The DLT hosted show from 19/02/1981 is quietly skipped over, which is a shame because there were some interesting performances on that show that we don't get to see - more on that later ....
Tonight, 29 January 2016, we get the 26/02/1981 edition of Top Of The Pops, with Peter Powell presenting :-
(19) Status Quo – “Something ‘Bout You Baby I Like”
(6) Roxy Music – “Jealous Guy”
(22) Beggar & Co – “(Somebody) Help Me Out”
(43) Kim Wilde – “Kids In America”
(25) The Passions – “I’m In Love With A German Film Star”
(7) Madness – “The Return Of The Los Palmas 7”
(31) Kelly Marie – “Hot Love”
(8) Coast To Coast – “(Do) The Hucklebuck”
(2) Ultravox – “Vienna”
(9) Freeez – “Southern Freeez”
(40) Kiki Dee – “Star”
(1) Joe Dolce Music Theatre – “Shaddap You Face”
Joe Dolce’s 5 Minutes of Fame, or a lifetime of notoriety, runs into its second week as “Shaddap You Face” retains the No.1 spot, holding off Ultravox, who retain the No.2 spot for the third week.
'Vienna' seems to be held up as the ultimate 'robbed of a number one by a novelty record' single - but it’s not the first time it’s happened. “Ride A White Swan” was trumped by Clive Dunn’s “Grandad”, David Bowie missed No.1 with “The Jean Genie” by Jimmy Osmond’s “Long Haired Lover From Liverpool” and The Sweet’s “Ballroom Blitz” was beaten to No.1 by The Simon Park Orchestra with “Eye Level”.
At No. 6 are Roxy Music with the Lennon composition “Jealous Guy”. The song's origins can be traced back the time when The Beatles were in India. The group attended a lecture by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi about a "son of the mother nature". This inspired both Paul McCartney and John Lennon to write songs about the same subject. McCartney's composition "Mother Nature's Son" was selected for The Beatles (The White Album), while Lennon's song "Child of Nature" was not. Undeterred, John kept the song for his Imagine album with the lyrics changed to reflect on his relationship with Yoko, and how possessive he became of her while The Beatles were breaking up. Roxy Music recorded and released “Jealous Guy” as a tribute to John Lennon, and their version is a future a No. 1
Daughter of Marty Wilde, Kim, debuts on the show with her first single “Kids In America”. This song was written by Wilde's brother Ricky and her Dad, and was the start of a very successful career in music for Kim. She had 19 top 40 hits.
A video of Kim singing on a late night train after a good many Christmas drinks in London went viral on Twitter. Kim explained, "When I woke up the next day it'd all kicked off on Twitter and I thought, 'Whatever career I have right now, I probably buried it.' What amazed me was that people thought it was fun and sweet and it's made me realise that the public have more time for me than I thought."
I think it’s only fair to include it here…. Kim Unplugged :-