Las Palabras de Top of the Pops

Summer is in the air, it's 17th June 1982 and Simon Bates is the host of this week's Top of the Pops!

er...... has anybody seen my guitar by any chance?

17-6-82: Presenter: Simon Bates

(24) NATASHA – Iko Iko
We begin this week with blonde Scottish singer, ironically named Natasha England, and her cover of Iko Iko, which was also in the charts at the same time for the Belle Stars. Natasha's version, with a touch of an Adam and the Ants feel about it, won out and reached number 10, whilst the Belle Stars languished at 35.

(4) ABC – The Look Of Love (video)
What an absolute spiffing video! But the Look of Love got no higher in the charts.

(33) ROXY MUSIC – Avalon
Bryan, looking dapper even for him, in a white dinner jacket, performs a personal favourite of mine, which became Roxy Music's final top 20 hit when it peaked at number 13.

(14) BOW WOW WOW – I Want Candy (video)
Annabella and the ex-Ants head to the beach to perform this Strangeloves cover which became their second and final top ten hit, peaking at number 9.

(32) QUEEN – Las Palabras De Amor
A rare studio appearance from Queen, with Freddy proudly displaying his famous moustache, though with seemingly no audience there to appreciate it, for this third single from their top 4 album, Hot Space. Las Palabras De Amor (the words of love) peaked at 17.

(3) CHARLENE – I’ve Never Been To Me
.......But about to go to number one. And edited out of the 7.30 showing.

Presumably this was the JK section?? It was also edited out:

(SWEDISH 1) NICOLE – A Little Peace (video)
(FINNISH 1) THE HUMAN LEAGUE – Don’t You Want Me (video)
(SWISS 1) TRIO – Da Da Da (video)
(ITALIAN 1) PHOEBE CATES – The Theme From Paradise (video)
(DUTCH 1) BOYSTOWN GANG – Can’t Take My Eyes Off You (video)

(9) GARY NUMAN – We Take Mystery (To Bed) (video)
His 7th and final top ten hit, from his 6th and final top ten album, I Assassin, but it got no higher than number 9. And it was also edited out of tonight's 7.30 broadcast.

(6) DURAN DURAN – Hungry Like The Wolf ®
Went up one more place.

(21) TOYAH – Brave New World (video)
Her hair was now getting so big there was barely enough room for it on the tv screen! At its chart peak.

(19) ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN – The Back Of Love
Looks like they managed to lose the stilt stalker! Another song now at its peak.

(1) ADAM ANT – Goody Two Shoes (video) (and credits)
The final week at number one for Adam's third and final number one hit.



The next edition is June 24th 1982. Sadly, BBC4 are still not showing DLT hosted shows, so will move on to July 1st with John Peel.

I'm a Wonderful Top of the Pops Baby

June 10th 1982 will not be shown on BBC4 due to the host being Jimmy Savile. So we must give a very big thanks to Neil B for uploading this edition onto 4Shared:

Top of the Pops 10th June 1982

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Thanks due also now to Erik Threlfall who has uploaded this edition to WeTransfer
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(Do not click the link if you wish to avoid Jimmy Savile!)

I say, has anyone seen my lovely coconuts?

10-6-82: Presenter: Jimmy Savile

(17) KID CREOLE & THE COCONUTS – I’m A Wonderful Thing Baby YouTube Clip
Making their Top of the Pops debut,with the first of three top ten hits in 1982, taken from top three album Tropical Gangsters. This one peaked at number 4.

(3) SOFT CELL – Torch
Went up one more place.

(13) THE ASSOCIATES – Club Country YouTube Clip
At its peak.

The JK bit:
(US 8) ASIA – Heat Of The Moment (video)
(US 4) TOMMY TUTONE – 867-53091/Jenny (Video)
(US 2) RICK SPRINGFIELD – Don’t Talk To Strangers (video)
(US 1) PAUL McCARTNEY & STEVIE WONDER – Ebony And Ivory (video)

(22) DIANA ROSS – Work That Body (video) YouTube Clip
Peaked at number 7 and was Diana's last top ten hit until Chain Reaction in 1986.

(27) STEVIE WONDER – Do I Do (danced to by Zoo)
Peaked at number 10.

(10) GENESIS – Paperlate ®
At its peak.

(1) ADAM ANT – Goody Two Shoes (and credits) ®
Adam had queued up patiently for his first of two weeks at number one.



Next then is June 17th 1982.

I've Never Been to Top of the Pops

June 1982 is upon us already and David 'Kid' Jensen is once again the choice to host a live edition of Top of the Pops!

Oi! Watch out. Do NOT set fire to @CarrieGrant1! #TOTP pic.twitter.com/MrfFRbNF2r

— BBC Four (@BBCFOUR) October 14, 2016

Carrie gets the idea for a change of hair colour....

3-6-82: Presenter: David Jensen (Live)

(5) ABC – The Look Of Love
Martin and his boy band get the show underway with pretty much the same routine as last time, and The Look of Love went up one more chart position.

(2) ADAM ANT – Goody Two Shoes (video)
A case here perhaps of an expensive video not being quite as eye catching as the studio performance? And  Goody Two Shoes was still being stamped on by Madness, but not for much longer...

(27) ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN – The Back Of Love
Making their Top of the Pops debut here with a song produced by a young Ian Broudie, which became their breakthrough hit peaking at number 19. And a certain member of their audience was obviously born in a greenhouse!

(22) SIOUXSIE & THE BANSHEES – Fire works
Susan's transformation from punk to goth seems complete now, though fire works didn't quite set the chart alight, peaking at 22.

(21) FUN BOY THREE – The Telephone Always Rings
It looks like Neville and Lynval were doing their own version of Jane Fonda's workout here, with Terry doing his slightly embarrassed to be here routine. The song peaked at 17.

(15) CHARLENE – I’ve Never Been To Me
This was quite a story ~ a long forgotten record from 1976 is suddenly rediscovered and soars up the charts, whilst the singer is working in a newsagents in Ilford! It sounds like the TOTPS orchestra came out of retirement here to back her live vocal, missing out that talky bit on the record, and putting Charlene in the queue for number one.

(1) MADNESS – House Of Fun (video)
The Nutty Boys, live from Japan, introduce their second and final week at number one.

(7) JUNIOR – Mama Used To Say (and credits)
And another terrific live vocal here from Junior to end the show.

June 10th 1982 was hosted by Jimmy Savile and so obviously BBC4 will skip it in favour of June 17th with Simon Bates.

Top of the Pops of Lost Souls

It is May 27th 1982 and John Peel is hosting a shorter than usual edition of Top of the Pops, to make room for the FA Cup Final replay that is soon to kick off between Spurs and QPR.

Here’s something to look at during the gaps in these interviews. #TOTP pic.twitter.com/lkDBnfAEwT

— BBC Four (@BBCFOUR) October 13, 2016

So who do you think will win the soccer cup, Roger? Rangers or Chas and Dave?


 27-5-82: Presenter: John Peel

(21) GENESIS – Paperlate
Getting us underway then are now Top of the Pops studio regulars Genesis performing Paperlate, the lead track from their e.p. 3x3, which peaked at number 10.

(14) BLONDIE – Island Of Lost Souls (video)
Debbie Harry is in the studio to introduce her own somewhat trippy video, which she informs us was shot in the Scilly Isles. The tune peaked at number 11 and was effectively the end of Blondie, for the 1980's at least. Later in the show, Debbie goes on to 'interview' Roger Taylor.

(24) JAPAN – Cantonese Boy
In the studio with the follow up to Ghosts, but it got no higher in the charts than 24. John Peel asks some 'teenagers' just behind him, who happen to look a lot like Bucks Fizz, for their Cup Final predictions. 2 go for Spurs and 2 go for Rangers.

(12) DURAN DURAN – Hungry Like The Wolf (video)
This Grammy winning video, shot at some considerable expense on location in the jungles of Sri Lanka, helped this record up to a peak of number 5.

(16) SOFT CELL – Torch
There's three of them this time, as the boys are joined by Cindy Ecstasy, who looks pretty ecstatic to be there! Torch peaked at number 2 and was the 4th of five top ten hits for the band (excluding re-releases!)

(1) MADNESS – House Of Fun (video)
Beating Adam Ant to the number one spot, and holding him off for two weeks, with a video shot in the exotic location of Brown's chemists in London W9.

(28) FUN BOY THREE – The Telephone Always Rings (crowd dancing) (and credits)
On its way up to a peak of 17.

Next up is a live edition from June 3rd 1982.

Top of the Pops Two Shoes

And so BBC4 moves on to May 20th 1982, skipping the DLT hosted 13th May, despite the fact that his two years suspended sentence is now spent, and by the BBC's own rules DLT can now be shown on screen once again. He did the crime and now he's done the time, so come on BBC, the 24th June is his next show.......

Adam reconsiders his decision to be a goody two shoes...

20-5-82: Presenter: Peter Powell

(19) ROCKY SHARPE & THE REPLAYS – Shout Shout (Knock Yourself Out)
Getting things off to a lively start, with pretty much the same routine we saw last time they were on when they closed the show, with their final top 30 hit now at its peak.

(8) MADNESS – House Of Fun (video)
Straight into the chart at number eight and soon to become the nutty boys' one and only number one.

(13) ABC – The Look Of Love
ABC turn boy band for this terrific studio performance of what will become their biggest hit when it peaks at number 4.

(3) PhD – I Won’t Let You Down (video)
Who would have expected such a comedic video for such a serious sounding song? And was that Jim Diamond or was it Paul Daniels stalking the mean leggy blonde in the very short skirt?

(5) ADAM ANT – Goody Two Shoes
What an epic performance this is, with Adam taking over every stage in the studio, creating what is pretty much a video in the process. And about to battle it out with Madness for the number one spot.

(14) JUNIOR – Mama Used To Say
On its way to number 7. And edited out of tonight's 7.30pm slot.

(26) IRON MAIDEN – Number Of The Beast (video)
Halloween arrives early! Maybe if they'd released this scary song later in the year it might have got higher than its peak of 18?

(11) TIGHT FIT – Fantasy Island (video)
The boy and girls sing their way around Saint Tropez with Fantasy Island heading towards a Peak of number 5.

(1) NICOLE – A Little Peace ®
Second and final week at number one.

(10) PATRICE RUSHEN – Forget Me Nots (and credits) ®
Over the credits this week is a repeat of Patrice's previous performance interspersed with some daring acrobatics from the Zoo dancers, one of whom seemed to come an awful cropper! The song went up two more places.


Next up is May 27th 1982 hosted by John Peel.

I Love Top of the Pops

It's been a while since we've had a yewtreed edition, so a big thanks to Darnall 42 for uploading the May 13th 1982 show, which was hosted by DLT:~

https://vimeo.com/155177946

Ahem...... I do believe I have now served my suspended sentence, BBC4....

13-5-82: Presenter: Dave Lee Travis

(35) DURAN DURAN – Hungry Like The Wolf
Became a howling success and the band's second top ten hit when it peaked at number 5.

(7) YAZOO – Only You
On its way to number 2.

(4) JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS – I Love Rock ‘N’ Roll
In the studio this week but got no higher in the charts.

(40) FUN BOY THREE – The Telephone Always Rings
The third single taken from their eponymous top ten debut album, this one made it to number 17.

(13) SIMPLE MINDS – Promised You A Miracle (video)
At its peak.

(9) HOT CHOCOLATE – Girl Crazy
Went up two more places.

(30) THE ASSOCIATES – Club Country
The follow up to Party Fears Two, reaching number 13 in the charts.

(10) SPANDAU BALLET – Instinction ®
At its peak.

(1) NICOLE – A Little Peace
She beat the England football squad to the 500th number one, and stayed there for two weeks.

(24) BLONDIE – Island Of Lost Souls (crowd dancing and credits)
Re-releases aside, this was Blondie's final top 30 hit, until Maria in 1999!


Next up then is May 20th 1982

We Have a Top of the Pops

It's May 6th 1982 and Simon Bates is making sure everyone knows he is hosting a live edition of Top of the Pops!

.....And I looked up, and it was me, on Top of the Pops!

6-5-82: Presenter: Simon Bates

(31) JUNIOR – Mama Used To Say
Richard Blackwood's uncle gets the show underway, with what would become the first of two top ten hits when it peaked at number 7.

(34) DEPECHE MODE – The Meaning Of Love
Edited out of tonights early showing and even though it got to number 12 we won't get to see it again!

(2) ENGLAND WORLD CUP SQUAD – We’ll Fly The Flag
They threw everything into this, the star names like Keegan and Hoddle, together with half of British Airways' stewardesses and official England fan Ken Baily, but could this be the performance that won them the honour of being the 500th number one?

(3) PhD – I Won’t Let You Down
Falling victim to the 7.30pm edit yet again! But I'm sure we will see them on BBC4 next week.

(32) TIGHT FIT – Fantasy Island
The follow up to their number one, and they are actually singing on it themselves this time, made it to number 5, but it was to be their final top 30 success.

(30) TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR F.A. CUP FINAL SQUAD – Tottenham, Tottenham
A second football song, this time its Chas & Dave and Spurs again - it was not as successful as last year's Ossies Dream though, peaking at number 19.

(27) PATRICE RUSHEN – Forget Me Nots
This was Patrice's only top 30 hit, peaking at number 8.

(13) SCOTTISH WORLD CUP SQUAD – We Have A Dream
Would you believe we now have a third football song on the show, this one being by far the most eccentric, fronted by a manic John Gordon Sinclair, and helped out with wacky sound effects from BA Robertson. It somehow made it to number 5.

(1) PAUL McCARTNEY & STEVIE WONDER – Ebony And Ivory (video)
A third and final week at number one, so very fitting that at the end of the video who should drop into the live studio (for the first time since late 1974) to say hello to Simon but Paul McCartney himself, with his wife Linda.

(5) BANANARAMA & FUN BOY THREE – Really Saying Something (and credits)
We close the show with another studio performance, Really Saying Something now at its chart peak.



The next edition is May 13th 1982, but it is hosted by DLT so BBC4 are skipping it in favour of May 20th, which will be shown next Friday.