Teletubbies say "Eh-oh!"
{{Short description|1997 chart-topping children's song}}
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{{Use British English|date=May 2011}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2020}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Teletubbies say "Eh-oh!"
| cover = Teletubbies say eh-oh.jpg
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Teletubbies
| album = Teletubbies – The Album
| released = {{start date|1997|12|1|df=y}}{{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1997/Music-Week-1997-11-29.pdf|title=New Releases: Singles|magazine=Music Week|page=35|date=29 November 1997|access-date=29 August 2021}}
| recorded =
| studio =
| venue =
| genre = Pop
| length = 3:34
| label = BBC Worldwide Music
| writer = Andrew McCrorie-Shand, Andrew Davenport
| producer = Andrew McCrorie-Shand and Steve James
}}
"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. 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 UK Singles Chart for two weeks in December 1997. It remained in the top 100 for a total of 41 weeks and sold well enough to be certified double platinum. 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. 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. 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."
The Teletubbies were beaten by the Spice Girls' "Too Much" and so were just the Christmas number two. But a year later, the BBC was embarrassed when its answer to a pop quiz had the Teletubbies as the Christmas number one.
Marketing
BMG marketed the single in the UK while EMI managed it for the rest of Europe. 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." 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.
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.
Reception
"Teletubbies say 'Eh-oh!'" was number one on the UK Singles Chart for two weeks in December 1997. It remained in the Top 75 for 29 weeks after its first release and 3 weeks more after two re-releases. The single was shortlisted for the Novello songwriting award but others consider it to be an annoying tune—sickly and irritating. 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". As of February 2020, the song is the 127th biggest-selling-single in UK chart history.{{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/the-best-selling-singles-of-all-time-on-the-official-uk-chart__21298/|title=The best-selling singles of all time on the Official UK Chart|last=Myers|first=Justin|publisher=Official Charts Company|date=14 February 2020|access-date=14 March 2021}}
Charts
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
=Weekly charts=
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
!scope="col"|Chart (1997–1999) !scope="col"|Peak |
| scope="row"|Europe (Eurochart Hot 100){{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1997/MM-1997-12-27.pdf|title=Eurochart Hot 100 Singles|magazine=Music & Media|volume=14|issue=52|page=17|date=27 December 1997|access-date=25 January 2020}}
|10 |
|---|
| {{single chart|Ireland2|2|song=Teletubbies say "Eh-oh"|rowheader=true|access-date=30 June 2018}} |
| {{single chart|Dutch40|12|year=1998|week=51|rowheader=true|access-date=30 June 2018|note="Teletubbies zeggen 'A-Oh!'"}} |
| {{single chart|Dutch100|13|artist=Teletubbies|song=Teletubbies Zeggen "A-Oh!"|rowheader=true|access-date=30 June 2018|note="Teletubbies zeggen 'A-Oh!'"}} |
| {{single chart|Scotland|1|date=19971213|rowheader=true|access-date=30 June 2018}} |
| {{single chart|UK|1|date=19971213|rowheader=true|access-date=30 June 2018}} |
{{col-2}}
=Year-end charts=
=All-time charts=
Certifications and sales
References
{{reflist|refs=
{{citation|title=Teletubbies by Numbers - Ten years in Laa-Laa land|work=The Sunday Telegraph|date=18 March 2007|author=Alexandra Johnson|page=15}}
{{cite journal|title=The Gold Coast Bulletin|publisher=News Limited Australia|date=16 May 2002}}
{{citation|title=The race for No 1|work=The Sunday Times|date=21 December 1997|author=Andrew Smith|pages=Culture}}
{{citation|title=Top of the Tots|work=The Daily Mirror|date=22 December 1997|author=Matthew Wright|page=15|url=https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid/infoweb.newsbank.com&svc_dat=AWNB&req_dat=C4D59C75DA30456B80B4BADB763D629C&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi/fmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F13979F48EF3FA460}}
{{citation|title=All the Festive Hits and Near Misses|publisher=Scottish Daily Record|date=22 December 2006|page=8}}
{{citation|title=Eh-Oh! Beeb's blunder over Christmas No 1|publisher=Scottish Daily Record|date=16 December 1998}}
{{citation|title=So what has Simon Cowell ever given us?|newspaper=The Sun|date=5 December 2001|author=Grant Rollings|page=28}}
{{citation|title=The Teletubbies are aiming for the Christmas pop charts|work=The Times|date=22 October 1997|page=1|issue=66027}}
{{cite web|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-60264390.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121102130604/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-60264390.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2 November 2012|title=Eh-Oh in line for a Novello|work=Daily Record|date=1 April 1998}}
{{citation|title=Aaaargh Tunes!|publisher=The Sunday People|date=29 May 2005|author=Shannon Kyle|page=6}}
{{citation|title=Music fans' horror list|newspaper=The Sun|date=14 August 2004|author=Sean Hamilton|page=6}}
{{cite magazine |title=Top 100 Singles 1997 |magazine=Music Week |page=27 |date=17 January 1998}}
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Teletubbies say Eh-oh!}}
Category:English children's songs
Category:Number-one singles in Scotland
Category:Songs about fictional characters
Category:Songs about television
Category:Children's television theme songs