Bucks Fizz performed the timeless classic tune Making Your Mind Up, together with the now famous skirt ripping dance routine. This was one of the most up-tempo songs of the evening, and with only two rounds of voting to go, it was a three-way tie between Germany. the UK and Switzerland. Switzerland were yet to vote and gave eight points to the UK, but Nil Points to Germany. Despite the final jury giving Germany maximum points, Bucks Fizz won the contest.
This victory was to set them up for a career that was to be as successful as any British Eurovision winner before, or since. They went on to be one of the most popular bands of the 80s with a string of hit singles and albums.
Making Your Mind Up was a number one for the group in nine different countries and received gold disc status in four countries.. This was promptly followed by a further two top twenty hits - Piece Of The Action and One Of Those Nights - and a self-titled album which went Gold in the UK and Platinum in Australia.
After winning the contest, the group built on their success with other awards and accolades. In November 1981, they won Best Song Award at the Yamaha Song Contest (oriental Eurovision) in Tokyo with the song Another Night.
Their next single, released in November 1981, The Land Of Make Believe went Gold before Christmas of that year and went on to become one of their most popular songs, reaching Number One in three countries and winning the Amplex Golden Reel Award for one million copies sold.
In 1982, the success for Bucks Fizz continued and in April of that year the group's fourth single, My Camera Never Lies, went straight to Number One in the UK. This was followed in May by the group's second studio album, Are You Ready, which went Gold immediately. This also produced another hit, Now Those Days Are Gone, which reached number 8 in the UK charts.
1984 was to be an eventful year. Bucks Fizz toured the UK on a 7 week sell out tour.
1983 saw the release of If You Cant Stand The Heat which reached number 10 in the UK charts. This was followed by Run For Your Life. Both singles were featured on the group's third studio album, Hand Cut, which charted at number 15 in the UK.
Later that year saw the release of When We Were Young, a slightly different sound with Jay on lead vocal. London Town followed and then a Greatest Hits album which finished the year on a high.
Three more singles were released: Talking In Your Sleep, Golden Days and I Hear Talk which was a surprise club hit in America. Fate was to deal the group a devastating blow that year: whilst on tour in December there was a horrific Coach crash which resulted in the serious injury of Mike Nolan.
As Mike was on the road to recovery Bucks Fizz received yet another blow as Jay Aston decided to depart the group after a scandalous affair with the bands Manager which made front page of all the tabloids.
Auditions were held in London for a Jay Aston replacement. About 800 girls turned up to audition and finally Shelley Preston was recruited to replace Jay.
1986 saw Bucks Fizz back on top of the charts with a new look, a new record deal with Polydor and a new single called New Beginning. The single reached number 8 in the UK charts and was a great success.
A further two singles were also released this year: Love The One Your With" and Keep Each Other Warm, together with what would be their 5th studio album, Writing On The Wall.
The single Heart Of Stone was released in 1988. This would later be covered by Cher a couple of years later.
Shelley Preston decided to leave the group in 1990 to pursue solo projects and the group continued as a trio.
The group's albums are currently available on CD, as well as a recently released Best Of CD/DVD which made the top 40 in May 2007.
Breaking Me Up
Bucks Fizz Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But the pain is physical
Why do I act like an animal?
‘Cause you're so damn critical
Too sharp
Your tongue is like a knife
It cuts my heart
‘Cause I'm not that smart
I never knew that love
Could hurt so bad
It's breaking me up
What the matter with you?
Why'd you do it to me?
It's supposed to be love
Not a tragedy
Do you want me to go?
Do you want me to stay?
Where I stand, I don't know
And I got to say
Love is breaking me up
Oo-oh
I said love is breaking me up
Big fish in a little pool
Still you treat me like a fool
Wish I could just act sensible
But you're so incredible
This love will be the death of me
It hurts too much to be a clown
‘Cause I'm not so tough
Sometimes you look at me
And I break down
It's breaking me up
What the matter with you?
Why'd you do it to me?
It's supposed to be love
Not a tragedy
Do you want me to go?
Do you want me to stay?
Where I stand, I don't know
And I got to say
Love is breaking me up
Oo-oh
I said love is breaking me up
This love is breaking me up
This love is breaking me up
Where are you now that I'm falling apart?
Just take a look at what you've done to my heart
With this love
Oh
It's breaking me up
What the matter with you?
Why'd you do it to me?
It's supposed to be love
Not a tragedy
Do you want me to go?
Do you want me to stay?
Where I stand, I don't know
And I got to say
Love is breaking me up
Oo-oh
I said love is breaking me up
Oo-oh
Love is breaking me up
Oo-oh
Love is breaking me up
Oo-oh
Love is...
The lyrics of Bucks Fizz's song "Breaking Me Up" convey the turmoil and pain of being in an unhealthy and destructive relationship, where the love is illogical, and the pain is physical. The singer portrays themselves as a victim of emotional abuse or possibly verbal abuse, as their partner is too sharp and critical, causing them immense pain, leading them to feel like they are not that smart. The singer laments that they never knew love could hurt so much, and it's at the point where this love will become the death of them; the hurt is too much to bear. Nonetheless, the singer is still trapped in the relationship, not knowing whether their partner wants them to leave or stay, and it's left them feeling confused and unsure.
The song's chorus suggests that love is breaking the singer up, which could mean that the love they thought they had is destroying them, bringing them down or causing them to break down emotionally or psychologically. The line, "It's supposed to be love, not a tragedy," points to something that was once beautiful and has now turned into a painful experience. The stanza, "Big fish in a little pool, Still you treat me like a fool, Wish I could just act sensible, But you're so incredible," hints at a power dynamic in the relationship - where one partner has more power and is using it to hurt the other partner, who is helpless in the situation.
In conclusion, "Breaking Me Up" portrays the dilemma of being in an unhealthy relationship, where the victim is trapped, unsure of what to do, as their partner's behavior is confusing and erratic, causing them immense pain, both emotional and physical. It's a heartbreaking song that tells a poignant story of love gone awry, where the pain outweighs the bliss, and the confusion makes it hard for the victim to leave.
Line by Line Meaning
This love is illogical
My feelings for you don't make sense
But the pain is physical
The hurt I'm experiencing is real and tangible
Why do I act like an animal?
I can't control my emotions when it comes to you
‘Cause you're so damn critical
Your constant judgment and criticism is a trigger for me
Too sharp
Your words hurt me deeply
Your tongue is like a knife
Your words cut through me like a sharp blade
It cuts my heart
Your words cause me emotional pain
And leaves me sad
Your criticism worsens my mood
‘Cause I'm not that smart
I don't know how to deal with your criticism
I never knew that love
I didn't expect love to be like this
Could hurt so bad
The emotional pain is unbearable
It's breaking me up
This situation is tearing me apart
What the matter with you?
Why are you treating me this way?
Why'd you do it to me?
Why did you hurt me?
It's supposed to be love
Our relationship should be based on love
Not a tragedy
It shouldn't be so painful and difficult
Do you want me to go?
Do you want me to leave you?
Do you want me to stay?
Do you want me to be with you?
Where I stand, I don't know
I'm not sure what to do
And I got to say
I need to express this
Big fish in a little pool
You have power over me in this small relationship
Still you treat me like a fool
You make me feel foolish and small
Wish I could just act sensible
I wish I could react to you in a reasonable way
But you're so incredible
I can't help how I feel about you
This love will be the death of me
This relationship is dangerous and will be my downfall
It hurts too much to be a clown
I can't continue to play games and pretend that everything is okay
Sometimes you look at me
Your intense gaze affects me
And I break down
I can't handle my emotions anymore
Where are you now that I'm falling apart?
You're not there to help me when I need you most
Just take a look at what you've done to my heart
Your actions have caused me great emotional pain
With this love
Because of the love I have for you
Oo-oh
Vocals expressing pain or sadness
Contributed by Molly Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.