Despite a faultless performance and a deafening reaction from the home crowd, the voting was a lot closer than expected, with France and then Spain giving the U.K. entry a close run. When Germany awarded six of its ten points to Spain's "La La La" and Yugoslavia failed to vote for the U.K., it completed the biggest shock in Eurovision history. However in 2008 it was discovered that Spanish TV had influenced the juries in some countries, casting a shadow over its victory.

Despite finishing second at Eurovision, "Congratulations" turned out to be one of Cliff's most successful singles, and having recorded the song in French, German, Spanish and Italian it topped he charts all over Europe, eclipsing the Spanish winner, and selling over five million copies. The song, which has been recorded by several other singers, including ex-Beatle George Harrison remains a party favourite for birthdays and anniversaries. Cliff returned to Eurovision in 1973, again failing to win, despite being favourite. He has continued to be one of Britain's most popular entertainment figures and has gone on to have an unequalled string of U.K. chart hits and will have his latest arena tour in the summer of 2009.

In the Eurovision Song Contest of 1979, three countries vied for the lead, with France and Spain giving the host's entry its strongest challenges. However with the Spanish jury being last to vote, they famously handed victory to Israel and for the fourth time the home country won the competition. "Hallelujah" became an instant Worldwide hit, with English, French and German version being released. The song which has euphoric and undisguised religious themes also became an anthem of sorts for the Jewish popular across the globe, especially in the U.S.A, where its Eurovision roots are generally not known.

Gali Atari, who had been a successful singer and actress prior to her Eurovision victory returned to her solo career. Reuven Gvirtz, Yehuda Tamir and Shmulik Bilu, who formed Milk And Honey made two further unsuccessful attempts to represent Israel at Eurovision and Gviritz and Tamir provided the backing vocals for "Ben Adam", the Israeli entry in Dublin in 1988. Composer Kobi Oshrat was involved in four subsequent Israeli entries, while lyricist Shimrit Orr wrote the words of "En Davar", Israel's entry in 2001.   

Dressed in his trademark white suit Johnny delivered an impassioned performance of his own heartfelt ballad and with the advantage a late draw, it was quite obvious that he was about to enter the Eurovision history books as the first person to win the contest twice. After Yugoslavia took a surprise early lead, the Irish entry surged into an unbeatable lead, winning the twelve or ten points from half the juries around Europe. 

"Hold Me Now" became Johnny Logan's second big hit although once again he failed to capitalise on his Eurovision victory to launch an ongoing chart career. Johnny scored a third Eurovision win, this time as a songwriter when he re-united with Linda Martin who sang "Why Me?" to success in 1992. Johnny continues to have a successful career in several European countries, becoming "Mr.Eurovision" and being regularly involved as a guest in national finals. Johnny has recorded "Hold Me Now" on several occasions, giving the song a dance beat and providing a vocal for a rap remix of the song in 2006. In 2005, "Hold Me Now" was also voted the third best Eurovision song of all time and was also used for a successful advertising campaign for fast food company McDonalds.

With their high spirited performance which included a memorable costume change by the girls, Bucks Fizz soon justified their favourite's tag, beating off strong competition from Germany, France, Switzerland and Ireland to claim victory in a very exciting voting sequence, giving the U.K. its second victory in five years, but its last until 1997.

"Making Your Mind Up" became one of the biggest  summer hits of 1981 and launched the career of Bucks Fizz. After winning the Eurovision Song Contest, it  topped the charts in eight countries and becoming a Top 10 hit in several others, including South Africa and Australia. The group scored several hit singles in the following five years, including two U.K. number one hits. Bucks Fizz have undergone several line-up changes over the last twenty years, but continue to be a popular live act, especially at 1980s revival shows. Today only Bobby G remains from the original line-up, while Cheryl Baker has had a successful television career and called in the U.K.'s votes at the 2005 Eurovision Song Contest.