12 Iconic Top of the Pops Performances That Reshaped British Music

In January 1964, the BBC saw that for the first time ever the national singles chart was overflowing with British acts. Due to this, they created a weekly music chart rundown programme called Top Of The Pops. From then on, every Thursday evening Britain’s youth would be delighted by the latest UK chart goings-on, while being the only place to see their favourite artists and discover exciting new ones.

The presenters were cheesy, or much worse, and most of the time the band had to mime, but some of these performances would embed themselves unshakably into the public consciousness, inspiring generations of bands and artists in their wake, hoping that they too could get their three-minutes of Top of The Pops glory. From Bowie to Soft Cell, The Smiths to Blur, these are 12 Iconic Top of The Pops Performances That Forever Altered British Music.

#topofthepops #britishmusic #musicdocumentary

Fact-checking by Chad Van Wagner.

00:00 Introduction
00:52 Desmond Dekker: Introducing Reggae
02:54 David Bowie: "...And I Picked On You"
06:35 The Jam: Punk On The BBC
09:38 Blondie: A Counterpoint
11:03 Gary Numan: The Cyborg Takeover
13:29 Soft Cell: "Once I Ran To You"
15:43 Shalamar: The Backslide
17:38 The Smiths: Flower to The People
21:29 Farley "Jackmaster" Funk: Enter House Music
23:52 Happy Mondays & The Stone Roses
26:40 Blur & Oasis: The Battle of Britpop
30:04 Spice Girls: The Reign of Girl Power

Bibliography
Top of the Pops: Mishaps, Miming and Music by Ian Gittins, 2007, BBC Books
Top of the Pops 50th Anniversary: 50 Years On by Patrick Humphries & Steve Blacknell, 2014, McNidder & Grace
Mad World: An Oral History of New Wave Artists and Songs That Defined the 1980s by Lori Majewski & Jonathan Bernstein, 2014, Harry N. Abrams
Sweet Dreams: The Story of the New Romantics by Dylan Jones, 2020, Faber
Mozipedia: The Encyclopedia of Morrissey and The Smiths by Simon Goddard, 2010, Ebury Press
The Last Party: Britpop, Blair and the Demise of English Rock by John Harris, 2004, Harper Perennial
Top of the Pops The True Story - The Final Chapter (2006) dir. Elliott Johnson & Jeff Simpson
Reggae Britannia (2011) dir. Jeremy Marre
Top Of The Pops: The Story of 1977 (2012) dir. David Vincent
Top Of The Pops: The Story of 1979 (2014) dir. Matt O'Casey
Top Of The Pops: The Story of 1981 (2016) dir. Matt O'Casey
Top Of The Pops: The Story of 1982 (2016) dir. Matt O'Casey
Top Of The Pops: The Story of 1986 (2018) dir. Verity Newman
Top Of The Pops: The Story of 1995 (2022) dir. Verity Newman
Top Of The Pops: The Story of 1996 (2022) dir. Becci Dyson
"The 100 greatest BBC music performances - ranked!" by Guardian Music, The Guardian, Oct 2022
"The Final Countdown: Top of the Pops" by Terry Staunton, Record Collector, Sep 2006
"Top Of The Pops: Down The Pan?" by Phil Sutcliffe, Q, Nov 1991
"RIP Top Of The Pops, 1964-2006" by Mark Pringle, Rock's Backpages, Jun 2006
"Top of the Pops a decade on: 10 stunning moments from the legendary pop show" by Fraser McAlpine, BBC, Aug 2016
"How Top of the Pops Made a Nation Fall in Love With Music" by Jamie Andrew, Den of Geek, March 2023
"The BBC’s New Music Show Could Learn From These Iconic Top Of The Pops Moments" by Kim Hillyard, NME, November 2015
"'You woke up on a Thursday and it smelled like a Top of the Pops day'" by Dave Simpson & Dorian Lynskey, The Guardian, Jul 2006
"David Bowie: The Making of 'Starman'" by Rob Hughes, Uncut Magazine, Jun 2009
"David Bowie and the most influential three minutes and 55 seconds of UK TV ever" by Ian Fortnam, Classic Rock, Jul 2022
"How performing Starman on Top of the Pops sent Bowie into the stratosphere" by David Hepworth, Jan 2016
"David Bowie on ‘Top of the Pops’ 50 years on: How a pointed finger changed the world" by Tom Taylor, Far Out Magazine, Jul 2022
"Desmond Dekker and The Aces – Israelites (1969)" by Rob Barker, Every UK Number 1, Aug 2019
"Desmond Dekker - Obituary" by Pierre Perrone, The Independent, May 2006
"Reggae pioneer: Desmond Dekker" by Garry Steckles, Caribbean Beat, Sep/Oct 2006
"MIXMAG IS 40: AN INTERVIEW WITH OUR FIRST EVER COVER STAR, SHALAMAR" by Craig Seymour, Mixmag, March 2023
"Shalamar" by Peter Silverton, Smash Hits, Dec 1982
"The Smiths make their Top of the Pops debut" by Johnny Marr, The Guardian, Jun 2011
"Burning Down the House: Chicago's Club Scene" by Barry Walters, Spin Magazine, Nov 1986
"A Potted History of Dance Music on British Television: Disco Ducks and Acid Explosions" by Josh Baines, Noisey, Sep 2015
"Mancunian candidates" by Nick Kent, The Face, Jan 1990

Soundtrack
Luar - Balance (https://soundcloud.com/luarbeats)
Jesse Gallagher - The Golden Present
Luar - Citrine (https://soundcloud.com/luarbeats)
Luar - Anchor (https://soundcloud.com/luarbeats)

You can also follow me here:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TrashTheory
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TrashTheoryYT
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theorytrash

Or support me on Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/TrashTheory