JJ says: “yes, it’s number one…”
Top of The Pops was a staple of British TV for decades, broadcast every week on BBC1 from 1964 to 2006.
Appointment viewing on a Thursday evening; for its last decade switching to Friday.
It was a simple premise.
The usual format was a half hour devoted to the Top 40.
In the early days it was focussed on the top 20 before expanding to the Top 30, and finally, the Top 40.
Occasionally there would be interlopers from outside the Top 40: initially with songs expected to break into the hallowed ground and later on exclusive performances as part of a records pre-release.
There was a mix of studio performances and videos. And from the 90s, satellite link ups with acts anywhere in the world.
You want Bon Jovi in front of Niagara Falls?
Etta James on a windswept San Diego ocean front?
You got it.
It would all culminate with a rundown of the top 10 and whatever was #1 that week.
Presenting duties were normally given over to BBC Radio 1 DJs.
In the 90s, it was a range of celebrity hosts: from pop stars, to comedians, to sportspeople to… whoever happened to be anywhere near the cultural zeitgeist.
Due largely to Musicians Union rules, for a large part of the run, songs were pre-recorded as live:
Either by the act or the BBCs inhouse orchestra with the actual performance for the show mimed* to this track.
*In case of any confusion with Marcel Marceau, what you in the States may refer to as lip syncing, we call: miming.
There were exceptions.
New Order performed “Blue Monday” completely live in 1983 at their own insistence.
A performance generally regarded as (let’s be kind)… not very good.
There was also a period in the early 90s when it was decided vocals had to be performed live.
This was a fertile period for dance music that relied heavily on vocal samples. Samples that then had to be performed live by singers not always equipped for the job. It wasn’t long before they went back to miming.
As we shall see, ToTP attracted everyone from one hit wonders to the greats:
And not all of them took the miming entirely seriously.
I’ve gathered together some classic performances. What’s missing?
The 60s. This is because most of the ToTP 60s output was wiped.
For much of British TV in this period, once a programme had aired, the tapes were erased and reused.
Cost was more of a priority as cultural significance wasn’t recognised until later.
Some tapes did survive, but the majority:
… Including The Beatles’ only appearance…
…didn’t. It wasn’t until the 70s that the practice ended and shows were kept for posterity after broadcast.
Dexys Midnight Runners
“Jackie Wilson Said”
One hit wonders in the US but with a solid string of UK hits.
This is the top 5 follow-up to Come On Eileen. It’s a classic performance for something that isn’t quite right.
You may notice a screen in the background on which a chubby-faced character keeps coming into view.
This is Scottish darts player Jocky Wilson: a double World Champion, no less. Jackie / Jocky… easy mistake to make. For a long time the blame for the mix up was pinned on the incompetence of someone working on the show.
I’m a big fan of Dexy’s and one thing that I do not associate with Kevin is a sense of humour. However, he did claim in 2002 that it was the band that was behind it, thinking it would be a laugh.
Pan’s People
“Get Down”
ToTP featured a number of dance troupes before the video age rendered them obsolete.
Pan’s People were the longest running (1968 to 1976) and best remembered. Each week they provided a choreographed dance, sometimes taking a very literal approach to the lyrics.
As evidenced by this dance to the Gilbert O’Sullivan hit. They went all in on the line; “You’re a bad dog baby,” with five canine co-stars…
… One of which quickly decides that it wants no part in this. The rest were presumably glued to the spot.
Still, good job they didn’t take the line about “a cat on a hot tin roof” literally.
The internal monologue of the dogs is what fascinates me. What did they think was going on…?
Legs & Co
“Bankrobber”
…Whereas I can well imagine what the internal (and external) monologue of The Clash was when they saw this.
The Clash refused to appear on Top of the Pops: miming was beneath them. They couldn’t prevent the producers giving them the dance troupe experience, though. Legs & Co were now in residence, but it was a case of new name, different dancers, same shtick.
Madonna
“Like A Virgin”
Madonna first appeared in early 1984, miming to Holiday, flanked by two backing dancers.
She returned, solo, in November of that year for “Like A Virgin,” just as she ascended to mega-stardom.
“Holiday” had the sense that some thought had gone into it, in that there was passing nod to choreography.
Sporting a pink wig, Madonna moves with wild abandon, getting more exuberant as it goes. She looks to be having the time of her life, which given where her career was going, she probably was.
There’s no way any aspiring star would get away with an appearance like this now. It looks completely amateurish and off the cuff. There’s no way Madonna would be this unguarded again. Things were about to get serious and image was about to become everything.
For three minutes though, she’s just a woman spinning with joy – and then writhing on the floor.
David Bowie
“Starman”
There have been a number of moments where ToTP caught the zeitgeist and had ageing parents wondering what the world was coming to while teenagers watched rapt.
Boy George taking to the stage with Culture Club was one where the generation gap was pronounced.
The nations parents wondering whether that was a man or a woman.
Before that was Bowie in Ziggy Stardust persona.
Wearing make up, dressing in bright colours,
And by the simple act of draping his arm round Mick Ronson in an effete manner:
He had the older generation wondering what the world was coming to.
Flaming Lips
“Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots”
You might recognise the guy on bass – in a dolphin costume.
Yes, it’s Justin Timberlake.
Justin and Flaming Lips were both at Radio 1 the day before and hit it off. The band extended an offer for him to join them. It didn’t matter that he couldn’t play bass when it’s all being mimed. Plus around them was the usual Flaming Lips eye catching exuberance to draw the eye away from noticing that he might not have the part down.
Shalamar
“A Night To Remember”
Shalamar didn’t bother with the pretence of miming.
Jody and Howard left it to Jeffrey to fly solo, crossing the Atlantic to provide a one man introduction to body popping including the first Moonwalk seen on TV since the end of the Apollo program.
Eels
“Novocaine For The Soul”
When it’s all been done before you have to try a bit harder to stand out.
With their debut hit, Eels stood out by downsizing their instruments, a look that was especially incongruous for the aptly named drummer Butch, perched over a ludicrously tiny drumkit. They finished with a flourish; a destructive hissy fit becoming of the toddlers that should be playing those instruments before regathering themselves for a bow to the crowd.
Robert Wyatt
“I’m A Believer”
An unlikely Top of the Pops act.
Robert Wyatt was originally the drummer in prog rockers Soft Machine. An unlikely genesis for a future solo appearance in the pop charts – Phil Collins may have been taking note.
Having left Soft Machine, the chances of him making the show were even less likely after drunkenly falling from a fourth floor window at a party. He broke his spine and was paralysed from the waist down.
That was June of 1973, but by September, 1974, he was in the top 30 with a cover of “I’m A Believer” and very probably the first act to take to the ToTP stage in a wheelchair.
Alice Cooper
“Schools Out”
Even the bad boys of rock were happy to appear and lip sync their way through the show.
It also highlighted the delights of audience participation:
As one teenage girl gets close to and becomes part of the action…
Madness
“One Step Beyond”
…Whereas by the end of the 70s, something had gone wrong with the audience.
Clips generally show them stood still with a look of bored detachment. When a new producer took over for the 80s, the studio turned into party central. But for now it seems that the audience had been given the instruction to do nothing that may distract from the performers.
Even when the performers are Madness, taking the opportunity of not being tied to their instruments to exit the stage and part the crowd with their Nutty Train:
The look of glee on the faces of the band in marked contrast to those watching them.
The Dubliners and The Pogues
“The Irish Rover”
Shane McGowan on best behaviour as the new wave of Irish folk meets the old wave.
Shane and Dubliners singer Ronnie Drew, with hands in besuited pockets, give off an insouciant air in contrast to The Pogues’ usual energy. Even on best behaviour and miming it still looks and sounds a blast.
Neneh Cherry
“Buffalo Stance”
The debut hit heralding a long and successful career.
Being six months pregnant wasn’t going to stop Neneh as she brought the attitude of the song to the studio. It caused quite the stir, the sight of a heavily pregnant woman on television, engaging in an enthusiastic performance was too much for some.
A sign of the times further evidenced by a journalist asking if it had been safe for her to perform. “Yes of course, it’s not an illness,” the sensible response from Neneh.
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Interesting stuff, JJ. I didn’t know who Jocky Wilson is, but that’s a good joke.
If you’re not familiar with Eels, their extensive catalog is worth looking into. I saw them at Lollapalooza and they were really good.
Madness may be the most appropriately named bands in history.
I’m glad the dance troupes are no more. There’s something a little misogynist in the Benny Hill mode about them and I like to think we’re past that now. Of course, I’d like to think we’re past fretting over pregnant women on TV, but Rhianna caused a stir at the Superbowl a couple years ago.
I know parts of the Eels catalog. Daisies Of The Galaxy is a particular favourite. One of those bands I keep forgetting about but every time I remember to check in on them I like what I hear.
Got an idea for a future article to provide more flesh to the Madness and Dexys stories and possibly more – British one hit wonders in the US but with extensive catalogs and interesting backstories. Coming sometime in the not too distant future (or as soon as I get round to writing it).
Looking forward to it!
I have likely watched clips of Top of the Pops on YouTube but never saw the show in real time. As a huge Flaming Lips fan around the time of Yoshimi, I had heard about the Justin-as-a-dolphin appearance but I didn’t realize it was on TotP.
The lip syncing thing is understandable for practical reasons but growing up, any time it happened, I was under the impression that those responsible must have thought we the tv viewers were just plain stupid. I remember watching Dinah Shore on her tv show singing by a beach with a microphone and my older sister sarcastically asked “where is the microphone plugged into- the ocean?” Good times.
The lip syncing was a mix of practicality and bureaucracy due to Musicians Union rules. Rules which protected the BBCs in house musicians to keep them in work but worked against the musicians making the records.
Practicality was the amount of time and resources it would have needed to get half a dozen bands a week to rehearse, sound check and record the live performance. The experience of New Order insisting on doing it live demonstrated the show wasn’t set up for that.
As a kid it never bothered me that they weren’t singing live. ToTP was the main show to see your top 40 idols, it was all we were used to so we just accepted it.
These are classic. American Bandstand operated the same way. No one ever thought the performances were live, but that was okay.
I do have complete sympathy with the dog that ran away. Exactly what I would have done myself.
I do have a Flaming Lips story. I saw them a few years ago at the Ryman Auditorium. Wayne Coyne told us that it was a bit disconcerting for all concerned that tours of the Ryman were being given during the band’s sound and equipment check. He remarked that it was probably the first time one of those tours encountered a human in a gerbil ball on stage. Then he added, “Or maybe not. This may happen here all the time. I don’t know.”
Love the Flaming Lips story. I’ve seen them live a couple of times. Impossible not to come away with a big grin at the spectacle.
It took me a disturbingly long time to figure out that on Solid Gold, the performer lip-synched, and on SNL, they performed live. I’ve expressed my enthusiasm for Too-Rye-Aye before. The one-hit wonder tag drives me crazy. It makes Kevin Rowland sound like a failure. (See: Pat McDonald and Barbara K. of the criminally-underrated Timbuk 3) Dexy’s Midnight Runners were a band. However, I recall seeing Rowland on Saturday Night Live. Since then, my fondness for quality off-key singing has grown exponentially. But child me thought, Oh, they’re having an off-night. They were so good on SNL.
The first episode of the American version of Top of the Pops, INXS was on. They performed “Need You Tonight”. By then, I wasn’t adverse to canned music but I knew the difference. I was psyched. Couldn’t wait to buy the album. Nia Peeples, star of the great Hawaiian drama, North Shore, hosted.
“All in All(This One Last Wild Waltz)”. On the little league baseball team bus, my turn to control the ghetto blaster was skipped because of songs like this. Even though Dexy’s Midnight Runners scored a #1 hit, they were most definitely proto-alternative.
Something I recently found out about Dexys SNL appearance. According to the band there was a limit on the number of members allowed onstage. At the time there were 11 in the band but only 8 could appear. Which led to them leaving out a violinist and the tenor sax and the odd choice of leaving keyboards in but swapping out the regular keys man with the alto sax player taking that duty instead. Who thought he was just going to be miming the part and was terrified to learn he was playing live.
What else was that poor canine to do? Everyone was saying, “Get down,” so that’s what it did. Good boy.