When I die and they lay me to rest, gonna go to the place that's best ~ the 25th of December 1986 edition of Top of the Pops!
Doctor and the Merry Christmases
25/12/86 (Simon Bates, Gary Davies, Janice Long & Peter Powell)
Billy Ocean – “When The Going Gets Tough The Tough Get Going”
Billy gets the Christmas Day show of (almost) exclusively number ones underway with his one and only chart topper, from back in February.
The Communards – “Don’t Leave Me This Way” (video)
A-ha – “The Sun Always Shines On TV” (video)
Europe – “The Final Countdown” (video)
Doctor & The Medics – “Spirit In The Sky”
Cliff Richard & The Young Ones – “Living Doll” (video)
Spitting Image – “The Chicken Song” (video)
Boris Gardiner – “I Want To Wake Up With You”
Boris finally performs his only number one hit in the studio!
Diana Ross – “Chain Reaction” (video)
Berlin – “Take My Breath Away” (video)
Simply Red – “Holding Back The Years”
With the only song on the show not to make number one.
Nick Berry – “Every Loser Wins” (video)
Falco – “Rock Me Amadeus” (video)
George Michael – “A Different Corner” (video)
Pet Shop Boys – “West End Girls”
Madonna – “True Blue” (video)
Madonna – “Papa Don’t Preach” (video)
Chris De Burgh – “The Lady In Red”
The Housemartins – “Caravan Of Love” (video)
Jackie Wilson – “Reet Petite” (video)
Pipping the Housemartins to the top spot, this was the first of four weeks at number one for Jackie Wilson.
Wham! – “Edge Of Heaven” (video/credits)
This 1986 Christmas edition was the best one so far in this mini run of Christmas Day TOTPs - until tomorrow when it will be 1978! The three tunes I have chosen from this 1986 Christmas Day show where all on video, and not studio performances:
ReplyDeleteThe Communards - Don't Leave Me This Way
Good Lord, I still get lifted by the intro to this, made unique by The Communards over other covers of this tune. I believe the absorbing and spellbinding intro is what propelled it to No.1, as without that, it may have got Top 10 or Top 5 at best.
Berlin - Take My Breath Away
Truly believe that this song has stood the test of time more than all the other songs on this show, meaning that even now in 2021 it would resonate well with the current generation 35 years after it first appeared in 1986. Love the gorgeous Californian lead singer Terri Nunn who turned 60 this year, and still looking great, as on the Story of 1986 when she was interviewed about the song.
Falco - Rock Me Amadeus
Third best tune on this show after Berlin and The Communards. Falco brings his own weird and wonderful singing and dressing style into an otherwise predictable 1986 music scene, and the Austrian sadly died in 1998 at the age of only 40 from serious injuries when his car crashed into a bus while in the Dominican Republic.
Agreed Dory, 3 great tunes. I have just watched and I must add Billy Ocean and Dr and the Medics to that list, just for bringing so much fun to 1986.
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