Transfixed to the TV station burning through my brain, it's the 7th of June 1990 edition of Top of the Pops!
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| Hungry for hits |
7-6-90: Presenter: Mark Goodier
(28) POP WILL EAT ITSELF – Touched By The Hand Of Cicciolina
Kicking the show off tonight with their second of eleven top 40 hits, but this one got no higher.
(26) ELTON JOHN – Sacrifice (video)
Will be number one in two weeks time.
(29) D-SHAKE – Yaaah (video)
Their only top 40 hit and it peaked at number 20.
(32) THE MISSION – Into The Blue (video)
Got no higher.
(4) DON PABLO’S ANIMALS– Venus ®
At its peak.
(23) WILSON PHILLIPS – Hold On (video)
Became their only top ten hit when it peaked at number 6.
(31) M.C. TUNES versus 808 STATE – The Only Rhyme That Bites
In the studio tonight and it peaked at number 10.
(12) WAS (NOT WAS) – Papa Was A Rolling Stone (video)
At its peak.
(1) ENGLAND/NEW ORDER – World In Motion (video)
In the back of the net for the first of two weeks at number one.
(21) ROXETTE – It Must Have Been Love (video) (and credits)
Became their biggest hit when it peaked at number 3.
June 14th is next.
Pop will Eat Itself - not a patch on the excellent Def Con One and Wise Up Sucker. (Just) above average sample dance track
ReplyDeleteElton John - past his best, but alright - hit Singles shows this as a double a side with his previous hit healing hands
DShake - nein!
The Mission - another ‘not their best but alright’ (seems to be the theme of the night so far)
Wilson Philips - sibling supergroup produce a pleasant enough MOR bangly style ditty
MC2 - best bit is the Big Country sample, the rest is bog standard rap (with a c)
(Wonder how much that satellite link cost? - worth it? I think not!)
Roxette - had a soft point for these two. Not as strong as The Look
I like the fact that A Word In Spanish was the first Elton song that failed to chart, but the two follow-ups became his first solo number one (eventually!)
ReplyDeleteDidn't Elton have a few flops at the start of his career, like "I've Been Loving You"?
DeleteThat’s possible. His first flop since his chart career began then!
DeleteElton had a number of flops after his early flops on the Philips label. 'Just like Belgium' came out in July 1981 for example and failed to trouble the charts.
DeleteWas Just Like Belgium a Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy reference and therefore banned for swearing?
DeleteMaybe I haven’t got the fact quite right, but it was on the back of one of the Guinness books back in the day.
DeleteOf songs that charted, it does seem to be the first not to make the Top 75 (no.91).
Intrigued by any ban on 'Just like Belgium'... Just assumed it wasn't a classic tune and Elton had spells when the public seemed to go 'cold' on him....now that's another song of his that should have been much bigger - 'Cold as Christmas'...never hear that blaring out in the shopping malls in November and December!
Delete@sct: I was joking - in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, there's a bit about how the word "Belgium" is the worst swear word in the universe and you can only use it if you don't know what it means!
DeletePWEI's answer to the World Cup, celebrating what Italy meant to them: a local porn star (who naturally, being Italian, ran for political office). The piano riff is quite moreish, not sure about the trumpet, and this is the closest thing they got a novelty record.
ReplyDeleteElton John wrangling more syllables out of the word "sacrifice" than you ever thought possible. This was what he was mostly up to in the 1990s, mid-tempo balladry, but I do prefer the B side to this one, maybe we'll hear that when it hits the top.
D-Shake, sounding like some slang for what a gentleman does after relieving himself, and the tune sounds about as good as that. Real "Will this do?" material and the video's the same.
The Mission looks as if they've hired Fuzzbox's director to take care of their video, but the song is nowhere near as fun, their usual groaning stuff.
Don Pablo we've seen, so onto the other Hold On in the charts as celebrity daughters try out the pop game. Some serious over-emoting in this video, but it's more appropriate for 2021 lyrics-wise than we would have anticipated. Not a bad bit of slick power pop. There used to be a US punk band called "The Fat One From Wilson Phillips" who now are impossible to find on Google. Probably for the best.
MC Tunes and 808 State, this is terrific, from the cheeky lift of Jerome Moross's The Big Country strings (one of the greatest Western scores ever) to the bleeps and bloops mixed with Tunes' blistering rhymes. A real shot in the arm (and we could all do with that right now). Incidentally, who was the bloke who frantically dived out of the way when the camera was panning over the audience?!).
Back down to earth with a bump for a repeat of Was Not Was ruining Norman Whitfield's masterpiece, then New Order get an actual Number One off the back of a football song. The interview is nobody's finest hour, however, with even Goodier's
usual fixed grin showing the strain.
Roxette to end on, was the prostitution-celebrating Pretty Woman out by this point? Middle of the road is the phrase for it, unexciting as ever is another.
as neil tennant pointed out at the time: "sacrifice" only has three syllables. so why didn't reg either change the melody to acocommodate that, or the word itself?
DeleteYeah, it sounds really clumsy, more than anything else.
DeleteWell Happy New Year everyone – let’s hope 2021 is a better one though not off to a great start.
ReplyDeletePop will eat itself - Touched by the hand of Cicciolona – Touched by who? Quite weird track. Don’t really get the appeal at all. Having said that, worse was to come…
Elton John - Sacrifice – Only top5 Mark? For me one of the very best hits of 1990 and I couldn’t understand why there was no mention of it in the 1990 Overview show. A good story here of how a great song was virtually ignored on first release and then, thanks to Wrighty, became a deserved smash. Never mind ‘Healing Hands’, ‘Sacrifice’ was most definitely the A Side of this double A Side – a bit like ‘Mull of Kintyre’ and ‘Girls School’ or ‘Going Underground’ and ‘The Dreams of Children’.
D- Shake – Yaaah – A bigger contrast to Elton as you’d ever see and a deserved FF from me!
The Mission – Into the Blue – Mission old chaps, ELO did much better ‘Blue’ songs…
Don Pablo’s Animals – Venus – Heck we had this dreadful cover on a few weeks ago and I was in no mood to hear or watch it again. FF.
Wilson Phillips – Hold On – The second great song of this show. Just love the harmonies, the video, everything about this screams class. Hold on? Didn’t En Vogue do a song of the same name fairly recently?
MC Tunes vs 808 State – The only rhyme that bites – Agh! This is awful. Caught a snatch of ‘The Big Country’ before I FF’d and I’d recommend ‘No Opportunity necessary, no experience needed’ by Yes as being a much more preferable use of that in a song.
Was (not was) – Papa was a rolling stone – Second awful cover on this show.
New Order / England Football team – World in Motion – John lets the cat out of the bag at the start that this was, in reality no ‘Back Home’. Paul meanwhile gives as awkward an interview as you’d expect. Not one of my particular favourites.
Roxette – It must have been love – The third great song on tonight’s show. Juts loved the film and the way this song was used in it. The showing here cuts out just before the scene, but for me it was so matched to where Julia Roberts leaves Richard Gere in a swanky car. If you watch the video it appears around 3:04 or better still watch this. Emotional….
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WA4MKbZBoA8
P.s. on the 05/04 ToTP which was shown on 20/11/2020 we were discussing the ‘He’s gonna step on you again’ John Congas cover by the Happy Mondays. If anyone has watched the excellent BBC thriller series ‘The Serpent’ then John’s excellent version is played almost in full at the start of episode 7. A deserved piece of exposure for what is now quite an obscure hit.
Yes indeed, Wilson Phillips and En Vogue with the same title song in the same chart, but totally different tunes. Wilson Phillips for me any day. I remember this video being played on ITV breakfast in their usual pop video slot before the 8am news, to showcase new videos at the time in 1990.
DeleteAlso Wilson Philips were at No.1 in America for one week only with this same tune Hold On, and on the same week as this TOTP show in June 1990. Just love Chynna Phillips, the blonde cutie in the group, and found this recent posting on Utube with her mother Michelle Phillips of The Mamas & Papas only a few days ago:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZE5KQAbitGA
I'll raise you with a non-hit over here but a US top 20 in 1979 for a lad from Hounslow with Nick Lowe connections...
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1h5-5D_HPI
Good Lord, that is a good one. Sounds more like Nick Lowe than Ian Gomm (who?). Love the black & white movie footage of Fatty Arbuckle waking up to a flooded bedroom..
DeleteCheers. Ian Gomm had previously been in a band called Brinsley Schwarz with Nick Lowe. For some reason, one of his albums was titled "Gomm With The Wind"!
DeleteI know Mr Gomm wasn't very photogenic, but they were really going out of their way not to show his face in that broadcast, weren't they?
DeleteAnother 'Hold On' song people may not have heard of was by Chicago on the Chicago XIV album. Written and sung by Peter Cetera it was not one of their finest moments.
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKE_-vW1kdU
They also recorded a song called 'Please Hold On' on the Chicago 17 album which was co-written by Lionel Richie no less.
That Ian Gomm song is pretty good actually.
I've suddenly remembered a lesser spotted "Hold On", the original A-side of that Streetband single which got flipped when novelty B-side "Toast" started getting radio airplay instead.
Delete...another 'Hold On' was on Yes's comeback album '90125'. Popular title it seems.
DeleteAnother one, Hold on, by Herman's hermits, 1st track on their album called Hold on, which is the soundtrack to their film, also called Hold on.
DeleteLots of songs here that I imagine sounded better at clubs/raves than in this context...
ReplyDeletePWEI - their image and name were always more memorable than their music, already forgotten it and only watched the ep yesterday.
Elton - no idea Sacrifice was a rerelease, but becomes one of the year's defining songs, along with several others tonight (Englandneworder, Wilson P, Roxette etc).
D-Shake - shake it off.
The Mission - interesting how Goodybags loved this whilst clearly loathing the dance tracks. Not their finest hour by some margin.
Don Pablo's Animals - Why do they all look like a bunch of teachers trying to be cool?!
Wilson Phillips - a song that has endured but I'm never entirely convinced of the message, it seems to be a mix of encouragement and blame ('you got yourself into your own mess' etc).
MCTunes/808 - I know it's not great. But I still have a soft spot for it.
Was(Not Was) - Eh, not their best or the best version of this song, but I don't hate it.
The car crash interview with the England team was hilarious. And so weird to see how babyfaced Lineker was, when it didn't seem that way at the time.
Roxette - this and Elton get a huge clinb next week. Always my favourites, might have teared up a little, we recently had the anniversary of Marie passing.
Also Sweet Pea Atkinson, the lead on this week's Was Not Was video passed away recently in 2020, so this TOTP show for Was Not Was and Roxette you could say was a bit tearful.
DeleteI didn't know that, what a shame :(
DeleteYeah, some tough love and mixed messages in those Wilson Phillips lyrics! Those ladies ascribing to the "treat 'em mean and keep 'em keen" philosophy.
DeleteMore like 'treat 'em mean and put 'em off' ladies!
Delete"Hold On" was written initially by Chynna who was going through a tricky relationship and c abuse. It was sort of a call to pull herself together and get through the problems.
DeleteThat should have said "substance abuse".
DeleteI see, self-help, then? Very Californian. At least she wasn't shagging her dad like her sister Mackenzie was, I suppose.
DeleteHold On! (see what I did there?) I didn't know that fact, and I'm glad I didn't until now. Gives a whole new meaning to Mamas and Papas!
DeleteLast year the three girls in Wilson Phillips got together on The Kelly Clarkson Show 30 years after reaching No.1 in America with Hold On, and what it was like growing up with famous parents The Mamas & Papas and The Beach Boys, and what they are doing now:
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_LNEbRbbMk
@Arthur: It's horrible, isn't it? I know the hippies were into free love, but surely there's a limit?!
Delete1st repeat of '21 then.
ReplyDeletePop Will Eat Itself; This isn't a part of Italia '90 that I remember and I recall quite a lot (Pat Bonner's penalty shoot out save, David Platts's last gasp goal, Lineker's reaction) but I enjoyed it. After Seal, Clint Mansell was probably my favourite pop guy for a few weeks when X, Y and Zee made the charts so it's good to watch another thing by them. Was this Cippiolina chap a better team player than George Jetson then?
Elton John; Nice tune and I wouldn't begrudge him a No.1 at any point in his career. It has one of those 'you can't argue with this' chord progressions but it's never been a favourite. Mainly as it's dressed up in that horrible glassy synth sound that makes me think of late 80s LWT sitcom 'The Two of Us'. The lyrics to me resemble some boring college lecture on how to sustain relationships. Quickly please, quickly please, Mr. Dwight is about to speak!
The video is sooooo of its time, lots of attractive well adjusted young people having 'crises' in slow motion.
No it's ok but my sister always played 'Healing Hands' first and I didn't argue.
Heart still in the Top 40! Their uk chart history makes for interesting reading.
D-Shake; It's a 'yaah' from me. Like that. Fantastic bit of dance with a super hip video, the kind of blend that makes me really envious of people who are a few years older than me.
The Mission; Not as keen on this as the last one of theirs that was featured but he does have a good voice that guy. I can see why they they meant so much to people
Don Pablo's Animals; I will always prefer the classic original but this is still good irreverent fun. The beats work well with the guitar parts and I still like the screaming bit (because I have no clue what he's screaming). Were Utah Saints taking notes I wonder?
Wilson Phillips; Ah this! Well my sister had the album on cassette so I know the music well as it accompanied many a day trip and holiday journey.
You won't be astounded to learn that it is filled with stuff like this; syrupy tunes, travel advert dynamics, mullet haired LA session man guitar and Hollywood self-help session lyrics. Endured it just about but it does feature a track called 'Over and Over' which is maybe the best track to accompany hurtling down a dual carriageway through a rainstorm somewhere near Launceston ever.
MC Tunes Versus 808 State; Always enjoyed this. Still a playful mix of rave and rap though not a terribly memorable appearance like all of their
Totp appearances. The video btw ends with possibly unintentionally the single funniest moment in pop video history. I can't even think about it without laughing my head off.
Was Not Was; A cover. Alright.
Engalnd/New Order; There's so much in this video that still makes me smile; Barney Sumner's laugh, Keith Allen's expressions behind John Barnes, the tower blocks behind them both. Favourite bit is the piano breakdown ala 'Vogue'. There, ultra stylish models, here, non descript football moves and Chris Waddle throwing a strop.
Roxette; Lovely song that is such a part of that Summer and I guess the start of 1990's unstoppable run of film and advert related hits. This is the 2nd favourite one of those.
Got to agree with you on Don Pablo's Animals. Not aware that it got this high in the charts at No.4, but the more I hear it the more I like it, and it's a lot better than the Bananarama version and even the original, not least because it hasn't been played to death over the years.
DeleteI remember buying the Wilson Phillips vinyl debut album at the time, with this opener Hold On, and yeah you're right, there are lots of good tunes on it, with my personal favourite being Eyes Like Twins, and they did much better over in the USA, with No.1 chart singles.
Cicciolina, an Italian porn star, was probably better at 'express yourself, it's one on one' than John Barnes!
DeleteHa ha! Brilliant! Actually the name also sounds a little like the surname of the lead guitarist in Quicksilver Messenger Service who recorded Mona in the charts very soon covered by Craig Maclaughlan. Strange world.
DeleteHi Dory, yes I think Don Pablos Animals is perfectly fine and a whole lot smarter and less 'this should shift plenty of copies' vacant than Bananarama.
DeleteThat Wilson Phillips song 'Over and Over' I listened to again a few months ago and it really is strong. It must've had an effect as that memory of hearing it en route to a family holiday in 1991 is as clear to me now as it was when it happened!
B-b-but Don Pablo's Assholes is just the original Shocking Blue Venus with a stutter! Literally - it's the actual record!
DeleteSend Me a Postcard was always the superior Shocking Blue song anyway.
What I hear are the best bits of the original arrangement danced up to suit the adventure of the moment. Of course the song itself is the King in this case but dreary reverence or cynical by numbers covers were not of this period.
DeleteI know a singer songwriter who genuinely looks like Shocking Blue's singer.
Ok, there was Bomballurina
DeleteI guess one man's dynamic remix is another man's lazy, zero effort cash-in. Bomballurina was brilliant, mind you. Only joking!
DeletePhew! Glad to be back after so long. What with no football and no pubs, I‘ve been very much at a loose end.
ReplyDeleteGoodiebags probably at his most annoying or least best this time.
I first heard Pop Will Eat Itself when they released a great indie single called “Sweet Sweet Pie”, much better than this unintentionally multi-keyed shite which fails to qualify for the proper song finals and only gets points for snippets of the best football commentator ever, Barry Davies. I never rated John Statto “heh-heh” Motson.
Elton during his silly hat years with what I feel is the inferior A-side. Okay, the chorus could easily be used for a coffee commerical but, to me, the more upbeat “Healing Hands” is just ace.
I laughed at the earlier handjob reference to D-Shake. Goodiebags on best form tonight here as he tops and tails the track by confirming the lyrics will never make an edition of “Call My Bluff”.
The Mission with a big chart smash? It’s number 32, man! Good grief, we get to see Wayne’s eyes! On a par with the unmasking of Kendo Nagasaki. Did the lyrics include “We climbed mountains and drugs”? Sounded like it to me. At least the band ploughed a consistent furrow, though they must have been gigging somewhere like Sardinia or Scunthorpe as they never usually passed up the chance of a studio outing. The Goth Showaddywaddy.
We then get the worst ever intro to a previous studio cut by Mark pointing to a random space filled by cameramen and studio managers and asking an audience member “Who’s over there?”. We’re not fooled, you prick. As for the remake, more Anus than Venus.
Ah, now. That song from the film “Bridesmaids”. I do like this song, though. The sort of American MOR I can easily listen to. I’ll have Wendy Wilson myself, please (she’s actually married with four sons now). I hope the gals had good insurance, being asked to lean on or stand by trees right next to sheer drops.
Next up.”The Only Toothless Shite”, with arms raised early doors as if he’s important or different or interesting. No, no and no again. Next.
Oh dear, it’s what Mark calls the 1990’s stylee Was Not Was cover, okay until that (c)rap.
Best football song ever. Mark? “Back Home“ and “Three Lions“ give this a run for its money. I loved Gazza’s answer to the question he was asked.
We finish with “It Must Have Been Love In Your Head But You’ve Got To Pay MeFor It”. Eventual Scandinavian whore-approving soft rock.
I believe Wayne Hussey went to live in South America. Don't know if there's a big Goth contingent there.
DeleteInteresting! Turns out Wayne Hussey was born to Mormon parents and rebelled against their wishes for him to become a missionary, whereupon Wayne upped sticks and moved from Bristol to Lverpool. Maybe that's where his band's name was derived, as an 'up you' to his parents.
DeleteCan you imagine Wayne turning up on your doorstep trying to convert you? And you thought Jehovah's Witnesses were scary!
DeleteGood Lord, I'm surprised that Elton is still using a hat as late as 1990 to cover his baldness. I thought his new transplant was already in place well before then.
DeleteSo Mark has ditched the suit finally and looks much more relaxed hosting the show. A bit video heavy tonight.
ReplyDeleteKicking off with a football tune from Pop Will Eat Itself. This is a really great tune with a nice hook and some football commentary samples that take on a whole new meaning when you realise that the song is actually about a Hungarian-Italian Porn Star called La Cicciolina!
Elton enters his charity phase with Sacrifice. Always preferred the other A-Side Healing Hands. Both tunes of course had been released in 1989 but failed to dent the Top 40 (Sacrifice at 55 and Hands at 45). The combination of both will of course finally get him his first solo number one single. Nice hat in the video, has he ditched the wig?
D-Shake make some noise and not the best of dance tunes. All the pieces are there bit it just doesn't click. One of those drugged up warehouse tunes. Yaaah!
The Mission go into the blue so we are pretending to be underwater. Is this the only appearance of an electric pencil-sharpener in a pop video? Fairly decent tune though.
Don Pablo's Animals not over there Mark but nice try. Bit of audience participation to make up for the lack of acts.
Best tune in the charts this week.
Hello Derry then over to 60's pop descendants Wilson Phillips. Oh look they are on a beach (but without the boys and their Mamas and Papas). This is a really strong pop tune and a bit radio favourite for most of the 90s.
MC Tunes brings some life to the studio with a great performance of a cracking tune and hook but with a rather dull rap. Rappers really shouldn't mime on these things, it always looks odd. Nice shot of the AFM marshalling the crowds.
Was Not Was back for a second time. Still like this one.
New Order get to Number One and rightly so. Nice to have the link to Italy but Gazza really is a prat isn't he.
Roxette are back to play us out with a reworked version of their 1986 Christmas Hit for the Pretty Woman movie. It's a fabulous song and Marie has a great voice.
I think Elton had not started with the new hair just yet, and was still using the hat. Trying to figure out when the changeover occurred, but it can't bee too long away from this point in June 1990!
DeleteI’m always surprised to see Gaza alive tbh.
DeleteAll the idiots laughing at him being an unfunny idiot didn’t help at all.
I suspect hed be looked after properly nowadays.
Elton sported that hat on cover of his 'Very Best of Elton John' CD released later in 1990.
Deletei remember at the height of gazza's fame him being signed up by a couple of proven personal management guys, who promised something along the lines of "he won't end up like george best". however, one suspects a deeply-flawed, self-destructive and fundamentally unsound human being like that is beyond even the best of those who make attempts to keep him in some kind of check?
DeleteCan't be bothered to go back and check, but for the first rundown does Mark say he's going to burp at the charts?
ReplyDelete