I'm so glad that I just got my pay, I was born on the 23rd of December 1993 edition of Top of the Pops!
Santa Etienne
23-12-93: Presenter: Mark Franklin
(13) K7 – Come Baby Come
Getting the final regular edition of the year underway and the song went up ten more places.
(4) THE BEE GEES – For Whom The Bell Tolls (video) (and charts)
Now at its peak.
(37) SAINT ETIENNE – I Was Born On Christmas Day
Co-starring Tim Burgess, but the song got no higher.
(25) SHABBA RANKS feat. PATRA, TERRI & MONICA – Family Affair (via satellite)
Peaked at number 18.
(7) DINA CARROLL – The Perfect Year
A second studio performance and the song went up two more places.
(40) WHITNEY HOUSTON – I Will Always Love You (video) (Breakers)
er..... breaker?
(29) HULK HOGAN with GREEN JELLY – I’m The Leader Of The Gang (video) (Breakers)
Peaked at number 25.
(23) EYC – Feelin’ Alright
Performing their first of six top 40 hits and this one peaked at number 16.
(1) MR. BLOBBY – Mr. Blobby (video)
Back to number one in time for Christmas! Second of three weeks.
Christmas Day is next.
Apart from The Bee Gees and Saint Etienne who were brilliant, the show was not one of the best of the year.
ReplyDeleteThe Bee Gees - first showing of the video, and the song just keeps getting better the more I hear it.
Saint Etienne - at last Sarah Cracknell in with Christmas colour minidress, with co-singer Tim burgess all lovey and tactile with her, even holding hands for a while. Good Lord, how I would've liked to be in that role.
Shabba Ranks - first time seeing him performing live, and not on a video, and I somehow liked this effort.
The Breakers - what got Hulk Hogan to sing a Gary Glitter song with Green Jelly? Anyway this effort was somewhat palpable I guess in the run-up to Christmas 1993.
Top 10 rundown - I did like the surprise appearance by Meat Loaf in the TOTP studio at the end of the show to announce his arrival in the UK, as during his 7-week hold on the No.1 position in October to December, he was not in the UK to perform in the TOTP studio, as you can imagine he would have needed 7-11 minutes on the TOTP stage for his song, and it was easier to edit the video down to 4 or 5 minutes, than to edit the song while performing on stage in the studio.
DeleteBut now down to No.6 this week on the Christmas chart and with two singles in the Top 10 this week, it looked like the earliest opportunity to come to the UK and prepare for the follow up singles from Bat Out of Hell II: Back Into Hell.
Strong Pops opener with K7.
ReplyDeleteLove this BeeGees track but it does seem to have been played A LOT.
St Etienne and Tim one of my fave Christmas tracks. Feels like it's had more attention in the years since than it did at the time (and rightly so).
Shabba- shrug
Dina - what a great (one could almost say perfect) year she's had. Such a shame I think only Escaping of her later singles does much business, she deserved a longer stint.
Love your Whitney comment Angelo!
Hulk Hogan and co - well, we are in silly season.
EYC - yawn
Blobby - Honestly it's cringeworthy but I still find it hilarious it dethroned Take That which had cynical MAKE US CHRISTMAS NUMBER ONE WE EVEN GOT MARK TO SING IT written all over it.
Chart rundown - this was the week that Peabo Bryson & Regina Bell were at peak position at No.12, and got no full showing following last week's breakers slot at No.26. It was a classic Christmas fairytale and feast of a tune, yet because of TOTPs restriction of videos only to chart rundown and no.1 slot, unless an invited performer to the studio was felling unwell on the day, as the sick note video as Arthur calls it, this policy worked against Bryson & Bell to get a full slot, especially as it was at peak, and therefore no further strides up the chart unfortunately.
ReplyDeleteDid anyone notice on the TOTP chart rundown this week at No.35, that it was spelled "Snoopy Doggy Dogg" instead of Snoop Doggy Dogg? I think that this was Snoop's first single in the UK, peaking eventually at No.20, and the TOTP producer's got the name wrong. In any case, it should have been on the Breakers this week, considering that they had Whitney Houston as a Breaker at No.40, so not sure why Snoop at No.35 did not get a Breaker slot as he was ahead of Houston in the queue and first after Hulk Hogan as a Breaker at No.29. Good Lord!
A quick bit of snoop digging reveals that, yes, this was Snoop Doggy Dogg's first single, and it's also the last we'll see of Dina Carroll for three years. Dina took time off after getting 'burned out', then got delayed on her return to due to record label contract issues. Dina managed two more top 20 hits after her top 3 comeback "Escaping", which received an exclusive and a regular outing in the days of guest hosts, in her two editions' cases Julia Carling (remember her?) and Harry Hill!
ReplyDeleteI meant three TOTP years, so we'll catch Dina again next about May / June 2024 if all goes well.
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DeleteThree songs at peak position this outside of the Top 40 by three well-known male solo artists:
ReplyDeleteNo.44 Craig McLachlan - Grease
Follow-up to the You're The One That I Want single with Debbie Gibson a few months earlier, I presume this Grease title track was also from the New York theatre production and released at the end of the year for the Christmas market, but was not able to trouble the Top 40 on this occasion.
No.45 Rod Stewart - People Get Ready
This looks like a joint effort with Jeff Beck by looking at the record sleeve, but in any case Rod had a reasonable 1993 with five singles released, three of which were Top 40 singles, so not a bad year by any means.
No.63 Robert Plant - If I Were A Carpenter
Third single in 1993, and only one Top 40 single back in May with 29 Palms, as the other two failed to break into the Top 60.
Can't remember if it was this ep or the Christmas day one but Mark F going 'Take That are no longer Christmas number one'. I mean, they never were?
ReplyDeleteLast critique from me for three weeks, I guess.
ReplyDeleteGreat choreography from K7. Big Fun were never like this. The track wasn’t my bag but they put it across well.
Mark’s T-shirt reminded me of one Kwiksave (remember them?) used to sell which had their slogan “No frills” on the front.
Barry does his high pitch donkey braying again.
Peak of the week next as Saint Etienne give us a top tune, zither but no melodica as heard on the tune, a wedding cake drum riser and added start from another indie band. If only I could hear this every time instead of Mariah fkucing Carey.
Oh dear, Ranks desecrates the Sly and the Family Stone classic. Shabba? Shabby, more like.
Dina deserves an award for the most TOTPs this show calendar year. Lovely outfit, another great live vocal. Catch you again in 18 months, Geraldine.
Two completely pointless breakers. First the bitch who died on my 50th birthday (who thought this deserved a breaker slot? It had already sullied the chart) and then something pretending to sound tough but musically a weakling.
Next up, some shouty pointy noise with intermittent identikit “R ‘n’ B”. EYC NFG (no ###ing good).
I bet Mark was thinking “At least that pink and yellow idiot isn’t here to try and knock my teeth again”.
Mark finishes with a bit of Statto regarding how close / far Take that were to stating at the top. Compared to the great Steve Miller/ Deee-Lite occasion, where 8 copies was all that stopped them from being joint number one, five grand’s a chasm.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all who sail and continue to sail on here.
Bring out the bodywarmers it's the wonderful "Come Baby Come" from K7. Great opening to the show.
ReplyDeleteVideo time with THE BEE GEES and we finally get to hear "For Whom The Bell Tolls" as it is meant to be heard. Like this tune and one of the last of their big hits. They team up with Celine Dion later this decade which I recall was a big success.
SAINT ETIENNE – I Was Born On Christmas Day
Could of sworn this was credited to Sarah Cracknell and Tim Burgess at the time but it appears my memory cheats. I will say that this is one of my all time favourite Christmas tunes and it's a travesty that is got no higher. So do we think Sarah and Tim were an item?
SHABBA or HAMMER? I know which Addams family track I prefer and I would RANK this one second best. Is that Monica of Brandy & Monica fame?
All I want for Christmas is DINA CARROLL. The album spent 70 weeks in the chart and was wrapped up (on cassette) for me this year. Definitely "The Perfect Year" for Dina and Best Female Solo Artist at the Brits to follow so she will get her award Mark.
Breakers:
WHITNEY HOUSTON – Buy the soundtrack people!
HULK HOGAN with GREEN JELLY – WOW! How bad is this?
NKOTB light EYC are "Feelin’ Alright" and full of energy. Mark says this is a really good song. I disagree.
Ladies and Gentlemen it's MR. BLOBBY back and Christmas Number One – please no more of this.
MEATLOAF for Christmas anyone?