I have a fairly good memory of Carpenters' hits, but I don't remember this one. It's a very low key song, and the title does not jump out in the lyrics, as "Top of the World" or "Sing" did.
"If Not for You" was Livvy's first hit. Another fascinating aspect of these charts is getting to track people's careers. (The Bee Gees have been on all three charts, incidentally!)
The Osmonds as punk? Nah, their teeth were too good.
"Rain Dance: yeah an odd ditty. Guess Who (too many "who's" ) IMO a sum is lesser than the parts. After they broke, Cummings went more to his R%B roots and Bachman of course to BTO.
Casey really referred to The Osmonds as a "white J5?" lol. I don't recall any of that kind of thought. There was a "they got theirs and we got ours" sort of thing and then all the imitators including The Archies. Actors kids got in on it, first David Cassidy, the Shaun, Bobby Sherman (Seven Brides), Van Pattan (Apple's Way) and the Brady Bunch got in on the act. Menudo, Bee Gees played to it, Lief Garitson...Saturday morning was filled with HR Puffenstuff.
It was a reemergence of the Teen Idol era, "Bubblegum Pop." "Tiger Beat" magazine and imitators filled the magazine racks.
It came out later but I think Doug Adams penned the words that best describe the era, "mostly harmless."
Nah, the "white J5" was my description, not Casey's.
In hindsight, it might not have been a fair comparison on my part, though both groups consisted of five brothers with the youngest becoming the teen idol. The comparisons are hard to miss, though J5 came first--at least in the Top 40.
Ah, Saturday morning TV shows! I didn't care for H.R. Puffinstuff (too weird!), but I loved Lidsville and the Bugaloos. (Yes, I know: weird in their own way.) And, of course, there was the Krofft Supershow with its very own rock group, Kaptain Kool & the Kongs.
These would be my middle school years. Think I had a close and play for 45s. Didn't have many things to play on it, Melanie was making my wee-wee wake-up so I know I had "got a brand new key."
My guess, a lot of Canadian influence. Promises Vietnam would end, Presidential election in the works, people looking for a softer, less challenging tone with still a hint of social conscience. My Lai was in our school lessons (radical teachers lol), as kids we only wanted to be the heroes so there was confusion, this couldn't have happened. Watergate would soon happen. Good they got the "feel good" out of the way.
Songs on this list that registered or that I liked
Signs, probably number one. Ain't no sunshine Spanish Harlem Smiling Faces Saturday Morning Confusion
Songs I liked much more when I got older So far Away the harder rock stuff
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"Stick-up" lol. "highway robbery, Its a fe lo nee. Heartbreak in the first de Greeee eee EEE eeeeeeeeeee" That's got made for Soooooooouullllllle Train written all over it.
--Fat City, the two backing vocalists on "Take Me Home, Country Roads" were Bill Danoff and his future wife, Taffy. A few years later, they would join with two others and become the Starland Vocal Band, famous (or infamous) for "Afternoon Delight."
--Paul Stookey was one third of Peter, Paul & Mary.
--Bobby Russell was, at the time, married to Vicki Lawrence of the Carol Burnett Show (and later of Mama's Family).
--The Glass Bottle was an unusual band because they were formed to promote the image of the glass bottling industry, which was losing clients because of the popularity of plastic bottles. I think this song is great and wish we could have heard more from them.
--The single version of "Won't Get Fooled Again" omits the lengthy and brilliant keyboard solo. The break is obvious. There's a moment when the song jumps from the refrain to Daltrey's "YEEEEAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"
I appreciate your reflections, BB. "Brand New Key" came a bit later in '71, but it was definitely part of the musical landscape of the times. It would spend three weeks at No. 1, and, even a decade later, would be listed as one of the Top 50 songs of the '70s.
I hear the top 10 a lot. Almost all of the top 20. STICK UP is the one that I *thought* I knew (and did) but had to confirm.
I wish I heard less of #1. Donny Osmond sounds about 13 -- probably because he WAS -- so I don't even want to know about this "little girl".
33. WEDDING SONG (THERE IS LOVE), Paul Stookey UGH
16. DO YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN, Lee Michaels I had no idea this was from 1971.
12. SUPERSTAR, Carpenters I had NO IDEA this was a "groupie song" until I saw something Lash wrote elsewhere (check out Lash's eyes darting about) -- so I looked it up on Wikipedia and in fact GROUPIE SONG was a working title. I thought it was more like ABBA's Super Trouper (or Ed Sheeran's Don't, kind of), where the narrator is a singer who can't be with someone because one or both was touring. And maybe the superstar in question was HER, even if he was too.
16. DO YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN, Lee Michaels I had no idea this was from 1971.
I learned you something, too!
"Do You Know What I Mean" is one of those songs that sounds perennially fresh. It's timeless and transcends Michaels' near-one-hit wonder status. (His second and last Top 40 hit, "Can I Get a Witness," peaked at No. 39 on Christmas Day 1971.)
For years, I could never remember the name of the artist because "Lee Michaels" is just about the most generic name for a pop singer imaginable. (Apologies to the Michaels and Lees on the board.) "Michael Lee" also happens to be the given and middle names of my cousin, whose father is Lee, so there's a strong personal association that overrides the identity of the artist in my mind.
I graduated high school in '71, yet there are several songs on the list I don't recognize:
11. I remember Honey Cone, but the song title itself is unfamiliar. 14. I avoided Partridge Family like the plague. 22. Ch-wha??? A novelty record, perchance? 30. No idea who Bobby Russell is. 34-38. I've never heard any of these!
First comic books ever bought: A DC four-for-47-cents grab bag that included Adventure #331. The rest is history.
I graduated high school in '71, yet there are several songs on the list I don't recognize:
11. I remember Honey Cone, but the song title itself is unfamiliar. 14. I avoided Partridge Family like the plague. 22. Ch-wha??? A novelty record, perchance? 30. No idea who Bobby Russell is. 34-38. I've never heard any of these!
One of the things I enjoy most about these charts is hearing songs I've never heard before. Even when I was keeping weekly records of the Top 40 from 1979-90, there were always songs that charted so briefly or otherwise didn't register that the titles are unfamiliar to me. Most are forgettable--such is the nature of commercial music--but sometimes real gems are waiting to be found.
I was in grade school at this time, so the Partridge Family were king! Even so, I heard "I Think I Love You" on the radio two days ago. It's infectious, lively, and well-produced, and still sounds fresh after all these years. In other words, I'm not embarrassed to say I still enjoyed it.
Bobby Russell, by the way, was not only Vicki Lawrence's husband. He was also a very successful songwriter. He wrote her 1973 No. 1, "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia."
I was in grade school at this time, so the Partridge Family were king! Even so, I heard "I Think I Love You" on the radio two days ago. It's infectious, lively, and well-produced, ,,
As might be expected from a writer of commercial jingles.
Interesting the different view of the guy getting ready to graduate high school and us two younger middle and elementary schoolers. Partridge family was probably aimed at high school girls and younger boys and girls. Same the Monkeys, the Cowsills, and the general bubblegum crowd.
Actually I was 13 when the Monkees showed up. The Partridge Family came along as I was starting my senior year in high school. What a difference four years makes when you're that age!
First comic books ever bought: A DC four-for-47-cents grab bag that included Adventure #331. The rest is history.
Another Sunday, another Casey's Top 40 from the Seventies courtesy KCMO (94.9). I was hoping they'd do '73-75 or even '70, but they've chosen to go into the heart of the disco era for Casey's last three-hour show. (Subsequent shows would be four hours long.)
Anyway, the most popular songs in the US 37 years ago:
40. DANCE (DISCO HEAT), Sylvester 39. I WILL STILL LOVE YOU, Stonebolt 38. DOUBLE VISION, Foreigner 37. HEARTBREAKER, Dolly Parton 36. DEVOTED TO YOU, Carly Simon/James Taylor 35. ALMOST LIKE BEING IN LOVE, Michael Johnson 34. GOT TO GET YOU INTO MY LIFE, Earth, Wind & Fire 33. IT'S A LAUGH, Daryl Hall & John Oates 32. JOSIE, Steely Dan 31. BEAST OF BURDEN, Rolling Stones
30. 5.7.0.5, City Boy 29. HOW MUCH I FEEL, Ambrosia 28. TALKING IN YOUR SLEEP, Crystal Gayle 27. I LOVE THE NIGHT LIFE, Alicia Bridges 26. WHO ARE YOU, Who 25. MAC ARTHUR PARK, Donna Summer 24. YOU NEVER DONE IT LIKE THAT, Captain & Tennille 23. COME TOGETHER, Aerosmith 22. SHE'S ALWAYS A WOMAN, Billy Joel 21. LOVE THEME FROM "EYES OF LAURA MARS" (PRISONER), Barbra Streisand
20. BACK IN THE USA, Linda Ronstadt 19. GET OFF, Foxy 18. RIGHT DOWN THE LINE, Gerry Rafferty 17. FOOL (IF YOU THINK IT'S OVER), Chris Rea 16. OH! DARLING, Robin Gibb 15. HOT BLOODED, Foreigner 14. HOLLYWOOD NIGHTS, Bob Seger & Silver Bullet Band 13. YOU AND I, Rick James 12. WHENEVER I CALL YOU FRIEND, Kenny Loggins featuring Stevie Nicks 11. YOU NEEDED ME, Anne Murray
10. AN EVERLASTING LOVE, Andy Gibb 9. LOVE IS IN THE AIR, John Paul Young 8. REMINISCING, Little River Band 7. HOT CHILD IN THE CITY, Nick Gilder 6. DON'T LOOK BACK, Boston 5. SUMMER NIGHTS, John Travolta/Olivia Newton-John 4. THREE TIMES A LADY, Commodores 3. HOPELESSLY DEVOTED TO YOU, Olivia Newton-John 2. BOOGIE OOGIE OOGIE, A Taste of Honey 1. KISS YOU ALL OVER, Exile
By 1978 I was heavily into the college station I worked at, to the point of not even listening to commercial radio. Thus I must admit that I did not buy ANY of the records listed in the 9/30/78 chart above (not even the albums they came from). I did, however, snag a promo copy of Hot Blooded from the reject pile out of curiosity. Having heard many of these songs years later I really don't feel like I missed much.
Now if someone could put up a list from 1966...
First comic books ever bought: A DC four-for-47-cents grab bag that included Adventure #331. The rest is history.
Yeah I was beginning college. HUGE gap. "City Boy?" No idea. I was doing more Roxy and Iggy at this time. Devo would happen big soon or already did. I seem to recall dances involved laying on the ground and pretending to be bacon. About time for that one to come back around.
Boston, Kansas, Foreigner, all good and remembered fondly. Recognize most of the top ten, a bit of the next but a serious fall-off after that. No doubt when I hear them I'll recognize most but the titles are long forgotten.
I was just starting to really pay attention to music in '78, and I may even have heard portions of this broadcast when it originally aired. I remember Casey lamenting that Andy Gibb's fourth single didn't look like it was going to reach Number One, as his first three did. I also remember the story of Exile--how it took them 15 years to have a hit, but when they finally did, they topped the chart.
It was stories like this which gradually turned me into an AT40 junkie.
But in terms of the overall songs on the chart, this isn't one of my favorite periods, either. There are a lot of very pleasant songs on the chart, but few I would call favorites.
Records I own: 23. COME TOGETHER, Aerosmith 19. GET OFF, Foxy 13. YOU AND I, Rick James 1. KISS YOU ALL OVER, Exile
I also have the "Grease" soundtrack, which included No. 5 and No. 3. "Grease" was my mother's favorite movie; she saw it at least 16 times.
Other records I really liked: The two Foreigner songs, especially "Hot Blooded." 32. JOSIE, Steely Dan 31. BEAST OF BURDEN, Rolling Stones 26. WHO ARE YOU, Who 18. RIGHT DOWN THE LINE, Gerry Rafferty 17. FOOL (IF YOU THINK IT'S OVER), Chris Rea 12. WHENEVER I CALL YOU FRIEND, Kenny Loggins featuring Stevie Nicks 8. REMINISCING, Little River Band 7. HOT CHILD IN THE CITY, Nick Gilder 6. DON'T LOOK BACK, Boston
Records I liked with qualification: 33. IT'S A LAUGH, Daryl Hall & John Oates - I liked this at the time; now I wonder why. 30. 5.7.0.5, City Boy - Good song, but the record is overproduced and the delivery too histrionic for my tastes. 16. OH! DARLING, Robin Gibb - No disrespect to Robin, who wanted to compete with Barry as lead singer of the Bee Gees and was the first of the three brothers (outside of Andy) to manage a hit on his own, but I don't think he's the right vocalist for this song. His earthy baritone just doesn't sound '50s enough.
Irresistible radio fodder that I couldn't help but groove to: 40. DANCE (DISCO HEAT), Sylvester 29. HOW MUCH I FEEL, Ambrosia 27. I LOVE THE NIGHT LIFE, Alicia Bridges 2. BOOGIE OOGIE OOGIE, A Taste of Honey
Songs I have little/no memory of: 37. HEARTBREAKER, Dolly Parton [even though it was #1 Country this week] 21. LOVE THEME FROM "EYES OF LAURA MARS" (PRISONER), Barbra Streisand
Despite the occasional sexual innuendos (24, 15, 7, etc.), this is very "safe" Top 40, waiting for something like punk or heavy metal to come along and jolt things up.
16. OH! DARLING, Robin Gibb - No disrespect to Robin, who wanted to compete with Barry as lead singer of the Bee Gees and was the first of the three brothers (outside of Andy) to manage a hit on his own, but I don't think he's the right vocalist for this song. His earthy baritone just doesn't sound '50s enough.
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