Sounds on Sunday: 50 years ago – 1976-6

FIFTY YEARS AGO we were humming along to the hits of 1976. Some have magnificently stood the test of time; others have not. Join us on Memory Lane as we review them on their golden anniversaries.

As the strains of Eurovision 2026 fade, it is appropriate to look at the song which hit the top of the charts on 23rd March 1976: Save your kisses for me, by Brotherhood of man. It was the UK’s entry in that year’s Eurovision – and it won.

“How did the UK manage to win Eurovision?” we hear you ask. The song is catchy and cute, and for some reason it hit the mood of the moment. Not only did it top the UK charts, it went to number one across Europe – as a good Eurovision winner should.

The song was written by band member Lee Sheriden. Originally an album track, the band’s manager Tony Hiller persuaded them to enter the public competition on the BBC which, in those days, decided what the UK’s Eurovision entry would be. Kisses won, was released as a single, and topped the UK charts two weeks before the contest. No, marketing Eurovision entries is nothing new.

Eurovision 1976 was in The Hague, in the Netherlands. Brotherhood were the first on. The band was reminiscent of Abba, Eurovision winners in 1974: two men, two women (one blonde, one brunette). But whereas Abba’s Waterloo was melodic, with nonsense lyrics and the rebellious clothing of the decade that gave us Glam Rock and Punk, Brotherhood was very mainstream. As well as the catchy melody and the twist at the end, Kisses also had an intensely irritating and distinctly unchallenging “dance”.

Kisses received seven “douze points” and beat the second placed entry by 17 points. For a while, Kisses was number one in the UK for six weeks, enjoyed huge chart success in Europe and even did well in the USA. Brotherhood had some further hits in the UK, but Kisses was definitely their zenith.

●For more Sounds on Sunday, go to:
Sounds on Sunday