American Top 40: The 70s - May 18, 2024
This week's presentation - May 15, 1976
Droppers:
SHOUT IT OUT LOUD - KISS (31) - This is one I remember from back in the day (so I'm surprised that this was all the higher it got). It was pretty good, but I prefer their slower songs, like "Beth" and "Forever" (and apparently, so did the Top 40 audience, as those two songs were their only Top Tens).
DECEMBER, 1963 (OH WHAT A NIGHT) - THE FOUR SEASONS (25) - This song had a somewhat unusual chart run, especially near the end. It took a hard fall from the top spot, then treaded water in the mid-teens for about a month. It was a good song, though I'm still somewhat burned out on it, especially due to the overplay of the remix version that charted in late 1994.
ONLY SIXTEEN - DR. HOOK (21) - Ever notice how all of their Top Ten hits peaked at #5 or #6? I thought that was interesting,
40: LOVE IS ALIVE - GARY WRIGHT (debut) - Here is one of the songs I most associate with the summer of 1976, as the radio stations I listened to played it constantly. I definitely prefer it over "Dream Weaver", which is the only of Wright's three hits that receives any recurrent airplay (though once in a blue moon I do hear this one).
39: I DO, I DO, I DO, I DO, I DO - ABBA (15) - One of the most successful Swedish acts to hit the chart. This wasn't bad, but I prefer several others by them, especially "Dancing Queen" and "The Winner Takes It All".
38: ONE PIECE AT A TIME - JOHNNY CASH (debut) - This was Cash's final Top 40 hit. It wasn't bad, but nothing special. I wonder if we'll be hearing his daughter, Roseanne's only Top 40 hit as an Optional Extra on next week's 1981 show? There have been several guesses for that one, so it is possible.
37: TAKIN' IT TO THE STREETS - DOOBIE BROTHERS (debut) - Another song I remember quite well from 1976 (though one of the stations I listened to gave this one early action, so I associate it more with the spring). Definitely one of my all-time faves from them!
36: FALLEN ANGEL - FRANKIE VALLI (36) - When this song started up, I thought it was "Lost Without Your Love" by Bread, and I was like, wait, wasn't that song from later in the year? Anyway, this was a great song, and I thought it was a shame that this was all the further it got on the charts.
35: I WANT YOU - MARVIN GAYE (39) - The version of this song that I'm most familiar with is, of course, the Robert Palmer cover from fifteen years later. Everytime I hear this song, I keep expecting it to segue back to "Mercy Mercy Me", since Palmer sang both songs as a medley. Not sure which of those versions I prefer either, since they sound very much alike.
34: BARETTA'S THEME - RHYTHM HERITAGE (38) - They had two Top 40 hits - both themes from TV series. This one wasn't bad, but I preferred "Theme From S.W.A.T."
33: ANYTIME (I'LL BE THERE) -PAUL ANKA (35) - Paul was all over the charts in the 50s, 60s and the first half of the 1970s, but he was running out of steam pretty quickly at this point. After "Times Of Your Life" earlier in the year, he would have three more Top 40 hits, neither of which even hit the Top 30, which is a shame, since they were all good ones, including this song.
32: MOVIN' - BRASS CONSTRUCTION (37) - This was the only Top 40 hit for this Brooklyn disco ensemble. Nothing I'd go out of my way to listen to.
31: SHOP AROUND - CAPTAIN & TENNILLE (40) - Wow, 1976 was indeed a good year for remakes, as there were seven of them on this week's show! This was the first, originally done by the Miracles fifteen years before. Not sure which of them I prefer; they're both good.
30: FOR THE HEART - ELVIS PRESLEY (34) - This was definitely better then "Hurt", which was the A-side of this double-sided single, but still, it was far from being his best.
29: I'VE GOT A FEELING (WE'LL BE SEEING EACH OTHER AGAIN) - AL WILSON (33) - This man had a handful of chart singles, although most of them were mid-charters (the only one that wasn't, however, went all the way). This one was pretty good.
28: UNION MAN - CATE BROTHERS (32) - This was the only Top 40 hit for these twins. Like song #32, it wasn't anything exceptional, IMO.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: NEVER GONNA FALL IN LOVE AGAIN - ERIC CARMEN - His second hit and the follow-up to the #2 hit "All By Myself". I preferred this song - one of Carmen's best hits ever!
27: DON'T PULL YOUR LOVE/THEN YOU CAN TELL ME GOODBYE - GLEN CAMPBELL (27) - Earlier, I mentioned Robert Palmer's medley of two Marvin Gaye classics. This is an example of that as well - Glen wove together these songs, by Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds and the Casinos, respectively, very well - sounded like they were the same song (much like said Robert Palmer medley).!
26: MORE, MORE, MORE - ANDREA TRUE CONNECTION (30) - The first and biggest of their two Top 40 hits, which would be sampled by the Canadian Rock Band Len in "Steal My Sunshine" in 1999. I forget how their other song, "NY, You Got Me Dancing" goes, so I can't really say which one I like best.
25: LOVE REALLY HURTS WITHOUT YOU - BILLY OCEAN (29) - This was a man who seemed destined to be a one-hit wonder for several years. He, however, had a whole slew of hits starting with his comeback in 1984. This song wasn't bad, but I preferred most of his later hits.
24: SWEET LOVE - COMMODORES (22) - After such a hard fall the week before, this song's parachute seemed to deploy this week, as its descent was slowed down considerably. I wasn't a huge fan of their earlier hits, like this, but did like many of their songs from the late-70s (as well as the early-80s, before Lionel Richie left the group to embark on a very successful solo career).
23: COME ON OVER - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (23) - Olivia had enjoyed a wave of chart success, with five consecutive Top Tens over a year and a half and, at this point, looked to be on her way down, chartwise, but the best was yet to come. This song, written by Barry and Robin Gibb, was pretty good, IMO, but definitely not her best.
22: YOUNG BLOOD - BAD COMPANY (26) - They sort of sounded like Elvis in this song (although the original of this was done by the Coasters). It wasn't bad, but I preferred most of their other hits
21: LOVE IN THE SHADOWS - NEIL SEDAKA (28) - What a chart career he had! This was the 19th of 21 Top 40 hits for Mr. Sedaka. Though I preferred a few others from him, this wasn't bad at all!
20: HAPPY MUSIC - BLACKBYRDS (24) - This was the second of two Top 20 hits from this soul group formed in 1973 in our nation's capital. This one was pretty good, but it didn't hold a candle to "Walking In Rhythm", which was a Top Ten hit the year before.
19: BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY - QUEEN (11) - SCHWING! This song had two chart runs - and it hit the Top Ten both times (on the R&R chart, anyway). But on both that chart and the Hot 100, it definitely hit the Top Ten the first time around and spent a long time in the Top 40! This is definitely one of my favorite songs by Queen.
18: DISCO LADY - JOHNNIE TAYLOR (10) - According to Casey Kasem, this was the biggest hit of the year so far. By year's end, however, two songs would end up surpassing it. This song was the very first song to be certified platinum by the R.I.A.A. This song was indeed a big hit, but it just wasn't quite my cup of tea (it was quite repetitive).
17: LET YOUR LOVE FLOW - BELLAMY BROTHERS (9) - This song kept on free-falling down the chart. I guess everyone got tired of it all of a sudden, huh? Anyway, this was indeed a great song and one I remember quite well.
16: RHIANNON (WILL YOU EVER WIN) - FLEETWOOD MAC (18) - This one looked like it could become their first Top Ten, but it just missed, peaking at #11 (it did hit the Top Ten on the R&R chart, though, getting as high as #8). They would finally hit the Top Ten in the spring of the following year with "Go Your Own Way".
15: STRANGE MAGIC - ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA (16) - This was the third of a total of twenty hits for this English orchestral rock band. It was OK, but not one of my favorites from them, especially since I associate it with the royally depressing movie "The Virgin Suicides", (since it is played during the prom scene).
OPTIONAL EXTRA: STILL CRAZY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS - PAUL SIMON - The title track from his album that spawned the #1 hit "Fifty Ways To Leave Your Lover". Not sure what happened, but surprisingly, this song only got as high as #40. Such a shame, as it was one of Simon's best hits ever!
14: MISTY BLUE - DOROTHY MOORE (17) - Hmm, lots of "two-hit wonders" on this week's show. This was the first and biggest for this Jackson, Mississippi native. It was a nice and mellow song. Can't say that I remember how her other hit "I Believe You" goes (but that's understandable, as it only got as high as #27).
13: FOOL TO CRY - ROLLING STONES (20) - In only its second week on the chart, this song was already two-thirds of the way up the chart, looking like it would be a cinch to hit #1. Not quite - it, in fact, barely touched the Top Ten. I can sort of see why it tanked so fast (spent only seven weeks in the Top Ten). It was definitely far from being their best. They just don't fare well with ballads. Then again, that's nothing but my opinion - I'm sure that many people liked this one, but I wasn't one of them.
12: SARA SMILE - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (14) - This was the one that started it all off for possibly the most successful duo of all time. It wasn't their best, but it was indeed passable.
11: TRYIN' TO GET THE FEELING AGAIN - BARRY MANILOW (13) - He had three Top 40 hits in 1976 and for me, this would be my favorite of those (though "This One's For You" would be a close second).
10: SHANNON - HENRY GROSS (12) - And now we're up to the infamous "Dead Dog Dedication" song. This was written about the death of Beach Boy Carl Wilson's Irish Setter (and correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the Beach Boys sing back-up on this one?) Anyway, I liked this song, but after mid-September, 1985, we never looked at this song in the same way again!
9: HAPPY DAYS - PRATT & McCLAIN (19) - 1976 was indeed the year for TV show themes, as many of those hit the chart over the year. This was one of my favorite TV shows, and definitely a long lasting one - wasn't it on the air for ten years?
8: RIGHT BACK WHERE WE STARTED FROM - MAXINE NIGHTENGALE (2) - Another "two-hit wonder". She had two Top 40 hits, both of which hit the Top Five. My favorite one, however, was her other one, called "Lead Me On", which charted in the summer of 1979. This one was also pretty good, but quite overplayed.
7: GET UP AND BOOGIE - SILVER CONVENTION (8) - Still another two-hit wonder here. They seemed to limit their vocabulary in both songs, using only six words in both of them. I liked both songs about the same.
6: SHOW ME THE WAY - PETER FRAMPTON (6) - This was the first of three songs from what would IIRC become the #1 album of 1976, Frampton Comes Alive. It was my favorite of the three (although I have started liking "Do You Feel Like We Do" a little more than I did previously).
5: LOVE HANGOVER - DIANA ROSS (7) - This song was indeed number one bound, strong enough to interrupt the run at the top for the biggest song of 1976. Not quite her best song by any means - again, just my opinion - nothing more
4: FOOLED AROUND AND FELL IN LOVE - ELVIN BISHOP (4) - Of course everyone knows that Mickey Thomas sang lead on this one. Not sure if Elvin Bishop did any back-up singing or just played the guitar. This was another song I remember from back in the day, and I still like it as much as I did then!
3: SILLY LOVE SONGS - WINGS (5) - This was the aforementioned biggest song of 1976 - it would hit the top two weeks later for a total of five non-consecutive weeks at the top. I remember this song quite well, but don't like it quite as much as I did back in the day (most likely due to overplay).
OPTIONAL EXTRA: I'LL BE GOOD TO YOU - BROTHERS JOHNSON - The first Top 40 hit for this soul duo from Los Angeles. This is my favorite song by them, which isn't saying much, as I disliked their three other hits. I preferred the cover by Quincy Jones featuring Chaka Khan and Ray Charles, which hit the charts in early 1990.
2: WELCOME BACK - JOHN SEBASTIAN (1) - This song wasted absolutely no time hitting the top and it seemed like a logical assumption that this song would spend several weeks on top but the top part of the chart was just too strong at this point for any song to spend more than a single week on top. Nevertheless, this was, IMO, one of the best TV show themes of all time!
1: BOOGIE FEVER - SYLVERS (3) - The first of two Top Five hits for this family group from Memphis (but they were not a two-hit wonder, as they had a third hit, which didn't quite make the Top Ten, but peaked at #17). Anyway, this was my favorite of their trio of hits.