Teletubbies say "Eh-oh!"

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"Teletubbies say "Eh-oh!""
BBC Worldwide Music[2]
Songwriter(s)Andrew McCrorie-Shand,[3] Andrew Davenport[4]
Producer(s)Andrew McCrorie-Shand[3] and Steve James[5]

"Teletubbies say 'Eh-oh!'" is a

hit single recorded by the Teletubbies. It is mostly a remix of the theme song from the hit BBC children's television series Teletubbies.[6] 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 single reached number one on the

double platinum.[7] 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
.

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.[8] 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.[9] 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."[10]

The Teletubbies were beaten by the Spice Girls' "

pop quiz had the Teletubbies as the Christmas number one.[12]

Marketing

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."[14] 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.[15][16]

A rival single, "Tubby Anthem", was made by

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 The BBC threatened legal action and so it was withdrawn.[17]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.[2] 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 February 2020, the song is the 127th biggest-selling-single in UK chart history.[22]

Charts

Certifications and sales

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[7] 2× Platinum 1,300,000[15][16]

References

  1. ^ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 29 November 1997. p. 35. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  2. ^
    ISBN 978-1-84449-058-5
  3. ^ a b [1] Archived 8 August 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ Woods, Judith (17 January 2008), "Andrew Davenport", The Daily Telegraph, archived from the original on 13 September 2012
  5. ^ "The Gold Coast Bulletin". News Limited Australia. 16 May 2002. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  6. ^ "Teletubbies top the charts". BBC. 7 December 1997.
  7. ^ a b "British single certifications – Teletubbies – Teletubbies Say "Eh-Oh!"". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
  8. ^ Andrew Smith (21 December 1997), "The race for No 1", The Sunday Times, pp. Culture
  9. The Daily Mirror
    , p. 15
  10. ^ Paul Sexton (3 December 1997), "Yes, it's barmy time again", The Times, no. 66063, p. 34
  11. Scottish Daily Record
    , 22 December 2006, p. 8
  12. Scottish Daily Record
    , 16 December 1998
  13. ^ "BBC strikes deal with Universal to promote children's TV music". Music Week. 31 March 2001.
  14. ^ Grant Rollings (5 December 2001), "So what has Simon Cowell ever given us?", The Sun, p. 28
  15. ^ a b 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
  16. ^ a b Alexandra Johnson (18 March 2007), "Teletubbies by Numbers - Ten years in Laa-Laa land", The Sunday Telegraph, p. 15
  17. ^ "The Teletubbies are aiming for the Christmas pop charts", The Times, no. 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. ^ a b Myers, Justin (14 February 2020). "The best-selling singles of all time on the Official UK Chart". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  23. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 14, no. 52. 27 December 1997. p. 17. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
  24. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Teletubbies say "Eh-oh"". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  25. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 51, 1998" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  26. ^ ""A-Oh!"&cat=s Teletubbies – Teletubbies Zeggen "A-Oh!"" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  27. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  28. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  29. ^ "Top 100 Singles 1997". Music Week. 17 January 1998. p. 27.
  30. ^ "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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