American Top 40: The 70s - August 1, 2020
This week's presentation - August 2, 1975
I'M NOT LISA - JESSI COLTER (39) - The only Top 40 hit for this Phoenix native. However, she was more of a country artist, like her husband, Waylon Jennings, so she had many more hits at that format. I was never a big fan of this song, however - way too cheesy!
SWEET EMOTION - AEROSMITH (36) - Hard to believe that this song failed to climb any higher than #36, given all the recurrent airplay it receives today. Then again, it was their first hit, so they weren't really an established act at the time.
DISCO QUEEN - HOT CHOCOLATE (28) - Not one of their most successful hits. It was pretty good, but I preferred their first hit "Emma".
MISTY - RAY STEVENS (26) - Known mainly for his novelty songs, he had a few (somewhat) serious songs as well, like this one. It was a good 'un.
MAGIC - PILOT (23) - Here's a true one-hit wonder. I liked this song - they sort of reminded me of ELO (who themselves had a "magic" song the following year).
WILDFIRE - MICHAEL MURPHEY (21) - He was mainly a country artist, but he had several Top 40 crossover hits, including this one - one of my favorites from him - in fact, it's possibly my second favorite behind "What's Forever For" (although "Carolina In The Pines" from later on in 1975 might give it a run for its money, since I've gotten to really like that song as well).
40: LOOK AT ME - THE MOMENTS (debut) - Their last Top 40 hit before they became Ray, Goodman and Brown. It was pretty much your run-of-the-mill slow jam.
39: FAME - DAVID BOWIE (debut) - This song was moving up the chart at a rather slow pace at first, but it would eventually pick up steam and go on to hit #1. The song wasn't bad, but quite overplayed IMO. I don't think that I need to remind y'all that my favorite songs from him are his two songs from 1987, do I?
38: RENDEZVOUS - HUDSON BROTHERS (debut) - Does anyone remember their TV show "Hudson Brothers Razzle Dazzle Show" on Saturday mornings? I vaguely recall watching it with my older brother, but don't remember much about it (since I was very young at the time). As for this song, it was pretty good.
37: THAT'S WHEN THE MUSIC TAKES ME - NEIL SEDAKA (debut) - 1975 was definitely a great year for Sedaka - two #1 hits and two additional hits that peaked in the 20s. I liked all four of them - not sure which one I preferred out of all of them.
36: SEND IN THE CLOWNS - JUDY COLINS (40) - This was the first chart run for this song - and both runs started off the same, with the song moving 40-36. That was all the further the song got this time around, but in its second run, in late 1977, it made it into the Top 20. I guess you could call this one a guilty pleasure, as I like it, although I prefer a few other songs from her.
35: BLUEBIRD - HELEN REDDY (37) - This one didn't last too long, as this is where the song peaked and dropped out the following week. As for this song, it was a little on the cheesy side, like many of her hits (although the song was actually written by Leon Russell), but the melody itself was good.
34: THIRD-RATE ROMANCE - RHYTHM ACES (38) - This was the only Top 40 hit for this country rock band from Memphis. One of five country crossover hits on this week's chart, it was a great song, IMO. Too bad lead singer Russell Smith passed away last year
33: BALLROOM BLITZ - SWEET (debut) - Sorry, but I'm not a fan of this one at all - way too loud and repetitive. Easily my least favorite of their charted hits.
32: GET DOWN TONIGHT - K.C. & THE SUNSHINE BAND (debut) - This song was indeed burning up the charts! However, even though it hit #1, it would fall just as fast as it climbed. I guess people got tired of the song fast, although it still pops up on oldies stations regularly.
31: THAT'S THE WAY OF THE WORLD - EARTH, WIND & FIRE (35) - Their second hit of the year and by far the best - as well as one of my favorites from them of all time! Anyone notice a resemblance between this and Lenny Kravitz' debut single "It's Not Over 'Til It's Over"?
30: COULD IT BE MAGIC - BARRY MANILOW (34) - His third of many big hits. The song was based on the melody of Chopin's Prelude In C Minor, though it sounds a little like "Wild World" to me. This was by far my favorite of his three 1975 hits.
29: FEEL LIKE MAKIN' LOVE - BAD COMPANY (33) - One of two Top Ten hits from them (although it seems they've had more than that). It was a good one, IMO.
28: WASTED DAYS & WASTED NIGHTS - FREDDY FENDER (32) - Meh, I didn't care much for this one - his voice was kind of annoying. I do prefer this over "Before The Next Teardrop Falls", albeit very slightly.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: PEPPERMINT TWIST - JOEY DEE & THE STARLITERS - This was one of those "whatever happened to" segments that Casey occasionally did. Not sure if this was from the same program, however, since the listing on the oldradioshows website doesn't list it. Perhaps that has something to do with the fact that the whole song wasn't played (though it was longer than a drop piece). Anyway, this song wasn't too bad, but I wasn't too big on 60s dance hits.
27: SATURDAY NIGHT SPECIAL - LYNARD SKYNYRD (29) - This one sure didn't last long - this was all the higher it got and fell clean off the chart the following week. It was a good song, but I preferred a few others by them.
26: JUST A LITTLE BIT OF YOU - MICHAEL JACKSON (30) - This was his last solo hit for the next four years, but then, of course, he came back much bigger than ever then. This song was OK, but definitely not one of his best.
25: HOLDING ONTO YESTERDAY - AMBROSIA (31) - Their breakthrough hit. Not one of my favorites for them - I preferred their three Top 20 hits from the late-70s/early 80s.
24: FALLING IN LOVE - HAMILTON, JOE FRANK, & REYNOLDS (27) - Their second and biggest hit, reaching #1 just a few weeks later. I thought this was a good song. Canadian rapper Drake must have thought so too, for he sampled it in his first Top 40 hit "Best I Ever Had" from 2009.
23: AT SEVENTEEN - JANIS IAN (25) - I know several people who dislike this song, due to the "cheese factor", but I actually thought it was a great one - I guess, like the Judy Collins song back at #36, you could call it a guilty pleasure!
22: FIGHT THE POWER - ISLEY BROTHERS (24) - Ah, the song that contained the B.S. word, unedited from the song the first two weeks on AT40! Even though this one was the roof-raising R&B music that I generally hate, this one was actually not bad.
21: SWEARIN' TO GOD - FRANKIE VALLI (6) - Valli was still doing double duty, performing solo as well as with the Four Seasons (as the latter would chart later on in the summer). This was a good song - one of his best solo hits.
20: SLIPPERY WHEN WET - COMMODORES (22) - Of course, the rock band Bon Jovi had one of the biggest selling albums of the 1980s with one by this title, but the Commodores charted with the song, which was nowhere near as successful. This song was not bad, but wasn't generally a fan of their upbeat funk hits. They began having more slow songs, which, of course, I preferred, the following year.
19: EVERY TIME YOU TOUCH ME I GET HIGH - CHARLIE RICH (19) - This was this Colt, Arkansas native's final Top 40 hit. I thought it was a great one - with a mellow and relaxing melody.
18: MORNING BEAUTIFUL - TONY ORLANDO & DAWN (20) - Their last song made it all the way to #1. This song didn't fare quite as well, but it did peak at #14. I preferred this one over said #1 hit.
17: LOVE WILL KEEP US TOGETHER - THE CAPTAIN & TENNILLE (13) - In a year that featured more one-week number one songs than any other year, this one somehow managed to spend a month on top, although I'm not sure why, as this was definitely not their best hit. Its saving grace is that it's not as bad as their hit from the fall of the following year, "Muskrat Fungus Love". One might guess that this song would spend another week on the chart before dropping off, but, in fact, this song paused at #17 the following week and actually got a second wind, rebounding to #13 (Their Spanish version of the song, "Por Amor Vivaremos" was said to have been largely instrumental in that). That was enough for it to become the top song of 1975.
16: I'M ON FIRE - DWIGHT TWILLEY BAND (18) - One hit wonders abounded here - this was the only Top 40 hit by this band, consisting of Dwight Twilley himself, and Phil Seymour - both of whom each had one Top 40 single on their own in the 80s. This song was pretty good.
15: HOW SWEET IT IS - JAMES TAYLOR (17) - I still hear this one from time to time on oldies stations - it is indeed a great one - very upbeat and positive sounding.
14: RHINESTONE COWBOY - GLEN CAMPBELL (16) - This song was on its way to becoming one of the biggest hits of the entire year, and worthily so, as it was one of Campbell's best.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: ROCKY - AUSTIN ROBERTS - Another somewhat cheesy song, but I still liked it.
13: ROCKFORD FILES - MIKE POST (15) - The theme from the TV show of the same name and the first of three instrumentals on this week's chart. My parents used to watch this show, so I've been familiar with the theme for years - heard it every Friday night back in the day. It's a good one - one of many great TV show themes from the great Mike Post!
12: WHY CAN'T WE BE FRIENDS - WAR (14) - The song with possibly the shortest verses ever! It would have been a better song and not as repetitive had they linked two or three verses together.
11: THE WAY WE WERE - GLADYS KNIGHT & THE PIPS (12) - Interesting interpretation of the Barbra Streisand classic from the year before (with a spoken word part at the beginning), though I preferred the original.
10: DYNAMITE - BAZUKA (13) - Of course, the "DYNOMITE!" shout heard throughout this mostly instrumental song was a catchphrase on the TV sitcom Good Times. The song wasn't bad, but nothing I'd want to hear on a regular basis.
9: ROCKIN' CHAIR - GWEN MCCRAE (10) - Of course, we all know that she was the wife of George McCrae, whom had charted the year before with "Rock Your Baby". I preferred that song; this one was pretty good, but nothing exceptional.
8: LISTEN TO WHAT THE MAN SAID - WINGS (5) - This was when their songs started improving vastly. Their 1974 songs were mediocre at best (though Junior's Farm was pretty good). From 1975 on, I liked all of their Top Ten hits (well, except for "Silly Love Songs", but that was due to overplay - I did like that song when it was on the charts). This song was one of their best IMO.
7: MIDNIGHT BLUE - MELISSA MANCHESTER (9) - This song reminded me a little of "These Are The Best Times" by Bobby Goldsboro, the theme for the 1973 Disney movie Superdad. This was Manchester's debut hit, and a great one it was! I liked most of her Top 40 hits, especially her ballads, like this one.
6: SOMEONE SAVED MY LIFE TONIGHT - ELTON JOHN (8) - This was one of my all-time faves from him! Sort of a bittersweet listen anymore, as it was a special song between myself and a girl I used to date. No, not because she found someone else, but she died in a car wreck back in 1999.
5: THE HUSTLE - VAN MC COY & THE SOUL CITY SYMPHONY (1) - This was the only Top 40 entry for this man born in our nation's capital. Glad this song made it to #1, as it's one of my favorite disco instrumentals of all time!
4: PLEASE MISTER PLEASE - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (4) - Ah, a song about being unable to hear a song that reminded you of a lost love. It was a good one, though I preferred "Have You Never Been Mellow".
3: JIVE TALKIN' - BEE GEES (7) - Ah, their very first disco song, a style which they quickly became more famous for than ballads. This song wasn't bad, but I preferred most of their other disco songs.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: HELP ME RHONDA - JOHNNY RIVERS - One of several remakes from Rivers that hit the chart. This one was pretty good, but I preferred the original by the Beach Boys.
2: I'M NOT IN LOVE - 10 CC (2) - I felt sorry for this song, as it spent three weeks in the runner-up position, as two other songs leapfrogged over it into the #1 spot (besides this week's #1 song there was "The Hustle" by Van McCoy the week before and "Jive Talkin'" by the Bee Gees the following week. Anyway, this was a great song, but I actually preferred Will To Power's dance remake of it from early 1991 (which replaced the "Big boys don't cry" bridge with a sax solo).
1: ONE OF THESE NIGHTS - EAGLES (3) - This is the song that spent the most weeks in the Top Ten during 1975 - ten weeks in all. Oddly enough, only one of those weeks were spent at #1. Anyway, of their two #1 during 1975, this was my favorite.