TOTP81.39 01/10/81

Repeated on BBCFour 19.05.2016
Presented by Mike Read
Full chart here

TOTP debut: The Creatures, Altered Images.

The Tweets – “Birdie Song (Birdie Dance)” (7)
Bird sh*t.

Godley & Creme – “Under Your Thumb” (6)
Going ahead in leaps and bounds and will do even better.

Sheena Easton – “Just Another Broken Heart” (37)
(rpt from 17/09/81) This one's really struggling and hasn't gone up much since it was last shown two weeks ago. But Sheena obviously had some friends in high places who managed to get this one repeated.

The Teardrop Explodes – “Passionate Friend” (25)
Another one that's struggling a bit but possibly a big fave of Mike Read's so it's good to see Julian Cope tripping again.

The Creatures – “Mad Eyed Screamer” (34)
Siouxsie & Banshees spin-off as 'er and Budgie (no relation to The Tweets) get all hot an bothered to whip this one up.

Ottawan – “Hands Up (Give Me Your Heart)” (3) (Legs & Co)
..and then on to something completely different.

Toyah – “Thunder In The Mountains” (32)
The fiery-haired one is back with a new single. Possibly not about farting.

Bad Manners – “Walking In The Sunshine” (30) (video)
Surprisingly pleasant soft-reggae outing for this obnoxious lot.

Altered Images – “Happy Birthday” (48) WATCH
Debut appearance and indeed chart hit for these erstwhile post-punk John Peel darlings gone pop.

Gidea Park – “Seasons Of Gold” (28)
Rubbish.

Dollar – “Hand Held In Black & White” (19) (rpt from 03/09/81)
The Trevor Horn gloss still working its magic, but go no further with this one Dollar people.

Adam & The Ants – “Prince Charming” (1) (video)
Still there and not even for the last week (yaaawn).

Tight Fit - "Back To The 60's (Part II)" (38) (audience dancing/credits)

TOTP81.37 17/09/81

Repeated on BBCFour 05.05.2016
Presented by: Steve Wright
Full chart here


TOTP debut: The Tweets, Godley & Creme

Gidea Park – “Seasons Of Gold” (35)

OMD – “Souvenir” (3)
(rpt from 03/09/81)
Chart peak for this ethereal smoocher, but they'll be back with two songs about Joan of Arc, oh and possibly the best album of the eighties.

Beggar & Co – “Mule (Chant No.2)” (41)
Fresh from their success with Spanda BAllet's Chnat No. 1, here they are with Chant No. 2. See what they did there? Will only reach as high as no. 37 next week.

Sheena Easton – “Just Another Broken Heart” (42)
Sheena tries to follow up her James Bond theme with a new song, but she's just soooo last year's thing.

The Teardrop Explodes – “Passionate Friend” (29)
(rpt from 03/09/81)
Julain Cope still 'high', but not in the charts and it's the last we'll see of them, sadly.

Hi-Gloss – “You’ll Never Know” (17) (Legs & Co)

The Tweets – “Birdie Song (Birdie Dance)” (25)


Godley & Creme – “Under Your Thumb” (30)

Amazing debut by one of the most original and creative duos  of the eighties.


Bucks Fizz – “One Of Those Nights” (20)
(rpt from 03/09/81)

The Pointer Sisters – “Slow Hand” (11)
(video)

Adam & The Ants – “Prince Charming” (1)
(video)


Dollar – “Hand Held In Black & White” (24) (audience dancing/credits)

TOTP81.31 06/08/81

Not repeated on BBCFour in 2016
Presented by Jummy Saville
Full chart here

TOTP debut: Lobo

Dexys Midnight Runners – “Show Me” (16)

Sheena Easton – “For Your Eyes Only” (8) (video)

Tenpole Tudor – “Wunderbar” (36)

Lobo – “The Caribbean Disco Show” (27) (Legs & Co)
More info on Lobo (in Dutch) here.

The Human League – “Love Action (I Believe In Love)” (29)

REO Speedwagon – “Take It On The Run” (25)

Gidea Park – “Beach Boy Gold” (20)

Tight Fit – “Back To The ‘60s” (10) (rpt from 23/07/81)

Shakin’ Stevens – “Green Door” (1) (video)

Visage – “Visage” (21) (audience dancing/credits)

TOTP81.29 23/07/81

Repeated on BBCFour: 31/03/2016
Presenter: Richard Skinner
Full chart here

The Vapors – “Jimmie Jones” (44)
A bit of a comeback after their top 3 hit Turning Japanese all of 18 months ago. This is a bit rubbish however and not helped by the sheer length of the singer's mullet, approx. 3 years too early. At no. 44 and got no higher.

Sheena Easton – “For Your Eyes Only” (16) (video)
Apparently "for the first time on British television" and according to Skinner something for those who like James Bond and Sheena Easton, which is hardly surprising as it's the new James Bond movie theme sung by Sheena Easton. Fun fact 1: Sheena Easton is the first Bond theme singer to actually appear in the film; Fun Fact 2: Blondie also recorded a song called For Your Eyes Only for the movie but it was rejected.

Shakin’ Stevens – “Green Door” (22)
New one for Shakey, straight in at no. 22 and obviously the nation's favourite record/artist at the time judging by what happens next. 1981? It might as well be 1958.

REO Speedwagon – “Take It On The Run” (28) (video)
American AOR/MOR. "Take it on the run, baby - exactly where you want it, baby". Ummm...

ABBA – “Lay All Your Love On Me” (7) (Legs & Co)
By Abba's standards this one didn't really get very high, perhaps due to the fact that it was a 'limited edition' 12" only release, so they probably ran out before it could get to the top like their previous two singles. That said, it was the highest charting position achieved for a 12-inch only release in the UK  at the time. Legs do their best to 'interpret' the song and the abandoned church stage-set is perhaps inspired by the song's opening chords which sound like they're played on a church organ, and the chorus is, well, choir-esque. Quite why they choose to dance in their nighties/pyjamas/knickerbockers is, however, beyond us. Skilfully covered by Erasure some years into the future.

Tight Fit – “Back To The ‘60s” (30)
Another one of those annoying medley singles, which time (up to now) had largely forgotten. Destined to ruin your summer.

Visage – “Visage” (25) (video)
Steve Strange et al scraping the barrel somewhat issuing the titular track off eponymous album, but any excuse to dress up for a video, eh Steve? Plus it was sort of their manifesto .. "new styles, new shapes" etc. Video directed by Midge Ure, who also had a hand in writing, playing, producing and God knows what else, which makes it sound very Ultravox-y.

Chart rundown from 20 'right up to' no. 11.

Gidea Park – “Beach Boy Gold” (35)
More cover-medley rubbish. Will also ruin your summer.

The Specials – “Ghost Town” (1) (rpt)
"A great song" .. at no. 1 for third and final week.

Starsound – “Stars On 45 Volume 2” (2) (Legs & Co/credits)
More Legs & co. in white dresses. At least this one was a medley of Abba songs. Hilarious seeing selected pubescent punters trying to "impress" Legs.

TOTP81.19 14/5/81

Repeated on BBCFour 04/03/2016
Full chart here
Presented by Tommy Vance

TOTP debut: Kim Carnes (video)

Shorter edition due to Spurs vs. Man City FA Cup replay scheduled on the same night. Interestingly it was Tomorrow's World that got the chop on the night and TOTP was brought forward, testament to its importance in the BBC palimpsest at the time.

pic. and listing source Popscene

Anyway here are the songs that were featured:

Thin Lizzy – Are You Ready? (24)

Sheena Easton – When He Shines (23) (repeat from 30/04/81)

Department S – Is Vic There? (22)

Kim Carnes – Bette Davies Eyes (20) (video)

Tenpole Tudor – Swords Of A Thousand Men (10)

Adam & The Ants – Stand & Deliver (1) (video/credits)


No Legs & Co, of course and Kim Carnes was the only new thing, and quite rightly as she had entered the Top 30/40 at n. 20.

Had it not been for the short edition then The Human League would have featured again as they had entered the Top 30 but no matter as they were up to no. 15 the following week, presumably just on the strength of radio play. Their 2016 TOTP jinx starts next week though as it's DLT at the helm.

Madness were up to no. 4 which may have warrnted a studio appearance this week. Alas they were down next week though so Grey Day was never seen again.

..and of course Spurs and Chas n Dave were riding high and thanks to tonight's result go even higher next week but again not shown in 2016 due to DLT ban.

Anyway, speaking of which, we're off to see the football. T'ra!

TOTP81.17 30/04/81

Not repeated on BBCFour
Full chart here
Presented by Jimmy Savile

TOTP debut: Tenpole Tudor, The Human League (Mk. 2).

For those of you just arriving from another planet, having been away since 2004, we inform you that this show, as well as others, was not repeated by the BBC in 2016 as it was presented by Jimmy Savile (aka Sir James Wilson Vincent Savile, OBE, KCSG9 who has therefore been banished from our screens forever more, along with another presenter and DJ Dave Lee Travis (aka The Hairy Cornflake) . Alas, it's all a bit of shame of course as we don't get to see so many episodes of our fave music TV show which were so fundamental in the course of popular musical history, especially in the magical year of 1981. But of course we must respect the victims of the aformentioned persons' wrong-doings and just take it all as it comes, keeping our rundown and commentary as simple as we can. Except when it comes to The Human League.

Thin Lizzy - Are You Ready?
As this was from a live EP one wonders how this was performed in the TOTP studio. Anyway it obvs worked well as The Lizzy went forward with leaps and bounds after this week's 43 spot.

Madness - Grey Day
In which the Nutty Boys go all Joy Division, cut the whacky crap and give us one of their better, more mature tunes. The video is still a bit 'nutty' though of course as they filmed it in and around their native Camden rather than in a grimy Manchester slum or an a deserted beach. Second week in charts and already no. 5.

The Beat - All Out to Get You
Fellow, or former fellow, ska-based band The Beat seem to be stuck in a bit of a musical rut on the other hand, even though this is better than the other side of the double 'A' side single, ie. Drowning. Struggling a bit at 22 and that's as far as it goes.

Sheena Easton - When He Shines
We haven't seen or heard of wee Sheena for a bit (and we didn't get to hear or see her this time either), not since 1980 in fact, as her last single bombed in February. They're still managing to milk the debut album Take My Time though, with this the fifth single from said opus now at 42.

Dept. S - Is Vic There?
Vic still obviously not coming to the phone, much to the advantage of Dept. S who go up a couple of places to no. 28

Ennio Morricone - Chi Mai
Fighting for the top spot but Ennio's doing a bit of a Vienna hanging round the no. 2 position again this week. A video was shown, apparently.

Spandau Ballet - Musclebound
Another repeat performance. The Spans are up to no. 13 but I still reckon they were wrong not to do Glow on The Pops.

Quincy Jones - Ai No Corrida
We're having had a good run of quality British acts and songs on so far tonight (save for Maestro Morricone), so better have some senseless American rubbish eh? Amazingly however I learn from Wikipedia that this song was nota Quincy original but was co-written by Chaz Jankel of Ian Dury & the Blockheads fame. Intrigued? Read more here.

The Teardrop Explodes - Treason (It's Just a Story)
As with another artist/song we'll be hearing about in a few moments this one suffers in 2016 from the fact that it/they were introduced either by JS or DLT. And again we'll never know if this was the time that Julian Cope was off his head on chemical substances or not. Plus it's a damn good song so it's utterly unfair we didn't get to see it again. Expectations were very high for The Teardrops' follow-up to Reward as they were only at no. 56 and on The Pops already.

Tenpole Tudor - Swords of a Thousand Men
OK well if you enjoyed all that dressing up as American Indians, pirates, and God knows what else in the early 80s then you probably would have enjoyed this lot's faux-medieval costumes, fake armour and the like. Swashbuckling chic was in, and Tenpole were at 37.

The Human League - The Sound of the Crowd

The last time we saw this band on the Pops they were little more than a group of all-male slightly geeky computer-operator types who didn't know whether they wanted to be Kraftwerk or The Glitter Band. Since then things have changed, however. The original band have split and the singer, one Phil Oakey - him with the lop-sided haircut - and his ginger haired, er, slide operator mate Adrian Wright have brought in a slightly more musically savvy other bloke and two dancing, chanting schoolgirls in in order to turn The Human League into something new. After an unsuccessful interim single Boys and Girls (coincidentally released the same day as the also unsuccessful debut single by Depeche-ay Mode), The Brand New Human League have upped their game, put their glad rags on and decided to add their voice to the sound of the eighties crowd, and indeed stand way above it (albeit on high heels). Written by Oakey and new boy Ian Burden, the new single sounded like it had come not from Sheffield but straight from outer space. The lyrics were a call to arms for a new generation of pop kids, a series of imperatives going from the direct - "Get in line now!" "Stay in time with the rhythm and rhyme!" - to the obscure - "Make a shroud pulling combs through a backwash frame", "Stroke a pocket with a print of a laughing sound!" (we had to wait for the lyrics to appear in Smash Hits to get them all), complete with Glitter-esque "Woah-woah-woah"s and resounding electronic hand-claps to punctuate the chorus, and stay in time. Faithful to their all-electronic sonic ethos, The League with the help of producer Martin Rushent, had come up with a single that would pave their way to stardom and lay down the foundations for a plethora of 'synth-pop' hits during the rest of 1981 and beyond. Considering the visual as well as the sonic impact of this crucial debut, more's the pity we didn't get to see this again in 2016. Joanne and Susan, stage front, had famously been taken out of school to appear on the show, while the lads had brought along some slim line keyboards and a couple of reel-to-reel tape recorders to defy the standard guitars and drums set-up, which was still the norm, while not forgetting the lipstick and eyeliner. The result was an explosion in sound and vision as important as that of, say, Gary Numan in 1979, or Adam and the Ants and Spandau Ballet a few months previously. To quote a fellow-tweeter, can you imagine any young UK band in 2016 releasing anything as vital, exciting and essential as this track? Check tonight's performance out on youtube, stay in time with the rhythm and rhyme, and add your voice.

Bucks Fizz - Making Your Mind Up
Third and final week at the top. (Video + credits). No-one was quite ready for what would come next.

Further reading: Smash Hits 30 April 1981