Top of the Pops 25 May 1989

 

Words: Chris Arnsby
Simon Mayo: “Hi, welcome to Top of the Pops. A special lingua franca edition of the programme today. We have Australians, we have Austrians, we have Americans, the odd British person here and there as well. We're also going to be teaching you how to yodel. If you've never yodelled before, here comes your first lesson. It's Edelweiss at number five on Top of the Pops. Down here.”

 

[5] EDELWEISS: being me edelweiss. Edelweiss continue their campaign of anarchy. Apparently the giant Edelweiss has been lost at some point in the last two weeks. It's replacement is a man-sized rag doll which takes a lot of abuse. It's being dragged around the stage by a man who I thought was wearing a fez but I think it's just  red wool cap. Anyway, the hat is not important. The doll is danced with and thrown around the stage and vigorously spanked at one point. Good job it's all happening in the background.

[26] TONE LOC: funky cold medina. Promo VT.

CHARTS FROM 40 TO 31.

[21] SAM BROWN: can i get a witness. Promo VT.

[31] ROBERT PALMER: change his ways. BBC VT. This is the performance briefly mentioned but not seen at the end of the master copy of the 11/05/1989 edition.

Paul Ciani, in his never-ending quest for ways to make Top of the Pops visually distinctive tries using the Quantel box to occasionally overlay the music video at jaunty angles on top of the studio footage. It's an effect that doesn't quite work because I find myself staring more at the video than Robert Palmer, and because the video is squashed and offset the effect is a bit like trying to watch a television programme through someone else's window.

[13] LYNNE HAMILTON: on the inside. Jason Donovan is here along with someone only identified as “our competition winner Beth”.

Simon Mayo conducts a mock interview to establish that, after Neighbours, the best programme is “Prisoner... Cell Block H” Jason Donovan briefly has to pause to remember the UK title has the added Cell Block H bit. Reportedly to stop it being confused with the Patrick McGoohan series.

Anyway here's Lynne Hamilton. The presentation of the song is lots of slow camera pans and zooms. It's a bit dull. The only interest comes during an early long pan in by a camera crane, one of the studio staff can be seen manhandling the audience -as usual- and drags three of them off into the depths of the studio like naughty children. I think they are positioned artfully on one of the scaffolding staircases or possibly used as part of the crowd surrounding Simon Mayo at the end of the song. Jason Donovan has vanished. As has Beth.

CHARTS FROM 30 TO 11.

[12] CAPPELLA: helyom halib. Promo VT.

[19] DONNA SUMMER: i don't wanna get hurt. Almost certainly another pre-recorded performance.

TOP 10.

[1] ferry 'cross the mersey: various artists. Promo VT.

[27] W.A.S.P. : the real me. Simon Mayo does a better job of back announcing Ferry 'Cross The Mersey than Anthea Turner did last week. He makes a note that the disaster appeal now stands at “four and a half million pounds” and that's before the proceeds of the single are added.

Gary and Anthea next week (Simon is on first name terms with them both).

Dreary old W.A.S.P. are on promo VT.

 Performance of the week. It's been a thin week. Edelweiss, Bring Me Edelweiss. Again.