Kirsty MacColl - There's A Guy Works Down The Chipshop Swears He's Elvis 1981

Good quality rare video. Kirsty Anna MacColl (10 October 1959 -- 18 December 2000) was an English singer-songwriter.
MacColl scored several pop hits from the early 1980s to the early 1990s. During this era, she often sang on recordings produced by her husband Steve Lillywhite, notably those of The Smiths and the song "Fairytale of New York" by The Pogues. Her debut solo single "They Don't Know", released in 1979, peaked at No.3 in terms of airplay. However, a distributors' strike prevented copies of the single getting into record stores, and the single consequently failed to appear on the UK Singles Chart.
MacColl recorded a follow-up single, "You Caught Me Out", but felt she lacked Stiff's full backing, and left the label shortly before the song was to be released. The single was pulled, and only a few "white label" promo copies of the single are known to exist.
MacColl moved to Polydor Records in 1981. She had a UK No.14 hit with this record "There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis", taken from her critically acclaimed debut album Desperate Character. In 1983, Polydor dropped her just as she had completed recording the songs for a planned second album (to be called Real) which used more synthesizers and had New Wave-styled tracks. She returned to Stiff, where pop singles such as "Terry" and "He's On the Beach" were unsuccessful but a cover of Billy Bragg's "A New England" in 1985 got to Number 7 in the UK charts. This included two extra verses specially written for her by Bragg. Also around this time, MacColl wrote and performed the theme song "London Girls" for Channel 4's short-lived sitcom Dream Stuffing (1984).
In the United States, MacColl was probably most recognisable as the writer of "They Don't Know". Tracey Ullman's version, helped by a video guest-starring Paul McCartney, reached Number 2 in the UK in 1983 and the Top Ten in North America. It was also played over the closing credits of Ullman's HBO show Tracey Takes On in 1996. Ullman also recorded three more of MacColl's songs, "You Broke My Heart In 17 Places" and "You Caught Me Out", as the title tracks of her first and second albums respectively, and "Terry" which was released as a single in 1985.
MacColl was killed in a controversial boating incident in Mexico. Recorded from Top Of The POps 1981. Please visit my other Channel. Keep Rockin!.
http://www.youtube.com/user/squizzy104?feature=mhum#p/u/1/se0F7dEZ-zs

Category:

Music

Tags:

• elvis
• guy works down the chipshop
• swears he's elvis
• top of the pops
• top of the pops 1981
• kirsty maccall

[aguise1]

How do you find these ols clips? I'd love some of the shows I worked on. As a coincidence my next door neighbour is Kirsty's cousin!

[memorylane1980s]

@aguise1 I didn't find the clips! I recorded them from the actual shows in the eightes..I was lucky enough to have got a video in 79!!..People have sent me lists of all the shows with the order of the artists and checking them I have missed so much though and I remember saying to myself"I don;t like that or thats a bit slow"!! God if I'de a know then what I know NOW!! so annoyed with myself!. anyway Kirsty passed my wrath!! lol..xxx sadly missed.. 37 tapes left!!...HONEST!!!

[aguise1]

I was the costume designer on TOTP at the time of this show and lucky enough to be asked by Kirsty's record company to take her shopping for an outfit.. She was a bit reluctant at first but looked amazing in this sequin number that we bought in Sth Molten St!

[memorylane1980s]

@aguise1 WOW!!! I find that TOTALLY amazing!!! Totally gobsmacked! she was a great singer and for you to have met her and shopped with her is...well.??. has made my Friday night!! xxx Glad you liked the vid..

[memorylane1980s]

No legs & co soz, wish we had recorded them now! don't think we taped ANY of their performances in the Eighties as I never thought for one moment I would be asked for one in a thousand years!!!. Who would have thought then, that Youtube would be looming!! :p God I wish I had now, I remember missing stuff out that couldn't really be danced to at parties as well OMG!! nvm...

[wabblum99]

classic me mam always sings this song its stuck in me head its class

[aguise1]

I wish I owned a video recorder then.  I didn't even take many photos. Brilliant that people like you recorded programmes.

[Glamking1]

OMG!! You uploaded Depeche MODE performances that are recently blocked, also to note of this performance is from 9th July 1981, sadly we miss the late Kirsty who died in a boating accident ten years ago, well this is from the 900th edition on this date. well how come you dont have any appearences of legs & co. on your tape.