared in the Irish TV series The Hit going against Duke Special. He shortlisted the song Prayin' by Alan Earls and Jamie Wilson's Rain from the pitching rooms. He chose to release Prayin' for the chart battle against Special who chose a song called 1969 by Aaron Hackett.

Logan won the chart battle with his song charting at number three in the charts while Special's charted at number five. Logan returned for the final where he performed Prayin' with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra and was runner-up to Finbar Furey.

More information: Irish News

Even without having heard the song beforehand, yes, I was.

I thought it was a really great thing for Eurovision.

The same countries winning all the time is

just not going to allow interest to spread.

Now, after the Estonians won last year,

everybody feels they have a shot at winning.

That’s good.
 

Johnny Logan