Original subtitles

Hello. We're the Police. And you're watching...

Oh, Countdown '81. (LAUGHTER)

♪ Countdown, Countdown

♪ Countdown, Countdown

ANNOUNCER: Welcome to Classic Countdown, 1981.

♪ Countdown! ♪

NARRATOR: By 1981,

the end-of-the-decade angst had dissolved.

It seemed it would be all downhill skiing from here.

Movie star Ronald Reagan was sworn in as US President.

Charles and Di got married.

The flags were waved, the bouquets were presented,

and the glasses were raised.

We had some very good Hunter Valley wines

last night for dinner

in New South... in Sydney.

And you can see the results of that now.

(LAUGHTER)

New technologies had us all excited.

In 1981, Donkey Kong threw his first barrels at Mario,

the first space shuttle was launched,

and the first DeLorean rolled off the production line.

In other breakthroughs,

the first underarm ball was delivered.

MAN: I said it was the most disgusting episode

that I could recall in the history of cricket,

a game which used to be played by gentlemen.

(SINGS INDISTINCTLY)

In music, disco had faltered,

and it looked like rock music was making a comeback,

although the boundaries were certainly being pushed.

♪ Up for grabs, up for grabs

♪ Lady Di is here

♪ Up for grabs, up for grabs

♪ I heard it on the air... ♪

For more adventurous types,

it was time to crank up the computer

and time to don the old flowerpot hat.

Hello. We. Are. Devo.

And you are watching Countdown

on ABC Television.

Young folk were ready to strut their stuff,

and the best place to turn it loose was on Countdown.

And it seemed everyone wanted a gig...

♪ My baby

♪ Takes the morning train

♪ He works from nine till five

♪ And then

♪ He takes another home again... ♪

From the big international acts...

♪ Waiting for him... ♪

Change key.

The big local acts...

♪ I love to have a beer with Molly

♪ I love to have a beer with Mel

♪ We drink in moderation

♪ And scotch on the rocks and beer go well

♪ We drink at the Town and Country

♪ Where the atmosphere is great

♪ I love to have a beer with Molly

♪ Because Meldrum's me mate. ♪

Hey!

Even the winners of Eurovision made an appearance.

♪ And then you got to slow it down

♪ Slow it down

♪ 'Cause if you believe

♪ That our love can hit the top

♪ You got to play around

♪ But soon you will find

♪ That there comes a time

♪ For making your mind up... ♪

MTV was still years away,

and the internet was the stuff of science fiction.

In 1981,

Countdown was entering its golden years.

♪ In coats of many colour

♪ Reptile man drop

♪ Stay below it, stay below it

♪ Stay below it, stay below it

♪ Temperature drop

♪ America's a boyfriend

♪ Untouched by flesh of hand

♪ Heartbeat under, heartbeat under

♪ Heartbeat under, heartbeat under

♪ Some promised land

♪ Love song

♪ Love song

♪ Love song

♪ Love song

♪ On and on and

♪ On and on and

♪ Flesh of heart

♪ Heart of steel

♪ So well, so well

♪ I cut my hair

♪ Paint my face

♪ Break a finger

♪ Tell a lie

♪ So well, so well

♪ America's a boyfriend

♪ Untouched by flesh of hand

♪ Stay below it, stay below

♪ In glory days that come and go

♪ Some promised land

♪ Love song

♪ Love song

♪ Love song

♪ Love song

♪ And on and on and

♪ On and on and

♪ On and on and

♪ Stay below

♪ Shout below

♪ Flesh of heart

♪ Heart of steel

♪ Flesh of heart

♪ Heart of steel

♪ Flesh of heart

♪ Heart of steel

♪ Flesh of heart

♪ Heart of steel

♪ Love song

♪ Love song... ♪

I don't think I've ever seen a rock show

that has more music

jammed into the period of time, you know.

And also the interview aspect, the co-host thing, that's nice.

♪ Honey, I'm breakin' up

♪ Now that we ain't makin' up

♪ Just got to pull myself together. ♪

For overseas acts, a Countdown performance

was the quickest way to the hearts of Australia.

Oh, got to pull myself together.

1981 found room for some of the biggest names.

♪ Little girl, don't you worry

♪ Every day, I see we're gonna make it

♪ There is no need to hurry

♪ We're in love

♪ That's why we're gonna make it... ♪

Some unexpected success stories.

♪ I am a one in 10

♪ A number on a list

♪ I am a one in 10

♪ Even though I don't exist... ♪

A one-hit wonder or two.

♪ Bay-ay-ay-by

♪ Just call me

♪ Angel of the morning

♪ Angel

♪ Just touch my cheek

♪ Before you leave me

♪ Baby... ♪

And the occasional perfect collision

of photogenic star and unforgettable song.

♪ Looking out a dirty old window

♪ Down below, the cars in the city

♪ Go rushing by

♪ I sit here alone

♪ And I wonder why

♪ Friday night and everyone's moving

♪ I can feel the heat, but it's soothing

♪ Heading down

♪ I search for the beat

♪ In this dirty town

♪ Downtown the young ones are going

♪ Downtown the young ones are growing

♪ We're the kids in America

♪ Whoa

♪ We're the kids in America

♪ Whoa

♪ Everybody live for the music-go-round

♪ Bright lights

♪ The music gets faster

♪ Look, boy, don't check on your watch

♪ Not another glance

♪ I'm not leaving now, honey

♪ Not a chance

♪ Hotshot, give me no problems

♪ Much later, baby

♪ You'll be saying never mind

♪ You know life is cruel

♪ Life is never kind

♪ Kind hearts don't make a new story

♪ Kind hearts don't grab any glory

♪ We're the kids in America

♪ Whoa

♪ We're the kids in America

♪ Whoa

♪ Everybody live for the music-go-round

♪ La, la, la, la-la, la-la

♪ La, la, la, la, la, la

♪ La, la, la, la-la, la-la

♪ La, la, la, la, la, la

♪ Come closer, honey, that's better

♪ Got to get a brand-new experience

♪ Feeling right

♪ Oh, don't try to stop

♪ Baby, hold me tight

♪ Outside a new day is dawning

♪ Outside suburbia's sprawling everywhere

♪ I don't want to go, baby

♪ New York to east California

♪ There's a new wave coming

♪ I warn ya

♪ We're the kids in America

♪ Whoa

♪ We're the kids in America

♪ Whoa

♪ Everybody lives for the music-go-round

♪ La, la, la, la-la, la-la

♪ La, la, la, la, la, la

♪ La, la, la, la-la, la-la

♪ La, la, la, la, la, la... ♪

(ALL WHISTLE)

ALL: Hi. We're four-sevenths of Madness in London.

And we're premiering on, uh...

Countdown. Countdown. That's the one.

That was an ID.

♪ Countdown! ♪

The early '80s brought us

a renaissance in local music.

♪ That's the lowdown

♪ Yeah

♪ That's the showdown

♪ Yeah

♪ That's the breakdown

♪ Yeah

♪ That's a run, run, run, run-around

♪ Yeah

♪ That's a lowdown

♪ Shakedown, calm down

♪ Fall down, shakedown

♪ Lowdown... ♪

The pubs were bursting with talent,

and a new army of local bands queued up to get on the show.

♪ Sweat upon the brow

♪ That's what I want

♪ Stay young

♪ Just this once

♪ I want

♪ To be good value

♪ I want

♪ To see in the dark

♪ I want to win

♪ With you... ♪

With the help of Countdown,

many of those hardworking acts would make the big leap.

♪ Travelling in a fried-out Kombi

♪ On a hippie trail

♪ Head full of zombie

♪ I met a strange lady

♪ She made me nervous

♪ She took me in and gave me breakfast

♪ And she said

♪ Do you come from a land down under

♪ Where women glow and men plunder?

♪ Can't you hear, can't you hear the thunder?

♪ You better run

♪ You better take cover

♪ Buying bread from a man in Brussels

♪ He was six foot four

♪ And full of muscle

♪ I said, do you speak my language?

♪ He just smiled

♪ And gave me a Vegemite sandwich

♪ And he said

♪ I come from a land down under

♪ Where beer does flow

♪ And men chunder

♪ Can't you hear

♪ Can't you hear the thunder?

♪ You better run

♪ You better take cover

♪ Yeah

♪ Lying in a den in Bombay

♪ With a slack jaw

♪ And not much to say

♪ I said to the man

♪ Are you trying to tempt me?

♪ Because I come from the land of plenty

♪ And he said

♪ Do you come from a land down under?

♪ Oh, yeah, yeah

♪ Where women glow and men plunder

♪ Can't you hear

♪ Can't you hear the thunder?

♪ Ah

♪ You better run

♪ You better take cover

♪ 'Cause we are livin' in a land down under

♪ Where women glow and men plunder

♪ Yeah... ♪

Countdown continued to revel

in the stories of Australian music.

As soon as we had the title "Hells Bells,"

Malcolm said... 'cause Malcolm's one for realism.

He said, "We want a bell."

(LAUGHS)

So we sent our road crew out,

and our road crew are notorious thieves.

So, they tried to thieve... (BOTH LAUGH)

There was a rumour

that there was about 36 bells

in one church.

(LAUGHS) In Loughborough.

So, they got up there, and they tried,

but, you know, the attempt failed.

So, they eventually came across one.

And I still don't know if they bought it or stole it.

MAN: It's rolling. Great.

Hello. This is Brian Johnson from AC/DC.

And you're watching Countdown '81

right across Australia.

See you... (SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY)

(LAUGHS)

Fuck. I couldn't... (LAUGHS)

(BOTH LAUGH)

♪ If the chemistry is right

♪ If the chemistry

♪ Is there... ♪

If you had a great song, you could get the gig.

♪ If the chemistry

♪ Is there... ♪

It didn't matter if you were a Daddy Cool singer

having a comeback...

or a raw and innovative new band.

♪ Who put the writing

♪ On the walls?

♪ Who fights and runs away?

♪ The minutes and the hours

♪ Pass in tracing out the days

♪ The days and nights

♪ Drag into years

♪ And no-one ever knows

♪ Oh, and I don't mind the walls

♪ Oh, and I don't mind the walls

♪ I don't mind the walls... ♪

Countdown was a place

you could show the whole country how good you really were.

♪ I am through with hanging 'round

♪ All the boys in town

♪ Now I want a man around

♪ Get me out of here

♪ I am just a red brassiere

♪ To all the boys in town

♪ Put this bus in top gear

♪ Get me out of here

♪ I must have been desperate

♪ I must have been pretty low

♪ I must have been desperate

♪ I must have been pretty low

♪ I was always driving home

♪ All the boys in town

♪ But they never telephoned

♪ Get me out of here

♪ I think they're pretty phony

♪ You're not like the rest

♪ You've heard of matrimony

♪ They've all flunked the test

♪ I must have been desperate

♪ I must have been pretty low

♪ I must have been desperate

♪ I must have been pretty slow

♪ Ooh, I'm tired

♪ Ooh, I'm wired

♪ Ooh, I'm tired

♪ Ooh, I'm wired

♪ Ah

♪ Too much too young

♪ Too much too young

♪ Too much too young

♪ Too much too young

♪ Get me out of here

♪ Too much too young

♪ Get me out of here

♪ Too much too young

♪ Get me out of here

♪ Too much too young

♪ Get me out of here

♪ Too much too young

♪ Get me out of here

♪ Too much too young

♪ Get me out of here

♪ Too much too young

♪ Get me out of here

♪ Too much too young

♪ Get me out of here. ♪

(ITALIAN MUSIC PLAYS) (HUMS)

♪ What's a-matter you... ♪

Hey, everybody.

If you just tuned in, I'm Giuseppe.

You missed my song and all a-bunch of good stuff.

But we got more to come.

Upstart locals

continued to wedge themselves into the host seat.

Hi. Welcome to Countdown.

Think of this. What?

Australian. Yeah.

Blonde. Uh-huh.

Beautiful. Yes.

36-24-36,

with a voice to match. That's a lumpy voice.

That, with the exception

of Rose Tattoo and AC/DC,

both fine Australian bands,

is documented evidence

that there are dinosaurs alive and living.

We got a band from Sydney

called the Church.

Here they are with their new single,

"The Unguarded Moment."

(APPLAUSE)

♪ So hard

♪ Finding inspiration

♪ I knew you'd find me crying

♪ Tell those girls

♪ With rifles for minds

♪ That their jokes

♪ Don't make me laugh

♪ They only make me feel like dying

♪ In an unguarded moment

♪ So long

♪ Long between mirages

♪ I knew you'd find me drinking

♪ Tell those men with horses for hearts

♪ That their jibes

♪ Don't make me bleed

♪ They only make me feel

♪ Like shrinking

♪ In an unguarded moment

♪ So deep

♪ Deep without a meaning

♪ I knew you'd find me leaving

♪ Tell those friends

♪ With cameras for eyes

♪ That their hands

♪ Don't make me hang

♪ They only make me feel like breathing

♪ In an unguarded moment

♪ In an unguarded moment

♪ In an unguarded moment

♪ In an unguarded moment

♪ In an unguarded moment

♪ In an unguarded moment

♪ In an unguarded moment

♪ In an unguarded moment

♪ In an unguarded moment

♪ In an unguarded moment

♪ In an unguarded moment. ♪

(CHEERING)

That was The Church

with a song called "The Unguarded Moment."

I'd like to thank everyone that's bought a copy of that,

all two of you.

Next up, we've got...

No, not next up. Next up...

Still to come, we've got the Ultravox feature,

the interview in London.

No, the kid's right. Ultravox is definitely next.

The first thing that happened

in '77 when the punk thing emerged

was there was meant to be no rules,

and you do exactly you want.

But that was rubbish, because, you know, the first rule was,

you had to be stereotyped, you had to look like a punk,

you had to sound like a punk, so that was really limited.

Now all that's dead and gone,

all these bands, all these musicians

who were holding themselves back to be part of a fashion

have now emerged.

They're writing really good music.

There's a lot of really good new bands about.

♪ I tried to contact you

♪ In my designing

♪ No word from China

♪ She had to go

♪ No word from China

♪ No sign from the keeper

♪ I tried to sleep

♪ Excuses of mine... ♪

With punk and disco belonging to the '70s,

young bands were finding the confidence

to take popular music in completely new directions.

MOLLY: It's amazing.

Every year, it seems to change now, you know?

I mean, it's sort of like last year's model's out of date.

It's always moving about, all the time.

It's a good point that you talk about there,

because there are a lot of things that come about.

Like, suddenly, there was punk. Suddenly, there was 2 Tone.

Suddenly, there was this and that.

And they're like set fashions that are finished in a few...

let's say a year at the most.

There's a big difference

to the kind of scene that we're involved in

in that it's always been there.

The attitude that people have

who buy our records and enjoy our kind of music,

it's always been there.

There's always been kids going to clubs

and kids who want to look good.

The only thing is, it's just... it's never

come to the surface in rock music,

'cause there's never been a group in England

who's related to those people.

But now, suddenly, there is.

Alright, now, how hard is it for a young group

to sort of get a record contract in England?

We were lucky in that we were seen to be

hopping on a bandwagon, seemingly,

that everybody was after.

And that same thing happened

with the punk movement in '77, '78.

I think the record companies will clutch at anything.

With no disrespect to EMI, 'cause we're one of the best.

But I think they will.

If you're in the right place,

in the right place at the right time,

I think it can be very easy, actually.

The way you write songs... I mean, your lyrics...

Well, I mean, they're very different

from a lot of other songs around, you know?

I mean, where do you and how do you

sort of get the concept of your songs?

Oh, all different places. Right.

Movies.

For this last record, I got a lot of ideas

from listening to evangelists on the radio here.

There's an awful lot of religious stations

in the States at the moment. Right, especially on Sundays.

(LAUGHING) Yeah. And it...

They really use language in a very different way

than the way that I was brought up to use it.

Right.

It's, like, the same as the Top of the Pops in England, say.

I mean, it generally is a distasteful show.

I mean, it is generally extremely tedious.

It's really, really boring. It's full of dross.

If you get a band on there that's quite good,

it's a real highlight, I mean, everybody watches it.

And when they come on, you think, "Ah, great."

You know, Public Image are on,

or Siouxsie and the Banshees are on,

or if Echo and the Bunnymen were to go on,

or when, like, the Human League go to number one,

and they're on, and it's really good.

I mean, it's really entertaining.

But most of the time, it's rubbish.

But I mean, groups went through a phase.

There was a phase of saying,

"No, we're not going to do Top of the Pops,"

in the same ways that, like, say, you would think

that we would be accused of saying,

"No, we're not going to do Countdown."

But there's very little point in that.

There's no point in consciously alienating the audience.

I mean, we would approach as many people as possible

with what we do.

But it's only that we don't expect that many people to like it.

♪ The innocence of sleeping children

♪ Dressed in white and slowly dreaming

♪ Stops all time

♪ Slow my steps and start to blur

♪ So many years have filled my heart

♪ I never thought

♪ I'd say those words

♪ The further we go

♪ And older we grow

♪ The more we know

♪ The less we show

♪ The further we go

♪ And older we grow

♪ The more we know

♪ The less we show

♪ The very first time I saw your face

♪ I thought of a song

♪ And quickly changed the tune

♪ The very first time I touched your skin

♪ I thought of a story

♪ And rushed to reach the end too soon

♪ Oh, remember

♪ Oh, please don't change

♪ So the fall came

♪ Thirteen years, a shiny ring

♪ And how I could

♪ Forget your name

♪ The air no longer in my throat

♪ Another perfect lie is choked

♪ But it always feels the same

♪ So they close together

♪ Dressed in red and yellow

♪ Innocent forever

♪ Sleeping children

♪ In their blue soft rooms

♪ Still dream

♪ The further we go

♪ And older we grow

♪ The more we know

♪ The less we show

♪ The further we go

♪ And older we grow

♪ The more we know

♪ The less we show. ♪

Hi. This is Rick.

Uh, I'm not Bruce, but my single is.

It's about Bruce Springsteen, only I'm Springfield.

And that's Molly.

And if this sounds confusing to you,

then you must be watching Countdown '81.

♪ Street lights are hot

♪ Street life is cool

♪ Deal with it, Jack

♪ Or it'll treat you cruel... ♪

Plenty of steady campaigners powered along in '81.

♪ Call it what you want to

♪ But it's mine, mine, mine, mine, mine... ♪

'60s legend Billy Thorpe was back on Countdown.

♪ Just the way I like it

♪ That's the way I like it... ♪

So was Daryl. No, the other Daryl.

♪ I've been

♪ Looking at people

♪ And how they've changed

♪ With the times

♪ But lately

♪ All I've been seeing

♪ Are people

♪ Throwing love away

♪ Losing their minds... ♪

Just playing.

Molly was always there to get the story.

But two years ago now, I got divorced.

So I actually was on my own at home...

MOLLY: Right.

As opposed to having the kids about.

And so therefore,

I had an awful lot of time on my hands.

So I bought an eight-track studio

and went upstairs and put it in one of the bedrooms

and started work, you know.

And I've always played keyboards,

but I got better and better at it, to the point

where I was writing more and playing drums less at home.

Your affair with Mick Jagger...

I mean, how much did that really influence your life?

Well... (LAUGHS)

Quite a... quite a bit, I should say. (LAUGHS)

Quite a bit.

Obviously, you know, affairs...

Friends... everything that happens to everybody influences their life.

Right.

And contact with somebody like that

is obviously going to influence you a lot.

It influenced my singing, I think, too...

Right.

And my phrasing and my style, generally.

After their second album stalled,

one of the big stories of the year

was the resurgence of Dire Straits.

Molly recorded them exclusively for Countdown.

♪ I've seen a girl on a one-way corridor

♪ Stealing down a wrong way street

♪ For all the world like an urban toreador

♪ She had wheels on

♪ On her feet

♪ The cars do the usual dances

♪ Same old cruise and the kerbside crawl

♪ But the roller girl

♪ She's taking chances

♪ They just love to see her

♪ Take them all

♪ No fear alone at night

♪ She's sailing through the crowd

♪ In her ears those phones are tight

♪ And the music's playing loud

♪ Hallelujah

♪ Here she comes

♪ Queen rollerball

♪ And enchante

♪ What can I say

♪ Don't care at all

♪ You know she used to have to wait around

♪ She used to be the lonely one

♪ But now that she can

♪ Skate around town

♪ She's the only

♪ Only one

♪ No fear alone at night

♪ She's sailing through the crowd

♪ In her ears the phones are tight

♪ And the music's playing loud

♪ She gets rock'n'roll

♪ And a rock'n'roll station

♪ And a rock'n'roll dream

♪ She's making movies

♪ On location

♪ She don't know what it means

♪ And the music make her wanna be the story

♪ And the story was whatever was the song

♪ What it was

♪ Roller girl

♪ Don't worry

♪ DJ play the movies

♪ All night long...

♪ All night long

♪ She tortures taxi drivers

♪ Just for fun

♪ She like to read their lips

♪ Says toro toro taxi

♪ See you tomorrow, my son

♪ She just let a big truck

♪ Graze her hip

♪ She got her own world in the city, yeah

♪ You can't intrude on her

♪ No, no, no

♪ She got her own world in the city

♪ The city's been so rude to her

♪ No fears alone at night

♪ She's sailing through the crowd

♪ In her ears the phones are tight

♪ And the music's playing loud

♪ She gets rock'n'roll

♪ And a rock'n'roll station

♪ And a rock'n'roll dream

♪ She's making movies

♪ On location

♪ She don't know what it means

♪ But the music make her wanna be the story

♪ And the story was whatever was the song

♪ What it was

♪ Roller girl

♪ Don't worry

♪ DJ play the movies

♪ All night long...

♪ All night long

♪ Slippin' and a-slidin'

♪ Yeah, life's a rollerball

♪ Slippin' and a-slidin'

♪ Skate away

♪ That's all... ♪

Hi. Sammy Snake says, "You're watching Countdown '81."

This is Bob Geldof of the Boomtown Rats.

♪ Oh, I

♪ Never wanted to be

♪ In Quasimodo's dream... ♪

Despite resistance from rock fans,

in 1981, bands with synthesisers

were on their way to becoming the norm.

♪ Beg the ringmaster please

♪ Find another me... ♪

And Countdown audiences got to see them first.

MOLLY: Do you worry about the Bowie thing?

I mean, where people...'cause the critics started saying,

"Oh, Gary's like a David Bowie," you know?

Yeah. Does that worry you?

No, not really,

'cause it was just a matter of time,

'cause now we go that way and he goes that way.

And it's just a matter of time before it was obvious.

I suppose, initially, you have to expect that,

because people see make-up and they think,

"Oh, make-up. He's David Bowie." Right.

And they can see no more.

And as soon as you've been around for a while

and you're accepted in your own right,

then they see the differences.

I feel somehow

that if we stuck to a formula,

we would be

condemned as much, you know.

MOLLY: Right.

And it's sort of more interesting for us,

especially since we do have, you know,

this kind of varied input.

And we've always...

Really, right through from the very beginning,

we've always called ourselves a pop group.

And we've always drawn from a lot of different types of music.

You know, it wasn't a popular position

that we had in Akron, Ohio, to say the least.

We were anywhere from hated to made fun of.

It's hard to explain to people who don't live in America,

but America is, like, the pinnacle of Western culture.

And we were surrounded by fat women in curlers and hippies on Quaaludes

and a lot of just decay and indulgence

and ridiculous beliefs and values

and systems of behaviour

that we didn't feel part of or didn't agree with.

And we set about using music

to restructure things

and report on what we were looking at,

which we called de-evolution,

and then derived the name of the group from that fact,

calling it Devo.

We represent the way a lot of kids feel,

and we represent, like, the next force, I feel.

And it's our duty

to be as big as we can be and still be viable.

It's the challenge, you know.

How soon will you become ridiculous?

How soon will you become the people that you hated?

In his own way, Molly was subversive.

His taste became our taste.

If an odd-sounding band from the other side of the world

was OK with Molly, it was OK with us.

♪ In the deserts

♪ Of Sudan

♪ And the gardens

♪ Of Japan

♪ From Milan

♪ To Yucatan

♪ Every woman

♪ Every man

♪ Hit me with your rhythm stick

♪ Hit me, hit me

♪ Je t'adore

♪ Ich liebe dich

♪ Hit me, hit me, hit me

♪ Hit me with your rhythm stick

♪ Hit me slowly, hit me quick

♪ Hit me, hit me

♪ Hit me

♪ In the wilds

♪ Of Borneo

♪ And the vineyards

♪ Of Bordeaux

♪ Eskimo

♪ Arapaho

♪ Move their body

♪ To and fro

♪ Hit me with your rhythm stick

♪ Hit me, hit me

♪ Das ist gut

♪ C'est fantastique

♪ Hit me, hit me, hit me

♪ Hit me with your rhythm stick

♪ It's nice to be a lunatic

♪ Hit me, hit me

♪ Hit me

♪ Hit me, hit me

♪ Hit me

♪ In the dock

♪ Of Tiger Bay

♪ On the road

♪ To Mandalay

♪ From Bombay

♪ To Santa Fe

♪ Over hills

♪ And far away

♪ Hit me with your rhythm stick

♪ Hit me, hit me

♪ C'est si bon, mm?

♪ Ist es nicht?

♪ Hit me, hit me, hit me

♪ Hit me with your rhythm stick

♪ Two fat persons

♪ Click, click, click

♪ Hit me, hit me

♪ Hit me

♪ Hit me, hit me

♪ Hit me

♪ Hit me

♪ Hit me

♪ Hit me, ow!

♪ Hit me

♪ Hit me

♪ Hit me, hit me

♪ Hit me

♪ Hit me

♪ Hit me

♪ Hit me

♪ Hit me

♪ Hit me

♪ Hit me, hit me

♪ Hit me... ♪

♪ Humdrum! ♪

Listen, getting back to the group itself,

and laying this one on you, Sting,

in the interview that you did in New York

the day after the Madison Square Garden concert,

they more or less said

that you were going to sort of not quit the group

but spend a fair amount of time away from the group.

Who said that? Well, this article said this.

Whoa, whoa. Sting is quitting? I'm quitting the group.

Oh, right. And you were going to go into a film career.

Actually, all three of us are quitting the group.

Wait a minute. Wait a minute. One of us... I'm quitting first.

I'm quitting first! In fact, I'm going to quit right now.

Alright, well, the little tramp in that film clip

is sitting right next to me. (WOMAN LAUGHS)

And her name is Cher. Hi. How are you?

Welcome to Countdown.

Sorry for referring... Oh, I love it. I love it.

A sad thing in the rock world was the fact that we lost Bob Marley

because of his illness due to cancer.

And that is, indeed, also a great loss,

because, again, this man also spread love and peace.

And as I say... or really, quote John Lennon,

who was also shot and assassinated,

"Remember that you have love inside."

"So do give peace a chance."

And I think that all of us must really sit back now

and work out what we're doing

and think of everyone

and just, you know, smile and do give peace a chance.

I tell you what, with 3RRR and the two Triple Js

and all those stations that are funded like that

and ABC stations, I tell you what, without you,

I don't know where the rock industry actually would be in this country.

So, keep it up, because it's really good work.

Now, tell us about... You're off to Japan.

Yes.

Yes. What do you want?

Obviously, this girl wants to be seen on camera.

(LAUGHTER)

(SCREAMING) Molly! Molly!

You all want to be seen on camera?

Swing the cameras around.

Sorry, Sharon. Sharon. That's quite alright.

Listen, first of all, I've got to ask,

does your boyfriend really work from nine to five?

And have you got a boyfriend?

Everyone's asked me to ask you that.

Well, I can't... I can't say.

You can't say? I can't say.

Well, me not being a gossip...

(COUGHS) (LAUGHS)

I certainly won't delve into that.

Ignatius, where are...

Oh! Leave him alone.

What are you doing to that man?

I think I've performed a great service to Australian music here.

Oh, I do, too.

Oh, now, don't be so nasty, Joylene.

♪ Countdown! ♪

Hello, everybody in Countdown land,

Australia and places like that

and Perth and Melbourne

and "Bris-bop" and all those kind of places,

and not to forget Syd.

How are you? And it's good to see you.

We're here in London,

having a little quick chat for Countdown.

So, keep rocking, everybody.

The shipments of new electronic drums and synthesisers

were only months away.

In the meantime,

guitar-based rock'n'roll made a slight return.

He said in the beginning,

everybody compared Bob Dylan to Woody Guthrie, right?

"Bob Dylan's just a copy of Woody Guthrie.

"We've heard it all before." That's what they told Dylan.

Woody Guthrie's been in a few years.

Springsteen came out.

"Springsteen is just a copy of Bob Dylan."

And now it's like,

"John Cougar is just a copy of Bruce Springsteen."

So in reality, Molly,

we're all Woody Guthrie, if you take it back to its origin.

I don't. I don't like publicity much, myself.

I think the others probably do, but I...

MAN: Chrissie's the shy, retiring type.

Aren't you, Chris?

Yes. And I don't particularly...

I find it a little bit embarrassing all that stuff.

I think it's better, really, for me if I don't read the press

or pay much attention to that. MOLLY: Right.

Do you think that music was a little bit stifled,

coming sort of into the '80s, especially from England...

until last year?

Yeah, I suppose it was a little bit,

but there's some good things going on now,

such as Split Enz. Right.

Without trying to sound

like I'm getting an invitation to Australia,

they released one of the best singles last year.

It sounds like you're trying to get an invitation to Australia.

It does, really, doesn't it?

Well, I just need to top up my suntan a bit.

♪ We can lock away

♪ The bad memories together

♪ Close the doors to the past

♪ Forever

♪ Watching you touch

♪ We're past this much

♪ I'm alone with you

♪ Tonight

♪ I'm alone with you

♪ Tonight

♪ I'm alone with you

♪ Tonight

♪ I can't always remember

♪ What I say

♪ I can't always take it

♪ Having to pay

♪ Watching you walk

♪ You know, you're really attractive

♪ I'm alone with you

♪ Tonight

♪ I'm alone with you

♪ Tonight

♪ I'm alone with you

♪ Tonight

♪ I know it's hard

♪ When you've tried

♪ When the conversation's terror

♪ You have tied

♪ Making out you still don't know

♪ All I have is alcohol, so let me go

♪ I'm alone with you

♪ Tonight

♪ I'm alone with you

♪ Tonight

♪ I'm alone with you

♪ Tonight

♪ I'm alone with you

♪ I'm alone with you

♪ I'm alone with you

♪ I'm alone with you

♪ I'm alone with you

♪ Tonight

♪ I'm alone with you

♪ Tonight

♪ I'm alone with you

♪ Tonight

♪ I'm alone with you

♪ Tonight. ♪

♪ Countdown! ♪

♪ Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh

♪ Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh... ♪

Few would have predicted it, but 1981's "Stars on 45,"

a disco song incorporating a medley of rock'n'roll hits,

was number one for four weeks running.

♪ I'm sorry that

♪ I made you cry... ♪

Roxy Music's Bryan Ferry

watched his John Lennon cover hit the top for a month, too.

♪ I'm just a jealous guy... ♪

♪ Blind Freddy knew that

♪ A blind man could see... ♪

Locally, a gravelly-voiced piano man

would climb all the way up the chart.

♪ But you weren't in love with me... ♪

♪ I'm counting the beat

♪ Two, three, four, five

♪ I'm feeling the heat

♪ Glad to be alive... ♪

The Swingers' rock'n'roll hit was almost a novelty...

♪ I'm wishing that you

♪ That you were mine... ♪

Until music with another flavour altogether

had all the dandy highwaymen carousing in the streets.

♪ Well, I'm standing here, looking at you

♪ What do I see?

♪ I'm looking straight through

♪ It's so sad when you're young

♪ To be told you're having fun

♪ So unplug the jukebox

♪ And do us all a favour

♪ Yeah, yeah

♪ That music's lost its taste

♪ So try another flavour

♪ Ant music

♪ Ant music

♪ Ant music

♪ Ant music

♪ Well, I'm standing here

♪ What do I see?

♪ A big nothing

♪ Threatening me

♪ It's so sad when you're young

♪ To be told you're having fun

♪ So unplug the jukebox

♪ And do us all a favour

♪ Yeah, yeah

♪ That music's lost its taste

♪ So try another flavour

♪ Ant music

♪ Ant music

♪ Ant music

♪ Ant music

♪ So unplug the jukebox

♪ And do us all a favour

♪ Yeah, yeah

♪ That music's lost its taste

♪ So try another flavour

♪ Ant music

♪ Ant music

♪ Ant music

♪ Ant music

♪ Don't tread on an ant

♪ He's done nothing to you

♪ There might come a day

♪ When he's treading on you

♪ Don't tread on an ant

♪ You'll end up black and blue

♪ You cut off his head

♪ Legs come looking for you

♪ So unplug the jukebox

♪ And do us all a favour

♪ Yeah, yeah

♪ That music's lost its taste

♪ So try another flavour

♪ Ant music

♪ Ant music

♪ Ant music

♪ Ant music

♪ So unplug the jukebox

♪ And do us all a favour

♪ Yeah, yeah

♪ That music's lost its taste

♪ So try another flavour

♪ Ant music

♪ Ant music

♪ Ant music

♪ Ant music

♪ Ant music. ♪

Jerry, welcome to Australia, and welcome to Countdown.

I'm in Australia now?

You are indeed in Australia. Oh.

Do you want to wave to Australia?

It's wonderful. I've never been here before.

(LAUGHS)

On that subject, why haven't you come down to Australia?

I mean, like, the record's been selling.

You're very popular down there. We didn't think anybody wanted us.

We heard that the women were all over six feet, and we were afraid.

You're joking. Yeah, I am.

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