For the third year in row, the song that won the Eurovision Song Contest also tops the UK singles chart. Unlike Bucks Fizz in 1981, though, the winner is not British. Nor Irish, as Johnny Logan was in 1980. Enter Nicole Hohloch, a seventeen-year-old German.
A Little Peace, by Nicole (her 1st and only #1)
2 weeks, 9th – 23rd May 1982
Just like a flower when winter begins… It’s jaunty, it’s cute, it’s pure Eurovision… Just like a candle blown out in the wind… And, oh no, I’m getting flashbacks… Just like a bird that can no longer fly… Dana flashbacks! Twelve years ago, another teenager won with a similarly saccharine slice of Eurocheese. ‘A Little Peace’ isn’t that bad – very few records are – but it still sticks in your throat.
The world is hard but, deep in her young heart, Nicole has a dream. A little loving, A little giving… For our tomorrow, A little peace… Straight on from ‘Ebony and Ivory’, it’s more happy-clappy ‘peace’ nonsense at the top of the charts. (Though I can tolerate this crap from naive schoolgirls far more than I could from Misters McCartney and Wonder, who should have known better…)
The nicest thing about this record is its gentle country lilt. It’s been a good while since we had a #1 that we could class as ‘country’. And I’d also like to mention Nicole’s excellent English. You’d think she was singing in her native tongue. (There is also a German version.) But, overall, this is a pretty forgettable record. And forgotten it pretty much has been – it’s nowhere to be seen on Spotify, for example.
At the time, though, this was huge. A first ever German Eurovision winner (perhaps the definitive sign that Europe had forgiven them for you-know-what?) and the biggest winning margin until 1997. Nicole continues to record and perform, she’s still only fifty-seven, though chart success outside of Germany has been limited. Plus, Nicole is already the 3rd German act to top the charts in 1982, after Kraftwerk and The Goombay Dance Band, and it’s only May!
Most significantly for us, ‘A Little Peace’ marks the 500th number one. Hurray! We are actually well over two-thirds of the way through our never-ending countdown! If only it were a slightly more auspicious song to mark the occasion. I’ll do a special post to celebrate this milestone in a couple of days, alongside some cover-versions of past chart-toppers, then it will be back to normal service. Thankfully, after two #1s and five weeks of preaching, the next number one is about, oh yes, randy schoolboys buying condoms…
The UK Number Ones Blog 
Yes very Dana eurovision, and Germany does love a spot of country. As does Eurovision now and again, theres been 3 or 4 really credible country songs over the last 15 years, but non winners Texas Lightning or Common Linnets, frinstance, are better than this. I dont dislike it though, its pretty, its tuneful, shes sincere. Shes 17, and god knows we need naive young people with the optmism to try and change the world after the mess previous generations have made if it. And current ones. Around one third of any given population seem happy to support hating, one third happy to not get involved, and one third supporting those trying to improve things, and i dont see that changing much in the modern world. I wouldnt play it on repeat though, one can only take so much sweetness before that “ive just eaten 3 Mars Bars” feeling sets in….
I’ve never seen or heard Eurovision…I’ve read about it some.
This song sounds like it came from the early seventies in a lot of ways. I’ve never heard it before but I don’t hate it…
I’m not sure how it would go over in the US… You’ve heard all the Eurovision songs from this blog, so I’m sure you can imagine the standard… It is very camp and OTT, and lots of ‘so bad they’re entertaining’ songs every year. You should try watching one, though (alcohol definitely helps).
Ps Have you heard last year’s winners, Maneskin? They’ve actually gone on to have some hits – which is quite unusual, even for the winners – and were the first rock group to win in years.
Yes you have educated me more than anyone else on it. Is it like one of these modern shows with celebrity judges?
No but that name is familiar…but I haven’t heard them…or if I did I would not have known it. I’ll check them out.
They’re quite a fun glam rock act, singing in Italian and English.
No celeb judges. There’s a secretive judging panel, and also a phone in vote. So each country rates the others. Highest is 12 points. That’s the best bit – it gets very political, which is why the UK has received a lot of ‘nul points’ in recent years from the rest of Europe! And also why it must have been pretty significant in 1982 for a German act to win, considering their fairly recent history…
I’m going to look it up on youtube and see a little of it. I would imagine it would get political.
I heard some Maneskin…yea I can see and hear the glam.
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