"Flying the Flag (For You)"
Single by Scooch
from the album Eurovision Song Contest 2007
Released30 April 2007 (2007-04-30)
Length3:04
LabelWarner Bros.
Songwriter(s)
Scooch singles chronology
"For Sure"
(2000)		 "Flying the Flag (For You)"
(2007)
Audio sample
  • file
  • help
Music video
"Flying the Flag" on YouTube
Eurovision Song Contest 2007 entry
Country
Artist(s)
As
Language
English
Composer(s)
  • Russ Spencer
  • Morten Schjolin
  • Andrew Hill
  • Paul Tarry
Lyricist(s)
  • Russ Spencer
  • Morten Schjolin
  • Andrew Hill
  • Paul Tarry
Finals performance
Final result
22nd (equal)
Final points
19
Entry chronology
◄ "Teenage Life" (2006)
"Even If" (2008) ►

"Flying the Flag (For You)" is a song performed by British pop/bubblegum dance group Scooch. The official single version was available from 30 April 2007[1] and was released as a physical CD single in the following week, on 7 May 2007.[2] The song debuted on the UK Singles Chart at No. 5 and peaked at this position. It also charted in Ireland at number 48.

The song was entered in and won the British national selection competition for the Eurovision Song Contest 2007, Eurovision: Making Your Mind Up, and subsequently represented the United Kingdom in the contest, held in Helsinki, Finland. The song came joint 22nd with a total of 19 points, the same score as France.[3]

Song information

Scooch had reformed in hope of performing at the Eurovision Song Contest 2007, and the song was specifically written for the contest; Eurovision rules state that the song must be an original composition and released no more than seven months before the contest.[4] Spencer, as the captain, opens and closes the song with captain's announcements. Powers and Barnes sing the vocals of the song, as Ducasse offers passengers confectioneries. The lyrics are heavily based on actual experiences of flying.[5] The song contains a liberal amount of sexual innuendo,[5] the most overt being "...and blow into the mouthpiece" and "would you like something to suck on for landing, sir?" (the latter was omitted or changed for some tea-time television performances). The camp style was both praised and criticised – The Guardian noted that the song was, in terms of Eurovision, outdated and similar to Bucks Fizz's winning entry in 1981,[5] while Tim Moore called the song "a fine song in Eurovision tradition".[6]

Music video

The original music video was their final performance on Eurovision: Making Your Mind Up; Scooch recorded a new version once their contract with Warner Bros. had been signed. Following the lyrics, the second video starts with the quartet in the front of the aeroplane, with Spencer as the captain. The video continues with all of the members as stewards walking up and down the plane, with a cameo appearance from Sister Mary McArthur, who was invited to take part after the band saw her lip sync video.[7] Later in the video each member of the band is seen dancing in front of the flags of selected countries that are all participating in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007, in addition to the flag of Europe.

"Flying the Flag" in Helsinki

Scooch performing "Flying the Flag (for You)" for the United Kingdom.

"Flying the Flag (For You)" was the nineteenth song to be sung during the Eurovision Song Contest.[8] The song scored only nineteen points: twelve from Malta, and seven from Ireland,[3] two nations known for awarding points to the United Kingdom – although according to the Head of the Maltese Delegation, Malta voted twelve partly in protest to regional block voting which, had made the contest "not about the songs any more",[9] an opinion shared by "five or six other countries". Due to the low score that Scooch had received — only the Irish entry "They Can't Stop the Spring" was lower on the scoreboard[3]— the song received negative press by newspapers, in particular by The Sunday Mirror who stated that the song made the United Kingdom "the laughing stock of Europe",[10] The Sunday Times referred to the song saying "it wasn't a disaster – more of a crash landing".[10][11]

International promotion

On 18 April 2007 it was announced that Scooch had been signed to the Warner Bros. label.[12] This would help them to promote and release their single to a broader range of fans in the United Kingdom and abroad. As part of the contract, Scooch recorded certain phrases of the song in French, German, Spanish, Bulgarian, and Danish.[11]

Track listings and formats

CD[2]

  1. "Flying The Flag (For You)" [Eurovision 2007 Version] (3:04)
  2. "Flying The Flag (For You)" [Karaoke Version] (3:04)

DVD[13]

  1. "Flying the Flag (For You)" [Video]
  2. "How To" Special Scooch Dance Feature [Video]
  3. "Flying the Flag (For You)" [Karaoke Version] [Video]
  4. "Flying the Flag (For You)" [Audio]

Charts

References

  1. ↑ "iTunes Store - Scooch - Flying the Flag (for You) single" (requires iTunes). 30 April 2007. Retrieved 13 May 2007.
  2. 1 2 "HMV.co.uk singles: Flying the Flag (For You) (CD)". HMV.co.uk. Retrieved 13 May 2007.
  3. 1 2 3 "Eurovision Song Contest 2007 Final Scoreboard". European Broadcasting Union (eurovision.tv). 12 May 2007. Retrieved 12 July 2009.
  4. ↑ "Eurovision Song Contest" (PDF). p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 May 2007. Retrieved 14 May 2007. The entries (lyrics and music) must not have been commercially released and/or publicly performed before 1 October 2006.
  5. 1 2 3 Sullivan, Caroline (20 March 2007). "Assume crash position". London: The Guardian Online. Retrieved 14 May 2007.
  6. ↑ Tim Moore (13 May 2007). "The worst show in living memory". BBC News. Retrieved 14 May 2007.
  7. ↑ "Chit Chat - Sister is doing it for herself". The Stage. 4 May 2007. Retrieved 12 July 2009.
  8. ↑ "Eurovision Song Contest Final Participants (in running order)". European Broadcasting Union (eurovision.tv). Archived from the original on 10 May 2007. Retrieved 13 May 2007.
  9. ↑ "Malta slates Eurovision's voting". BBC News. 13 May 2007. Retrieved 14 May 2007.
  10. 1 2 "Papers bemoan UK Eurovision score". BBC News. 13 May 2007. Retrieved 13 May 2007.
  11. 1 2 Bourne, Brendan (13 May 2007). "UK's Scooch nosedive at Eurovision". Times Online. London: Times Newspapers. Retrieved 11 July 2009.
  12. ↑ Lamb, Liz (3 August 2007). "I'm flying the flag for talented youngsters". Evening Chronicle. ncjMedia Limited archived at Nexis. Retrieved 11 July 2009.
  13. ↑ "HMV.co.uk singles: Flying the Flag (For You) (DVD)". HMV.co.uk. Retrieved 13 May 2007.
  14. ↑ "The ARIA Report: European Top 20 Charts – Week Commencing 21st May 2007" (PDF). ARIA. 21 May 2007. p. 26. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 February 2008. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
  15. ↑ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Scooch". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  16. ↑ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
  17. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
  18. ↑ "The Official UK Singles Chart 2007" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
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