Top of the Pops theme tunes

[BeestonBoy]

And my hat is now very much off to Mr56 and Peter!!

Yellow Pearl written by Phil Lynott and Midge Ure

Ya pair of clever feckers!!

Give my best to Paul and Mary Peter

BB

[colonel]

Trumpton wrote:

> I know he loves his mum!
>
>

You've heard that story too, eh?

[ATS]

Thought the Paul Hardcastle theme tune was worse than yellow pearl tho

[ATS]

Sorry posted in wrong part of thread above try again though....
Thought the Paul Hardcastle theme was worse than yellow pearl

[dynatech]

Whole Lotta Love by CCS was the theme that will always be synonymous with TOTP, it being used weekly from 1971 until mid-77 in a specially remixed/abridged form, and then August 80-July 81 in it's more general form. I'm a big fan of Yellow Pearl, which was introduced on the 900th show (9th July 1981, 'Mr Thin Lizzy, thank you for our new theme music' an over-exuberant Jimmy Savile says to a bemused looking Phil Lynott!), co-written by Midge Ure, who has said recently he was delighted when the BBC chose that tune for it's theme as it meant he was paid ?350 a week in royalties! (so I imagine Led Zep got theres, as well as Alexis Korner & co in CCS)
Paul Hardcastle created 'The Wizard' theme, used from April 86 til September 1991, which was replaced by a crap but mercifully brief theme used during the 'Year Zero' revamp wilderness years 91-94, as well as returning for the crap later shows, I think Vince Clark of Erasure created a theme used in the superb Ric Blaxill-produced britpop years and then in the late 90's a new version of Whole Lotta Love was used (which, to be fair, bore more resemblance to the Led Zep version than the brassy CCS theme)
Not many recall the themes from the 60's (most of the shows were not preserved, and the opening titles changed every couple of years, but I believe the end credits theme was always the same throughout), but here is a slice of the 60's end credits and a rather groovy opening theme used in 1969 & 1970
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=18NvfcPn374

[steve56]

Liked the CCS version very much.