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Post by bottlerocket on Nov 22, 2012 5:31:49 GMT -5
1970: "Everything Is Beautiful" by Ray Stevens (60% of the vote)
1971: "Go Away Little Girl" by Donny Osmond (80% of the vote)
1972: "My Ding-a-Ling" by Chuck Berry (80% of the vote)
1973: "The Most Beautiful Girl" by Charlie Rich (50% of the vote)
1974: "You're Having My Baby" by Paul Anka w/Odia Coates (50% of the vote)
1975: "Before The Next Teardrop Falls" by Freddy Fender (50% of the vote)
1976: "Convoy" by C.W. McCall (43% of the vote)
1977: "Da Doo Ron Ron" by Shaun Cassidy (43% of the vote)
1978: TIE - "You Needed Me" by Anne Murray (25% of the vote)
"Too Much, Too Little, Too Late" by Johnny Mathis & Deniece Williams (25% of the vote)
1979: "Love You Inside Out" by the Bee Gees (43% of the vote)
1980: "Do That To Me One More Time" by the Captain & Tennille (33% of the vote)
1981: "Medley" by Stars on 45 (66% of the vote)
1982: "Truly" by Lionel Richie (40% of the vote)
1983: "Baby, Come To Me" by Patti Austin with James Ingram (70% of the vote)
1984: "Owner Of A Lonely Heart" by Yes (30% of the vote)
1985: "Separate Lives" by Phil Collins & Marilyn Martin (50% of the vote)
1986: TIE - "Amanda" by Boston and "Sara" by Starship (22% of the vote each)
1987: "Jacob's Ladder" by Huey Lewis and the News (70% of the vote)
1988: "Baby, I Love Your Way/Free Bird" by Will To Power (33% of the vote)
1989: "Batdance" by Prince (50% of the vote)
Woolebull last month started a great thread about the most obscure number one song during the 70s and 80s. It made me think about each of those years and how some songs seemed to have been completely forgotten over time. I consider the people who post on this board as some of the most pop music savvy listeners in America and I was wondering what each of you thought was the most obscure number one song from each year during that time period.
So what I propose is that each day we vote on what the most obscure number one song is year by year. Feel free to choose a song and persuade others. I will tally the votes at the end of the day and edit this post to proclaim the most obscure song for each year during this time period. I was thinking that perhaps the criteria could be "Which number one song do you think would least likely be recognized by a typical American 20 year old?". I figure since they would not have been alive during this period, they would have had to come across these songs after the song was in its heyday and may even learn about them through other media besides radio (tv, movies, etc.).
So to start: 1970. I have to say that 1970, in my very humble opinion, is a year dominated by classic songs that receive a fair amount of play. However, there is one song that for me I have never really heard outside of my iPod - Everything Is Beautiful by Ray Stevens. I seem to remember it from my infancy and it's actually kind of sweet if not a bit saccharine (children singing are tough for me) but I can't imagine in what forum I would ever hear this song again. What do you think?
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Post by pgfromwp on Nov 22, 2012 10:48:05 GMT -5
My replies are based on former #1 songs by year that I've heard most infrequently over the years (except for local radio station top 500's or top 40 rebroadcasts): 1970: "Venus" - Shocking Blue 1971: "Go Away Little Girl" - Donny Osmond 1972: "My Ding-a-Ling" - Chuck Berry 1973: "The Most Beautiful Girl" - Charlie Rich 1974: "Love's Theme" - Love Unlimited Orchestra 1975: "Before the Next Teardrop Falls" - Freddy Fender 1976: "Convoy" - CW McCall 1977: "Da Doo Ron Ron" - Shaun Cassidy 1978: "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late" - J Mathis & D Williams 1979: "Pop Muzik" - M 1980: "Sailing" - Christopher Cross 1981: "Stars on 45 Medley" - Stars on 45 1982: "Chariots of Fire - Titles" - Vangelis 1983: "Islands in the Stream" - Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton 1984: "Let's Go Crazy" - Prince 1985: "Oh Sheila" - Ready for the World 1986: "Kiss" - Prince 1987: "Jacob's Ladder" - Huey Lewis & the News 1988: "Monkey" - George Michael 1989: "Batdance" - Prince These reflect my listening preference for mainstream popular music, from the mid-60's through the 80's  . |
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Post by mga707 on Nov 22, 2012 12:15:29 GMT -5
My kind of topic! Thanks for starting it. With my trusty Whitburn on my lap, here I go... My replies are based on former #1 songs by year that I've heard most infrequently over the years (except for local radio station top 500's or top 40 rebroadcasts): 1970: "Venus" - Shocking Blue Everything Is Beautiful--Ray Stevens agree agree-this one is inarguable! agree tie: Dark Lady--Cher; Angie Baby--Helen Reddy (While Ray Stevens' "The Streak" is certainly less played than either of the above--a common fate of non-seasonal novelty songs--it is certainly more recognizable.) agree another inarguable choice--agree agree agree, but I'd make it a tie with You Needed Me--Anne Murray Love You Inside Out--Bee Gees I would not name any 80 #1 as most obscure--maybe because a local station plays "Sailing" frequently. If forced to choose, Do That To Me One More Time--Captain & Tennille another slam-dunk 'agree'--probably the most obscure #1 on the list agree again, I hear Kenny & Dolly frequently, so my choice is Maniac--Michael Sembello I hear this Prince song a lot--no song qualifies from 84 for me. Forced choice: Owner Of a Lonely Heart--Yes A View To a Kill--Duran Duran Are there places where 'Kiss' is not heard?--I'd vote for Amanda--Boston sadly agree, as it's Huey's best tune kind of agree, although several other 88 #1s would tie it: Together Forever--Rick Astley; "Free Baby" medley--Will To Power this Prince track I agree on--you never hear it Hope I got all the 'quote/quote' notation right! |
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Post by chrislc on Nov 22, 2012 13:57:56 GMT -5
1970 EVERYTHING IS BEAUTIFUL
1971 GO AWAY LITTLE GIRL
1972 MY DING-A-LING
1973 THE MOST BEAUTIFUL GIRL
1974 DARK LADY
1975 LET'S DO IT AGAIN
1976 THEME FROM S.W.A.T.
1977 SOUTHERN NIGHTS
1978 (LOVE IS) THICKER THAN WATER
1979 LOVE YOU INSIDE OUT
1980 SAILING
1981 THE ONE THAT YOU LOVE
1982 CHARIOTS OF FIRE
1983 BABY COME TO ME
1984 THE REFLEX
1985 EVERYTHING SHE WANTS
1986 SARA
1987 JACOB'S LADDER
1988 FOOLISH BEAT
1989 SATISFIED
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Post by Mike on Nov 22, 2012 14:40:39 GMT -5
I'm only going back as far as '79, because I'm not familiar enough with years before then to feel qualified to gauge "obscurity" for those times. (Though having said that, I know of at least one "countrified" poster who might strongly disagree with the '73 pick - and frankly, I would too. Charlie Rich's song is one #1 that I am familiar with from that year; I can't say the same for many of the others!) 1979: I would agree with the Bee Gees choice if not for my feeling that basically any Bee Gees choice would be disqualified simply because it's a Bee Gees #1. My choice would be "Still" by The Commodores. 1980: I'd actually agree with the Captain & Tennille choice - I feel like that's the one your average listener would be least familiar with right away. You don't really hear the Paul McCartney or Barbra Streisand songs anymore either (at least I don't), but I'd think that people would recognize them right away - not the case for C&T. 1981: I'm actually going to give this one to Eddie Rabbitt's "I Love a Rainy Night" by a hair. Mention a "Beatles medley" and you might get something that people are familiar with, even if they've never heard the song in their life. Mention Eddie's song...and unless they share Brian's love of country, you might get - a blank stare. 1982: Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder, by a slim margin over Lionel Richie's "Truly". I'm thinking "Truly" would be more likely to randomly pop up on an AC station, while I'm not sure who would really have dusted off "Ebony and Ivory" since '82. As for Vangelis's instrumental, that still pops up every now and then in random moments of pop culture, and I don't see that ending anytime soon. 1983: Giving this one to Billy Joel's "Tell Her About It". Despite being a #1, I'd imagine it's not one that most people would think of in his catalogue right away. 1984: I'm giving this one to "Say Say Say". Yes I count it because its run at the top extended into '84. This one is VERY tough indeed, between songs that are widely less familiar but still get some radio play, and ones that are more widely familiar but radio doesn't touch them today. I just think "Say Say Say" is the one most likely out of the bunch where it's the least likely to have instant recognition. 1985: I'm actually going to give this one to "Separate Lives". I'm thinking it's actually probably a toss-up between all of Phil's #1s, and Lionel Richie's "Say You, Say Me". But of the bunch, again, I'm thinking that it's "Separate Lives" that would have the least recognition. 1986: Simply Red's "Holding Back the Years", easily. 1987: While I agree it's a dirty shame that "Jacob's Ladder" would be on this level, I'd actually say it's a three-way tie between that song and both of Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam's #1s. The only reason I don't place "Shake You Down" on this level too is, yes - there's an AC station in my area that has in fact dusted this one off. Heck, they played the song not even 10 minutes before flipping to Christmas for this year's season. And this was just last week!  1988: Going with the Will to Power song as the one with the least combined artist AND song recognition. 1989: Phil Collins's "Two Hearts", with Michael Damian's "Rock On" as a very close second, only escaping first because it's a cover. With regards to the Prince song - I have to wonder if Warner Bros.' complex ownership of the Batman franchise precludes any possible airplay of the song on terrestrial radio. It's also the reason the song's not on any of Prince's compilation albums (he's not allowed to put it there). |
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Post by mga707 on Nov 22, 2012 14:50:07 GMT -5
With regards to the Prince song - I have to wonder if Warner Bros.' complex ownership of the Batman franchise precludes any possible airplay of the song on terrestrial radio. It's also the reason the song's not on any of Prince's compilation albums (he's not allowed to put it there). I had to check my Prince "Hits 1"/"Hits 2" compilation CDs to verify or refute your assertion, and by golly, you're right! |
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Post by woolebull on Nov 22, 2012 21:48:43 GMT -5
With regards to the Prince song - I have to wonder if Warner Bros.' complex ownership of the Batman franchise precludes any possible airplay of the song on terrestrial radio. It's also the reason the song's not on any of Prince's compilation albums (he's not allowed to put it there). I had to check my Prince "Hits 1"/"Hits 2" compilation CDs to verify or refute your assertion, and by golly, you're right! Isn't it in the liner notes on Prince's "Greatest Hits/B Sides", that it was a two way street about the "Batman" album? He hated it with a passion...I can tell you he sang "Scandalous" last year in concert, but that might be because it has no reference to "Batman". My list (I didn't look at anyone else's list...so I'll be excited to see if I have any matches: 1970: The Love You Save (by force...all of the songs seem to still get heavy rotation 1971: Go Away, Little Girl: Donnie Osmond 1972: Baby, Don't Get Hooked On Me -Mac Davis 1973: Brother Louie: Stories 1974: (You're Having My Baby - Paul Anka and Odia Coates 1975: Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds - Elton John 1976: Disco Duck - Rick Dees 1977: Da Doo Ron Ron - Shawn Cassidy 1978: You Needed Me - Anne Murray (MacArthur Park would have taken the cake, but Donna's death has brought the song back out). 1979: Love You Inside and Out - Bee Gees 1980: Please Don't Go - KC and the Sunshine Band 1981: Medley - Stars on 45 1982: Truly - Lionel Richie 1983: Baby, Come To Me - James Ingram and Patti Austin 1984: Owner of a Lonely Heart - Yes 1985: We Are The World - USA for Africa 1986: The Next Time I Fall - Peter Cetera and Amy Grant 1987: Shake You Down - Gregory Abbott 1988: Seasons Change - Expose 1989: Batdance - Prince 1990: If Wishes Came True - Sweet Sensation 1991: One More Try - Timmy T If I had my druthers, I wouldn't select one from 1984 and 1985. The two songs I chose are still played quite a bit. One man's opinion |
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Post by woolebull on Nov 22, 2012 23:18:42 GMT -5
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Post by bottlerocket on Nov 23, 2012 3:43:09 GMT -5
With 60% of the votes, "Everything Is Beautiful" has the dubious honor of being the most obscure song of 1970.
Ah 1971...some classic songs that year but also a few that are nearly invisible today. Initially I thought maybe "Want Ads" because it was the one I may have known least when I collected all the number ones of the 70s about ten years ago. However, now that I know the song I do occasionally hear it. "Go Away Little Girl" is a good one for sure (maybe the original gets some airplay on 50s/60s oldies stations?) but I think I'm going to go with "Indian Reservation". It's seems so of the time and I can't imagine in what context anyone outside that era would ever encounter it.
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Post by bottlerocket on Nov 24, 2012 7:41:59 GMT -5
With 80% of the vote, the most forgotten song of 1971 - "Go Away Little Girl".
1972 has torn me apart trying to decide. I was tempted to go with "I'll Take You There" by the Staple Singers at first. Then there were those very slow ballads like "Baby Don't Get Hooked On Me", "Ben" and "Me and Mrs. Jones"- too slow even for the most easy listening stations out there. I was against "My Ding-a-Ling" for awhile because I feel like it's known because of Chuck Berry and its oh-so-obvious double entendre. But, you know, I don't think I have ever heard that live version or any version of the song on the radio outside of AT40 and can't imagine who would want to hear it now. I have to go with "My Ding-A-Ling".
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Post by at40petebattistini on Nov 24, 2012 8:21:58 GMT -5
Another worthy of 1973 consideration -- Vicki Lawrence's "The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia"
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Post by matt on Nov 24, 2012 11:04:41 GMT -5
My replies are based on former #1 songs by year that I've heard most infrequently over the years (except for local radio station top 500's or top 40 rebroadcasts): 1970: "Venus" - Shocking Blue 1971: "Go Away Little Girl" - Donny Osmond 1972: "My Ding-a-Ling" - Chuck Berry 1973: "The Most Beautiful Girl" - Charlie Rich 1974: "Love's Theme" - Love Unlimited Orchestra 1975: "Before the Next Teardrop Falls" - Freddy Fender 1976: "Convoy" - CW McCall 1977: "Da Doo Ron Ron" - Shaun Cassidy 1978: "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late" - J Mathis & D Williams 1979: "Pop Muzik" - M 1980: "Sailing" - Christopher Cross 1981: "Stars on 45 Medley" - Stars on 45 1982: "Chariots of Fire - Titles" - Vangelis 1983: "Islands in the Stream" - Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton 1984: "Let's Go Crazy" - Prince 1985: "Oh Sheila" - Ready for the World 1986: "Kiss" - Prince 1987: "Jacob's Ladder" - Huey Lewis & the News 1988: "Monkey" - George Michael 1989: "Batdance" - Prince These reflect my listening preference for mainstream popular music, from the mid-60's through the 80's . Ummm...why do I get the feeling you aren't a Prince fan?? While "Batdance" may qualify, there is no way "Let's Go Crazy" and "Kiss" have any business being mentioned on this thread. Both are absolute classics of the rock era. |
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Post by rgmike on Nov 24, 2012 12:05:46 GMT -5
My replies are based on former #1 songs by year that I've heard most infrequently over the years (except for local radio station top 500's or top 40 rebroadcasts): 1970: "Venus" - Shocking Blue Have to disagree -- "Venus" is one of the most-played songs on Classic Hits formats. The Shocking Blue version still gets more play than the Bananarama remake. The rest, you're dead-on (tho' I'd quibble about "Oh Shiela", which I hear quite often here in SF on Kiss-FM, an '80s-centric soul/disco/funk format). |
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Post by mga707 on Nov 24, 2012 18:09:25 GMT -5
Another worthy of 1973 consideration -- Vicki Lawrence's "The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia" The local "Familiar Favorites" (AC oldies) station plays Vicki often--way too often! I agree with Sonny Bono on this one: The song absolutely blows. The lapses in logic in the story line are absolutely unbelievable (you find a dead body, so you fire a gun just to 'flag down' the law?!). "Half-Breed", kitschy as it may be, is way better. Sonny had good song judgement for Cher! |
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Post by Caseyfan4everRyanfanNever on Nov 24, 2012 22:51:15 GMT -5
Would have been more fun if Vicki Lawrence had credited the song to her character "Thelma Harper" from "Mama's Family"
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