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I’m Looking Over A Four-Leaf Clover

One feature of the Pan’s People / Legs & Co dance routines was very often Flick Colby’s literal interpretation of song lyrics. Sometimes a single line would be taken out of context from the rest of the song and danced to quite literally.

By the mid 1970s Pan’s People had almost invented their own sign language to accompany song lyrics (now commonly referred to as ‘Pan Speak’).

For example:

“You”	Index finger pointing towards the camera.
“Stop”	Arm half outstretched with palm facing camera - like a policeman halting traffic.
“Love”	Both hands held over heart.
“Think”	Index finger pointing towards temple with a ‘thinking’ facial expression. Head cocked at 30° angle towards finger.
“Know”	Index finger pointing towards temple with a ‘smiling’ facial expression. Head cocked at 30° angle away from finger.
“I” or “Me”	Index finger pointing towards oneself.
“Don’t”	Index finger pointing upwards about 30cm in front of face, then move forearm in a windscreen wiper motion. Half smiling, half chastising facial expression.
“No”	Arms crossed just in front of chest with hands at neck level, palms facing outwards. Now uncross your arms until they are vertical, palms still facing outwards. Same facial expression as with “Don’t”.

(see how many of these you can try at home)

As far as entire routines go, listed below are the Top 5 most literal dance routines that I’ve seen. I should point out that this is in no way a criticism. In fact these dance routines did nothing but add to Pan’s People / Legs & Co’s charm.

	Wings ‘Let ‘Em In’
	Ruby Flipper 1976 Legs & Co 1976
Lyrics:	Someone knocking at the door Somebody ringing the bell Someone’s knocking at the door Somebody’s ringing the bell Do me a favour Open the door and let ‘em in
Dance:	Ruby Flipper (August 1976): The set consists of six very wobbly doors painted in red and white stripes and polka dots. The five Ruby Flipper dancers then close, open and walk through the doors during the entire routine. Legs & Co (December 1976): Because the record reached No2, Legs & Co got a chance to dance to it on the TOTP Christmas show. The set consists of nine doors arranged in a circle which the girls close, open and walk through during the entire routine.
Verdict:	In a close contest, Ruby Flipper just win out in the ‘literal’ stakes. This is because the song also contains the lyric ‘sister Susie, brother John, Martin Luther, Phil and Don’. When ‘sister Susie’ and ‘Phil and Don’ are heard, the camera focuses on Ruby Flipper dancers Sue Menhenick and Phil Steggles.

	Gilbert O’Sullivan ‘Get Down’
	Pan’s People 1973
Lyrics:	Told you once before And I won’t tell you no more Get down, get down, get down You’re a bad dog baby But I still want you around
Dance:	Four dogs sitting on a platform in the middle of the studio. Pan’s People, wearing very bright tops and shortish skirts, proceed to dance around the four dogs – sometimes in very erratic fashion.
Verdict:	Whenever a Pan’s People retrospective is shown, it’s a fair bet that this routine gets an airing. Whether it’s the sight of the girls dancing around four dogs, or Babs’ cleavage bordering on the indecent – this is one of Pan’s People’s most popular performances. Viewers have had at least two chances to catch this performance in the last decade. Once when the 1973 Xmas TOTP was repeated in the early 1990s and also during the closing credits of an edition of ‘Jo Brand Through The Cakehole’. The latter featured Jo Brand superimposed into the picture pretending to be a Pan’s Person! I was actually in two minds as to whether to include this routine. Gilbert O’Sullivan’s song really is about him telling his dog to “Get down” – so technically, Flick Colby’s interpretation is valid.

	Donna Summer ‘Rumour Has It’
	Legs & Co 1978
Lyrics:	There’s a rumour There’s a rumour Rumour has it all around the town (But keep it to yourself) Someone’s lookin’ for a girl like me Where can she be found? I hope it’s who I think it is I wonder if it’s really him
Dance:	The Top of The Pops set resembles the adjoining backyards of terraced houses. Legs & Co are wearing what can only be described as ‘Hilda Ogden’ type clothes – slippers, flowery dresses, aprons and headscarves. They spend most of the routine gossiping to each other over the backyard fences!
Verdict:	Sue could easily have been a long-term replacement for Ena Sharples.

	Patrick Hernandez ‘Born To Be Alive’
	Legs & Co 1979
Lyrics:	People ask me why I never find a place to stop and settle down down down I never wanted all those things people need just to find their lives lives lives You see we’re born born Born to be alive (born to be alive) You see we’re born born born Born to be alive
Dance:	The air is filled with soap bubbles. Legs & Co dance around the stage dressed in silver NAPPIES and baby’s bonnets clutching dummies. At one point, Sue does a handstand then CRAWLS off stage baby fashion.
Verdict:	The sight of Legs & Co in silver nappies is probably all the audience were interested in so who cares about the lyrics!

	The Osmonds ‘I Can’t Stop’
	Pan’s People 1974
Lyrics:	If I tumble, if I fall I bounce right back like a rubber ball Turn me off and I’ll turn back on I just won’t quit ‘til I’m in your arms, ‘cos I can’t stop – STOP You’re the one I’m gonna love I can’t stop – STOP You’re the one I’m dreaming of So run around, I’ve got lots of time When you’re ready you’re gonna be mine
Dance:	Four sets of TRAFFIC LIGHTS suspended from the ceiling. Whenever the word ‘stop’ is heard, the lights change to red – followed by the girls running around them.
Verdict:	They don’t come much better than this!

I think you’ll agree – everyone’s a classic!

You could also create a list of all the songs Pan’s People / Legs & Co didn’t dance to but should have done. For example, had they still been around, what would have been the routines for Frankie Goes To Hollywood’s ‘Relax’ or ‘I’m Too Sexy’ by Right Said Fred? The mind boggles . . .