Thunder only happens when it's the 15th of May 1998 edition of Top of the Pops!
Corr blimey!
15-5-98: Presenter: Jo Whiley
(2) ALL SAINTS – Lady Marmalade
Getting tonight's show underway with the flip side of last week's number one.
(6) THE CORRS – Dreams
Making their studio debut with their first of six top ten hits but this Fleetwood Mac cover got no higher.
(7) SIMPLY RED – Say You Love Me
In the studio tonight but got no higher.
(12) LeANN RIMES – How Do I Live
Had already peaked at number 7.
(4) CLEOPATRA – Life Ain’t Easy
Here with with second of four top ten hits but it got no higher.
(3) WYCLEF JEAN – Gone Till November
The former Fugee rapper makes his solo studio debut but the song got no higher.
(15) ADAM GARCIA – Night Fever
This Bee Gees cover was his only hit and it got no higher.
(1) AQUA – Turn Back Time (and credits)
First and only week at the top for their third and final number one.
Well I guess there was more variety than last week... But then we missed a lot of decent songs that we could have had and this week, well.
ReplyDeleteAqua were the best and I don't even like them much. Cleopatra's styling was weird. The clothes were cool but the hat, goggles and silly backpack just hindered them. Simply Ref I've forgotten already. All Saints were clearly expected to be at the top longer, much like Boyzone last week. I hate the trend of playing songs going down the charts that TOTP got into in the 90s.
Can't ever think of the Corrs without thinking of the French and Saunders sketch. And didn't Jim! Become a conspiracy theorist? Pretty people but I don't recall a single track that I liked. Just so many bad cover versions this episode.
I was expecting Ken from Aqua to pop up at some point during the song at No.1, but no sign of him, and I think this was the first Aqua single without Ken since Aqua coming onto the scene in 1997 with Barbie Girl.
DeleteThe song itself Turn Back Time sounded like a Cher single, although apart from the Aqua singer's hair, had no resemblance to the Cher single of the same name, but could quite easily have been another Cher single.
The Corrs - well this was just brilliant. I'm not usually a fan of covers, but this was right up there with the Fleetwood Mac original, plus a stunning lead singer on The Corrs. Good Lord, what more can the average TOTP fan want? You're right Angelo, Corr!
ReplyDeleteSimply Red - another brilliant new single that could quite easily have been a Fleetwood Mac type of song, and one of Simply Red's greatest singles, now 12 years since they came onto the scene with Money's Too Tight To Mention in 1985. They certainly were having a longevity in parallel with The Pet Shop Boys who were also going this long by 1998 with new material.
Adam Garcia - well this was one cover I didn't find inspiring, as the voice was much similar to all those boys in boybands where you couldn't tell the difference. At least the lead singer of the Corrs had a distinct voice, much like we were back in 70s when Fleetwood Mac did the original of Dreams. Good Lord, and do you remember the Legs & Co routine to Night Fever on a 1977 edition of TOTP in those nighties? I'd much rather have them back than the Adam Garcia version!
Chart rundown - did anyone notice Air with a new entry at No.18, with an interesting video clip on the chart rundown of two sexy girls playing table tennis? I watched the whole video on YouTube, and it turns out they were controlled by two male teenagers playing Pacman which reverberated into real table-tennis match between two girls:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rui0hzN-EFE&list=RDRui0hzN-EFE&start_radio=1
Turns out that one of the girls is called Kelly, and the song called Kelly Watch The Stars, has her in the video getting knocked out by the ball hitting her head, and then needing mouth-to-mouth resussitation to save her and to continue the match.
Also just outside the Top 20 with a new entry at No.21 and at peak was 808 State with a re-release of their 1990 debut hit Pacific. 808 State already had their final new single in 1997, and so they re-released this one in 1998, and one more re-release in 1999 which didn't even make the Top 40, and that was pretty much it from them to make up a whole decade of music just about.
Loved the Air video, but the OCD in me was distracted by the score bouncing up and down between 18 and 20 😀
DeleteTurns out that the Air song tumbled down to No.39 the following week, so would not get a TOTP feature. Surely this would have been a better choice this week than showing 15-year old Leann Rimes two weeks in a row at No12, having already peaked at No.7 before the two appearances at No.12?
DeleteAir could have got a slot on this show, even the video, as it was comfortably in the Top 20 this week at No.18. Good Lord!
I only half watched this edition and not bothered about watching it again as it seemed generally back to the ho hum after a strong show last week. Too many covers but 'Dreams' folk/dance makeover was nice to revisit and I grew to like The Corrs around the time of 'What Can I Do'.
ReplyDeleteCleopatra were a real waste of 4 minutes and give the boy from 3T his satchell back. 'Turn Back Time' was pleasant and Lene could certainly sing. Wycliffe Jean really couldn't but 'Gone Till November' utilised that and sounded eccentric and charming. All Saints I guess shouldn't have done a double a side of covers this early in their career even though the version of 'Under The Bridge' was fantastic.