31 December 1981: Presenter – Mike Read: Broadcast BBC Four 17/06/2016 (Thanks to POPSCENE for the running order)
Shakin’ Stevens – “This Ole House”
Adam & The Ants – “Stand & Deliver”
John Lennon – “Imagine”
Roxy Music – “Jealous Guy”
Aneka – “Japanese Boy”
The Police – “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic”
The Specials – “Ghost Town”
Joe Dolce Music Theatre – “Shaddap You Face”
Julio Iglesias – “Begin The Beguine”
Bucks Fizz – “Making Your Mind Up”
Dave Stewart & Barbara Gaskin – “It’s My Party”
Michael Jackson – “One Day In Your Life”
Smokey Robinson – “Being With You”
Shakin’ Stevens – “Green Door” (Includes
)
Soft Cell – “Tainted Love”
John Lennon – “Woman”
Adam & The Ants – “Prince Charming”
The Human League – “Don’t You Want Me”
Queen & David Bowie – “Under Pressure”
It does feel strange to be enjoying the TOTPs Christmas season during the summer. I now know how our antipodean cousins must feel, even if it is a rather rainy summer here at the moment that’s preventing us from going to the beach for a barbi style Christmas Dinner.
Tonight’s TOTPs is the pre-recorded Hogmanay show, and just before we all sing “Auld Lang Syne” and hope 1982 will be better musically and financially than 1981, there’s a look back on some of the year’s big hits. The show is mainly videos with a few repeat studio performances – nothing we’ve not seen already.
The 7.30pm show heads up a jam packed Friday evening of unmissable 80’s pop. At 9.00pm on Sky Arts there’s
Trailblazers of 80s Pop, narrated by Noddy Holder with commentary from Pete Burns and Pete Waterman, and the focus is on synth led party pop.
On BBC Four at 10.00pm there’s
The Story of 1982. How good musically was 1982? Possibly better than you remember. Wham, ABC and Culture Club make sensational appearances, and Shalamar's Jeffrey Daniel premieres the moonwalk on British TV. Dexy's new Irish sound tops the summer charts for four weeks with "Come on Eileen", while their follow-up single "Jackie Wilson Says" leads to a notorious moment in TOTP history.
Following
The Story Of is
1982 – Big Hits, and if the show’s running order is anything to go by, 1982 looks like it’s going to be a vintage year. Featured on this show are :-
Tight Fit - The Lion Sleeps Tonight
Haircut One Hundred - Love Plus One
The Stranglers - Golden Brown
ABC - Poison Arrow
Bow Wow Wow - Go Wild In The Country
The Jam - Town Called Malice
Fun Boy Three & Bananarama - It Ain't What You Do It's The Way That You Do It
Yazoo - Only You
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts - I Love Rock 'n' Roll
Adam Ant - Goody Two Shoes
Patrice Rushen - Forget Me Nots
The Associates - Party Fears Two
Junior - Mama Used To Say
Duran Duran - Hungry Like The Wolf
Dexys Midnight Runners & The Emerald Express - Come On Eileen
Madness - Driving In My Car
Kid Creole and the Coconuts - Annie, I'm Not Your Daddy
Culture Club - Do You Really Want To Hurt Me
Wham! - Young Guns (Go For It)
Musical Youth - Pass The Dutchie
There’s the usual exceptions of course, and, for the sake of decency and taste, The Goombay Dance Band has thankfully not made the cut for this show despite it being a #1, as has Paul McCartney’s collaboration with Stevie Wonder - named the worst duet in history by the good listeners of BBC 6 Music