Right, I’m against the clock a bit for this post so it’s going to have to be a speedy run through and a low word count. Helpfully, six of the nine acts have already been on the show and therefore already commented on. So who’s up first? Aswad? No! They weren’t still having hits by this point were they? It feels like I am literally listening to “Next To You” for the very first time as I have zero memory of the track. Wikipedia tells me this was the lead single from an album called “Too Wicked” (terrible, terrible title) and its seems to be their usual bouncy, reggae infused summery tune (well they are ‘always the sound of sunshine’ according to host Mark Goodier) until there’s some sort of break down near the song’s end when they attempt a rap – it all sounds very incongruous. And talking of incongruous, three keytars?! Really?!
Last week I mentioned that Cliff Richard was in the charts with a live track recorded at his 1989 The Event concert held at Wembley Stadium. Now apparently, Aswad were part of the concert’s supporting cast (not sure why) and Cliff joined them on stage for a song called “Share A Dream”. Nothing especially interesting about this (unless you are a massive Aswad or Cliff fan I guess) except…what is Cliff wearing for his stage costume in this clip of them performing together? It looks like something his Mum might have crocheted for him. Just bizarre.
“Next To You” peaked at No 24 but they would return to the Top 5 four years later with surprise hit “Shine”.
“There’s a lady over there who always smiles when she’s performing. I’ve never ever seen her doing anything but smile…” says Mark Goodier in his intro for the next act. “… and she has a new hit called “End Of The World” he continues. Talk about an incongruous (it’s that word again) juxtaposition of themes! Still smiling even though it’s the end of the word is she Mark? The lady in question is of course Sonia who’s in the studio this week after being a Breaker video on the last show. She gives a very un-Sonia like performance though. I guess jumping around and doing those shoulder roll dance moves of hers wasn’t going to cut it for a song which is the musical equivalent of W.H. Auden’s ‘Funeral Blues’ poem (‘Stop all the clocks etc). Despite the attempts at solemn looks and moody pouts she does look like she is constantly struggling to suppress that beaming smile that Goodier talked of before declaring “Hiya chuck. It’s me Sonia! I’m dead made up to be in the charts again!”.
Sonia’s version of “End Of The World” peaked at No 18.
Goodier goes into full on cringe mode next. “Well, we’ve had some bright pop from Aswad and what a lovely ballad from Sonia, now let”s rave it up with The KLF, this is a massive record, it’s called “What Time Is Love”. Rave it up?! Dearie me. He compounds the embarrassment by referring to the track as “a seriously happening record” at the end of the performance. Am I being harsh on Goodier? Were we all saying things like ‘rave it up’ back then? Were records ‘happening’? It sounds so dated to me now but maybe it was perfectly acceptable in 1990 and nobody would have batted an eyelid?
What was hard to ignore was the power of The KLF’s sound – now that doesn’t sound dated to me even today. The performance is an oddity though. They appear to have half inched a couple of keytars from Aswad whilst there appears to be an Ood from Doctor Who on the mixing desk at the back in the It’s Grim Up North T-shirt. Meanwhile all the air punching for the ‘Mu Mu’ chanting reminds me of their performance of “Doctorin’ The Tardis” by their previous incarnation The Timelords.
About a year prior to “What Time Is Love” being a chart hit, a compilation album called “The “What Time Is Love?” Story” featuring six different mixes of the track was released, all supposedly by different artists. However, rumours abound that it was all the work, in fact, of The KLF themselves. You wouldn’t put it past them, would you?
“Now It doesn’t matter why this record is back in the charts, it’s good that it is…” announces Goodier in his next link. He is of course referring to “The Joker” by the Steve Miller Band. Sounds like Goodier’s protesting a bit too much to me. Anyway, we all know why it was back in the charts, it was because of this advert…
…yes it was all down to jeans again. Levi’s had been making golden oldie songs hits all over again via their clever advertising campaigns since the mid 80s, revitalising the chart careers for the likes of Marvin Gaye, Percy Sledge, Ben E.King, Eddie Cochran and now Steve Miller. Unlike his posthumous predecessors, Steve was still alive (as he is to this day) to experience his resurgence in popularity.
“The Joker’ would be a No 1 record (just!) but Levi’s weren’t prepared to quit at the top. The 90s would see their adverts send multiple songs to the top spot including The Clash, Stiltskin and (god forbid) Babylon Zoo!
Goodier boldly announces that the next act is about to be a big star in America. I have to admit I don’t know if she ever was.
*checks internet*
Well, I’m not sure that Betty Boo did fulfil Goodier’s prediction. As far as I can see, none of her albums did anything across the pond and the only Billboard Hot 100 hit she had (“Doin’ The Do”) peaked at No 90. Maybe Goodier was basing his forecast on the fact that she did score a US Dance chart No1 (“Doin’ The Do” again) or maybe he was just told to say that by Betty’s record label?
In fairness to Goodier, Betty was never as big commercially as she was at this very point. “Where Are You Baby” was her biggest ever hit whilst her debut album (“Boomania”) released eleven days after this broadcast went to No 4. Betty succumbed to second album syndrome after that though and her follow up “Grrr! It’s Betty Boo” stalled at No 62 despite including some insanely catchy singles.
Special mention must go to Betty’s backing band here – were they called The Boosters? – for some stirling ‘arm dancing’ that Jo and Susan Ann of The Human League would have been proud of.
Still with New Kids On The Block?! Look, I know 1990 was their annus mirabilis but even so! It feels like they’ve been on the show every week since January. “Tonight” is up to No 3 now with its Beatles sounding steals but it’s not the the Liverpool legends that I’m noticing as their influences this week. Did the previously seen Steve Miller Band also have an impact on the writing of “Tonight”. How so? Well, in “The Joker”, Miller references a few songs that he has recorded himself like “Space Cowboy” from his “Brave New World” album and “Enter Maurice” from “Recall The Beginning…A Journey From Eden”. So? OK, in “Tonight”, past NKOTB hits are name checked:
Remember when we said “Girl, please don’t go”
And how I’d be loving you forever
Taught you ’bout hanging tough
As long as you’ve got the right stuff
See? Oh suit yourselves.
I actually paid some attention to the video this time around and by far the most close ups went to Jordan Knight and Joey McIntyre. Presumably they sold the most T-shirts at their concerts. The rest of them didn’t get much of a look in. In fact, I’m not sure I even spotted Donnie Wahlberg at all! It reminded me of Duran Duran videos back in the day when it was easier to pinpoint Wally in the Where’s Wally series of puzzle books than to spot guitarist Andy Taylor.
After two acts at the peak of their popularity in Betty Boo and New Kids On The Block, we move to someone who is definitely on the slide. I don’t care what Mark Goodier says about his UK tour being sold out nor do I attach much significance to the screams coming from the TOTP studio audience (no doubt teased out of them by over enthusiastic floor staff), Jason Donovan‘s pop career had hit the skids. Only one of the singles released from his second album “Between The Lines” had gone Top 5; indeed his last hit had only just made the Top 20. Given his changing fortunes, a plan was needed to halt the downward trend. And that plan was….release a cover version of course. When in need of a hit, release a cover is something that is as irrefutable as death and taxes being the only sure things in life. “Rhythm Of The Rain” was originally a hit for The Cascades in 1963 and to be fair to Donovan’s record label PWL, it did arrest his plummeting chart fortunes by returning him to the Top 10 but it was a plaster to heal a gaping wound in truth.
Jase’s version is sugary and sickly sweet – really nasty actually but to be fair to him, the chords he mimes on the guitar in this performance appear to be legitimate. His bob haircut however is completely bogus.
As with Donovan’s 60s cover version, this week’s No 1 is also a cover of a song from that decade. “Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini” was originally a hit for Brian Hyland in 1960. Thirty years later it was fiendishly brought back to life by the monstrous Timmy Mallett and Bombalurina although the real culprit was Andrew Lloyd Webber who had the original idea to re-record it.
The almost identical looking peroxide blonde dancers behind Mallett made the whole thing look like a comedy sketch parodying 1982 “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” hitmakers Tight Fit but unfortunately this wasn’t a joke but a genuine chart record. Those two dancers incidentally included Dawn Andrews who would go on to marry Take That’s Gary Barlow.
The play out video is “Now You’re Gone” by Whitesnake and as with Aswad at the top of the show, I don’t remember this at all. We hadn’t seen much of David Coverdale and co in the Top 40 since they peaked with “Is This Love” and “Here I Go Again” both going Top 10 back in 1987. In fact, they would only make the Top 40 once more after this when a re-issue of “Is This Love” to promote a Best Of album made No 25 in 1994. Can’t say I have missed them much.
For posterity’s sake, I include the chart run down below:
| Order of appearance | Artist | Song | Did I Buy it? |
| 1 | Aswad | Next To You | There was next to no chance of me buying this |
| 2 | Sonia | End Of The World | If this was the last record in the world, I wouldn’t have bought it |
| 3 | The KLF | What Time Is Love (Live At Trancentral” | Nope |
| 4 | Steve Miller Band | The Joker | It’s a no |
| 5 | Betty Boo | Where Are You Baby | No |
| 6 | New Kids On The Block | Tonight | No but I think my friend Rachel did |
| 7 | Jason Donovan | Rhythm Of The Rain | Certainly not |
| 8 | Bombalurina | Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini | How does f**k off sound as an answer? |
| 9 | Whitesnake | Now You’re Gone | Nah |
Disclaimer
OK – here’s the thing – the TOTP episodes are only available on iPlayer for a limited amount of time so the link to the programme below only works for about another month so you’ll have to work fast if you want to catch the whole show.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000scg0/top-of-the-pops-30081990
I make no claim to the rights of this show and all ownership and contents including logos and graphics belongs totally to the BBC or copyright holder(s).
All opinions on the music and artists featured are my own. Sorry if you don’t agree.
Some bedtime reading?
https://michaelmouse1967.wixsite.com/smashhits-remembered/1990-issues
TOTP Rewind - the 90s 