Save Your Kisses for Me was the United Kingdom entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 1976 in The Hague performed by Brotherhood of Man. It was written by Tony Hiller, Martin Lee and Lee Sheridan. An up-tempo pop song, it told the story of the conflicted emotions of a father going to work and leaving his beloved 3-year-old child behind.
It was the first song of the night preceding Switzerland. At the close of voting, it won with 164 points, receiving over 80.4% of the total vote - the best under the current 12-point scoring system and the second highest among all scoring systems behind Tu Te Reconnaîtras.
The song went on to incredible success across the continent, making it to #1 in 6 countries including the United Kingdom and the top 10 in 6 more. It also made #1 in Australia and topped the easy listening charts in the United States. It remains the biggest selling Eurovision single of all time, and was ranked the fifth best Eurovision song at the Congratulations gala in 2005.
Lyrics[]
Though it hurts to go away, it's impossible to stay
But there's one thing I must say before I go:
I love you (I love you), you know
I'll be thinking of you in most everything I do
Now the time is moving on and I really should be gone
But you keep me hanging on for one more smile
I love you (I love you) all the while
With your cute little wave
Will you promise that you'll save your...
Kisses for me, save all your kisses for me
Bye bye, baby, bye bye
Don't cry, honey, don't cry
Gonna walk out the door
But I'll soon be back for more
Kisses for me, save all your kisses for me
So long, honey, so long
Hang on, baby, hang on
Don't you dare me to stay
'Cause you know I'll have to say
That I've got to work each day and that's why I go away
But I count the seconds till I'm home with you
I love you (I love you), it's true
You're so cute honey, gee
Won't you save them up for me? Your...
Kisses for me, save all your kisses for me
Bye bye, baby, bye bye
Don't cry, honey, don't cry
Gonna walk out the door
But I'll soon be back for more
Kisses for me, save all your kisses for me
So long, honey, so long
Hang on, baby, hang on
Don't you dare me to stay
'Cause you know you've got to save your...
Kisses for me, save all your kisses for me
Bye bye, baby, bye bye
Don't cry, honey, don't cry
Won't you save them for me
Even though you're only three?
| Eurovision Song Contest 1976 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Participants | |||
 Brotherhood of Man •  Peter, Sue & Marc •  Les Humphries Singers •  Chocolate Menta Mastik •  Jürgen Marcus •  Pierre Rapsat •  Red Hurley •  Sandra Reemer •  Anne-Karine Strøm •  Mariza Koch •  Fredi & The Friends •  Braulio •  Al Bano & Romina Power •  Waterloo & Robinson •  Carlos do Carmo •  Mary Cristy •  Catherine Ferry •  Ambasadori
| |||
| Songs | |||
| Save Your Kisses for Me • Djambo, Djambo • Sing Sang Song • Emor Shalom • Chansons pour ceux qui s'aiment • Judy et Cie • When • The Party's Over • Mata Hari • Panaghia Mou, Panaghia Mou • Pump Pump • Sobran las palabras • We'll Live It All Again • My Little World • Uma Flor de Verde Pinho • Toi, la musique et moi • Un, Deux, Trois • Ne mogu skriti svoju bol
| |||
Trivia[]
- A Finnish-language version of the song was recorded by The Friends, who represented Finland at the 1976 contest alongside Fredi.
- It was the last Eurovision winning song to enter the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States until 2019's winning song Arcade started charting in April 2021.
Video[]
Eurovision 1976 - United Kingdom