TOTP81.49 10/12/81

Not repeated on BBCFour
Presented by: Jimmy Saville
Full chart here



Showaddywaddy – “Footsteps” (35)

Madness – “It Must Be Love” (7) (video)

Dollar – “Mirror Mirror (Mon Amour)” (26)

Ken Dodd – “Hold My Hand” (not in chart)

Adam & The Ants – “Ant Rap” (9) (video)

Bucks Fizz – “The Land Of Make Believe” (24)

The Police – “Spirits In The Material World” (28)

Abba – “One Of Us” (11) (video)

The Human League – “Don’t You Want Me” (1) (video)


Philip Lynott – “Yellow Pearl” (TOTP theme/not in chart) (audience dancing/credits)

TOTP81.42 22/10/81

Not repeated on BBCFour in 2016
Presented by Jimmy Savile
Full chart here


This Year’s Blonde – “Platinum Pop” (47)

The Human League – “Open Your Heart” (6) (video)

Barry Manilow – “Let’s Hang On” (16) (video)

The Four Tops – “When She Was My Girl” (29) (video)

Elvis Costello & The Attractions – “A Good Year For The Roses” (9) (video)

Gillan – “Nightmare” (37) (video)

The Police – “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic” (27) (video)

The Jam – “Absolute Beginners” (7)

Shakin’ Stevens – “It’s Raining” (10) (rpt from 08/10/81)

Dave Stewart & Barbara Gaskin – “It’s My Party” (1) (rpt from 24/09/81)

Rod Stewart – “Tonight I’m Yours (Don’t Hurt Me)” (28)(audience dancing/credits)

TOTP81.36 10/09/81

Not repeated on BBCFour in 2016
Introduced by Jimmy Saville
Full chart here

Well after last week's super-duper episode we're bound to have a duff one this week, so here goes.

Linx – “So This Is Romance” (33)
I've really liked Linx's records up to now but i have absolutely no memory of this whatsoever. They seem to be a band which the eighties mostly forgot. In at no. 33 and is going to do quite well too.

Cliff Richard – “Wired For Sound” (4) (video)
We already had this video as song no. 2 two weeks ago, but no matter  - here's Cliff again with  'eighties' mode full on.

The Hollies – “Holliedaze” (36)
In which a 60s/70s group attempt to make it in the 80s too, and fail miserably.

Randy Crawford – “Rainy Night In Georgia” (18) (video)
Up a couple of places for RAndy but that's where it ends this time around.

Alvin Stardust – “Pretend” (26) WATCH
Oh dear. Possibly trying to jump on the rock n roll nostalgia à la Shakin' Stevens bandwagon, but this is awful. Of course it will get to no. 4.

Imagination – “In & Out Of Love” (31)
Those saucy Imagination boys are back with a follow to their saucy debut Body Talk. This won't do quite as well but hang (snigger) in there guys.

The Rolling Stones – “Start Me Up” (7) (video)
Another 60s/70s group attempting to carry on into the 80s, but doing it a lot better than The Hollies.

Ottawan – “Hands Up (Give Me Your Heart)” (11) (Legs & Co)
No. No. No.

Adam & The Ants – “Prince Charming” (2) (video)
Adam must have been well miffed that his new one was stopped from going straight to no. 1 by a wimpy synth-pop duo from Leeds. But anyway with the presentation of this new video it seems as if they already are no. 1, and then we all know what happened next.

Soft Cell – “Tainted Love” (1) (rpt from 13/08/81)
More great records to come but this is their last week at the no. 1 spot.

Ultravox – “The Thin Wall” (14) (audience dancing/credits)
Pity we didn't get to see the "audience dancing" to this. Quite why it wasn't featured properly instead of <insert any of the above artists except Linx or Adam & the Ants here> remains a mystery.

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)

TOTP81.27 09/07/81 - 900th edition

Not repeated on BBCFour
Chart here


Presenters: Jimmy Savile, Alan Freeman, David Jacobs & Pete Murray

Chart hits indispersed with archive footage and short interviews with prominent figures from TOTP history.

Kirsty MacColl – “There’s A Guy Works Down The Chip Shop Swears He’s Elvis” (16) 

The Supremes – “Baby Love” (clip from 07/10/64)

Billy J. Kramer & The Dakotas – “Little Children” (clip from 26/02/64)

The Dave Clark Five – “Bits & Pieces” (clip from 26/02/64)

The Beatles – “I Want To Hold Your Hand” / “Twist & Shout” (live clips)

Randy Crawford – “You Might Need Somebody” (12)

M – “Pop Musik” (montage of clips)

Mary Hopkin / Sandie Shaw – brief interview

Tom Tom Club – “Wordy Rappinghood” (10) (Legs & Co)

Bob Marley & The Wailers – “No Woman No Cry” (9) (live clip)

Alan Clark & Tony Hicks (Hollies) – brief interview

Motorhead – “Motorhead Live” (14) (video)

Bill Wyman – brief interview

The Rolling Stones – “The Last Time” (clip from 04/03/65)

Imagination – “Body Talk” (6)

Adam Ant – brief interview

The Specials – “Ghost Town” (1) 

Starsound – “Stars On 45 Volume 2” (4) (Legs & Co/credits)

TOTP81.23 11/06/81

Not repeated on BBCFour in 2016
Full chart here
Presented by J. Savile

TOTP debut: Elaine Paige



Bucks Fizz – “Piece Of The Action” (25)

Hazel O’Connor – “Will You?” (9) (rpt from 28/05/81)

Landscape – “Norman Bates” (44)

Elaine Paige – “Memory” (34)

Coast To Coast – “Let’s Jump The Broomstick” (28) (rpt from 28/05/81)

Ultravox – “All Stood Still” (17) WATCH

Randy Crawford – “You Might Need Somebody” (47)

Enigma – “Ain’t No Stopping” (11)

Smokey Robinson – “Being With You” (1) (video/credits)



see: The Sound of the Crowd

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