Shoop shoo doop shay day shoop shoo doop, it's your 22nd of September 1994 edition of Top of the Pops!
This year's model
22-9-94: Presenter: Bruno Brookes
(2) CORONA – The Rhythm Of The Night
Getting tonight's show underway but the song was at its peak.
(15) MICHELLE GAYLE – Sweetness
Performing her first of two top ten hits, and this was her biggest peaking at number 4.
(NEW) ELTON JOHN – Circle Of Life (video) (and charts)
Peaked at number 11.
(18) SUEDE – We Are The Pigs
Here tonight with the first single from their top 3 album Dog Man Star, but it got no higher.
(40) NAOMI CAMPBELL – Love And Tears
The supermodel is in the studio to perform her only top 40 hit and it got no higher.
(11) CYNDI LAUPER – Hey Now (Girls Just Wanna Have Fun)
A second studio performance and the song peaked at number 4.
(5) BON JOVI – Always (via satellite)
Went up three more places.
(12) LISA LOEB & NINE STORIES – Stay (I Missed You)
In the studio and the song went up six more places.
(1) WHIGFIELD – Saturday Night
A second time in the studio with her second of four weeks at number one.
(TOTP2) BAY CITY ROLLERS – I Only Wanna Be With You (clip of TOTP 23-9-76) (and credits)
Their tenth and final top ten hit peaked at number 4.
29th of September is next.
TOTP2 24-9-94 https://wetransfer.com/downloads/f93fa8534b8b99e30a121a606619face20230518172821/178294
ReplyDeleteCheers :-)
DeleteLoved seeing Corona again on TOTP2, and could gaze all day at the two accompanying dancers on stage on our left and to the right of the Brazilian lead singer who I only noticed at the end of the song :)
DeleteDidn't know that Naomi Campbell was from Streatham, South London, and certainly didn't know she was earning £14 per minute as a supermodel in 1994. That works out at £840 per hour or around seven grand per day. I must admit she is very pretty, but Good Lord!
In the chart prediction section, Roger Taylor's new solo single and video Foreign Sand did make the Top 40 chart rundown the following week at No.26, but got ignored by TOTP for a full play in favour of The Kinks and Shane McGowan who had not even charted yet, making Taylor still wait for his first TOTP play in 5 solo singles since 1981.
Another very good edition with as strong an opening pair of songs as I can remember.
ReplyDeleteCorona; Brilliant single that should've been a chart topper for at least one week. One of dance musics's true anthems and the start of a real little golden age for dance in the charts. Some dance belters to come over the next 12 months or so from Kenny Dope, Strike, N-Trance and plenty of others. Can't wait to revisit.
Michelle Gayle; Another best of the year to follow and easily the best single by a former (or at the time current?) EastEnders star. Even Shar and Kelv must take second place to 'Sweetness'. Fantastic summer vibes and hasn't dated at all which by the standards of all other Ender's efforts is pretty near miraculous. Mike Reid's 'The Ugly Duckling' is the exception. It came out before he was in the soap. Great performance which seemed to be live vocal. The set the cheap climbing frame again but you can't have everything.
Elton John; The charts with a very jovial Elton John and some people who look like they're doing voice parts for the 'Lion King' movie. The feel is rather like the dreary 'The One,' but it flies off somewhere else in the chorus and is pretty moving. An entry for 'Dreamer' by Livin' Joy I think I noticed down in the lower end of the charts. It will have its moment.
Suede; Highlight of the show for me. Richard Oakes making his debut with the band and even without Bernard they look really iconic. For once the flames don't look out of place. Everything about that performance was top grade.
Naomi Campbell; Even this was enjoyable. Forgot what a good tune that was. The set going back to '93's exoticism and she looks great obviously.
Cyndi Lauper; Very surprisingly the low point is an '80s icon reworking a n '80s classic. The single is great but oh dear she was seriously off key at times here. I guess it's not an easy one to sing. She gets away with it by looking and sounding like no one else.
Bon Jovi; He has form in performing in perilous settings though this one did have a protective railing. Fabulous setting for 'Always' probably my favourite Bon Jovi song and really the perfect act and song for a live satellite link.
Lisa Loeb; I was a little harsh on her
last week but I did enjoy hearing this again. She looks like she's really enjoying herself and plays a good guitar. Bruno makes a Nana Mouskouri reference as well.
Whigfield; Grown on me probably as it did in '94 though still think it's a little lightweight. The dance routine has an element of R.E.M's 'Stand' routine about it.
Bay City Rollers to finish. Whatever.
Add to Corona, new entries this week from Prodigy at No.13, Orbital at No.33 and Jam & Spoon ft Plavka at No.37 on the chart rundown with no TOTP play to join Corona on the show, yet Naomi Campbell was invited at No.40 and unproven on the singing front, supermodel or no.
DeleteI found that a little unfair to the other three groups, or make that two, as The Prodigy never seemed to get on the show apart from The Breakers which was a thing of the past at this stage.
Corona - great opener to the show by having the No.2 to start proceedings, again with the sexy dancers with hotpants, and then Michelle Gayle kept the sexy dancing girls theme with sexy minidresses of their own. Can't quite choose between these two groups and Whigfield as to which stage dancers had the best eye candy on male viewers - hot pants, minidress or miniskirt respectively. Good Lord, I can't choose between them.
ReplyDeleteElton John - ah yes the chart rundown video, and I remember at the time in 1994 going to my local cinema with a potential girlfriend to watch the Lion King on the back of the Elton John videos which generated my interest, and that same cinema soon after became a Virgin Active gym, and nowadays driving past I see a Nuffield Health gym as the new occupant of the same premises. Still hoping it will go full circle after 30 years to become a local cinema again in 2024!
Welcome to Ladies Night on TOTP, with a very strong studio line-up, plus its Trev’s last TOTP as a bachelor for a while.
ReplyDeleteI’ve had more difficult starts to TOTP over the years visibly as well as audibly. First we get Corona’s Italian singer Giovanna Bersola giving Naomi Campbell a run for her money accompanied by her charming back four.
As if that wasn’t enough, Michelle Gayle then plays her trump hand by singing live while accompanied by another quartet of lissome dancers, the one back right forgetting the moves twice but I’ll forgive her. Nine years from here Michelle will take part in “Reborn In The USA”, a show where ex-hit makers parade their vocal skills Stateside with an act eliminated each week. Mindnumbingly, she somehow lost the final to Tony ”Three Notes Foghorn” Hadley who was totally ungracious in victory.
A snoozesome Disney advert from Reg next. Non-mugshots: the obnoxious Stilltskin release that ‘difficult follow-up to a number one’ which spends one week at 34 then freefalls and that’s the last we ever see of them. Shut the door after you, losers.
Superb stuff from Suede next. Brett not hamming it up, and a crackling track bringing home the bacon. I hope their next single is “Gammon Feel The Noise”.
A real surprise as Naomi Campbell treats us to a fine singing voice. Exotic vibe, a slinky Sophie B. Hawkins feel to this. Probably deserved to chart higher.
Oh dear, another outing for Cyndi’s corned beef hash of a classic. The lyrics prophetically include “What’s the matter with you?” (for doing this to your song).
Bon Jovi again? Lyrics “drowning in the flood” while standing next to Niagara Falls. Not just thrown together, that.
Nice performance by Lisa and the lads for a song which does admittedly drag along a little. Lisa’s greatest fan? In the backdrop behind her.
As we’ll see for the next couple of shows, Sannie “Whigfield” Carlson was not averse to turning up whenever needed for a stage outing, and good on her. Obviously got a caravan in the car park.
Trev just off to marry model Debbie Brooker (never heard of her, had to look that fact up on Wikipedia). Divorced eight years later.
Sadly, after a solidly good show we finish with the worst track, albeit thankfully briefly.
Four singles peaking outside the Top 40 this week from some familiar groups, and unlucky not to get into the main Top 40 for a TOTP showing.
ReplyDeleteNo.44 Raze - Break 4 Love
Remix of the original which got to No.28 at the beginning of 1989, one of the early house sounds from the late 80s, given a remix for the 90s.
A second remix came out in 2003 which only got to No.64.
No.51 Big Mountain - Sweet Sensual Love
Follow-up to their recent No.2 in June Baby I Love Your Way, this next single couldn't even break the Top 40, and was to be their second and final single.
No.63 La Bouche - Sweet Dreams
OK, not a familiar group at this stage, but a first single here for a group that would produce a classic dancefloor hit the following summer in 1995 with Be My Lover which got to No.27.
No.69 Karyn White - Hungah
Last ever single release for the American beauty that first arrived in 1988, with first major success in the UK in 1989 with two Top 30 hits in Britain, namely Superwoman and Secret Rendezvous, so it was sad to see that there was no further music from her past this point in 1994.
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ReplyDeleteStarting and ending on dance classics tonight and first up is CORONA. "The Rhythm Of The Night" loads of fun and energy. Some rather fine backing dancers and a great start the show.
ReplyDeleteMICHELLE GAYLE has some great tunes, including "Sweetness" and was by far the best act to come out of EastEnders but vocally she wasn't the best as proven here.
Lion King gets two Top 40 hits and it's not even out yet. Nice bit of cross-publicity for ELTON and Disney.
So this is the point where Bernard ditches Suede to go it alone and Richard Oakes appears. He was only 18 at the time I recall? "We Are The Pigs" not anywhere near their best though.
Not even attempting a live vocal it's NAOMI "Aren't I Fabulous" CAMPBELL. Amazingly "Love And Tears" is an OK pop song. Supermodels were the reality tv stars of the day. Everywhere and mostly talentless.
CYNDI LAUPER still having fun. Still prefer this version. Still probably be in the minority with that opinion.
Niagra Falls next - I've been there! As have BON JOVI with the much shortened (yet still cut-short) version of "Always".
LISA LOEB on 2 weeks in a row (so that's another rule gone then) and a really strong live version of Stay.
Finally more dance moves from WHIGFIELD which I was copying in the lounge. Mrs Morgie wondering what she married 20 years ago!
Speaking of marriage Bruno off to marry model Debbie Brooker. Nope me neither.