How does it feel to be on the 12th of June 1998 edition of Top of the Pops!
Witches of Elstree
12-6-98: Presenter: Jo Whiley
(2) MOUSSE T. feat. HOT ‘N’ JUICY – Horny
Getting tonight's show underway and the song was now at its peak.
(7) LUTRICIA McNEAL – Stranded
Had already peaked at number 3.
(18) SHANIA TWAIN – When
Here tonight but got no higher.
(17) ALEXIA – Gimme Love
With her second of three top 40 hits but it got no higher.
(15) DEL AMITRI – Don’t Come Home Too Soon
In the studio with the Scottish world cup song but it got no higher.
(4) MARIAH CAREY – My All
Also in the studio tonight but the song was at its peak.
(9) ENGLAND UNITED – On Top Of The World
The supergroup is here with the official England 1998 World Cup song, but it got no higher.
(1) B*WITCHED – C’est La Vie (and credits)
Second and final week at number one.
Could only enjoy the Mariah Carey performance on this show, but also noticed outside the Top 20 rundown, a new entry and peak of No.21 was Chumbawumba with Top Of The World (Ole Ole Ole), which I presume is one of the numerous football songs in the current chart, but did not chart high enough to get onto the show,
ReplyDeleteAlso a new entry and peak at No.27 was The Wombles with The Wombling Song (Underground Overground) which was the delight of my early years in 1974 when originally released, and would set my mind into a TV mode whenever I heard it at the time.
Finally another new entry and peak at No.32 was Elton John with If The River Could Bend, with Elton by now nearly 30 years into his pop career, and still churning out new material and charting with it.
Didn’t recognise the world cup song at all, but actually quite liked it. More football to come next episode…
ReplyDeleteThese two were much more entertaining after what's seemed lately like a slide into overpoliteness. That's a World Cup for you I suppose. Certainly the second show felt like waking up in the middle of a full blown Britpop piss-up after having a long uninvolving dream about boy and girl groups. Jo Whiley did a good job aside from a grating bit of ladettism at one point and I'm warming to her more now. Overall two good shows
ReplyDeleteMousse T; A title of 'Horny' kind of smells itself but the single itself is great. Very fun and catchy with a very current bit of mischievous blaring trumpet running all through it and surprising that didn't go one place higher. Again probably only down to what was currently gripping the Nation.
Lutricia McNeil; The last female singer with a surname of McNeil was something of a non starter as I recall (I won't 'mine' the memory banks any further) but this singer had a couple of fine single and aa great voice. Always liked 'Stranded' but long forgotten it was by the woman who sang 'Ain't That Just The Way'. She should've had a far longer pop career.
Shania Twain; Down some dusty steps past a wall of wires comes Jo. This is aa curious time in pop to be reviving 'The Old Grey Whistle Test' isn't it? No wooly tank tops and flares for Shania. In new pop star hooded top and leather jacket she looks marvellous though still smiley and down to earth. This is a great single which soars beautifully and may have had the influence of Sheryl Crow. That may have worked both ways as Sheryl's 'Soak Up The Sun' from a few years later does have a lot of the feel of this single.
Alexia; Jumpy singer and dancers workout. Predictably doesn't do much.
Del Amitri; A big stage filled with music equivalent of a full football squad, this was good to revisit. A charmingly pessimistic ode for Scotland who from Jo's link, had already suffered at the hands of Brazil. Goalpost deflection wasn't it? Lovely tune to that and far better than the usual "we're going to be champions" balls from England. The guitarist (on keyboards) has lost the beard and looks rather scary.
Mariah Carey; 'My All'. Hardly.
England United; The Spice Girls and Simon Craddock and Mac and Space's Tommy, this couldn't fail to top the charts aside from the fact that it didn't. I thought it was good and surprisingly un tacky but that made it sound rather anonymous so it wasn't likely to conquer the charts despite the bon viveur onstage. Still a good bit of celebration after the dullness of recent shows.
B*witched; Oh God no.
Ahem; apologies for the predictive Freudian slip there! Horny = sells itself rather than smells itself!!
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