Dreams can come true, look at me I'm the 24th of June 1993 edition of Top of the Pops!
Top of the patch
24-6-93: Presenter: Mark Franklin
(9) M-PEOPLE – One Night In Heaven
Getting the show underway and the song would move on up three more places.
(7) ROD STEWART – Have I Told You Lately (video)
Went up two more places.
(16) EAST 17 – West End Girls
In the studio with this Pet Shops Boys cover that peaked at number 11.
(6) CHAKA DEMUS & PLIERS – Tease Me (via satellite)
Went up another three places.
(33) SWV – Weak (video) (Breakers)
Got no higher.
(32) JOEY LAWRENCE – Nothin’ My Love Can’t Fix (video) (Breakers)
Peaked at number 13.
(31) TEENAGE FANCLUB – Radio (video) (Breakers)
Got no higher.
(21) SHABBA RANKS feat. QUEEN LATIFAH – What’cha Gonna Do (video) (Breakers)
Got no higher.
(23) BRIAN MAY with COZY POWELL – Resurrection
In the studio with his fourth and final solo top 40 hit and it got no higher.
(11) GLORIA GAYNOR – I Will Survive
Performing the song that got to number 1 in 1979, and this time around it made it to number 5.
(NEW) ALEXANDER O’NEAL – In The Middle
Here tonight and the song peaked at number 32.
(1) GABRIELLE – Dreams
A second studio performance for her first of three weeks at number one.
1st of July is next.
Rod Stewart - wasn't this single originally recorded by Van Morrison in 1989, as I think it was on these TOTP reruns, Morrison that is, but this Rod Stewart unplugged performance was not bad. A song title like that was typical of the baby boomer generation born in the 1940s, which in the generations after, had lost or never had the romantic vibe in favour of the faster wired up technology life.
ReplyDeleteEast 17 - interesting that a new-ish group in the 90s would do a cover of The Pet Shop Boys debut single from 1985, considering The Pet Shop Boys had only just come back after a year-and-a-half away from the pop charts since the end of 1991, and with a new single of their own in the same chart as East 17. So on this week's chart we had West End Girls and Can You Forgive Her by two different pop groups, but thankfully they were not played on the same show!
The Breakers - SWV get only this one clip of their new single on The Breakers, but did not go high higher to warrant a full play, but luckily for them ended up getting two weeks at No.1 in America with this single in the following month in July 1993, only to be followed by UB40 with 7 weeks at the Top spot with I Can't Help Falling In Love With You.
East 17 - Completely pointless note for note cover of PSB
ReplyDeleteBrian may - enjoyable enough rock number, reminiscent of rainbow, with unnecessary over the top drums - I guess he had to earn his name check.
Gloria gaynor - Only TOTP could go from that to a pointless remix of a classic disco track. Amusing that she tried to get the audience to slow clap, then gave up and clapped double time.
The fabulous M-People start the show. I think "One Night In Heaven" is their best tune. I was a big fan of Ms Small in the 90s and I can see why.
ReplyDeleteMore unplugged and this time it's Rod. He does a good job with "Have I Told You Lately" but I won't be digging this out again.
Some songs should not be covered. "West End Girls" is one of them. East 17's version is so poor it's beyond words..............
Some satellite teasing from Mr Demus and Mr Pliers although I was very distracted by the ladies in the background.
Breakers:
SWV – The whole song is Weak
JOEY LAWRENCE – Who?
TEENAGE FANCLUB – Average Indie
SHABBA RANKS feat. QUEEN LATIFAH – Bad
I was all ready to hate this Brian May and Cozy Powell tune but I enjoyed the start and end (thought it went a bit weird in the middle), Looks like Shelley from Bucks Fizz on backing vocals but I'm not 100% sure? 50/50 maybe?
I Did Survive this unnecessary remix from GG. Karaoke night with the audience.
Not the finest hour for Alexander O'Neal. "In The Middle" so "Middle of the road" it hurts.
Nice second performance from Gabrielle – she has a new album coming don't you know.
Now let's move on the main talking point. WTF has Mark "Dwaye Dibley" done with his hair!
Turns out it was Shelley from Bucks Fizz. I was right!
DeleteA couple of songs peaking this week outside the Top 40, and worth a mention:
ReplyDeleteNo.55 Jean Michel Jarre Chronologie Part 4
Was surprised to see Jarre with a new single as late as 1993, considering his last and only Top 40 hit was in 1977 with Oxygene Part IV, which I remember had so much radio play then and got to No.4 in the singles chart, but he was another of those 70s stars still going in the early 90s, and eventually he would finally get another Top 20 hit in 1997, some 20 years after his last one, and interestingly another Oxygene, but Oxygene 8!
No.67 808 State - 10X10
This group largely bombed out after their successful 1990 to 1991 period, with the rest of the decade not really breaking the Top 40, except for a brief success in 1997 and 1998 with two singles reaching No.20 and No.21.
Weird episode this one. Excellent start, strong finish, not much of any cop in between. I did like the Gloria Gaynor remix (though she sang some variation of the lyrics...) - they used to play whatever Now album had it on a lot at the skating rink I used to frequent. I quite like Teenage Fanclub.
ReplyDeleteEverything else is dross.
One of my least fave recent editions, starting with an act I can’t stand. Much prefer Harry Hill’s attempt at singing “One Night In Heaven”.
ReplyDeleteMark, have I told you lately your hairstyle’s terrible? Are you trying to audition for East 17? Mind you, Rod’s screwed his hair up too and needs a lyric stand (poor show) for Van’s classic. Mugshots: Teenage Fan Club is actually two words. Ahem.
Oh, dear God, no. E17FF.
Welcome relief from Chaka, Pliers and the Jamaican Legs and Co. .
Breakers: Boxing? Camouflage gear? Ay? / What the frig was “Blossom”? Brick back Glenn Medeiros / a boring video for Teenage Fanclub (and their “Sparky’s Dream” knocks this into a cocked hat / Shabbolic.
Brian May gives us Aluminium Maiden accompanied by Colin Flooks… er, Cozy Powell, a drummer who had two smash hits, neither of which he sang on.
Oh, dear God, NO! One of my three most hated songs. Quickest FF ever.
Reinforce the floorboards, lads, Alex is back. Not a good tune but not bad either – in fact, in the middle.
I hated “Fast Car” and could never warm to Gabrielle’s admittedly much better reconstruction. Get that invader off stage!