Thursday 29 August 2013

Top of the Pops, 29th August 2013

The world's best-loved boyband, the return of a Spice Girl, Sean the Paul and a much-anticipated studio performance from your number 1 and mine, Ellie Goulding. All this and an old clip of Wheatus. Whoomp! Here it is.

One Direction - Best Song Ever

Up 2 to number 12

Klangkarussell - Sonnentanz

Highest New Entry - In at number 3

DJ Fresh and Diplo - Earthquake

In at number 4

Sean Paul - Other Side of Love

In at number 7

Naughty Boy ft Emeli Sande - Lifted

In at number 8

Matt Cardle and Melanie C - Loving You

In at number 14

From the Vault: Wheatus - Teenage Dirtbag

Back in at number 46

Ellie Goulding - Burn

Second week at number 1

PRESENTER: Kimberley Walsh

Thursday 22 August 2013

Top of the Pops, 22nd August 2013

After a couple of shuffle-around weeks we have a lot of new entries to show you. With room for an oldie or two as well.

The Wanted - We Own The Night

In at number 10 - The lovely lads are on their second TOTP appearance.

Ray Foxx ft Rachel K Collier - Boom Boom (Heartbeat)

In at number 12 - Not a Vengaboys cover, not a Steps cover, not a Vengaboys/Steps mashup. But a party.

Justin Timberlake - Take Back the Night

Up 3 to number 26 - Heeeeeeere's Justin!

Arctic Monkeys - Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High

In at number 8 - Friends of the show the Arctic Monkeys have a fittingly high chart entry for their new single.

The Vaccines - Melody Calling

In at number 44 - Yup, two acts in a row where it's immediately clear where the music is coming from. Can the Vacs jump into the top 40 next week?

From the Vault: Vanessa Carlton - A Thousand Miles

Back in at number 70 - Amazing what you can dig up in the lower reaches of the chart. Here's a clip of Vanessa Carlton, who spearheaded the much-forgotten American female singer/songwriter wave of the early 2000s.

OneRepublic - Counting Stars

High Climber - Up 13 to number 30 - Look who's back! Not sure how this one goes, but assuming Ryan Tedder wrote it I'm guessing 'Counting Stars' is repeated over and over again.

Ellie Goulding - Burn

Straight in at number 1 - Burn, burn, burn, burn, burn, burn, burn, burn, burn, burn, burn, burn, burn, burn, burn, burn: yes, it's another Ryan Tedder composition straight in at the top. Ellie is trotting the globe this week so we have to make do with the video, but she promises to come on if she's still at number 1 in seven days' time.

PRESENTER: Duffy

Thursday 15 August 2013

Top of the Pops, 15th August 2013

Tinie Tempah ft. 2 Chainz - Trampoline

In at number 3 - With dancers on actual trampolines, playing tambourines, dressed as tangerines.

Of Monsters and Men - Little Talks

High Climber - Up 15 to number 19 - Iceland's answer to Mumford and Sons are back in the chart and in your living room (or portable multimedia device).

Le Youth - Cool

Up 14 to number 35 - Top 40 and TOTP debut for this "electronic musician, DJ and producer" (says Wikipedia). Here in his capacity as electronic musician.

Rudimental - Right Here

Up 10 to number 14 - The Rude boys have already been on a couple of times, but this is their first appearance without a credited vocalist to assist them.They smash it.

Disclosure - F for You

Up 8 to number 20 - Memories of the Artful Dodger's classic 90s performances come flooding back as the Disclosure brothers both play instruments whose combined output can only make up about 1% of the song. Where is the rest of the music coming from?

Birdy - Skinny Love

Up 1 to number 44 - Birdie pops in unexpectedly as Skinny Love climbs up the chart for the 50th time. The crowd and the viewers fall in love with it all over again.

Pink - True Love / Just Give Me A Reason

Up 1 to number 17 - Pink's Nate Ruess vehicle Just Give Me A Reason is convecting upwards in the lower depths of the chart this week, so Pink comes on to sing her bits from that duet and her current hit as well. With a snap costume change in between.

Miley Cyrus - We Can't Stop

Straight in at number 1 - Miley's number 1! But she's not in the country sadly, so we have to content ourselves with the video, edited to remove a decent portion of the rump-shaking. She can't stop us stopping her.

PRESENTER: James Masterton

Thursday 8 August 2013

Top of the Pops, 8th August 2013

Several enduringly popular tracks are bobbing back up the chart this week, which means that some entries from a couple of months ago deservingly get their time in the spotlight, while other acts return for a reprise with the chance to do something slightly different. And there's an exclusive two-song medley from one returning star.

John Newman - Love Me Again

Up 2 to number 2 - Bounding back up the chart, John Newman returns with a gospel choir to love us again again.

Calvin Harris ft. Ayah Marar - Thinking About You

Up 5 to number 9 - Calvin and Ayah are back to storm the barn for a second time.

Eliza Doolittle - Big When I Was Little/ You And Me

Highest New Entry - In at number 12 / Back in at number 73 - Eliza has two tracks to bring us this week. Most of her slot is devoted to new hit Big When I Was Little, but there's also time for a quick acapella segue into You And Me, which has slipped back into the lower end of the rundown.

Imagine Dragons - It's Time

Up 23 to number 30 - Rock song of the the week from these adequately groomed North Americans.

AlunaGeorge - You Know You Like It

In at number 39 - In the week that their album enters the chart, George and Aluna bring us an icily boisterous performance of this returning older hit.
 

Lana Del Rey - Summertime Sadness

High Climber - Up 28 to number 4 - Wait, come back! This is the dance remix. Minimal staging, maximal raving.

Jay-Z ft. Justin Timberlake - Holy Grail

Up 6 to number 11 - Jay and JT have been climbing the top 30 for a few weeks, but only now have schedules lined up to permit this appearance. As you'd hope, it's something pretty special, the toe-tapping twosome matching each other line for line and hook for hook.

Avicii ft. Aloe Blacc - Wake Me Up

Third week at number 1 - Time for something a bit different in week 3: Avicii takes a break and Aloe Blacc ropes in a finger-pickin' friend for a stripped-back bluegrass version.

PRESENTER: Kimberley Walsh

Thursday 1 August 2013

Top of the Pops, 1st August 2013

Not many new entries this week, which means a lot of climbers and the chance for a few long-lived hits to get their turn on the show. Look out for a surprise duet near the end!

One Direction - Best Song Ever

Highest New Entry - In at number 2 - And what better way to kick off any episode of Top of the Pops than with everybody's favourite five eager beavers, jigging about to the general delight of the studio audience.

Demi Lovato - Heart Attack

Up 3 to number 33 - No, she wasn't on last week, that was Selena Gomez. Another polished performance from another pristine popstrel. And a great light show.

Rudimental ft. Ella Eyre - Waiting All Night

Up 9 to number 25 - Not the first time on for Rudimental but a TOTP debut for the talented Ella Eyre. The singer is front and centre in this performance, clouds of dry ice obscuring the Rude boys as they skulk in the shadows.

Arctic Monkeys - Do I Wanna Know?

Up 3 to number 18 - This uncharacteristically enduring Arctics hit gets a second airing as it climbs back into the top 20. The boys are happy to come on again, turning up the intensity for the second pound through.

Fuse ODG - Antenna

Up 2 to number 22 - And another returning face to restore the party vibe. With four female dancers wearing antennae this time around.

From the Vault: Toploader - Dancing in the Moonlight

Up 36 to number 27 - A huge leap up the chart for this pukka classic sends our tape delvers deep into the archive to retrieve this footage from the year 2000.

Ed Sheeran with Demi Lovato - Everything Has Changed

Up 1 to number 12 - Taylor is out of the country again, so who better to fill in than the versatile Demi Lovato? She and Ed have great chemistry, making eyes at each other throughout this fun reinterpretation.

Avicii ft. Aloe Blacc - Wake Me Up

Second week at number 1 - The euroDJ and his soulful pal return for a second performance, and this time Aloe Blacc wears a top hat, an enormous fur coat and white loafers. You've changed, Aloe.

PRESENTER: James Masterton