Back in ancient times, when people didn’t have dedicated cable channels that showed all-sports or all-music videos or all-Law & Order, there was a syndicated television variety series called Solid Gold. Solid Gold would bring the top performers of the day on stage to lip-sync their hits. The hosts would read off cue cards and have really stiff banter with each other. Eventually there would be a comedy routine, often by Wayland Flowers and Madame.
And at a time when MTV would not play black artists – yes, in the early years of MTV you could not see any Rick James or Prince videos – artists of any color could appear on Solid Gold, so long as they had a Top 40 hit that they could promote.
But you know and I know that was not the reason to watch Solid Gold.
We all KNOW the reason why Solid Gold was so popular.
The Solid Gold Dancers.
During the hour-long broadcast, Solid Gold would offer audio clips of the Top 10 songs of the week, as charted by some publication other than Billboard magazine. And since most of these songs didn’t have music videos as of yet, the musical track was augmented by the dancing of the Solid Gold Dancers.
Now granted, the Solid Gold Dancers were very talented. They were athletic and lithe and flexible and very, very hot. And it’s strange to see them in these YouTube clips dancing to what at one time may have been very popular songs – but today, you couldn’t find these songs on an oldies station if you paid the DJ $20 to play them!
So in order to make your Monday a little brighter… here’s some clips of the Solid Gold Dancers in action, dancing to the top hits of the 1980’s – all on this retro edition of Solid Gold!
From 1981… For some reason, I didn’t think James Taylor’s “Her Town Too” was that big a hit… I could be mistaken… or after watching these clips, it doesn’t matter…
From 1983… Okay, maybe Oxo’s “Whirly Girl” got played for a few weeks… but what charts did Solid Gold use to put that song in the Top 10? Also we get dances for After the Fire’s “Der Kommissar,” Rick Springfield’s “Affair of the Heart,” Adam Ant’s “Goody Two Shoes” and a collaboration with Kenny Loggins and Steve Perry, “Don’t Fight It.”
From 1984… Is it just me, or did everything Daryl Hall and John Oates record at this point end up on Solid Gold? And check out the costumes the Solid Gold Dancers are wearing by the time they start dancing to Michael Jackson’s “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’.” Hokey smokes.
And it’s not like the Solid Gold Dancers were only dancing by themselves… here’s a clip of them dancing during the performance by the S.O.S. Band’s “Take Your Time, Do It Right.”
Here’s the Solid Gold Dancers adding some extra entertainment to Sheena Easton’s debut hit “Morning Train (Nine to Five).”
And there they are, the Solid Gold Dancers, trying to put together a creative dance to the Go-Go’s “Get Up and Go.”
And this last clip is priceless. John Stewart, who had a monster hit in 1979 with “Gold,” takes the extra effort to plug in his guitar before he completely lip-synchs to the track. Nice touch. Of course, we’re all staring at the Solid Gold Dancers, so it’s a moot point.
Okay, go back to work now.
Oh, and one more thing…
You’re welcome. (smiles)
Chuck The Writer 
I’m not sure what Ii was thinking of (no matter, it was obviously wrong), but when I read the title, I was thinking of dancers on a summer variety show starring Frank Sinatra, Jr. and (maybe(?) Joey Heatherton. Did they have “Gold” in their name?
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You are thinking of the Golddiggers.
They were on the Dean Martin show, and they toured with Frank Sinatra.
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I LOVED Solid Gold! The dancers were the best part…a guy friend’s girlfriend actually would not allow him to watch the show due to the scantily clad dancers. Thanks for the great flashback!
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Loved Solid Gold – the dancers made the show completely. I had such a crush on Tony Fields – thanks for sharing:-)
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Ahhhh, Solid Gold…for this (at the time) pre-teen, budding musical geek, Solid Gold was must-see, eye-popping television.
To this day, whenever I hear Steely Dan’s “Hey, Nineteen” my mind immediately calls up the tasteful gyrations of those scantily-clad Solid Gold dancers. Memories….
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