Editing Lulu (singer) (section)

===Eurovision Song Contest===
On 29 March 1969, Lulu represented the [[United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest]], performing the song "[[Boom Bang-a-Bang]]",<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/1h53XTJHZYYzpT415wRdC9z/eurovision-1969-lulu |title=BBC One – Eurovision Song Contest – Eurovision 1969: Lulu |publisher=BBC |access-date=28 January 2016}}</ref> written by Peter Warne and Alan Moorhouse. The song was chosen from a selection of six by viewers of her [[BBC One|BBC1]] [[Variety show|variety series]] ''Happening for Lulu'', and on a special show hosted by [[Michael Aspel]] in which she performed all six one after another. One song, "I Can't Go On...", written by [[Elton John]] and [[Bernie Taupin]], came last in the postcard vote but was later recorded by [[Cilla Black]], [[Sandie Shaw]], [[Polly Brown]] and Elton John himself, as well as by Lulu. In [[Madrid]], Lulu was accompanied by [[Sue and Sunny]] while the orchestra was conducted by Lulu's musical director [[Johnny Harris (musician)|Johnny Harris]]. Lulu later recalled:

{{blockquote|I had a series on TV, and [[Bill Cotton]] was the Head of [[Light entertainment]] [at the BBC], and he said to my manager: "I'd like her to do the [[Eurovision Song Contest]], on the series". And she came to me and I went "Why? What do I want to do that for?"...&nbsp;and she said that he said that "you'll get good ratings, and he is the boss, and he wants you to have good ratings. Maybe I could have said no, but I felt I didn't really have a choice in the matter. And I thought... I was full of myself, thinking ratings isn't what it's all about... But, you know, Elton John and Bernie Taupin wrote a great song that didn't go through... I had this amazing band, like 20 pieces. We did all these different songs... every single one of us said "Which one is gonna win? Which one is gonna win?" and we all laughed and went: "Bet you it's that Boom boom bang a bang a bang a bang..." But then it won. Somehow there was an intelligence working there... and it was a huge success.}}

[[File:Lulu and The Echoes.jpg|thumb|left|Lulu and the Echoes in Glasgow in 1967]] 

"Boom Bang-a-Bang" won, though three other songs, from [[Spain in the Eurovision Song Contest|Spain]], ("{{lang|es|[[Vivo cantando]]|italic=no}}" by [[Salomé (singer)|Salomé]]), the [[Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest|Netherlands]], ("[[De troubadour]]" by [[Lenny Kuhr]]) and [[France in the Eurovision Song Contest|France]], ("[[Un jour, un enfant]]" by [[Frida Boccara]]) tied with her on 18 votes each. The rules were subsequently altered to prevent such ties in future years, but the result caused Austria, Portugal, Norway, Sweden and Finland not to enter the 1970 contest.<ref>O'Connor, John Kennedy (2007). ''The Eurovision Song Contest: The Official History''. London: Carlton. {{ISBN|978-1-84442-994-3}}.</ref> Lulu's song came out the best in sales, with German, French, Spanish and Italian versions alongside the original English. Later she told [[John Peel]]; "I know it's a rotten song, but I won, so who cares? I'd have sung "[[Baa, Baa, Black Sheep]]" standing on my head if that's what it took to win.... I am just so glad I didn't finish second like all the other Brits before me, that would have been awful." Despite her dislike it is her second biggest UK hit to date, reaching number 2 on the chart in 1969.

In 1975, Lulu herself hosted the BBC's ''[[Eurovision: Your Country Needs You|A Song for Europe]]'', the qualifying heat for the Eurovision Song Contest, in which [[the Shadows]] performed six shortlisted songs. In 1981, she joined other Eurovision winners at a charity gala held in Norway, and she was a panellist at the 1989 UK heat, offering views on two of the competing eight entries. In 2009, she provided comment and support to the six acts shortlisted to represent the UK at [[Eurovision Song Contest 2009|Eurovision 2009]] on BBC1 TV.

Just weeks before her 1969 Eurovision appearance, Lulu had married [[Maurice Gibb]] of the [[Bee Gees]] in a ceremony in [[Gerrards Cross]].<ref name=wed>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/february/18/newsid_2550000/2550641.stm |title=BBC ON THIS DAY &#124; 18 &#124; 1969: Lulu ties knot with Bee Gee |work=BBC News |date=18 February 1969 |access-date=5 September 2011}}</ref> Maurice's older brother [[Barry Gibb|Barry]] was opposed to their marriage as he believed them to be too young.<ref>Lulu 2002, p. 124.</ref> Their honeymoon in Mexico had to be postponed because of Lulu's Eurovision commitment. Their careers and his heavy drinking forced them apart and they divorced in 1973, but remained on good terms.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/maurice-gibb-601289.html |title=Maurice Gibb – Obituaries, News |work=The Independent |access-date=5 September 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110826050742/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/maurice-gibb-601289.html |archive-date=26 August 2011 }}</ref>
[[File:Lulu and Maurice Gibb 1970.jpg|thumb|upright=0.9|Lulu and her first husband, Maurice Gibb, {{circa|1970}}]]