Sixpence None The Richer

TOTP 17 SEP 1999

Posted on by 80stastic

Four days before this TOTP was broadcast was a very significant date if you were a fan of science fiction and of one show in particular. You see, 13 September 1999 is the date that a thermonuclear explosion caused the moon to blast out of Earth’s orbit and into deep space. Well, it did in Gerry Anderson’s Space:1999 anyway. I loved this show when I was a kid though I probably didn’t understand a lot of the heavy, complex plots in Series One that dealt with metaphysical themes. Series (Year) Two was much more action-orientated, awash with monsters with each episode pretty much ending in a bug hunt which was probably more alluring for the eight years old me. 50 years on, I can appreciate that the first series was infinitely superior. I haven’t done a theme post for a while so let’s see if I can make some very tenuous connections between the artists on this TOTP and Space:1999…

Before we get to all that though, who’s this not-seen-before host for this show? Emma Ledden? It’s a new name on me. Well, she’s an Irish author, presenter, model and writer who at the time of this broadcast was about to take over the reins of presenting Saturday morning children’s TV show Live & Kicking after Zoe Ball and Jamie Theakston had left so I guess this was a bit of cross promotion by the BBC. That certainly seems to be the case as this was the only TOTP she ever presented. She now runs a communications company and is a published children’s author. Oh and by the way, we’re still in TOTP On Tour mode with this show coming from Club Wow in Sheffield. We start with the only song this week that has featured on a previous show – “Moving” by Supergrass. As such, I’ve already reviewed this one. Here’s what I had to say about it:

TOTP 26 AUG 1999

Can I just leave it at that? No? OK, well checking it out online I found a comment that said that the intro to “Moving” is just like that of the track “Dogs” by Pink Floyd. Now, never having caught the boat going to Floyd island, I’m not in a position to make any comparison without listening first so…

…Wow! It’s just like it! Was that deliberate on the part of Supergrass or subconscious?

Space:1999 connection: The video for “Pumping On Your Stereo” features Supergrass as animatronic puppets with human heads, a visual style that pays homage to the “Supermarionation” technique pioneered by Gerry Anderson, the creator of Space 1999.

After their ubiquitous Summer hit “Kiss Me” had finally dropped out of the charts, Sixpence None The Richer made a bold, unexpected decision for the follow up single. For many, “There She Goes” by The La’s was seen as untouchable when it came to covering it and yet that’s just what the Christian alternative rock band did. Why would it have been seen as musical blasphemy? I think perhaps it’s because of the almost myth-like status that has been built up around The La’s over time. In an alternate universe, they would not have split after just one album and would have given us a wealth of material over a long career and it’s that missed opportunity on which their legend has been built. The story that never got to be told. The paucity of La’s recordings* means that the ones that exist are upheld as almost religious artefacts so to dare to cover their most well known and perhaps treasured song…well, it was…daring. That might all sound a bit over the top and yes, I could be open to accusations of hyperbole but I think I prefer to call it artistic licence.

*They reformed briefly in the mid-1990s, 2005 and 2011 but no new recordings were released.

Anyway, was the Sixpence None The Richer version of “There She Goes” any good? Actually, after all that hyperbole artistic licence above about The La’s original, it’s a pretty respectful take on it. Sort of reminds me of the Cowboy Junkies but poppier. Its peak of No 14, though nowhere near as high as that of “Kiss Me”, suggests that the record buying public didn’t reject it out of hand as sacrilegious. Of course, it’s possible that the pop kids of 1999 weren’t aware of the 1990 incarnation and took it on its own merits and liked it enough and I guess that’s where I’ll leave this one. It was an adequate cover – good enough.

Space:1999 connection: Sixpence None The Richer’s name was inspired by a passage from C.S.Lewis’s book Mere Christianity. Lewis also wrote a Space Trilogy including the title Out of the Silent Planet which explored the idea of Earth as a ‘Silent Planet’ quarantined from the rest of the cosmos whereas Space: 1999 depicts humanity forced out of that quarantine due to a disaster. Put that in your rocket and ignite it!

It’s Hepburn’s nemesis next – the blink-and-you’ll-miss-‘em Thunderbugs. Yes, the other big player in the ‘all girl groups playing their own instruments’ mini movement at the end of the 90s make their TOTP bow with their debut single “Friends Forever”. Unlike Hepburn though who all hailed from England, Thunderbugs had an international flavour to them with members from France and Germany in their line up. So, who came first or should that be who copied who? Perhaps neither question holds water as both groups appear to have met organically rather than being recruited for a specific project akin to the Spice Girls. Admittedly, Hepburn got their product to market first but only by a few weeks. Should the question then be were there any differences between the two? On the surface the answer is no as both consisted of four members who all played their own instruments and both were pedalling a rock/pop sound. Digging a little deeper, I would say that Thunderbugs were actually more pure pop in that “Friends Forever” sounds like something from High School Musical but I might be splitting hairs. What is true is that both bands couldn’t sustain. Thunderbugs released a follow up that flopped, failing to make the Top 40 in a packed Christmas market and their album wasn’t even released in the UK (though it is now available on Spotify). So much for Emma Ledden’s comment about this being the first of many TOTP appearances for them – this was their one and only. Hepburn, meanwhile, managed three mid-sized hits (including one called “Bugs” bizarrely) and a Top 30 album before being dropped in the Summer of 2000.

Space:1999 connection: Emma Ledden did my job for me in her intro “Thunderbugs are go” obviously referring to Gerry Anderson’s puppet series masterpiece Thunderbirds.

Well, this is fortunate. A new entry into the charts that is steeped in Sheffield music history whilst the show is being broadcast this week from a club in, yep, Sheffield. I wonder if that was in the thinking behind showcasing a hit at No 28 whilst ignoring a smash at No 7 by Leftfield/Afrika Bambatta. Anyway, it’s The All Seeing I featuring Phil Oakey who we get making a South Yorkshire double whammy for their single “1st Man In Space”. Written by yet another Sheffielder in Jarvis Cocker (supposedly a collaboration sparked by Pulp being on the same TOTP show as The All Seeing I in 1998), its lyrics inevitably drew comparisons with David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” and “Rocket Man” by Elton John. However, it sounds more like early B-52s to me, maybe with a lick of New Order in the mix. That’s a good thing by the way with Oakey’s low register vocals a perfect compliment to that sound. It was probably a little too left field (no, not them) to be as big as their previous two hits “Walk Like A Panther” (made with another South Yorkshire man Tony Christie) and “Beat Goes On” and indeed, that aforementioned chart position of No 28 was its peak. Still, in a year of awful music, it provided a nice little pushback against the tide of tat. It was also The All Seeing I’s final UK hit.

Space:1999 connection: Space:1999? “1st Man In Space”? This shizzle writes itself.

And so to another cover version reactivating a hit years after it was originally in the charts but I’m guessing that this one would not have raised the same eyebrows that “There She Goes” did. Perhaps the defining anthem of bubblegum pop, “Mickey” started out life as “Kitty” on “Some Girls” hitmakers Racey’s debut album but was remodelled by Toni Basil with a name and gender change which propelled her to the top of the US charts and to No 2 in the UK in 1982. Basil’s pop career was basically just that one song and she returned to her more successful career as a choreographer working with some of the biggest names in music and showbiz. “Mickey” though would prove to be a remarkably hardy song, regularly topping ‘one hit wonder’ polls and becoming a staple of wedding disco playlists. I guess it was inevitable that somebody would cover it eventually and so it was that Lolly took it back into the charts in 1999. Who you may well ask? Born Anna Shantha Kumble, in Sutton Coldfield (and I’d always assumed she was American), Lolly had already had one hit with her debut single “Viva La Radio” which we missed in these TOTP repeats because of the Gouryella issue but she was back with her version of “Mickey” which would become her biggest hit of five when it peaked at No 4. Given Lolly’s image, it was an almost perfect choice of track and she gives a pretty faithful rendition of it (albeit with some clunky synths to the fore) even down to recreating the cheerleader motif. Her squeaky voice is almost unspeakable though.

Now there was some controversy surrounding these lyrics:

“So come on and give it to me any way you can
Any way you wanna do it, I’ll take it like a man”

Writer/s: Michael Donald Chapman, Nicholas Barry Chinn 
Publisher: Downtown Music Publishing

Why? Well, a music critic called Robert Christgau suggested that the lines referred to anal sex (!) but Toni Basil adamantly denied that and indeed, neither Lolly nor her management felt the need not to include the lyrics in her version despite her teeny bop appeal. After her short lived music career was over (she had a couple more hits with cover versions of Michael Jackson and Cyndi Lauper tracks), Lolly diversified into TV presenting, stage roles (she’s a veteran of pantomimes) and even returned to music in 2018 with a single called “Stay Young And Beautiful” though I’m not sure anyone really noticed.

Space:1999 connection: Yasuko Nagazumi played Yasko in Space:1999 and her daughter was the lead singer of shoegaze band Lush – Miki Berenyi

WHOOOO?! LFO? They were an electronic dance duo from Leeds (Low Frequency Oscillations for all you pedants) who specialised in the bleep techno sound weren’t they? Well, yes they were but they were also an American pop-rap group who had a handful of hits around the turn of the century. LFO (or Lyte Funky Ones to give them their full title) have quite the tragic element to their story despite my not knowing who they were/are. Although clearly a trio here, their timeline of members consists of four people – three of them are now dead including two of those featured in this performance. That’s quite a death percentage. Their early releases included a cover of “Step By Step” by New Kids On The Block (more of them later) before going into the stratosphere with “Summer Girls” which made No 3 in the US and No 16 over here. Listening to it in 2026, I have to say its success seems inexplicable. It’s truly awful with some random lyrics supposedly inspired by memories of previous summers like these that put me in mind of “The Chicken Song” by Spitting Image:

“New Kids On The Block had a bunch of hits
Chinese food makes me sick…When you take a sip, you buzz like a hornet
Billy Shakespeare wrote a whole bunch of sonnets…”

Songwriters: Bradley Young / Dow Brain / Rich Cronin; Summer Girls lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

Well, there’s the New Kids On The Block reference but even worse is Billy Shakespeare. BIILY SHAKESPEARE?! REALLY?! The whole thing sounds dreadful, like they’d been given just 20 minutes to come up with a rap and this was the best that they could do. Maybe it’s just their name but they’re giving me EYC (Express Yourself Clearly) vibes when they should have been more EMF (Epsom Mad Funkers). Despite now numbering just one, their name is being kept alive by surviving member Brad Fischetti who has toured with reality TV boyband O-Town.

Space:1999 connection: Space:1999 was put into development after Gerry Anderson’s first live action sci-fi series UFO wasn’t commissioned for a second series. LFO…UFO? Ah, it’s close enough.

Ooh! Here’s a nice little link from Lolly whom we saw earlier to the next act courtesy of the ever reliable @TOTPFacts:

Excellent! Now, there was a third single from Suede’s “Head Music”? There was a third and fourth actually but “Everything Will Flow” was the third and it has the band on a very laid back vibe, with an almost cosmic sound. Suede go all hippy? Maybe that’s a stretch but it’s certainly less urgent than some of their back catalogue and I’m afraid to say that’s not necessarily a good thing. It’s all a bit meandering and, dare I say it, dreary. Its high of No 24 was their worst chart position since their debut single “The Drowners” failed to make the Top 40. These were difficult times for the band with Brett Anderson’s addiction problems to the fore and their commercial fortunes on the wane. Everything was flowing and the band were drowning.

Space:1999 connection: Suede released a B-sides compilation album in 1997 called “Sci-Fi Lullabies”.

Just when I think that 1999 can’t have any more musical nadirs left to negotiate, up pops another abyss devoid of taste and creativity. How the hell did the UK put “We’re Going To Ibiza” by Vengaboys at No 1? Look, I get that the hordes of Brits holidaying on the Spanish island in the Summer meant that some of the tunes that they heard out there in the clubs would create a demand for them back in the UK but this wasn’t an Ibiza anthem was it? It was almost a novelty song based on the 1975 No 1 “Barbados” by Typically Tropical. It was crud, pure, irredeemable crud and yet the record buying public found it irresistible. Was it the way that they pronounced “Ibiza” as “I-bitz-a” (a common pronunciation in their home country of Holland) that people fell for? Is that all it took?! Never mind going to Ibiza, we were all going to Hell in a handcart.

Space:1999 connection: In 2021, Vengaboys released a single called “1999 (I Wanna Go Back)”.

Order of appearanceArtistTitleDid I buy it?
1SupergrassMovingNo but I had the album
2Sixpence None The RichThere She GoesNah
3ThunderbugsFriends ForeverNope
4The All Seeing Eye / Phil Oakey1st Man In SpaceDecent but no
5LollyMickeyNo thanks
6Lyte Funky OnesSummer GirlsOf course not
7SuedeEverything Will FlowNo
8VengaboysWe’re Going To IbizaHell no!

Disclaimer

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.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m002v4qp/top-of-the-pops-17091999

TOTP 04 JUN 1999

Posted on by 80stastic

This TOTP was broadcast two days before my 31st birthday in 1999 and as I recall, on the big day, I got rip-roaring drunk with various friends and work colleagues at my flat. I think I ended up prostrate on the floor unable to stir myself to even say goodbye to people. Bit embarrassing really especially as I would have been at work the next day with some of the people who would have seen me in that state. Not professional at all. Judging by the date stamp on the photo below and by my smiling face, I’d recovered by the following Thursday though. Why was that photo taken? I have no idea 27 years on (this would have been before smartphones with cameras remember) but I’m guessing we might have been going to the pub after work (probably the same Bricklayers Arms as referenced in my last post) which, if true, demonstrates an unhealthy commitment to alcohol consumption on my behalf! Anyway, drinking habits aside, what else was happening in my world back then and which hits might I have been selling over the counter?*

*Apart from Madonna’s “Beautiful Stranger” single and Geri Halliwell’s “Schizophonic” album judging by the posters in the shop window. And is that an advert for the Gay Dad album? Blimey! The bods at Head Office got that one wrong!

Jamie Theakston is our host and we start with Sixpence None The Richer who are riding high in the charts with “Kiss Me” at No 5. This one understandably got a lot of daytime radio airplay including from Mark and Lard on their Radio 1 afternoon show who would refer to the band as Sixpence None The Wiser. I used to enjoy listening to them if I found myself upstairs in the shop off the counter doing something. Featuring characters like Fat Harry White, spoof phone-in quizzes like Bird Or Bloke and surreal segments such as One Man And His Frog (“Come-bye yer bitch”), it was almost appointment listening. Sadly, the BBC, in their predictably short-sighted way, called time on Mark and Lard in 2004 with their final Radio 1 show being broadcast on 26 March. Lard’s catchphrase of “Stop!…Carry on” was heartbreakingly truncated to a final “Stop!” and some of the most entertaining daytime radio ever broadcast was gone forever.

Look at this! A No 2 hit no less which I have zero recall of! Maybe I didn’t have the constitution of an ox and I was just drunk at work as well as at the flat (I wasn’t, honest). The fact remains though that listening to “Ooh La La” by The Wiseguys now is like hearing it for the first time. No, not the first time as it sounds like one of those late 80s/early 90s sample heavy, house tunes such as “Hear the Drummer (Get Wicked)” or some such like.

Apparently, its success was down to the Budweiser advert below which again I don’t remember. Not this particular one with the crocodile anyway – anyone around at that time is familiar with the croaking frogs Bud, Weis, and Er, a forerunner of the whole “Whassup?” campaign.

“Ooh La La” was just dreadful shout-and-response nonsense and who were those berks in collars and ties up there on stage sticking it to us? One looks a bit like a young Louis Theroux and the other like Keith from The Office. Did they think they were some sort of turn of the millennium Blues Brothers? Thankfully they only had this one hit before the record buying public got wise to these guys and ignored them. Oh, and if I wanted someone to shout “Ho!” then I would choose this guy every time…

From a hit for the feeble-minded to something much more engaging. “You Look So Fine” was the fifth and final single released in the UK from Garbage’s sophomore album “Version 2.0” which was already one year old by this point so it’s not really surprising that it secured the lowest chart position of those five hits when it debuted at its peak of No 19. However, far from being a Michael Jackson fan-fleecing style release, the band had seemingly put some thought into it when they initiated a remix trading arrangement with Fun Lovin’ Criminals. You may recall that the New York hip-hoppers had recently been on the show with their hit “Korean Bodega”. That single included a remix by Garbage (which was specifically advertised on the cover artwork) and Fun Lovin’ Criminals reciprocated by producing a version of “You Look So Fine” as a slowed down, lounge standard which I think I actually prefer.

That’s not to say the original album version isn’t any good. The last track on “Version 2.0”, it shows a softer side to the band whilst retaining their alternative rock profile. The band’s drummer and co-producer Butch Vig is on record as describing it as his favourite track on the album due to its “Carpenters covers Sonic Youth quality”. Hang on. Shouldn’t that be the other way round…

Apparently the strings outro was added after the song had been initially recorded when Shirley Manson came into the studio after watching the Titanic film. She’d hated it but did draw inspiration from its soundtrack to give “You Look So Fine” a more cinematic style. The band would take that filmic theme and go stratospheric with it with their next single – the James Bond song “The World Is Not Enough” – a release which would catapult Garbage into another universe altogether.

After teaming up with the groover from Vancouver that is Bryan Adams for their hit “Cloud #9”, Chicane continued to work with other artists for next release “Saltwater” by joining forces with Máire Brennan of Clannad. It was quite the contrast in collaborations. However, it wasn’t the first time that Máire had made a record with someone else. Back in 1986, the shimmering “In A Lifetime” featuring Bono was a No 20 hit for Clannad (and a No 17 when rereleased to promote their Best Of album “Pastpresent”). “Saltwater” was something completely different. Nothing to do with Julian Lennon’s 1991 song – actually, I’d quite have liked it if it was – in fact, it was based upon another Clannad song and perhaps there most famous one. “Theme From Harry’s Game” had gone Top 5 in 1982 off the back of the success of the ITV drama Harry’s Game about the Troubles in Northern Ireland. It remains the only British hit single ever to have been sung entirely in Irish. Máire Brennan would re-record those lyrics (along with some new ones) in 1999 for Chicane to use to create “Saltwater”. A UK dance chart No 1 (it also made a healthy No 6 on the Top 40), its trance beats melded miraculously well with Brennan’s haunting, melancholic vocals creating an unusual dance classic. The celestial-type choir in virginal white backing Máire here adds to the ethereal vibe. I wonder if her younger sister Enya was watching at home thinking “I could have done that”.

The return of Supergrass next whom we had not seen nor heard for nigh on 20 months since their last chart appearance. After their first two albums had gone to No 1 and No 2 in the charts respectively, expectations were high for their eponymously titled third album. It didn’t disappoint when it went to No 3 and furnished the band with two of their most well known hits. The first of those was “Pumping On Your Stereo”, a rousing, stomper of a song that more than a little fed into the band’s glam rock influences. Like breakthrough hit “Alright” (though also nothing like it at all), it was immediately memorable with that chant-a-long chorus and just a little risqué with the double entendre of replacing “pumping” with “humping” in the repeated stanza. It deserved a higher placing than its No 11 peak.

Whilst the performance here is adequately enjoyable, it would be remiss of me not to mention the official video for the single. Perhaps one of the most fun promos of the decade, the Jim Henson designed puppet costumes created an entrancing illusion with no trace of CGI. Essentially using the puppeteer/black backdrop effect employed in 70s children’s TV show Paper Play presented by Susan Stranks, the elongated puppet bodies also lent the video the faintest whiff of the sinister akin to 1986’s Labyrinth starring David Bowie as Jareth, King of the Goblins.

I particularly like drummer Danny Goffey’s telescopic legs which make him look almost arachnid-like. It made for a much better image than just modelling Goffey as The Muppets drummer Animal from fictional group Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem. That goes for the rest of the band as well. I’m not sure that Gaz Coombes as Dr Teeth and Mick Quinn as Floyd would have worked at all well either.

Three albums into their career and Shed Seven were already at the Greatest Hits stage with the release of the album “Going For Gold”. Could that position be justified?

*checks Shed Seven discography*

Well, they had clocked up twelve Top 40 hits by this point which would certainly be enough to comprise a Greatest Hits album. However, of those twelve, only one made the Top 10 and just five peaked between the positions 20 and 11. Having checked the track listing for “Going For Gold”, I can confirm that all twelve of those chart hits were included within a 15 song set which was completed by debut single “Mark” which failed to make the Top 40 and two new songs. The first of those was “Disco Down” which was released to promote the collection. This was a great little song with a choppy intro that drew you in from the very start, a sweeping, string-laden bridge leading into a gloriously uplifting chorus with the pay off of a killer final line. Absolutely one of the band’s best ever recordings and absolutely worthy of spearheading a Best Of campaign.

“Going For Gold: The Greatest Hits” would go Top 10 and achieve (very appropriately) gold status. However, it would also be the harbinger of a break up between the band and their label Polydor. Shed Seven themselves had questioned the validity of releasing a Best Of album so early in their career but had agreed after securing consent from Polydor that they could release two new singles from it. “Disco Down” had been the first and was supposed to be followed by “High Hopes” but Polydor reneged on the agreement, wanting to re-release “Going For Gold” instead. The band saw this as short changing their fanbase and this would ultimately lead to them parting ways with their label. In the intervening years, they have released four more albums including 2024’s No 1 “A Matter Of Time” and also that year, “Liquid Gold”, an album consisting of re-imagined/re-recorded versions of their songs. This would follow “A Matter Of Time” to the top of the charts giving them two No 1 albums in the same calendar year, a feat achieved by very few artists.

After having reached critical mass commercially when their third album “Travelling Without Moving” went quadruple platinum, Jamiroquai kept that momentum going by scoring their first ever No 1 single with “Deeper Underground” from the Godzilla soundtrack. By 1999, the pressure to maintain that run must have been on and Jay Kay responded to it with fourth album “Synkronized” and it did well. Really well. It topped the UK charts going platinum in the process. However, success is relative and ultimately it sold less than half the amount of copies of its predecessor worldwide. You couldn’t fault the expansive exuberance of lead single “Canned Heat” though with its retro 70s disco feel and strong Saturday Night Fever symptoms. The album itself was generally well received but with a few dissenting voices. The critic Tom Moon said of it:

“Canned Heat” and several other tracks are thinly veiled rewrites of “Virtual Insanity” and the other radio songs from “Travelling Without Moving”

Moon, Tom (9 July 1999). “Jamiroquai expands on its ‘70s influences: [Final Edition]”. Las Vegas Review-Journal.

And that was my problem with Jamiroquai. It really was all starting to sound the same. Retread after retread of what had gone before. It was fine in short bursts but the idea of listening to a whole album of it? I’d rather turn up for work with a stinking hangover (and I knew all too well what that felt like as we have already discussed earlier).

Shanks & Bigfoot remain at No 1 for a second week with “Sweet Like Chocolate”. Again we get the animated video rather than a studio performance. Did the duo not like the limelight? Had they had a heavy weekend on the lash like I had and weren’t up to an in person appearance? If so, they had my sympathies.

Order of appearanceArtistTitleDid I buy it?
1Sixpence None The RicherKiss MeI did not
2The WiseguysOoh La LaHeavens no!
3GarbageYou Look So FineNegative
4Chicane / Máire BrennanSaltwaterNope
5SupergrassPumping On Your StereoNo but I had the parent album
6Shed SevenDisco DownNo but I think I had that Greatest Hits album it came from
7JamiroquaiCanned HeatNah
8Shanks & BigfootSweet Like ChocolateNo

Disclaimer

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

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m002sjbl/top-of-the-pops-04061999

TOTP 28 MAY 1999

Posted on by 80stastic

Two days before this TOTP aired, Manchester United completed an historic treble when they dramatically came from behind to beat Bayern Munich at the death and win the Champions League to add to their Premier League title and FA Cup. It’s one of those sporting moments which everyone can remember where they were when it happened. For me, I had spent the day at work in the Our Price store in Altrincham which is only six or seven miles from Old Trafford. As such there were plenty of United fans in Altrincham (I worked with a couple) that day. The plan was to stay out after work, settle down in a pub and watch the game that way. What our group hadn’t banked on was how busy the pubs would be on the evening. We went into one place where it looked like the guys in there had staked their claims for their seats hours before and just stared down anyone who came in thinking that they had a chance of securing a decent spot. We left quickly. In the end, we resorted to our old faithful the Bricklayers Arms where we would often go for a post work drink. Inevitably, it was packed and they only had a small TV screen at the far end of the pub so it wasn’t the best vantage point. However, it was too late to find anywhere else so we stayed and watched the action as best we could.

For much of the match it seemed that United had stage fright and were blowing their chance of achieving the treble. Then came that finale. As the clock on the screen clicked past the 90 minutes mark and the score still 0-1 to Bayern, I recall saying to a United supporting colleague that it was all over. Three minutes later it was but with United with their hands on the big-eared trophy. It was truly gripping stuff. After the game, I got the tram home to Manchester which was full of celebrating reds wondering if my beloved Chelsea would ever be able to win the Champions League. Thirteen years later I would have my answer as we also beat Bayern Munich in dramatic style giving cause to doubt 1999 final commentator Clive Tyldesley’s remark that “nobody will ever win a European Cup final more dramatically than this”.

It seems like I might be back to a themed post so let’s get to it. First of all though, I should mention that this episode was quite historic, not for the music featured in it but its location. Filmed in Archaos nightclub in Glasgow, this was the first time ever a show was recorded outside of a studio environment and the first in over 30 years to be filmed outside London. Why? Well, Glasgow was the location of the BBC Music Live 1999 festival featuring over 100 events including performances from Ray Charles, Idlewild, Travis, and The Delgados. As part of the promotion for it, a nice little tie-in with TOTP saw the show shifted to Glasgow for one week only. As such, executive producer Chris Cowey seems to have squeezed as many Scottish acts as possible into the running order alongside Edinburgh born presenter Gail Porter. As for a link to the events at the Camp Nou, Barcelona two days prior, well, Glasgow is home to Celtic, the first ever British winners of the European Cup.

We start though with a performance back in London from the UK Eurovision entry Precious and their tune “Say It Again”. This was always going to happen as the song contest was held the day after this TOTP was broadcast (blimey, it was all happening this week in 1999 wasn’t it?) so the BBC was bound to plug our entry*. So how did we do? Not great, not great at all actually. Twelfth position with just 38 points received and to think we had won the thing just two years before and came second in 1998. These days, that sort of result would probably be seen as standard but it must have been a bit of a shock back then though I can’t recall the actual reaction at the time. As for Precious, they limped on for a couple more minor hits but their only album completely bombed and they split in 2000. Perhaps their biggest claim to fame is that one of their number – Jenny Frost – would go in to great chart success when she replaced Kerry Katona in Atomic Kitten.

*In fairness, they had gone straight into the Top Ten at No 6 as well.

Manchester United Treble link: Well, Gail Porter does say in her intro that Precious were hoping to do a Manchester United and become Eurovision champs and then mentions Alex Ferguson in her outro so there’s that.

It’s the first performance from Glasgow next and when I said Chris Cowey had squeezed as many Scottish acts as possibly the running order, I didn’t think he would have gone this far. What am I talking about? Well, Texas were there to perform their next single “Summer Son” but it wasn’t out in the shops until the 16th August! That’s nearly three months on from this TOTP! I’m sure it was viewed as a legitimate promotional opportunity by those involved but it didn’t help those poor saps working in record shops (i.e. me) who would be asked the following day for the new Texas single only to be told it’s not out for three months despite the fact that it was on TOTP the night before. Look, it was performed twice on the show when it was finally released so I’ll leave it until then to discuss the actual song.

Manchester United Treble link: Teddy Sheringham who scored United’s first goal in the final and Sharleen Spiteri were both participants in a 2011 Celtic FC famine appeal charity match to raise funds for East Africa. 

We’re back in London next for a band with a hit single which sounds very familiar. Who is it that Sugar Ray and their song “Every Morning” reminds me of? Well, take your pick from any of this lot:

  • Smash Mouth
  • Fastball
  • OMC
  • Len

Catchy, breezy, summery – yes, it was all those things and it had a flamenco flavour to it which seemed so popular in the 90s after the Gypsy Kings had crossed over at the start of the decade.

Not quite a one hit wonder but close to it, Sugar Ray had formed in 1992 – yes, they were a band not a person as in the boxers Sugar Ray Robinson and Sugar Ray Leonard – as a funk metal outfit in the style of the Red Hot Chili Peppers but shifted to a more pop sound in 1997 with their single “Fly” which was a No 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart. They fully embraced that more mainstream sound on their third album “14:59” from which “Every Morning” was taken. The album went triple platinum in the US but failed to get any commercial foothold in the UK. Diminishing returns set in after that peak but the band are still together mainly playing live with their last album having been released in 2019. Ethan Hawke lookalike singer Mark McGrath would eke out a parallel TV game show host career but for some people Sugar Ray will always be that band from the Scooby Doo movie…

Manchester United Treble link: Author Simon Hughes, who has written biographies of Manchester United legends such as Tommy Taylor, Dennis Viollet, Jimmy Murphy, and Denis Law, also wrote a book about the boxer Sugar Ray Robinson.

Well, this is fortunate. A Scottish band who have a new entry in this week’s Top 40 and who are available to perform in this Glasgow based TOTP in support of the BBC Music Live 1999 festival. Having made the leap from post-Britpop indie rockers on the fringes of the chart to the mainstream of radio friendly pop/rock with their Top 20 hit “Writing To Reach You”, the next release for Travis would be an important one. At the very least it needed to consolidate on that breakthrough success and that’s exactly what “Driftwood” did when it became the band’s highest charting single to that point. A gentler, more acoustic sounding track than its predecessor, it showcased their melodic side with a lovely bridge part into the floating chorus. In some ways, it’s an almost semi-forgotten single compared to the what came after it but it helped to pave the way for next release “Why Does It Always Rain On Me?” which is surely one of their best known tunes. Global success was almost within reach and they didn’t need to write to anyone to get it.

Manchester United Treble link: Part of the backroom staff supporting interim United manager Michael Carrick is one Travis Binnion who currently serves as a first team and lead coach for the Under-21s.

Dagnabbit! Well, that just dills my pickle! Or something. It’s only Shania Twain again with a reshowing of her performance of “That Don’t Impress Me Much” from last week. Do I have to review this again? I made my feelings about it quite clear in the last post. I’ve told my Shania tribute act story before haven’t I? Yes, I’m sure I have. Erm…what about her fashion choices and specifically that leopard print all in one hoodie. What was all that about? Apparently, Shania loves leopard print. There’s even a video on YouTube which she made for Elle magazine in which she explains why leopard print is her neutral. How can that be?! How can leopard print be neutral?! It’s one of the most eye-catching/garish (delete as appropriate) things you could ever wear. To be fair, I didn’t watch the whole video – two minutes of Shania describing her ‘cowgirl’ fashion was more than enough – so maybe she does give a reason for that bizarre statement but I guess I’ll never know. I’ll live with(out) it.

Manchester United Treble link: United midfielder Roy Keane was famously suspended for the final (alongside Paul Scholes) so he missed out on all the drama and glory. However, how many of his team mates have a song about them to the tune of “That Don’t Impress Me Much”?

Now here’s a song that immediately takes me back to late Spring/early Summer 1999 when I hear it. It also has strong connotations with a certain American teen drama series but I’ll get to that later. Sixpence None The Richer formed in 1992 as a Christian alternative rock band (I never knew there was such a genre!) taking their name from a passage in a C.S. Lewis book. However, it wasn’t until 98/99 that they emerged from the closet (that’s a Narnia reference rather than any comment on their sexuality) into the pop mainstream with their worldwide hit “Kiss Me”. A rather lovely, jangly guitar piece, it was in a similar vein to “Stay (I Missed You)” by Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories from 1994 and the soundtrack to the film Reality Bites. Perhaps a bit more indie in nature though. Certainly the music press likened it to something that The Sundays might have recorded. Like Loeb’s hit, “Kiss Me” was also the theme tune to a film – teen rom com She’s All That starring Freddie Prinze Jr and Matthew Lillard who, coincidentally, were also in that aforementioned Scooby Doo movie that featured Sugar Ray.

However, it’s not that film which is its strongest association for me. That would be its inclusion on the soundtrack to the US teen drama Dawson’s Creek. Featuring some of the most overly earnest and verbose teenage characters ever seen on TV, this show used to be shown on a Sunday morning on Channel 4 as part of their T4 output and it was perfect ‘hangover programming’ for those of us who’d had one drink too many the night before. Some of my Our Price colleagues were well into this show and would play its soundtrack constantly in the shop. Perhaps by osmosis, I also got into it and actually went back recently to finish watching all five series (I stopped initially at two). Was it worth my time and effort to see whether Dawson or Pacey ended up with Joey? Probably not but at least it was a more satisfying ending than Lost. As for Sixpence None The Richer, they would have one more UK hit – a brave possibly foolhardy cover of “There She Goes” by The Las – before splitting in 2004 and subsequently reuniting three years later and were still gigging with the likes of 10,000 Maniacs as recently as 2023.

Manchester United Treble link: Sixpence None The Richer are known for having a “jangly” guitars sound – a high-frequency, treble-heavy tone characteristic of 90s college rock.

After three different boybands occupied the No 1 slot in recent weeks and with ex-Spice Girl Geri Halliwell unable to dislodge them from their throne, it was time for a different strategy from women in music. Instead of all girl groups, a new wave of female chart hopefuls arrived in the form of all girl bands who played their instruments. Now of course this wasn’t a completely new phenomenon. In the 70s we had South African band Clout of “Substitute” fame, whilst in America came The Runaways. Into the 80s, the same country also gave us The Go-Go’s and The Bangles whilst in dear old Blighty we had heavy rockers Girlschool. In the 90s, we had a rush of almost all girl indie bands like L7 and The Breeders but an out and out all girl mainstream rock/pop band? I’m struggling to think of many before Hepburn. Obviously named after Audrey, their debut hit “I Quit” wasn’t a cover of the old Bros track (thank God!) but a song co-written and produced by Phil Thornalley who’d been one of the people behind Natalie Imbruglia’s “Torn”. Indeed, the ex-Neighbours actor had been offered “I Quit” but had declined to record it. I think she might have made the right decision as it’s not the strongest track. I mean yes, it’s got a rather shouty chorus hook but there’s not a lot else to it. The lyrics are a bit clunky (rhyming ‘liar’ with ‘messiah’ for example, or is that actually genius?) and the lead singers vocals aren’t the best (is that southern twang affected or natural?).

As with Sugar Ray and Sixpence None The Richer, there was a TV/film tie in with Hepburn as “I Quit” appeared on the soundtrack to Buffy the Vampire Slayer which starred Sarah Michelle Gellar (who also starred in the Scooby Doo movie).Apparently, the band were meant to appear in an episode of Buffy in the background of a scene but it never happened. Talking of Sixpence None The Richer, doesn’t the intro to “I Quit” sound a bit like “Kiss Me”? I don’t know why I’ve been trying to shoehorn connections to Manchester United into this post – there are plenty of other links all over this TOTP! In Hepburn’s wake came Thunderbugs (bizarrely, the follow up to “I Quit” was called “Bugs”) and 21st Century Girls but the whole scene was short lived with all three bands named above barely making it into the new millennium before collectively saying “I Quit”.

Manchester United Treble link: David Beckham’s wife Victoria has cited Audrey Hepburn as a favorite actress. Their former home – ‘Beckingham Palace’ – famously had a bathroom featuring walls covered entirely in photos of Audrey Hepburn.

The boyband-at-No 1 sequence has been broken by a record that was an underground club sensation and his since secured a near legendary reputation in the UK Garage scene. Despite working in a record shop at the time, I didn’t pick up on any of this and to me, it was just another dance hit by some anonymous producers. The names Steven Meade and Danny Langsman probably don’t mean much to those of us on the outside of the world of garage music but the monikers Shanks & Bigfoot probably do cut through. “Sweet Like Chocolate” was the track that assured their fame and legacy. Originally released just as a promo with a limited run of 1,000 copies in 1998, it was heavily promoted by KISS FM despite not having an official release. Its saturation rotation caused a record label bidding war for the rights to the track which was eventually won by Jive and when it was finally made available in the shops, it stormed to the top of the charts selling a quarter of a million copies in the first week and more than the rest of the Top 5 combined.

Thankfully we don’t get a forced studio appearance here with the usual staging conundrums associated with a dance act but the rather sweet animated video which added to the song’s appeal, perhaps picking up some sales from the younger end of the record buying public to boot. I could have done without the personal message from Shanks & Bigfoot themselves though. Why was it so successful? Don’t ask me. I didn’t dare go near the dance collections section of the Our Price I worked in so confusing were the myriad of genres. It was genuinely more challenging to me than shoplifters.

Manchester United Treble link: Manchester United’s biggest rivals are Liverpool whose manager between 1959 and 1974 was the legendary Bill Shankly otherwise known as “Shanks”.

Order of appearanceArtistTitleDid I buy it?
1PreciousSay It AgainNo
2TexasSummer SonNope
3Sugar RayEvery MorningNegative
4TravisDriftwoodNo but I had a promo sampler of the album
5Shania TwainThat Don’t Impress Me MuchNEVER
6Sixpence None The RicherKiss MeI did not
7HepburnI QuitNah
8Shanks & BigfootSweet Like Chocolate And no

Disclaimer

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

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m002sjbj/top-of-the-pops-28051999