Safe In Your Arms
(J Christie)

The Eurovision Song Contest is the annual songfest that pits together countries across Europe in a competition to decide which entrant can come up with the best song, as determined by a number of judges. Traditionally put down by music purists as a celebration of pop drivel, the event has nonetheless produced many worldwide hits, usually for the winning songs.
   Around 1989/90, a leading publisher in the UK was so frustrated at the lack of quality offerings in Eurovision that he invited professional writers to contribute entries. Jeff was approached personally to commit a piece, and was eventually persuaded to have a go despite his dislike for song contests.
   Jeff came up with a soft rock ballad called Safe In Your Arms, and got together with a local Yorkshire band — the Tubeless Hearts — to record it. The full line-up was Jeff on piano, Kevin Moore on bass, Adrian Foster on lead guitar, and Simon Kay on backup vocals, while Trevor Midgley programmed the drums. Jeff didn't want to sing on the piece, so Kevin handled the lead vocals.
   More than 300 British entries were received that year, and this song made it into the last 18. But it didn't go any further as the culling progressed, very likely because the organisers preferred poppy, bouncy and danceable tunes.
   That was the end of Jeff's brief flirtation with Eurovision, and he wasn't sure whether he should have felt pleased or not .. but one positive result did come out of the recording.
   The Tubeless Hearts stayed on with Jeff to become his backing band when he toured as Christie, and the association endures till today.