This month it is 40 years since the release of The The’s breakthrough single, Uncertain Smile. This video is a new restoration and edit of The The performing Uncertain Smile on Dutch pop show TopPop.

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The The’s Uncertain Smile started off in 1981 as, Cold Spell Ahead, a one-off single on the Some Bizarre label.

By 1982 The The’s Matt Johnson had begun playing all the instruments himself and effectively became a solo artist using a group moniker. That year Johnson went to New York to record a new version of Cold Spell Ahead, retitled "Uncertain Smile", with Soft Cell's producer Mike Thorne, at Media Sound studios.

While in New York, Johnson visited Manny's Music store on West 48th Street, and was fascinated by a toy xylimba that he saw there. He bought the instrument and returned to the studio with it, using it to create an intro for Uncertain Smile. On the recommendation of a friend, Thorne also brought in Crispin Cioe of the Uptown Horns to play flute and alto saxophone on the record.

Uncertain Smile was strong enough to get The The signed to CBS's Epic imprint. The single became The The's first release on Epic, released in October 1982, reaching number 68 on the UK Singles Chart.

The The released their official album debut, Soul Mining, in 1983. It featured a new recording of Uncertain Smile, as well as another classic single from the era, This Is the Day. The album was produced by Produced by Johnson and Paul Hardiman, and featured guest appearances from Orange Juice's drummer Zeke Manyika, Jools Holland, Thomas Leer and J. G. Thirlwell (aka Foetus).

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Uncertain Smile was one of the best records of 1982. It seems that no promo video was made for it. The nearest thing we have to a promo video from the era is this TopPop appearance from 1983. TopPop’s own channel features two identical versions of the video, but curiously both feature an incorrect (the Soul Mining album) version of Uncertain Smile.

The 1982 single version is different from the more familiar album version, featuring as it does sax and flute by Crispin Cioe, rather than (as on the album version) the piano of Squeeze's Jools Holland.

In the TopPop clip, Wix Wickens, who played the distinctive accordion on This is the Day, plays (mimes) flute. And so the versions of the clip on the TopPop channel clip look odd when Wickens appears to play the flute, but no flute sound whatsoever is heard.

The video is truly odd in another way - it features a horrible secondary narrative of a young woman being chased by a sinister figure in a military style helmet and long coat. This element is so awful, I felt compelled to neutralise it. And so towards the end of the video, I freeze the sinister figure, and the young woman is free to run away.

Thanks for watching, hope you dig it!

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Credits

Video Source:
The The | Uncertain Smile | TopPop | Video rights AVRO
Broadcast 10 October 1983

Audio Source:
Uncertain Smile | Original 1982 7" Version | Available on 45 RPM - The Singles Of The The | ℗ 2001 Sony BMG Music Entertainment (UK) Limited

Personnel:
Matt Johnson | Guitar | Keyboards | Percussion | Vocal
Crispin Cioe | Flute | Saxophone
Mike Thorne | Producer

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