Top 10 Iconic Top of the Pops Performances

[@WatchMojoUK]

Time for BEST of the WORST Top 10 Worst Top of the Pops Lip Syncs kzbin.info/www/bejne/oIXKcnenr8ZsZ5Y

[@G8GT364CI]

You had one of the worst in this one here: Chirpy Chirp Chirp, hard to think nothing but utter schlock was going to come afterward but you did redeem yourselves, from Queen on it was great and of course you ended with the greatest band of all time: The Beatles.

[@richardplume3212]

Ha there wernt any if u remember it u wernt there peace

[@jameshogan6142]

@@G8GT364CI I loved this version back in the day but check out the original by Lally Stott singing it while walking through the streets of Amsterdam.

[@jeperstone]

For me it has to be Kate Bush's 'Wuthering Heights' in '78. I was 9 and part of me found her ridiculous and part of me was mesmerised. Adults and kids alike talked about it the next day. Her voice was screechy and beautiful at the same time. The 'screechy' part has left my ears now and she just sounds beautiful to me. Her voice is a much loved old friend and quite comforting

[@mritzs5142]

One great Album “The Kick Inside” and “Man with the child in his Eyes” still gives me goosebumps

[@alangrant5278]

A new girl started part way through the term at intermediate school. On her first morning she danced on stage to withering heights. Oh my what a splash. She later became a model. On time we wife and I were in a bathroom shop and there was a shower brochure with her naked from behind on it looking over her shoulder at the camera. Oh wow that’s Tracey I told the wife. She wasn’t happy.

[@pateris]

@@mritzs5142 Been a fan for more than 40 years. It must be a phase…

[@Anglo_Saxon1]

She sung live vocals too.

[@pinkballoon8181]

​@@alangrant5278I did Kate Bush at the school performance too! 😂 I did "Wow"

[@hoderharris]

As an American who grew up in the 80s, discovering Top of The Pops has been like finding a time loop into 80s music from a distinctive British perspective. We had a steady diet of MTV in the States during the 80s which introduced us to brilliant British pop music..Great Stuff..

[@CashelOConnolly]

Top of the pops only showed popular dross,it avoided more controversial hits

[@KenLieck]

@@CashelOConnolly Yeah, well, you run out of (Peter Cook's) Revolver episodes pretty effin' fast, so what are you gonna do?

[@Isleofskye]

Thanks ,My Friend. Lovely comment and Good Luck from London:)

[@keithespinoza2064]

Yep, I agree. Love watching old TOTP episodes. The early 80s and MTV were essentially a second British Invasion: Culture Club, Bananarama, Human League, Tears For Fears, Wham, Spandau Ballet, etc. Loved it all!

[@lexkanyima2195]

​@@keithespinoza2064that was at their peak

[@annonimouse170]

In terms of which song on TOTP do I actually remember thinking "woah, what is this, I love it". I remember a ten-year-old me at my aunt's when Gary Numan performed Cars. It was like nothing I'd heard before. I still remember being that mesmerised kid.

[@zenabraithwaite1934]

I loved Gary Numan "Are friends electric".

[@markthomas3858]

I agree with you :), I was the same age.. The other song that blew me away was Ashes to Ashes in 1980..

[@melanieannpearson4640]

Yes! Mine were ‘we don’t need no education” by Pink Floyd, and “Ashes to Ashes” by Bowie. Both videos absolutely terrified me but I loved the songs, so I had to sit facing the other way from the tv!

[@okee9]

Yeah, I think Are friends electric came out first was mesmerised by that and Cars, was 11 at the time, also remember the Police performing Roxanne and thinking “This band are going to be big” 😁

[@dariowestern]

Sparks doing "This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both Of Us" in 1974. A charismatic singer looking like a cross between Jim Morrisson, Marc Bolan and Johnny Rotten and the keyboard player with his hair slicked back with Brylcreem and a Charlie Chaplin moustache scowling without moving a muscle except for his fingers. Iconic!

[@TimBadger-w7d]

I remember that so well. We just sat there mesmerised.

[@carlamoss2625]

BLEW MY MIND WHEN I FIRST SAW IT

[@Nuttybott]

I was just about to mention this one...IMHO Ron Mael's deadpan performance on keyboards contrasting with brother Russel's quintessential 70s "glam rock" turn as frontman stands out as possibly the greatest moment I ever witnessed on TOTP...

[@richardplume3212]

Ha iz up town top rankin

[@prd1073]

Dexys Midnight Runners and "Jackie Wilson says" was pretty amusing viewing.

[@kitmoore9969]

Oh yes!

[@davidhill9989]

I remember seeing Blondies first appearance with Debbie Harry jiggling about in a bikini and a blazer when i was about 13. Thinking my father wouldn't approve I offered to get up and change the channel. "Leave it on if you like" he said with a bit of a wry smile. A definite "moment" in our relationship....

[@GeeCeeWU]

As a teenager, my father used to criticise the music I liked until I caught him watching The Old Grey Whistle Test.

[@nhhdjdhdj6496]

I'm not far off 60 and still in love with debbie harry. That woman blew the minds of my entire generation.

[@nessiferum6200]

@@nhhdjdhdj6496She's up there in age but still a beautiful woman and amazing performer :)

[@nessiferum6200]

Haha lovely story :)

[@dwforney1]

I remember seeing The Bee Gees and T-Rex around’71-‘72

[@wendyhill3856]

Why don’t you let us hear what they are singing without talking all over it

[@frangavilan901]

Exactly, it is so annoying

[@handebarlas6248]

Exactly!!!

[@kieranflynn1306]

Because most of the performances are woefully bad.

[@stevebaker6149]

Just ridiculous and a waste of time

[@shaunprior4977]

Fucking annoying all I wanna do is listen to the music not his voice

[@jennybroad1763]

I'm blown away by these great legends because I actually took all this talent for granted! Gosh we were so privileged. (hope the spelling is ok) to be there. ❤

[@GeeCeeWU]

Absolutely we were and your spelling is fine.

[@andersdottir1111]

Exactly- the music gods walked the earth back then.

[@susiefoxy8130]

Yep 70s into the 80s was a great time to be young!😊

[@BarefootShaman]

Thank you very much for this video. My ToTP performance has to be The Specials performing "Ghost Town", which went to no.1 in 1981.

[@WatchMojoUK]

Great now you've gone and made us listen to it again! 😄

[@colinbaker3916]

I hadn’t realised how much of a resemblance there was between Sally Carr and Agnetha Fältskog.

[@buddhabder]

My first and second blonde crushes!

[@amystickle9398]

Blockbuster by Sweet was iconic!

[@TimBadger-w7d]

We were all singing that on the school bus the following day.

[@theseeingeye454]

Roxy Music "Virginia Plain"

[@kingbolo4579]

That's what I came on here to say. If they don't have that, they don't have nothing.

[@jonathanstempleton7864]

Adam Ant's Goodie Two Shoes. He totally owned that stage.

[@captainsensiblejr.]

Bowie looks like he knows he is a very naughty boy on his Starman TOTP performance.

[@jefftan77]

Rod Stewart performing Maggie May on TOTP. They were really have fun😂

[@andrewashdown3541]

with that louse John Peel

[@miguelurdaci7884]

You know, I was gonna post the same, with John Peel on mandolin ... and on the football

[@terrythacker2795]

The greatest for me would be T.Rex - Get It On. Brilliant and very talented guy was Marc Bolan. Died too young.

[@alanseward4979]

Ditto.Bolan was an absolute class act who never really got the credit he deserved

[@sg3843]

Love T. Rex!

[@sg3843]

It’s where Slash from GNR got his look.

[@TheDriller-Killer]

I would have said Hot Love as that was the official start of Glam Rock

[@mickeytheviewmoo]

The Smiths - This Charming Man. I remember seeing this performance and thinking wtf.

[@jonpritz8358]

Superb collection of the time, space & energies that happened at the time..Much love'n'light you beautiful souls...❤️❤️❤️

[@alicesings1971]

I’m addicted to Top of the Pops because I favored British bands in the 80’s. It’s just great performances.

[@przybyltv]

SLADE were the kings of TOPS and WHERE ARE THEY ?

[@seanclark6438]

Slade were anarchic, completely unconventional, styled themselves unlike any one else before, at the time or since

[@julianaylor4351]

My younger brother loved Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep as a kid. If we had a record player in the house at the time, we would have had no peace. 😁

[@terencemeikle534]

That Kate Bush appearance literally changed my life: not only the astounding performance itself, but it made obtaining and reading the Emily Bronte book more or less mandatory. After reading that, I was set up for a lifetime hooked on classic literature. Thanks, Kate! 👍

[@theballery]

Two Tribes by Frankie Goes to Hollywood is quite splendid...

[@michaely6665]

I was expecting to see Roxy Music "Virginia Plain" Top Of The Pops - 24th August 1972 at Nr.1 but i enjoyed the ones you showed anyhow.

[@antoniocrawley]

Agree, just for the line ' throw me a line I'm sinking fast' classic.

[@julianaylor4351]

Bowie's performance was a revelation, like Boy George's first performance....no one like either of them, totally unique. All us kids and teens, etc were like wow and although I didn't see Boy George until I was in my twenties, I know both performances bemused my late father.

[@andrewashdown3541]

and Ian Dury ‎- Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick (TOTP 1979)

[@1171karl]

I watched another top 10 Top of the pops performances a while ago. This one is better, but still can't believe T Rex's Get it On with Elton John on the piano isn't here!

[@Mick_Ts_Chick]

I agree 100 percent!

[@mattking5936]

Top 4 is awesome. Kate Bush, Elton John, David Bowie and the Beatles. Best of British right there. Feeling proud! 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧

[@eileenryan2248]

I love my Main Man Elton.

[@julianaylor4351]

Killer Queen performed by Queen, was actually a late replacement, when the originally booked band, pulled out. I'd say serves that band right, their thunder was totally stolen. The clip itself was originally wiped, but found in the video recording collection of a late famous comedian, who was actually recording the next show on, but got the last 10 minutes of TOTP, with this iconic performance. I'm sure those of us who had video recorders years back remember setting them to go off early, recording part of the previous program, so we could get what we really wanted. It's an amazing and serendipitous save for musical posterity of one of the UK's all time great bands. 🎶❤️

[@OnlyGoodMusic_]

The band originally booked was David Bowie, thanks to him canceling his presentation, Queen began their career.

[@julianaylor4351]

@@OnlyGoodMusic_ They ended up doing a separate vocals recording years later for Under Pressure.

[@Spectrescup]

Well the Sex Pistols only did their BillGrundy interview cos Queen pulled out, so what goes around etc

[@GeeCeeWU]

Along with The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Led Zeppelin, the list is endless.

[@711honved]

We can thank Bob Monkhouse for the recording. When he died the full extent of his recording collection was revealed. He owned one of the first VCR's in Britain & recorded thousands of hours of TV content from the era.

[@julianaylor4351]

You should do a list of the best Madness performances in a best of order. 🎶❤️

[@andrewashdown3541]

and Bad Manners - Lip Up Fatty, for instance

[@KrisM189]

I grew up in borehamwood and was in the audience all the time, the bands recorded a version in the afternoon then mimed during filming. probably for the best :P

[@TheMcmikerg]

Whitney Houston "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" in 1987. In an age of lip-synch, Whitney does a live vocal and knocks everyone in the studio off their feet. Amazing talent.

[@patriciafenwick5846]

1. Queen, 2. Kate Bush, 3. Elton John

[@frauleinmona]

1. The Beatles. Because the footage is gone forever and because of the obvious. 😁

[@jimcalzaretta1616]

for sure NOT the beatles. Or Nirvana. Otherwise a decent list.

[@BaltoD60]

As a lifelong Sabbath fan? What a giggle watching people attempting to dance to Paranoid.

[@tdurb0]

The Orb playing trippy chess to Little Fluffy Clouds was a particular highlight of mine

[@scotjohnson7017]

I was hoping for Fox on the Run but these were all great picks

[@Michelle_Schu-blacka]

For me, it's I Need Love by LL Cool J. It's a long, long way from being a 'classic' in the Hip-Hop world, but I remember being amazed at how he was _saying_ the words instead of singing them and how he made them rhyme. I was absolutely fascinated by it. A depressing number of years later and I'm still deejaying and MCing and have a fairly large vinyl collection that I still use.

[@gauradas108]

The Hare Krishna Mantra by the Radha Krishna Temple with George Harrison joining in since he produced them as one of his Apple Artists. I think he also appeared on another tune called Govinda Jaya Jaya. I contacted BBC to find out if they still had the original footage, and they thought they had taped over it. It would be great to know if someone had their own copy todady! Would love to see it

[@metamaus5701]

Ah, my childhood!

[@lesmorton4623]

Leo Sayer - Can't let the show go on. Unforgetable!

[@reallyseriously7020]

George Michael and Bonnie Tyler. I'm an 80's kid. Never seen either of these performances. Thanks for the great stuff!

[@chrishyde1216]

Honestly, the one that got my spine tingling and for me was the stand out - Kate Bush. Magical, and like all true art it gets even better with time.

[@timchaney8184]

School's Out was a terrible omission from this list.

[@mritzs5142]

Ozzie was a great songwriter, sang this with a band I was in Houston Tx who were 1/2 originals half cover. Over The Mountain...another one I loved singing

[@dalehas2]

Wow!! Bowie! Queen! Elton! Kate! What an iconic mix!! Pity about the lost Beatles tape, but at least we have the original music video 🌟🌟🌟

[@BusinessJustBusiness]

Love this channel. More music and less commentary would be really great. Otherwise, keep up the great work.

[@BazColne]

Good selection.

[@alienxna6511]

Motorhead's 'Ace of Spades'. As a teen headbanger late '70's/early '80's I couldn't believe my eyes when on the TV, much to the annoyance of Parents, was Lemmy (RIP) belting the track on TOTP of all places.

[@MrJeepsters]

SAXON et MAIDEN ont fait de remarquables performances.

[@deedee-tc4fh]

One of my first gigs was Hawkwind at a local Youth Centre with Silver Machine and Lemmy brushing past me swearing about the heat at the sweat poured off him.. Thought nothing of it at the time..

[@TG-pd3ft]

Mate - it was all pre-recorded! They were miming! You must be the only person in the world not to know that

[@Mirkwood50]

Good video 👍

[@reneschmidt9799]

I like the unagitated and relaxed PSB intro on the subject of "iconic performances". That's the British humor I just love, as well as the self-deprecating PSB. Great😅👌

[@arentjanmager]

Thanks very much. Keep on blabbing through everything and by all means never show one complete and uninterrupted clip.

[@paulspencer1590]

The video showed, but didn't comment on, Bowie putting his arm around Mick Ronson's shoulder. Nowadays you wouldn't even notice but back then it was jaw-dropping.

[@callithowiseeit5806]

I don't get the hype over that, like a man hadn't casually draped an arm over another mans shoulder before, it just smacks of a degeneracy agenda claiming mythical milestones

[@PutinsMommyNeverHuggedHim]

why would that be jaw dropping

[@seanclark6438]

I think these days most people wouldn’t read anything into it other then a friendly gesture between two good friends but then I suppose it was a bold statement of Bowie’s sexuality

[@pateris]

@@seanclark6438 Exactly. I think that I did the same thing performing with one of my bands (none real went anywhere) and I never thought anyone would see it otherwise !

[@pongsakvittayarumpa9233]

Brilliant !

[@MrBrynmair]

One of the most iconic for me w@s Culture Club Do you really want to hurt me because Boy George was so exotic nobody was sure whether he was a fella or a girlie.

[@Tlotoxl]

Most iconic for me was one Xmas special with the lead singer ignoring the song completely, eating an orange and chatting to the crowd!

[@WatchMojoUK]

haha

[@KenLieck]

@@WatchMojoUK But what about Neil the hippie knocking over a giant flower prop and realizing in horror that "These flowers are made of paper! How many trees had to die to make these flowers?!?"

[@SirAntoniousBlock]

The Stranglers were the first ones to do it with No more heroes in 77, they got bored and started mucking about and then destroyed the crummy stage. 😂

[@StephenStephens-jy9jj]

I thought #1 would be Starman but Beatles is a worthy choice. Another Beatles song (Dear Prudence) by Siouxsie would be my favourite.

[@katehamilton7240]

Boy George 'Do you really want to hurt me' was a fabulous shock to the system

[@zippythechicken]

Undoubtedly [Kylie Minogue - Come Into My World (Live Fischerspooner Mix - TOTP Awards 29-11-2002)] .... Its one of her strongest live performances and shes an icon around the world that for 40 years has always been performing in the charts with new music... while many others had short and less quality careers.

[@stevemccormack9948]

The Queen song to this day is outstanding. In one snapshot it shows just how tight this band were. The world aches for a return of such a talent.

[@aladinsane10]

Where are T.REX with get it on? The begining of the glam Rock area?

[@ManGoatHamburger]

They were first on with “Ride a White Swan” in make-up but it was wiped.

[@M19641964]

Gary Numan's Are 'friens' electric- looked like he came from the far future- should have been here on the list

[@ceemage]

Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep - the most infectious, happy-go-lucky, bubblegum pop song about child abandonment YOU'LL hear today...

[@richard6440]

No one listened to the music. They were all looking at Sally's legs !

[@jameshogan6142]

I grew up listening to this cover and loved it but recently came across Lally Stott's original and it has really grown on me.

[@Theprophet3928]

Killer Queen always number 7. Top 10 Queen Songs Top 20 Queen Songs And now, Top 10 Iconic TOTP performances

[@thequietroom3991]

Heaven 17, with Carol Kenyon, Temptation. TOTP.

[@hulahoopone]

Wasn't the appearance of The Beatles singing Ticket to Ride in Doctor Who taken from a now lost episode of TOTP?

[@sg-zd8eb]

It was, it was shown in episode 1 of The Chase, the third Dalek story in 1965. The tapes of each episode (all 6 of them) survive as telerecordings as all master transmission tapes of episodes up to 1970 are lost. The context of the clip is that the Doctor and the companions at the time were watching certain events in history on a Time-Space Visualiser (a sort of time tv). In addition, the Beatles were supposed to record a cameo of themselves in the future as old men for the Visualiser but I believe their manager Epstein said no to the idea prior to filming.

[@alanseward4979]

No T Rex?? Are you kidding?

[@merlinhotspurs]

I know, Bowie always gets the credit.😡

[@TimBadger-w7d]

I agree! Where’s Ride a White Swan?

[@alanseward4979]

20Th Century Boy ?? Metal Guru???

[@LiamMcClean-l3j]

I would have put ( love grows ) by edison lighthouse in there, loved that one.

[@davekiev_1]

Would have been nice if, and I admit it's infrequent, people wanted to enjoy more than 5 seconds of one of the tracks without the crashing voiceovers.

[@dilwich]

Queens good old fashioned lover boy on TOTP was semi live rare for TOTP.

[@Chapps1941]

Bonnie Tyler is my guilty pleasure Kate Bush is my lifelong crush

[@ronaldomadrebien7045]

I’m in the same queue !!

[@Sagittarius-88]

That queen audio was absolutely not a live recording. That's the studio cut your hearing.

[@erik_griswold]

TOTP is why I appreciate the live performances on Saturday Night Live (and Fridays back when)

[@CarlieMaria28]

Sarah Harding’s dad was actually on TOTP himself. Was in a 70’s band called Sunfighter, signed to EMI records. Many years later his late daughter followed his footsteps with Girls Aloud. 🌟🎵✨🩷🤍

[@seanclark6438]

I believe the most poignant TOTP performance of my life came in December 1996 and the memorial version of Knocking on Heaven’s Door, it was no. 1 until the Christmas week

[@margaretdasilva5493]

No Rolling Stones?

[@kimpoulsen6623]

Who?

[@hesekie1]

No, Rolling Stones.

[@fayesouthall6604]

Madonna doing Holiday very early in her career.

[@cornat24]

Absolutely love this song Chirp 😂❤

[@mutualbeard]

Bonnie Tyler's "big hair" is totally hilarious after forty years.

[@johnnowak9548]

I love the pads taped to Roger Taylor’s Tom Tom’s on the queen clip.

[@geetee4459]

So many great songs/perfornances. Sadly most talked over.

[@peterdockrill9653]

I was only 12 at the time but distinctly remember baby come back by the equals in 68.

[@GeeCeeWU]

With a young Eddie Grant as the frontman on Vocals.

[@MyraMarks]

@@GeeCeeWU The frontman on vocals was Derv Gordon. Eddie Grant was playing guitar and doing backup vocals.

[@GeeCeeWU]

@@MyraMarks I didn't know that Myra, thanks for the info.

[@sharonellis8776]

What about Wasp with Scream Until You Like It - 1987 ?? xx

[@suffern63]

This town ain't big enough for the two of us

[@cliffthegardener]

Can't complain at the choices. Contenders T-rex, The Sweet Ballroom blitz, The Housemartins Happy Hour, Gary Newman Cars, Culture Club Karma Camelion...

[@kevinmoulton8072]

Top 10 while i talk shite all the way through them 😂😂😂

[@darrengriffin8609]

It was bloody well mimed in the old days. Check out Paul Heaton singing.😂

[@miguelurdaci7884]

the singing was mostly live with a backing track for instruments

[@garypayne4284]

​@@miguelurdaci7884mostly? on the whole, no, most artists lip synced, these here on this list only Kate, Bowie, Kurt have live vocal.

[@liamprayner214]

Scott's death is still heartbreaking. If only he knew how many fans he saved, myself included. Knowing we weren't alone in suffering from our demons

[@petersp63]

Blondie Denis! That Red Dress with Debbie Harry! That is Iconic!

[@tdurb0]

Re: Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep. How did they kidnap the blonde lass from ABBA and why did they force her to inhale helium?

[@adyback7994]

@ 1:36 some of us do....and can you believe we know how to (in 2024) use a PC too! lol

[@irisfandre865]

Ich hätte Starman von David Bowie auf Platz 1 gesetzt. Er war ein toller Sänger und sah toll aus. Die Beatles mag ich auch. Mir gefällt die Pilzkopffrisur nicht. Aber ihre Musik 🎶 war klasse.

[@ROCKONplaceboforever]

So good miss pop of the pops 🔥

[@benvair1370]

For me Rod Stewart and the Faces doing Maggie May springs to mind, while making a mockery of the BBC insistence that the

[@floriangeyer1]

Debbie Harry & Blondie perfor ing Denis; just WOW.

[@СвидетельРозовогоЕдинорога]

I loved the stranglers performance. They kinda destroyed the stage

[@Borella309]

Jimmy Savile surrounded by teenage kids (and getting paid by the BBC to do it) and not getting caught, is pretty Iconic.

[@jerry2357]

And introducing Gary Glitter with a totally over-the-top performance...

[@greenscorpio1967]

Some excellent choices, though you have to add Boy George and culture clubs debut too as we was asking ourselves he or she but a future star was born like the kate bush debut full of charisma

[@richardzoltowski3722]

The Prince by Madness

[@Darthjoemo]

Queen should of been much much higher, British music royalty, deserve better 😊😊😊