The Most Bizarre UK No. 1s of the 1980s

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Britain in the 80s had some great number one singles. Songs that summed up a moment, stretched the boundaries of what pop could be, yet have stood the test of time. “Ghost Town”. “Don’t You Want Me”. “Relax”. “West End Girls”. “Ride On Time”. From this list you would think the British record buying public had excellent, perfect taste. But then there are other songs where you wonder “how did that become the most popular song in the country?” Whether that’s being confusingly out of time, defiantly uncommercial or offensively not very good, this is an exploration of those songs: The stories of the Most Bizarre UK No. 1s of the 1980s.

#ukcharts #80spop #musicdocumentary

Fact-checking by Chad Van Wagner.

00:00 Introduction
00:43 A Decade Old Movie Theme
03:29 A Conqueror of Synth-Pop
06:01 A Popera Duet
09:29 An Electro-Documentary
14:16 A Soap Star Tries Pop
17:38 A Delayed No. 1
21:24 Puppets and Stop-Motion
25:05 The Bard of Barking
28:48 An New Age Album Act
32:56 A Cartoon Rabbit Plays The Hits

Soundtrack
Luar - Citrine ()
Jesse Gallagher - The Golden Present
Luar - Anchor ()

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Sources
1000 UK Number One Hits by John Kutner & Spencer Leigh (2005) Omnibus Press
Top of The Pops: Mishaps, Miming and Music by Ian Gittins (2007) BBC Books
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