American Top 40: The 70s - December 31, 2017
This weekend's presentation - December 24-31, 1977 (Top 100 Songs of 1977)
100: SORRY SEEMS TO BE THE HARDEST WORD - ELTON JOHN - This song just barely squeaked in because, even though it peaked at #6, some of its chart run, which itself wasn't very long, was in the 1976 survey period (at least it made it, though, which is more than can be said for several even bigger hits ("Rock'N Me" and "Edmund Fitzgerald come to mind). As for the song, I like it, as melancholy as it is.
99: GIVE A LITTLE BIT - SUPERTRAMP - This song was edited at the beginning and near the end (taking out several of the instrumental parts), but the main part of the song was left intact, which is good, since it's one of my favorite Supertramp songs ever!
98: YEAR OF THE CAT - AL STEWART - He may have only had four Top 40 hits, but I liked each one of them! Not sure where this one ranks - possibly second behind "Time Passages".
97: DON'T IT MAKE MY BROWN EYES BLUE - CRYSTAL GAYLE - Since this song's playing time was about two and a half minutes, there was no need to edit it (though I seem to recall that at least once, they did just that). Anyway, I liked this song, as well as all of Gayle's other crossover hits, including a few that didn't quite make the Top 40 chart, but did well at AC.
96: I FEEL LOVE - DONNA SUMMER - I liked many of her disco hits, but this sure wasn't one of them - way too repetitive. Basically the same three sentences sung over and over and over again
95: CHERCHEZ LA FEMME - DR. BUZZARD'S ORIGINAL SAVANNAH BAND - One of three songs in a medley that charted at the beginning of 1977 (the others were "Whispering" and "C'est Si Bon"
94: SOMEBODY TO LOVE - QUEEN - Definitely not my favorite song from them by any means. I seem to recall that I liked George Michael's live remake of the song in 1993.
93: LIDO SHUFFLE - BOZ SCAGGS - Definitely one of the hits that I associate with the spring of 1977 (and the station that I listened to played it well into the summmer as well). My favorite of his hits! Glad that they played it intact instead of cutting out the second verse or instrumental bridge like they usually do (then again, with an extra hour allotted for the year-ender, there's not quite as much editing needed),
92: WALK THIS WAY - AEROSMITH - Their second Top Ten (and last one for another eleven years). I liked this song, but actually preferred Run DMC's cover from 1986, which might sound weird from me, considering that I'm not a big rap fan.
91: FLOAT ON - FLOATERS - Wow, we're up to the first #2 song (well, that peaked mid-year anyway). This song inspired a Sesame Street segment that came out in early 1978, with a song called "Give Me Five", performed by Bob, Gordon, David and Luis. It featured each of them introducing themselves (like the Floaters group members did in this song) and then singing a verse. I actually preferred that version (since it was by people that I saw on TV regularly back in the day). This song was pretty good as well.
90: DO YOU FEEL LIKE WE DO? - PETER FRAMPTON - The third and final release from Frampton Comes Alive, the top selling song for all of 1976. Since the single version of this was over seven minutes long, AT40 generally showed no mercy when editing this song (usually cutting the talkbox schtick short). Anyway, I never used to like this song, but now, I think it's great - has a very distinct bassline.
89: NIGHTS ARE FOREVER WITHOUT YOU - ENGLAND DAN & JOHN FORD COLEY - Their second release and, like the first, it hit the Top Ten. I liked the first one slightly better, but both songs were great!
88: YOU MADE ME BELIEVE IN MAGIC - BAY CITY ROLLERS - Their third and final Top Ten hit (in fact, after this, they'd have one last Top 40 hit before fading into obscurity). Anyway, this is about the only song by them that I like.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: LIFE IN THE FAST LANE - THE EAGLES - Not sure if this was where the extra was placed, since WTOJ played the first two after the second hour. Anyhoo, his is a pretty good example of "Third Single Syndrome", as the first two songs from Hotel California were #1 hits, yet this song didn't even make it into the Top Ten (though it didn't miss by much, peaking at #11 back in June. I preferred said #1 songs from Hotel California, but this was a good one. Larry mentioned how this song just missed the Top 100, but based on its stats, I don't know about that (spent eight weeks in the Top 40 and 14 on the Hot 100. Its quick chart run was probably because a vast majority of the Eagles fans already had the album by that time.
87: CARRIELLE - GENE FREEDMAN - LOL! Actually, the song is "Ariel" by Dean Friedman, but I decided to leave the mistitle (as posted on the oldradioshows website), because of its hilarity. Anyway, this was the lowest peaking song on the survey (only got as high as #26, but its tenacious chart run gained it enough points for it to place among the year's biggest hits). Anyway, as this is Track #2 on my Barry Scott's Lost 45s CD, I've heard it many a time and love it!
86: JUST TO BE CLOSE TO YOU - COMMODORES - I didn't really like many of their earlier hits, this one included. Their quality began going up with their song from the following summer, "Easy".
85: SMOKE FROM A DISTANT FIRE - SANFORD TOWNSEND BAND - I just vaguely remember hearing this song on the radio back in the day, but Sunny 101.5 used to play this song occasionally back in 1990 and it became one of my favorite songs. Still sounds great today.
84: BOOGIE NIGHTS - HEAT WAVE - . This one was also repetitive, and was basically duplicated in 1978 (the melody, anyway) with their song "The Groove Line". The only song by Heatwave that I really like was their love song from the following spring, "Always And Forever".
83: LOVE ME - YVONNE ELLIMAN - You can hear the Bee Gees influence on this one (as they were the ones who produced it). It wasn't bad, but I preferred another Bee Gees produced song from her (that, of course, would be "If I Can't Have You", which became her biggest hit ever).
82: IT WAS ALMOST LIKE A SONG - RONNIE MILSAP - His very first pop hit and his only one to chart in the 70s. He would have more pop success in the 80s but, of course, the format he excelled at the most was Country. Anyway, this was a great song - one of my favorites from Milsap.
81: JET AIRLINER - STEVE MILLER BAND - The second of four Top 40 hits during 1977 (and the lead-off single from Book Of Dreams). Definitely one of their best hits, though I preferred their song coming up later in the countdown.
80: LOST WITHOUT YOUR LOVE - BREAD - They were mainly an early-70s band, but they did have a comeback hit in late 1976, which hit the Top Ten and was a great song indeed - one of my favorites from them!
79: LIVING THING - ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA - Here's one I remember hearing back in the day.
78: NOBODY DOES IT BETTER - CARLY SIMON - 1977 was definitely the year for movie songs! This one, from the James Bond movie The Spy Who Loved Me, was one of many songs held out of #1 by Debby Boone's eternal #1 hit (it did sneak in a week at #1 on the R&R chart). It is one of my favorite songs by Carly Simon, as well as one of my faves on this week's chart.
77: WAY DOWN - ELVIS PRESLEY - Here's a song that originally peaked at #31, but after his unexpected death in August, the song resurged and got as high as #18. Its long chart run helped to place it way up on the survey. It's a great song, but I preferred his other 1977 song, which was peaking at #22 this very week.
76: KEEP IT COMIN' LOVE - KC & THE SUNSHINE BAND - Their only Top Ten hit that did not go to #1 (it didn't miss by much, though; it peaked at #2 for three weeks, but couldn't quite get past Meco; then, when Debby Boone leapfrogged this song, of course, there was no hope). I never used to like this song very much, but now I think it's one of their best.
75: YOU'RE MY WORLD - HELEN REDDY - This song peaked at #18, just like the Elvis Presley record and had an almost identical chart run (just a week longer on the Hot 100). This song reminds me a little of Joni James' 1955 hit "How Important Can It Be" (my aunt had the 45 of the song, so that's how I know it). The song is quite cheesy, like most of Reddy's songs, but still pretty good.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: HOW DEEP IS YOUR LOVE - THE BEE GEES - This song may have charted too late in 1977 to be included on the big list (in fact, it was just hitting #1 this very week), but it was definitely worth the wait, as the song was ranked #6 on the Top 100 of 1978. Anyway, of their three Saturday Night Fever hits (four, if you count the album cut "More Than A Woman"), this would be my favorite.
74: WEEKEND IN NEW ENGLAND - BARRY MANILOW - Not sure I'd want to spend this weekend in New England, what with the cold snap they're experiencing right now, making for subzero high temperatures in some places (not that it's a great deal warmer here in the Great Lakes area). As for this song, like most of Barry Manilow's songs, I thought this was a great one.
73: HEARD IT IN A LOVE SONG - MARSHALL TUCKER BAND - Interesting story about how this band got their name. Anyway, this is by far their best known of their two Top 40 hits - and my favorite as well (though I seem to remember that "Fire On The Mountain" was pretty good as well).
72: STRAWBERRY LETTER #23 - BROTHERS JOHNSON - This one wasn't quite my cup of tea, although it wasn't exactly "roof-raising R&B" music - it was actually somewhat mellow. I guess it just didn't do anything for me.
71: MY HEART BELONGS TO ME - BARBRA STREISAND - Her second of two Top Five hits during the year 1977. Both are great songs, but I slightly prefer this one.
70: THAT'S ROCK & ROLL - SHAUN CASSIDY - Ah, the teen idol of the late-70s. I remember a girl who was in kindergarten with me had a huge crush on him. I liked most of his music - this and Da Doo Ron Ron are probably my two favorites from him.
69: BARRACUDA - HEART - A high point in the show for our friend
JessieLou. I used to think this song was just OK, but I've recently gotten to like it a lot recently
68: JEANS ON - DAVID DUNDAS - Well, I should hope you have your jeans on! I don't want to see you in your briefs, thank you very much! But seriously, this song was pretty good.
67: COLD AS ICE - FOREIGNER - Their second hit - and there was a lot more where that came from! This would probably be my favorite of their two Top Ten hits from 1977 (though "Feels Like The First Time", coming up later on the chart, was also a great one!)
66: DON'T STOP - FLEETWOOD MAC - I used to like this song, but overplay sort of tarnished it for me (especially in late 1992, when Clinton used it as the theme for his first campaign and radio stations began playing it more often (surprised it didn't re-chart then) Indeed, this was possibly my least favorite release from "Rumors" (my favorite would be "You Make Lovin' Fun", which was beginning its descent on the Hot 100 this week).
65: YOU AND ME - ALICE COOPER - As we all know, I prefer his ballads over his rockers. "Only Women" is my absolute favorite from him, but his other three ballads are kind of in a revolving door as my second favorite from him
64: JUST A SONG BEFORE I GO - CROSBY, STILLS & NASH - They had been hitting the chart for nearly ten years but, oddly enough, this was their very first Top Ten hit. I myself preferred their later hits, like this one.
63: HANDY MAN - JAMES TAYLOR - The third incarnation of this song to hit the charts, and IMO the best. My mom used to be able to play this song on her guitar, so I remember it quite well - a great song indeed!
62: LONELY BOY - ANDREW GOLD - This may have been his biggest chart hit, but his other one, "Thank You For Being A Friend", from the following year, became a very popular LDD request. This was my favorite song from him, though his other one was great as well. This one was edited somewhat, by cutting out his goodbyes during the bridge and shortening the ending. At least the main part of the song was left intact.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: BLUE BAYOU - LINDA RONSTADT - This song was also edited down, jumping from the first verse straight to the second chorus.
61: THE THINGS WE DO FOR LOVE - 10CC - This song, which sounds like something Queen might have done, still sounds as fresh as it did back in the day. I never got tired of this one!
60: LUCILLE - KENNY ROGERS - Four hundred children and crap in the field? Oh wait, that's something else... Anyway, this was pretty good, but I prefer many others from him.
59: CARRY ON MY WAYWARD SON - KANSAS - There are many instances where motion pictures inspire hit songs. For this song, however, it seemed to be the other way around, as this song was a hit nearly a year before a movie for which it was the theme (or at least it was featured). Anyway, this was Kansas' first Top 40 hit. I preferred the album version, which I don't believe AT40 ever played.
58: I'M IN YOU - PETER FRAMPTON - This song hit #1 on the R&R chart in July, and looked like it could do the same on Billboard, but didn't quite make it. It still became his biggest hit ever, and deservedly so, since it's my favorite song of his.
57: SO IN TO YOU - ATLANTA RHYTHM SECTION - They had a handful of Top 40 hits and I thought most of them were great, like this one! Not sure if I prefer this one or the song where they featured Stevie Nicks as the vocalist
56: NIGHT MOVES - BOB SEGER - The title track from one of Seger's best albums ever! I preferred the next single from that album, "Mainstreet".
55: AFTER THE LOVIN' - ENGLEBERT HUMPERDINCK - This is my favorite song from him by default, as it's the only song I've ever heard by him - that I know of, anyway. So that's not really saying much, since the cheese factor on this one is quite strong. I mean, it's not quite a "No. Just no" song, but then again, it's nothing I'd go out of my way to listen to.
54: STAR WARS - MECO - Well, here we are with the first #1 song on this show! One of two versions of this song that charted in 1977. The other song, by John Williams & the London Symphony Orchestra, also hit the Top Ten, but after this disco version was released, that song was pretty much left for dead. I actually preferred the John Williams version, but this one was pretty good too.
53: DA DOO RON RON - SHAUN CASSIDY - And here is the second #1 song. This one, however, was not affected by the cutoff date, like the Star Wars song above - its quick chart run (compared to the runs of the other songs) accounts for its somewhat low placing on the survey. Anyway, of the two charted versions of this song, I definitely prefer this one.
52: NEW KID IN TOWN - EAGLES - Wow! Here's another #1 song whose entire chart run was within the 1977 survey period! It is the lead-off single from the album for which the Eagles seem to be most famous. I mentioned earlier that I liked their two #1 songs from that album best, but I'm not sure which one I prefer, as both are great songs and among my favorites from them!
OPTIONAL EXTRA: JUST THE WAY YOU ARE - BILLY JOEL - Not sure why they chose this one, as it had just debuted two weeks before and was more of a 1978 hit, but that's OK, as I really liked this song. The Stranger was indeed one of his best albums, IMO
EDIT: Looks like this was an exclusive WTOJ extra (probably grafted from a late 1977 show). Since they played the show in full, they didn't want to run the medley twice, so they just used this song instead.
51: YOU LIGHT UP MY LIFE - DEBBY BOONE - Now this one was really a victim of the cutoff rule! It spent ten weeks at #1, but only about half of them were during the 1977 survey period (depending where the cutoff date was - Casey said November, but that could have been any of the weeks. Whatever the case, many radio stations listed this as their #1 song of 1977 (as well as many publications, such as Radio & Records), which is not surprising, as big as this song was. Anyway, I guess you could call this a guilty pleasure, as I really like this song, despite the cheese factor. And you know what just occurred to me? This song, which, as we all know, spent ten weeks at #1, was the last song played on eleven shows in a row. It had spent its last week at #1 the week of December 17 and it happened to be at the halfway point of the year-ender, which was run the following week - how about that?
50: I NEVER CRY - ALICE COOPER - His second of two hits on the year-end survey. This song, which Cooper wrote about his drug and alcohol addiction, was my favorite of the two songs (though, as I said earlier, it sort of fluctuates between this and "You And Me". Both of those songs tend to stick in my mind, and when one does, it tends to make me like the other better.
49: I'VE GOT LOVE ON MY MIND - NATALIE COLE - Another artist who had a serious drug and alcohol addiction, which she did recover from, but they seemed to take their toll on her in the long run. In fact, it was exactly two years ago that she passed away. R.I.P. Natalie
48: MORE THAN A FEELING - BOSTON - Here's one I remember from back in the day - I thought they were singing "Poor little Felix, so I sent all the apples to work". As usual, they went with the single version of the song, which is chopped down way too much, IMO. Indeed, this was definitely one of my favorite songs by Boston.
47: RIGHT TIME OF THE NIGHT - JENNIFER WARREN - Actually, her last name is Warnes. That typo is somewhat funny, though not as much as the one for song #87. Anyway, this was the first of two songs in this countdown written by Peter McCann (the other one, by Peter himself, is coming up next hour). This was my favorite of said two songs, as well as one of my faves from Jennifer Warnes.
46: DREAMS - FLEETWOOD MAC - I was always so surprised that this song was ranked so low, as it was one of the biggest hits of the year according to R&R (where it spent four weeks on top). This was the biggest single from one of the biggest albums of all time, Rumors. The song is my least favorite of the singles, however, presumably due to overplay. It's still a pretty good one, though. One thing I just recently noticed is that it would have made more sense to link the two verses together and play the instrumental bridge before the last chorus. I'm not complaining or anything; I guess they just like to do things different (like saving the title for "You Make Loving Fun" until the end of the song).
45: EASY - COMMODORES - This was when their musical quality began to improve, as, like I mentioned earlier, their first few hits were mediocre. This remains one of my favorite Commodores songs of all time!
44: COULDN'T GET IT RIGHT - CLIMAX BLUES BAND - They may have had only had two Top 40 hits, both were big hits that lasted quite awhile on the charts. This was a good song, but I preferred "I Love You", which charted four years later.
43: FEELS LIKE THE FIRST TIME - FOREIGNER - The first of many hits for this legendary band, and a great one at that - both the song and the band! This is another thing whose single edit was notably shorter than the album version, which is generally the one that I heard on the radio back in the day (since many of the stations I listened to were AOR-oriented).
42: LOOKS LIKE WE MADE IT - BARRY MANILOW - This was his third and final #1 hit. No matter; he'd have many more big hits. This was by far my favorite of his #1 songs, as well as my favorite of his two hits on this year-ender.
41: BETH - KISS - They may be more known for their hard rock songs, but their two Top Ten hits were ballads, and those are among my favorites from them. I like this song and "Forever" about the same. Interesting how they had to drop this song from their concerts as they always got booed for it. I'm assuming that they still play "Forever", as that is a power ballad, while this is not (the only instruments in this one seem to be a piano, strings, and a horn).
40: ENJOY YOURSELF - JACKSONS - This is where the (heavily edited) version of the show run by Premiere at the end of 2009 started off. The Jacksons had been hitting the chart for years, but I wasn't a big fan of them by this point. They were much better in the early 70s, when they were known as the Jackson 5.
39: SWAYING TO THE MUSIC - JOHNNY RIVERS - Of course, the crickets (the creatures, not the band) help him out in the first verse of this song (his first Top Ten hit in about four and a half years). It wasn't bad, but I preferred a few others from him (i.e. "Summer Rain", "Secret Agent Man").
38: STAND TALL - BURTON CUMMINGS - The former lead singer of the Guess Who managed to have two solo hits, and this was the biggest. It was a good one and, as I've said before, it would make a great closing theme for a movie whose plot dealt with a story of success.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: LUCKENBACH, TEXAS (BACK TO THE BASICS OF LOVE) - WAYLON JENNINGS & WILLIE NELSON - This was the Billboard's Top Country single of 1977. This was Jennings' second of three Top 40 hits. It was a pretty good song, but I preferred his "Theme From Dukes Of Hazzard" theme song, which charted at the end of 1980.
37: DON'T GIVE UP ON US - DAVID SOUL - The only Top 40 single for Hutch. It's a pretty cheesy song, but not bad.
36: DAZZ - BRICK - Typical roof raising R&B music of the 70s that I wasn't a big fan of.
35: YOU ARE THE WOMAN - FIREFALL - Interesting how this song hit the Top 40 in September, 1976, yet lasted well into the 1977 survey period. As this song only peaked at #9, yet it's so high up, I'm assuming that they counted a song's entire chart run if it peaked within the survey period, which contradicts some of my speculation for why Elton John's song wound up way down at #100 despite peaking well in the Top Ten. Well, anyway... Oddly enough, this, Firefall's first hit, was their only Top Ten. They had two songs that just barely missed, however. This was a great song, but I preferred one of the near-misses, "Just Remember I Love You".
34: WHAT YOU GONNA DO? - PABLO CRUISE - This was their very first hit, and it became their biggest ever, peaking at #6 and lasting a half a year on the Hot 100! Very deservedly so, as it was a great song - one of their best IMO.
33: FLY LIKE AN EAGLE - STEVE MILLER BAND - This song soared all the way up to #2 in March, but couldn't seem to get past Barbra Streisand's #1 hit "Evergreen". The song was the third and final single from the album of the same name, as Miller would release Book Of Dreams soon after this song ended its chart run. This is one of my favorite Steve Miller songs ever!
32: MUSKRAT LOVE - THE CAPTAIN & TENNILLE - BLEGH!! The song is bad enough, but must they try to give us a visual during the bridge with those disgusting sound effects? Yes, muskrats f**k one another - just like pretty much any other animal! We get it! Man, no wonder this song offended the Queen of England! This was easily my least favorite song from them! OK, I'm done with my rant - now on with the countdown.
31: I WISH - STEVIE WONDER - The first of two #1 hits he had in 1977. This song must hold the record for the most consecutive jumps of eleven spots, with three in a row. As for my opinion of the song, I liked it, but preferred his next hit, "Sir Duke", which would also hit #1 the following spring.
30: MARGARITAVILLE - JIMMY BUFFETT - Definitely his signature song. This was OK, but a little overrated, IMO.
29: DO YOU WANT TO MAKE LOVE? - PETER MC CANN - The second of two songs on the countdown that McCann wrote. As stated earlier, I prefer the other song; this one was way too schmaltzy, IMO.
28: WHEN I NEED YOU - LEO SAYER - One of three Top 20 hits that Leo charted with during the year. It was OK, but, like the above song, the cheese factor was indeed present. I preferred his other two songs, which bookended this one.
27: BLINDED BY THE NIGHT - MANFRED MANN - It was refreshing to hear the entire single version of this song, as they usually chopped this one down, big time, playing only the chorus that starts the song, the first verse, and then jumped right to the last chorus. I wonder if it was like that in the original broadcast. Anyway, this was a great song - one I remember from back in the day.
26: SOUTHERN NIGHTS - GLEN CAMPBELL - Campbell had many Top 40 hits, and two of those went all the way to #1, including this one. I like it, but preferred his other #1 hit, "Rhinestone Cowboy" from two years before.
25: GOT TO GIVE IT UP - MARVIN GAYE - I'm generally not a huge fan of Marvin Gaye, but for some reason, I like this one. Kind of a surprise, as this one has been compared to "Blurred Lines", which I hate with a passion.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: GO YOUR OWN WAY - FLEETWOOD MAC - Larry counted down the Top Five albums of 1977 before playing this song. Rumors by Fleetwood Mac was #1 and here is a song that, by its stats, looks like it just barely missed making the list. With Lindsey Buckingham on lead vocals, this lead-off single from Rumors was my second favorite of the four, behind "You Make Lovin' Fun" (too bad that one missed making any of the year-enders.
24: ON AND ON - STEPHEN BISHOP - Kind of weird that this song ranks so high, as it never even hit the Top Ten (peaked at #11 in October). This was his second chart entry and clearly my favorite of his two 1977 hits, as well as one of my favorites from him of all time, right up there with "It Might Be You".
23: THEME FROM ROCKY - BILL CONTI - One of two versions of this song to hit the chart during 1977 (four, if you count the two #94 peakers by Rhythm Heritage and Current). This one, however, was the only song strong enough to make it onto the year-end chart. Of the two versions that hit the Top 40 (the only ones I've heard), this would definitely be my favorite, by none other than the man who wrote it.
22: TELEPHONE LINE - ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA - They actually played the entire medley of different telephone sound effects at the beginning of the song (as they generally start it off as the instruments start). This song had a rather slow climb up the charts; debuted in early July and peaked at #7 the last week of September. It was a great one; one of my favorites from them.
21: RICH GIRL - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES - Good; they didn't edit out the lines that contained the B-word. The song's short enough as it is, and IMO, it's only a bad word when you're calling someone a name or yelling "son of a b----" when you're mad. The context they use it in means a tough situation. But that is only my opinion and nothing more. As for my opinion on the song, I like it - glad it made it to the top.
20: HOTEL CALIFORNIA - EAGLES - The title track from one of their biggest albums ever and, as stated earlier, one of my favorites from them. A true classic which has aged quite well! And how about this - they actually played the full version (as they generally cut out the second verse and shorten the instrumental part at the end). They did the latter somewhat, but not as much as usual. That might be why there are only 24 songs in the last two hours of the show, so they won't have to cut any songs that rank in the top quarter.
19: SIR DUKE - STEVIE WONDER - Here's another song that's generally edited (although they usually cut the second chorus). They played the entire song on this show. Stevie dropped several names in this song, all of musical pioneers that time did not allow us to forget, including the king of all, Duke Ellington, to whom, of course, the title referred. Although I prefer several other songs by Mr. Wonder, this was a great one nonetheless.
18: RUBBERBAND MAN - SPINNERS - What, does he shoot rubberbands at unsuspecting victims?
But seriously, they had hit the Top Five for five years in a row, which Casey mentioned going into this song. But he more or less jinxed them, as the streak ended with this song and they would not return to the Top Five until early 1980. As for this song, it's OK, but definitely far from being my favorite song from them.
17: CAR WASH - ROSE ROYCE - For a disco song, this one was pretty good. I remember that about 28 years ago, I started to watch the movie of the same name, but dozed off during the first half hour. Must not have made that big of an impression on me.
16: LOVE SO RIGHT - BEE GEES - This song was moving up the chart rather quickly and looked like it might be another #1 like "You Should Be Dancing", but not quite. It did peak at #3, which is good, too. It did more or less get the last laugh on the year-ender, as it ranked higher than the two songs that kept them from making it to at least the runner-up position. This was one of my favorite songs from the Brothers Gibb.
15: HOT LINE - SYLVERS - I wonder how many kids who hear this song say, "WTF" to the woman near the beginning saying, "Number, please" As for this song, I like it and Boogie Fever about the same.
14: DANCING QUEEN - ABBA - It's a rather rare occasion when my favorite song by a certain act ends up being their biggest hit ever, but this is definitely an example. It seems that, more often than not, they did a hack job on this song which, IMO, is kind of pointless, as it's not like it's that long of a song in the first place.
13: I'M YOUR BOOGIE MAN - KC & THE SUNSHINE BAND - One of two Top Five hits from them in 1977. I preferred the other one, which just narrowly missed hitting #1 several months later (thus ending their streak of hitting #1 or missing the Top Ten altogether). This one was mediocre.
12: (YOUR LOVE HAS LIFTED ME) HIGHER & HIGHER - RITA COOLIDGE - This was an interesting disco rendition of the Jackie Wilson classic. This was her first big hit - couldn't quite break up the fight for the top spot between Andy Gibb and the Emotions, but still managed to sneak in a week at #2. This was definitely my favorite version of this song that I've heard., and possibly my favorite of Rita Coolidge's six Top 40 hits (though I'm not sure I've ever heard her early 1980 hit "I'd Rather Leave While I'm In Love").
OPTIONAL EXTRA: STAR WARS THEME - JOHN WILLIAMS & THE LONDON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA - Before playing this song, Larry counted down the Top Five films from 1977 before this song and, of course, Star Wars was by far the winner. As stated earlier, Meco's disco version pretty much stole this one's thunder, as it plummeted once the newer version hit the Top Ten. And also, as stated earlier, this was my favorite of the two.
11: YOU MAKE ME FEEL LIKE DANCIN' - LEO SAYER - This would be the first of two #1 songs from him, during the same year, no less. This would be my favorite of the two songs, by a fair margin.
10: UNDERCOVER ANGEL - ALAN O'DAY - This was his only charted hit of his own, but he did write several other big hits ("Angie Baby" by Helen Reddy, for instance, which Casey mentioned going into the song). As for this song, well, I love it! Definitely one of the best #1 hits of 1977, IMO.
9: TORN BETWEEN TWO LOVERS - MARY MC GREGOR - Casey mentioned how this song resembled a soap opera plot. To me, it sounds a lot like a confession on the Jerry Springer show, especially the first verse (you know, how the Jerry Springer guests butter up their lover before spilling the beans)? I was never a fan of this song, which is definitely a cure for insomnia.
8: ANGELS IN YOUR ARMS - HOT - Wow - two songs about infidelity back-to-back! In this one, it is from the point of view of the person who was done wrong. The lyrics to this song sound a lot like what the scorned person would say to the person who did unto her/him. Anyway, I used to like this song, which got a lot of mileage on the charts (which accounts for its high placing despite never climbing above #6), but I'm not a big fan of it anymore.
7: DON'T LEAVE ME THIS WAY - THELMA HOUSTON - Casey recited this song's Top 40 chart run up to #1 in the intro. Definitely one of the slowest climbs to #1 (and THE slowest climb for a song by a female singer up to that point).
6: I LIKE DREAMIN'- KENNY NOLAN - After years of writing big hits for other artists, Kenny wrote one for himself, and it proved to be worthwhile, as the song climbed all the way to #3. This song reminds me a little of "My Eyes Adored You", which would be no coincidence, as Nolan wrote that one as well. This is a good song - that is, when it doesn't stick in my mind all day, like it has done several times before. This, by the way, the highest ranked song on the survey that never made it to #1.
5: YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE A STAR - MARILYN MC COO & BILLY DAVIS JR. - This was the very first #1 song of 1977 (though the second one in the survey period). It was a pretty good song, but I prefer many other songs on this week's chart.
4: THEME FROM "A STAR IS BORN" (EVERGREEN) - BARBRA STREISAND - The soundtrack of "A Star Is Born" hit #1 on the album chart in February and the song would do the same on the Hot 100 a few weeks later, and deservedly so, as this was one of Streisand's best songs ever!
3: BEST OF MY LOVE - EMOTIONS - The only two songs by groups in this week's Top Ten - and how about this - both are among the few female groups on the entire list. Anyway, this was one of the song involved in a back-and-forth battle for the #1 spot around late summer. I really liked this song - I definitely preferred it over the Eagles' former #1 song of the same title, since that one was a melancholy song about a dying relationship while the Emotions song was a fun, upbeat song about a love affair that was strong and flourishing.
2: TONIGHT'S THE NIGHT - ROD STEWART - This, of course, the song that led off the 28 #1 songs during the 1977 survey period, even though virtually all of its #1 weeks were in 1976. The song wasted absolutely no time hitting #1 and it held there for eight consecutive weeks. I can see why, as it was a great song! One of his best, IMO. His song from early 1990, “Downtown Train” sounds a lot like this one.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: MONTAGE OF #1 SONGS FOR 1977 - There were 28 of them total and they all appear here on the big list. Here's a quick rundown: Great, pretty good, great, not bad, my car needs it big time, ZZZZZZZ, great, great, guilty pleasure. great, great, somewhat geezerly, good, good, legendary, OK but schmaltzy, great tribute, OK, not bad, at least it's not Blurred Lines, good movie song, great, great, another guilty pleasure, glad it came out on top, Mariah liked this one, another good movie song, and the ultimate guilty pleasure - did I get them all?
One final comment on the medley: Casey mentioned that if a song was played twice, that means it fell out of #1 and returned. Well there weren't any songs played twice; they apparently edited the medley so that the Andy Gibb and Emotions songs weren't repeated. They forgot to cut out Casey's mention of that, though.
1: I JUST WANT TO BE YOUR EVERYTHING - ANDY GIBB - Even though this song was #1 only half as long as "Tonight's The Night", it far outlasted that song's run in the Top Ten (spent nearly as many weeks in that zone that Rod spent in the Top 40). Its Top 40 run of 23 weeks equaled Rod Stewart's run on the entire Hot 100, and finally, this song spent 31 weeks on the Hot 100, so it definitely was the biggest hit of 1977 and deservedly so, as it was a great song!