TOTP: The Story of 1985
The Story of 1985
Recalling the year in which the 'Big Four' of 80's pop - Spandau Ballet, Wham!, Culture Club and Duran Duran - had a relatively quiet time, ushering in a new generation of pop talent. The ambitious King and A-ha, propelled by the most expensive video of the year for Take On Me, competed for attention with passionate politicos Billy Bragg and The Style Council who, fired up by the ongoing miners' strike and continuing threat of nuclear war, gave the studio audience their all with Between The Wars and Walls Come Tumbling Down. Electro dance hit the mainstream as Dead or Alive topped the charts with You Spin Me Round, the first number one for producers Stock, Aitken and Waterman, and Paul Hardcastle held the top slot for five weeks with 19, a spoken word single made with new sampling technology and released on the 10th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War. Meanwhile, Bob Geldof brought the pop generations together for Live Aid and Shakin' Stevens marked his 50th appearance on Top of the Pops with his first Christmas number. Featuring original interviews with A-ha, Shakin' Stevens, the Style Council, Billy Bragg, Bonnie Tyler, Pete Waterman, Paul Hardcastle, King and Loose Ends