• Jump to Content »
  • Jump to Side-Bar »
  • Jump to Navigation »
  • Jump to Far-Bar »
  • Jump to Footer »
  • home
  • differences
  • questions
  • conversations
  • paintings
  • cartoons
  • US cycle
  • KC events
  • gaeilge
  • about

Irish KC is a one-man site on Irish news and events in Kansas City and its hinterland, along with Irishness in general and how it relates to Irish-America.

It is authored by an artist from Ireland who has lived in Kansas City.

Other sites: Bicyclistic (personal), American Hell (cartoons)

[ Irish KC ]
Kansas City Irish Festivals, Music, Pubs, & Events by an Artist in Ireland

« Ireland Spending on R&D To Get Richer
Damien Rice in Denver, Dallas and Chicago »

Little Judy’s trying to watch “Top of the Pops”

In 1978 deep down in her pocket Judy found 50p (p? what’s p?).

10 years earlier Irish money was pre-decimal so 10 bob is what Judy would have found then.

And although a year after finding 50p the Irish Pound was to break with sterling and float independently as the currency curiously known as the Punt, it was still pounds and pence in Judy’s pocket right up until four and a half years ago and the switch to Euro and Cent.

Did you ever think that Little Judy would be unable to find 50p pieces however deep in her pocket, before she would be unable to watch Top of the Pops?

After 42 years, the BBC has now cancelled Top of the Pops, a programme older than Irish access to British television for most people. When The Boomtown Rats reached number one in the British charts with Rat-Trap in 1978, and thereby being the final act on TOTP that week, it was celebrated in Ireland like an International win (talking soccer, Midwesterners).

This was a time when Bono was an upstart with dreams of World Domination nobody gave a moment’s credance to (except Fran of course), so all the U2 copycats, and relentless unimaginative pseudo-Celtic soul music was yet to follow. The Rats were big. And there wasn’t much else out there on the international stage.

Geldof, Johhny Fingers, Pete Briquette, and the boys were so big they then couldn’t play in Ireland, because such popularity meant there would be riots at the gigs (obviously), and therefore insurance against riots was needed but prohibitive. You didn’t just have to leave Ireland to be successful, in the tradition of Joyce and Beckett; if you actually became successful you couldn’t come home.

Rat-Trap was a significant early Irish number one in the British Charts, and the first New Wave number one, but it was a Dublin song. And watching Britain’s Top of the Pops in the 1970s was a Dublin experience (in an Irish context) - Dublin having recently being converted to multi-channel land by cable from communal aerials. The great bonus (if you liked television) to this was that when satellite television became available many years later, everybody already had cable - they just didn’t call it that.

Little Judy trying to watch Top of the Pops was a lyric that every Irish teenager in multi-channel land didn’t just relate to - it felt personalized because it was fantastically ordinary and you didn’t mention TV programmes in pop songs.

But of course the best thing about this Irish bunch of misfits playing Top of the Pops when they reached number one, was their ending of months of various number ones from Grease the movie, and the Rats celebration of that fact by starting the song holding pictures of John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, before ripping them up. You can see a little video of this here.

This was a lot funnier than Sinead and the Pope years later, but still caused a major reaction of shock, such was the power of the BBC’s flagship music programme. On the other side of this Irish music celebration however, you’ll rarely find an Irish person reminisce happily about the embarassment of a nation when Foster & Allen went over to London and performed A Bunch of Thyme on TOTP while dressed up as two leprechauns.

Through most of the eighties Yellow Pearl by Phil Lynott was used as the theme music, and in the pre-Tiger years of massive unemployment and emigration, such moments of perceived Irish success made some Irish people happy - which seems comical and sad now.

Cool as Philo was though, Yellow Pearl surely wasn’t as good as Whole Lotta Love by Led Zeppelin (even if they did use somebody else’s version) that it replaced.

Not least because it was mostly mimed, Top of the Pops yields a million memories for most Irish people over a certain age, including its place on Christmas Day viewing for many families.

The reasons for its cancellation are given as its inabilty to compete with 24-hour music channels, but as video and video channels and shows have been with us for over twenty years, it’s more likely the demise of the Single Charts and the changes in music distribution that have finally finished TOTP

A year after the British charts officially included downloads into its compilation, it’s a pity the BBC can’t retain TOTP by coming up with something that would embrace the world of MP3s, MySpace, Songbird, YouTube, Podcasts, Ringtones, etc.

You watch, one day Little Judy will find Top of the Pops deep down in her pocket. Deep deep down, as East 17 might’ve said.

See Also:
   • No Irish in Top 20 Greatest Rock Heroes
   • The Fall
   • U2: Dublin in 1979 and 1987
   • Irish Prison Interview with Philo

Share |

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 21st, 2006 at 3:44 am and is filed under 1-eolai, Bob Geldof, England, Ireland, Nostalgia. You can follow responses via my RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.


One Response to “Little Judy’s trying to watch “Top of the Pops””

  1. mr skin responds: October 18th, 2006 at 2:13 pm

    Funny, Travolta is supposed to play JR Hewwing in the bigscreen version of Dallas! I can’t imagine him playing that role, but I have a feeling he’ll pull it off. I wonder if it’s going to be a comedy, or a drama?

Sorry. Comments have been closed.

|Top | Content|


HOT on Irish KC

Cottage Chronicles
Damo Interview
Irish Paintings
KC Irish Bands
Gaelic Games in KC
KC Mail to Ireland

  • Irish KC Author

    Eolai gan Fheile Eolaí gan Fhéile:
    • (816) 256 3366
    • Author 101
    • On Twitter
     Contact me 

Main Content

Irish KC Home
KC Events Calendar
Reviews
Photos
Irish Paintings
Irish Conversations
Ireland-USA Differences
F.A.I. Questions
Irish-American Cartoons
As Gaeilge, a Glossary
Gaelic/Gaeilge Lessons
Immigration
Irish Festivals
Celtic Comment
The Elders: KC Celtic Rock

Categories

  • 1-eolai (886)
    • Cycle Across America (85)
    • Meanderings (34)
    • Nostalgia (68)
    • Pencil Parings (1)
    • The Cottage (26)
  • Accordion (14)
  • Ads/Notices (16)
  • Animals (50)
  • Art (218)
    • listing (25)
  • blogs (233)
  • Books (64)
  • Branson (20)
  • Cartoons (46)
  • Classical (11)
  • England (50)
  • Events (1033)
  • FA Irish Q (33)
  • Festivals (283)
  • Fingal (1)
  • Food & Drink (159)
  • Gaeilge (42)
    • Irish / Gaelic / Gaeilge Lessons (20)
  • Genealogy (25)
  • Gilhouly's (1)
  • History (86)
  • Holidays (119)
  • Housekeeping (165)
  • Immigration (90)
  • Ireland (494)
    • 1916 Rising (11)
  • Ireland & USA: Differences (65)
  • Irish Business (219)
    • Brownes' Irish Market (62)
    • Cafe & (61)
    • Doherty & Sullivan's (14)
    • Sheehans Irish Imports (18)
    • The Celtic Ranch (5)
  • Irish Conversations (102)
  • Irish Dancing (52)
  • Len Graham (1)
  • Lists (94)
  • Literature & Irish Writers (92)
  • Midwest Irish Focus (33)
    • Celtic Comment (12)
  • Miscellaneous (118)
  • Movies (140)
  • Music Lessons (8)
  • Musicians (1333)
    • Altan (4)
    • Anthony Delallo (1)
    • Anuna (3)
    • Ashley Falls (2)
    • Bagatelle (3)
    • Bell X1 (4)
    • Beoga (2)
    • Bill Morris (1)
    • Black 47 (32)
    • Black Family (9)
    • Bob Geldof (9)
    • Bob Reeder (93)
    • Bohola (6)
    • Bono & U2 (69)
    • Bosko (1)
    • Bothy Band (8)
    • BP Fallon (2)
    • Brendan Loughrey (1)
    • Brett Gibson (23)
    • Brian Hart (5)
    • Brigid's Cross (8)
    • Brock McGuire Band (1)
    • Call of the Raven (1)
    • Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh (2)
    • Capercaillie (2)
    • Cathal Dunne (3)
    • Cathie Ryan (9)
    • Celtic Spring (4)
    • Celtic Thunder (2)
    • Celtic Woman (6)
    • Cherish the Ladies (9)
    • Cherry Cokes (2)
    • Chieftains (10)
    • Chipper Thompson (8)
    • Christy Moore (18)
    • Chulrua (1)
    • Clancy Brothers (14)
    • Clannad-Enya (15)
    • Clumsy Lovers (1)
    • Connacht Town (25)
    • Connie Dover (14)
    • Cottars (4)
    • Craobh Rua (1)
    • Creel (3)
    • Crowded House (1)
    • Damien Dempsey (16)
    • Damien Rice (20)
    • Daniel O Donnell (7)
    • David Munnelly (9)
    • De Dannan (2)
    • Different Drums (4)
    • Dirty Old Towne (2)
    • Dog Tree (5)
    • Doug Goodhart (6)
    • Dropkick Murphys (7)
    • Dublin City Ramblers (1)
    • Eddie Delahunt (224)
    • Eileen Ivers (14)
    • Elders (210)
    • Ellis Island (19)
    • Enter The Haggis (33)
    • Eric Bogle (4)
    • Fionn Regan (2)
    • Flannigan's Right Hook (81)
    • Flogging Molly (20)
    • Forest Green (2)
    • Four of Us (1)
    • Frames (26)
    • Fuchsia Band (93)
    • Gabriel Reyes (16)
    • Gaelic Storm (35)
    • Gerald Trimble (3)
    • Giordaí ua Laoghaire (2)
    • Girsa (1)
    • Glen Road (23)
    • Glengarry Bhoys (7)
    • Goats Don't Shave (2)
    • Grada (8)
    • Great Big Sea (5)
    • Hazel Whyte (5)
    • Heatons (3)
    • Hooligans (1)
    • Horslips (9)
    • Indulgers (13)
    • James Galway (1)
    • Jed Marum (6)
    • Jessica Kroh (2)
    • Jiggernaut (1)
    • Jimmy Crowley (15)
    • Joanna Newsom (2)
    • Joe Dolan (1)
    • Joe Heaney (2)
    • John McDermott (2)
    • John Morris (20)
    • John Spillane (13)
    • Jonathan Ramsey (15)
    • Kelihans (56)
    • Kelly (43)
    • Kieran O'Hare (1)
    • Kila (12)
    • Killdares (1)
    • Kirk Lynch (2)
    • Líadan (1)
    • Leahy (1)
    • Lenehan (1)
    • Liam O Maonlai (35)
    • Liam's Fancy (3)
    • Lick The Tins (1)
    • Lisa Dee (2)
    • Lisa Hannigan (10)
    • Liz Carroll (2)
    • Lucky Charms (50)
    • Luka Bloom (26)
    • Luke Kelly & Dubliners (12)
    • Lunasa (5)
    • Majella Murphy (8)
    • Mason Brown (10)
    • McCabes (4)
    • Mic Christopher (3)
    • Mick O'Brien (1)
    • Mickey Finns (3)
    • Miles From Dublin (2)
    • Millish (2)
    • Morrissey (16)
    • Mundy (4)
    • New Shilling (2)
    • Nine Mile Burn (1)
    • O'Shea Sisters (3)
    • Pale (3)
    • Patrick Street (1)
    • Paul Brady (2)
    • Peter Adams (1)
    • Pogues (29)
    • Potcheen Folk Band (2)
    • Prodigals (6)
    • Rattle and Hum (27)
    • Richard Thompson (5)
    • Rob Gavin (6)
    • Roger Landes (12)
    • Roscommon (4)
    • Rowan (8)
    • Royal Shamrock (1)
    • Runrig (4)
    • Saw Doctors (16)
    • Síocháin (2)
    • Scartaglen (4)
    • Scythian (4)
    • Sean McRactagan (1)
    • Sean O Riada (3)
    • Searson (7)
    • Seven Nations (34)
    • Sharon Shannon (2)
    • Shenanigans (2)
    • Shortleaf Band (9)
    • Sinead O Connor (13)
    • Snow Patrol (8)
    • Solas (9)
    • Something For The house (11)
    • stepcrew (2)
    • Sweeney's Men (1)
    • Teada (10)
    • The Croagh Patrick (1)
    • Thick Lizzy (3)
    • Thin Lizzy (6)
    • Three Dollar Band (4)
    • Tom Dahill (2)
    • Tommy Martin & Misla (7)
    • Tommy Meehan (6)
    • Tossers (3)
    • Triflemore (11)
    • Trinity (5)
    • Tullamore (43)
    • Tullintrain West (8)
    • Turlach Boylan (18)
    • Valley Project (1)
    • Van Morrison (15)
    • Vandon Arms (3)
    • Waterboys (7)
    • Wild Clover Band (30)
    • Wild Colonial Bhoys (15)
    • Wolfe Tones (6)
    • Xiles (5)
    • Young Dubliners (27)
    • Young Wolfetones (2)
  • Organizations (217)
    • AOH (6)
    • Celtic Fringe (10)
    • Harp & Shamrock (12)
    • IAC (1)
    • IMA (1)
    • IMCC (58)
    • KC GAC (44)
    • KC Parade (4)
    • MVFS (4)
  • Photos (158)
  • Pubs (536)
    • 75th St Brewery (4)
    • Claddagh Irish Pub (4)
    • Daily Limit (1)
    • Dempsey's (2)
    • Fathead's Irish Pub (7)
    • Fitz's Blarney Stone (3)
    • Governor Stumpy's (21)
    • Greenwood Triple P (14)
    • Harling's Upstairs (24)
    • J. Murphy's (5)
    • Kelly's of Westport (14)
    • Kennedy's (14)
    • Kyle's Tap Room (13)
    • Lew's Grill & Bar (17)
    • Llywelyn's Pub (10)
    • Maloney's (3)
    • Marfield's Irish Pub (8)
    • McFadden's (9)
    • Mickey's (11)
    • Molloy's (17)
    • Norty's (2)
    • O'Dowd's - Plaza (89)
    • O'Dowd's - Zona Rosa (15)
    • O'Malley's Irish Pub (131)
    • O'Neill's - PV (4)
    • Paddy O'Quigley's (27)
    • Raglan Road (38)
    • Record Bar (23)
    • The Brick (6)
    • The Gaf (39)
    • The Office (2)
    • The Public House (3)
    • The Well (2)
    • Walsh's Corner Cocktail (7)
    • Waxy O'Shea's (14)
    • Waxy O'Shea's Shawnee (13)
    • Westsider (25)
    • WJ McBride's - KCK (32)
    • WJ McBride's - OP (25)
  • radio (29)
  • Religion (37)
  • Reviews (97)
  • Scotland (67)
  • sessions (20)
  • Shows (57)
    • eurovision (17)
  • Sport (196)
    • Setanta (26)
  • St Patrick's Day (336)
  • Sunday Shorts (20)
  • Tech (45)
    • twitter (14)
  • Translations (2)
  • Travel (115)
  • Video (157)
  • Wales (1)
  • weather (50)

Archives

  • May 2023
  • December 2021
  • March 2021
  • March 2019
  • November 2018
  • March 2018
  • December 2017
  • September 2017
  • May 2016
  • March 2016
  • May 2015
  • March 2015
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • March 2014
  • January 2014
  • August 2013
  • May 2013
  • March 2013
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • May 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • December 2011
  • October 2011
  • June 2011
  • May 2011
  • March 2011
  • February 2011
  • December 2010
  • November 2010
  • October 2010
  • September 2010
  • August 2010
  • July 2010
  • June 2010
  • May 2010
  • April 2010
  • March 2010
  • February 2010
  • January 2010
  • December 2009
  • November 2009
  • October 2009
  • September 2009
  • August 2009
  • July 2009
  • June 2009
  • May 2009
  • April 2009
  • March 2009
  • February 2009
  • January 2009
  • December 2008
  • November 2008
  • October 2008
  • September 2008
  • August 2008
  • July 2008
  • June 2008
  • May 2008
  • April 2008
  • March 2008
  • February 2008
  • January 2008
  • December 2007
  • November 2007
  • October 2007
  • September 2007
  • August 2007
  • July 2007
  • June 2007
  • May 2007
  • April 2007
  • March 2007
  • February 2007
  • January 2007
  • December 2006
  • November 2006
  • October 2006
  • September 2006
  • August 2006
  • July 2006
  • June 2006
  • May 2006
  • April 2006
  • March 2006
  • February 2006
  • January 2006
  • December 2005
  • November 2005
  • October 2005
  • September 2005
  • August 2005
  • July 2005
  • June 2005
  • May 2005
  • April 2005
  • March 2005
  • February 2005
  • January 2005

And There’s More

THE 1916 EASTER RISING

1916 Rising

1916 Dublin Rising:

Langerland's Rising
1st Military 1916 Parade for 37 yrs
Black Shamrock and W
90th Anniversary of 1916 Rising
Commemorative Concert for 1916 Rising
KC Drill Teams Salute Irish Rebels

|Top | Sidebar|


Art

My Paintings on Sale
Irish Paintings for Sale
  • Feeds

    • • Subscribe to All Posts
    • • Or just Main Features

Main KC Irish Events

Submit Your Irish Event

Mar 20 Hoffenpurpenburger Day
See List of All KC Events

Latest Comments

  • Is Ireland Really Green, Potato-Eating, and Red-Haired ?  (14)
    Leigh Pagenkopf, cyrell, Eolaí, Nicolas Martin, Ellen K., eolai [...]
  • Driscoll School of Irish Dance in Shawnee, Kansas  (1)
    Theresa Gavila
  • An Irish Sausage is NOT a Banger  (9)
    Stee, fred beamish, Arnold, Donald McCall, Marie Hughes, Eolaí gan Fhéile [...]
  • One Million Views: Avicii Vs Lurgan  (1)
    Logtar
  • Midwest Irish Focus Changes Location  (2)
    Edna Smith, cricket
  • Panda Playtime!  (5)
    Eolaí, Nina, Jenny Krizman, Elly Parker, Eolaí
  • Biggest Irish Festivals in America  (3)
    Eolaí, Howard, NW Irish Fest
  • Eolaí gan Fhéile, author of Irish KC  (17)
    Eolaí, jill, Nance, e, J.R. McFadden, eolai [...]
  • Leaping Pandas, It's A Lovely Day!  (4)
    Eolaí, Nina, Eolaí, Jenny
  • Thanks A Million  (2)
    Kaylah Nealy, Shop Irish

Search Irish KC

Search 

Most Popular Posts:

An Irish Cottage
A KC Call to an Irish Mother
St. Valentine's Day
David Shaughnessy
A Bad Pint
Songs Learned in School
Turas : Trip
Irish Odyssey in Kansas City
Dublin Walls: Photos
Damo & Me: Audio Interview
Ireland/US Difference: Fun
Irish Inventions
Prison Interview with Philo
A KC Phone Call to Ireland
U2: Dublin 1979 & 1987
History of an Irish Pub
An Ice Oratory
Online: Staying Irish
Irish Place Names & Illegals
Turkeyed Out
Traveling By Train
1st Mosquito Bite
Feast or Famine: Emigration
Temperatures
How Do You Find America?
Customer Service in the US
Why Are The Irish Guilty?
House of Pain
25 Things About KC
Little Judy's Watching TOTP
Meeting Maradona

Paintings Recently Sold

  • painting Hover thumbnail
  • painting Heuston thumbnail
  • painting Stone Walls, No Sheep thumbnail
  • painting Parkgate Street thumbnail
  • painting Westport II thumbnail
  • painting Ormond Quay thumbnail
irishblogawards.gif Irish Trad School
Eddie Delahunts Cafe and

Twitter

    Follow IrishKC on Twitter >>

    Facebook

    IrishKC creator on Facebook

    FriendFeed

    An aggregate of my postings, along with the same from friends. On FriendFeed

    Tumblr

    Irish sKCraps

    YouTube

    Eolaí's Videos

    MySpace

    Kansas City Irish

    Irish & Ish

    • David Maybury
    • Primal Sneeze
    • Musical Rooms
    • Thirsty Gargoyle
    • Damien Mulley
    • Fat Mammy Cat
    • Well Done Fillet
    • Dante and the Lobster
    • Annie Rhiannon
    • Problem Child Bride
    • Bock The Robber
    • Sniffle & Cry
    • Hangar Queen
    • Conortje
    • I Can Has Cook
    • Flirty Something
    • Íomhá an lae
    • Máthair Gaelachais
    • Stranded on Gaia
    • Two Wheels on my Wagon
    • Nialler9
    • Avoiding Life
    • One More Hour
    • Eoin Purcell
    • Head Rambles
    • Paddy Anglican
    • Redmum
    • The Indie Hour
    • Darren's Photo Blog
    • Irish Eyes Art Studio
    • News From Nowhere
    • Maman Poulet
    • An Spailpín Fánach
    • Homebug
    • One For The Road
    • Donal
    • Grannymar
    • A Bit of Bonhomie
    • Writing It Down Fills In...
    • Slugger O'Toole
    • Tuppenceworth
    • Argolon
    • Irish Politics
    • The Persuaders
    • Filmbase
    • Blather Abroad
    • North Atlantic Skyline
    • In Photo Dot Org
    • B&W Photos of Ireland

    Kansas City & Missouri

    • American Hell
    • Happy In Bag
    • Hip Suburban White Guy
    • Sugar Britches
    • Farmer Bob
    • Three O'Clock in the Morning
    • Erin in the Real World
    • General Blather
    • FileGirl
    • There Stands The Glass
    • Gone Mild
    • Midtown Miscreant
    • My Spyder Web
    • Well Hell Michelle
    • KC With a Russian Accent
    • Tony's Kansas City
    • KC Gaelic Athletic Club
    • KC Beer Blog
    • So Many Books
    • The D Rules
    • Wayward Blog
    • Chimpotle
    • Average Jane
    • Scoot Utopia
    • Daily Photo Kansas City
    • KC Sponge
    • Frighteningly Uncommon Sense
    • All Astonishment
    • Scéalta
    • Fallible
    • The Kansas City Post
    • Death's Door
    • Observant Bystander
    • Pomegranate Pretty
    • K City
    • Photog Blog
    • Branson Blog
    • Down The Byline
    • Greetings From Waldo
    • Alonzo Washington
    • KC Bike.Info
    • Bike Friendly KC
    • KC Bloggers
    • The Celtic Fringe
    • MVFS
    • Tuesday Folk
    • KC Library: Irish in KC
    • City of Kansas City, MO

    Recent Readers

    Aggregators

    Irish Blogs

    Stats

    Meta

    • Log in
    • XHTML
    • CSS

    |Top | FarBar|


    Copyright © 2006-2025, [ Irish KC ]. All rights reserved. |Top|
    [ Irish KC ] is powered by WordPress and has had (Stats Disabled) unique visitors
    A Modification of Accessible “SeaBeast” theme v.1.2 © 2006-2025 by Mike Cherim


    Attention: This is the end of the usable page!
    The images below are preloaded standbys only.
    This is helpful to those with slower Internet connections.