Right smack in the middle of the decade. And the list definitely reflects that. It also contains a lot of the songs that were on the radio when I was really starting to grasp the idea of the world around me. Some would say I haven't fully grasped it yet, but whatever.
40 - "My Eyes Adored You," Frankie Valli
39 - "Lady," Styx
38 - "Your Bulldog Drinks Champagne," Jim Stafford
37 - "Lonely People," America
36 - "Nightingale," Carole King
35 - "Cat's in the Cradle," Harry Chapin
34 - "The Entertainer," Billy Joel
33 - "Dark Horse," George Harrison
32 - "Ready," Cat Stevens
31- "I Belong to You," Love Unlimited
We kick off with the 60s survivors. Frankie Valli is Seasonless on this song about pining away for a childhood sweetheart he never even got to kiss, but it still got him to Number One. I know I liked this at four. Not so much now. Brill Building songsmith Carole King continued her run of 70s performing success with this song about a lost soul and the symbolic songbird he wishes would "sing him home again." And George Harrison is here, claiming to be a "cool jerk." I think this is a good thing. He's at least got the cool part right.
Everybody else here is pretty much a product of this decade. We'll start wtih the groups. Chicago's Bob Seger (no, I probably won't ever stop calling them that) had their first hit with this big bombastic ballad that introduced the world, for better of for worse, to the leather lungs of Dennis DeYoung. America do their best Neil Young impression on "Lonely People." It won't make anyone forget Shakey, but it is a decent radio hit, advising the lovelorn not to "give up until you drink from the silver cup." I guess that's a useful tip. And Love Unlimited, the Barry White-sponsored girl group who are here with this okay R&B ballad, are not to be confused with the Love Unlimited Orchestra, who gave the world "Love's Theme." Either way, Barry was making money.
Then there are the solo acts. Jim Stafford's novelty hits were starting to lose their chart power by this time, but he still did pretty well with this tale of a guy staying at a hotel who, every night, spies a woman in an opposite window drinking champagne, accompanied by a bulldog who is also imbibing bubbly. After two weeks of this, he goes over to the room, where he's greeted with a literal "How do you do?" and a bite on the leg. But get this, it's the dog who says hello and the woman who bites him! What a twist! Anyway, I'm going to erase any lingering guilt over snubbing "Spiders and Snakes" by giving Jim this week's Uneasy Rider Award. Harry Chapin returns from a previous visit to this time period with his story of how the years create irony. Billy Joel scored his second Top 40 (after "Piano Man") with a bouncy song about the ups and downs of trying to make it as a big time rock star. And Cat Stevens repeats the title of his hit here so many times that he leaves no room for doubt of his preparedness. And for the record, it's love he's ready for. Just thought you'd like to know.
30 - "Sweet Surrender," John Denver
29 - "#9 Dream," John Lennon
28 - "From His Woman to You," Barbara Mason
27 - "Look in My Eyes Pretty Woman," Tony Orlando and Dawn
26 - "Struttin'," Billy Preston
25 - "Free Bird," Lynyrd Skynyrd
24 - "Black Water," The Doobie Brothers
23 - "Ride 'em Cowboy," Paul Davis
22 - "Angie Baby," Helen Reddy
21 - "You're No Good," Linda Ronstadt
Big easy listening prescence in this bunch, including some giants. John Denver just wants to live free like a fish or a bird in yet another of his uplifting folk hits that were impossible to escape back then. I must admit, I appreciate him more every time he pops up here. Tony O. and his lovely backup singers return with another lightweight number that isn't one of their best or their worst. It's just there. Paul Davis, future performer of "I Go Crazy," is here with a much more interesting if still sleepy-sounding tune about a broken-down rodeo rider looking back on his glory days and wishing he'd settled down. And then there's "Angie Baby" again. I pretty much gushed all over the place the last time we came across this, so there's no need to do it again. Just find it, play it, love it.
Rock in its various forms is here in a big way too. John Lennon had one of his last hits before his five-year hiatus with this, for lack of a better word, dreamy song which featured backup vocals from onetime mistress May Pang. Oh, and that "Ah bowakowa poussay poussay" phrase that makes up the chorus? Meaningless, apparently. Lynyrd Skynyrd are here with a song that makes people reflexively reach for lighters to fire up and hold aloft. Fortunately, I don't have one at the moment. The Doobie Brothers had their biggest, and arguably best, pre-Michael McDonald hit with this swampy ode to the South and the sounds of "funky Dixieland." And yes, this Linda Ronstadt hit, her breakthrough to superstardom, is yet another cover, but the Betty Everett version didn't crack the Top 40, so it's at least close to being primarily Linda's song.
We finish with some soul. Barbara Mason, as you might gather from the title, is communicating with the "other woman" in her significant other's life. But instead of anger, Barbara seems sympathetic to her would-be rival. She tells her "if you don't bother me, I won't bother you," but warns that her man will not leave his relationship. Surprisingly reasonable, but it still makes for a good song. And Billy Preston had another instrumental hit with "Struttin'" Not much to say, except I think I liked it better than "Outa-Space."
Tomorrow: fightin', dancin' and laughin'.
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