Teletubbies say "Eh-oh!"

"Teletubbies say 'Eh-oh!'" is a hit single that was number one in the UK Singles Chart for two weeks in December 1997. It remained in the top 75 for 29 weeks after its first release and three weeks more after two re-releases and sold well enough to be certified as double-platinum.[5] It is mostly a remix of the theme song from the hit BBC TV show, Teletubbies.[6] It was also a hit in Ireland, peaking at number two. In 1998, a Dutch version titled "Teletubbies Zeggen 'A-Oh!'" was released in the Netherlands, where it reached number 12. The Teletubbies have not had another such hit, making them a one-hit wonder. The song contains two nursery rhymes, the Teletubbies hum along to "Baa, Baa, Black Sheep" and the flowers from Teletubbyland sing "Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary". The Teletubbies performed the hit single on the British daytime programme This Morning on ITV causing presenters Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby to dance along with them.

"Teletubbies say "Eh-oh!""
Single by Teletubbies
from the album Teletubbies – The Album
Released1 December 1997
GenrePop, television theme song
Length3:34
LabelBBC Worldwide Music[1]
Songwriter(s)Andrew McCrorie-Shand,[2] Andrew Davenport[3]
Producer(s)Andrew McCrorie-Shand[2] and Steve James[4]

Christmas race

There was considerable anticipation that it would be the Christmas number one in 1997 and it was the betting favorite at William Hill at odds of 6–4.[7] This race was said to have been decided by the under-10 age group as the rival Spice Girls were popular with seven-year-old girls while the Teletubbies were more popular with younger children.[8] Siobhan Ennis, the singles manager at Tower Records' flagship store in Piccadilly Circus said, "The race for the Christmas No 1 is really exciting. At this time of year, people aren't being so serious about their purchasing. We've taken a hell of a lot of the Teletubbies record. The singles market is driven by children, and not just at Christmas."[9]

The Teletubbies were beaten by the Spice Girls' "Too Much" and so were just the Christmas number two.[10] But a year later, the BBC was embarrassed when its answer to a pop quiz had the Teletubbies as the Christmas number one.[11]

Marketing

BMG marketed the single in the UK while EMI managed it for the rest of Europe.[12] A&R executive Simon Cowell made this deal with the BBC saying, "I heard another record label were about to sign the Teletubbies, so I got the BBC in my office and told them I would give them £500,000 in advance. We knew a record like that would make over £2 million."[13] It then sold 317,000 copies in its first week to debut at number one; 1,103,000 copies by the end of the year and total UK sales were 1.3 million.[14][15][16]

A rival single, "Tubby Anthem", was made by Yorkshire musician Vince Brown for the charity ChildLine. The BBC threatened legal action and so it was withdrawn.[17]

Reception

"Teletubbies say 'Eh-oh!'" was number one on the UK Singles Chart for two weeks in December 1997.[18] It remained in the Top 75 for 29 weeks after its first release and 3 weeks more after two re-releases.[1] The single was shortlisted for the Novello songwriting award[19] but others consider it to be an annoying tune—sickly and irritating.[20] It has repeatedly placed high in polls of awful songs, such as that run by VH1 in which it placed third to "The Millennium Prayer" and "Mr Blobby".[21] As of November 2012, the song was the 83rd biggest selling single in UK chart history.

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[5] 2× Platinum 1,300,000[14][15][16]

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

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References
  1. Neil Warwick; Tony Brown; Jon Kutner (2004), The Complete Book of the British Charts, ISBN 978-1-84449-058-5
  2. Archived 8 August 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  3. Woods, Judith (17 January 2008), "Andrew Davenport", The Daily Telegraph
  4. "The Gold Coast Bulletin". News Limited Australia. 16 May 2002. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  5. "British single certifications – Teletubbies – Teletubbies Say "Eh-Oh!"". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 30 June 2018. Select singles in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type Teletubbies Say "Eh-Oh!" in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  6. "Teletubbies top the charts". BBC. 7 December 1997.
  7. Andrew Smith (21 December 1997), "The race for No 1", The Sunday Times, pp. Culture
  8. Matthew Wright (22 December 1997), "Top of the Tots", The Daily Mirror, p. 15
  9. Paul Sexton (3 December 1997), "Yes, it's barmy time again", The Times (66063), p. 34
  10. All the Festive Hits and Near Misses, Scottish Daily Record, 22 December 2006, p. 8
  11. Eh-Oh! Beeb's blunder over Christmas No 1, Scottish Daily Record, 16 December 1998
  12. "BBC strikes deal with Universal to promote children's TV music". Music Week. 31 March 2001.
  13. Grant Rollings (5 December 2001), "So what has Simon Cowell ever given us?", The Sun, p. 28
  14. David Rowan (10 December 1997), "Analysis: Music charts: A plea by these fine musicians . . . we want you to buy our Christmas single. A chart-topper now can make careers and fortunes: so how can they ensure a hit?", The Guardian, p. 17
  15. Alexandra Johnson (18 March 2007), "Teletubbies by Numbers - Ten years in Laa-Laa land", The Sunday Telegraph, p. 15
  16. Georgina Reid (19 July 2007), "Many Tubby returns", The Sun, p. 39
  17. "The Teletubbies are aiming for the Christmas pop charts", The Times (66027), p. 1, 22 October 1997
  18. Jonathan Crowther; Kathryn Kavanagh, Oxford guide to British and American culture, Oxford University Press
  19. "Eh-Oh in line for a Novello". Daily Record. 1 April 1998. Archived from the original on 2 November 2012.
  20. Shannon Kyle (29 May 2005), Aaaargh Tunes!, The Sunday People, p. 6
  21. Sean Hamilton (14 August 2004), "Music fans' horror list", The Sun, p. 6
  22. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 14 no. 52. 27 December 1997. p. 17. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
  23. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Teletubbies say "Eh-oh"". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  24. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 51, 1998" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  25. ""A-Oh!"&cat=s Dutchcharts.nl – Teletubbies – Teletubbies Zeggen "A-Oh!"" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  26. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  27. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  28. "Top 100 Singles 1997". Music Week. 17 January 1998. p. 27.
  29. "Najlepsze single na UK Top 40-1998 wg sprzedaży" (in Polish). Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 4 June 2015. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
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