March 15, 1975 Part Two

Picking up where we left off.

20 - "My Boy," Elvis Presley
19 - "I Am Love, Part 2," The Jackson 5
18 - "Sad Sweet Dreamer," Sweet Sensation
17 - "To the Door of the Sun (Alle Porte del Sol)," Al Martino
16 - "Up in a Puff of Smoke," Polly Brown

We start off with Elvis, back with the same song as last time,, like three of the four others in this bunch. He's almost operatic in his love for his son on this one. It's growing on me

The only non repeater comes from Michael and his bros. This was the closest they had come to disco to date. It was also their last top 40 hit before they left Motown and Jermaine and became The Jacksons. As farewells to eras go, it's decent, but not spectacular.

Sweet Sensation are back, and still boring as hell. Nothing sad or sweet about it. Just sounds like a tossed-off theme from a bad early 70s romantic comedy or something. I'm sure other people like this a lot, but its appeal is completely lost on me.

Al Martino returns with his last hit. On second listen, I like it better, especially because I heard more of it. It appeals to me in the same way Tom Jones' more dramatic stuff does. But I still like Al best when Marlon Brando is slapping him and shouting "You can act like a MAN!"

Rounding out the section is England's Polly Brown. It's still a very nice Supremes impression, which I'm sure was welcome to radio listeners' ears at the time. In fact, it's always welcome. Hey Katy, Britney, Gaga, somebody. Faithfully cover this. Millions will be thankful.

15 - "Shame, Shame, Shame," Shirley and Company
14 - "No No Song/Snookeroo," Ringo Starr
13 - "Best of My Love," The Eagles
12 - "You Are So Beautiful," Joe Cocker
11 - "Poerty Man," Phoebe Snow

Shirley Goodman first had musical success with the duo Shirley and Lee, who had a hit with "Let the Good Times Roll" (which was also on the Stand by Me soundtrack. Two mentions of that record in two days. Didn't see that coming) in 1956. Two decades later, she finally charted again by fronting a disco group and singing the hell out of this sparse-yet-funky slice of greatness. The group followed up with the similarly titled "Cry, Cry, Cry," but it barely charted, and Shirley left the music business. But if you're only going to be known for two songs, the two she's known for are as good a pair as any.

Then it's Richard Starkey with another one of those double-sided hits. "No No Song" is the one I remember. Co-written by Hoyt Axton, who also wrote Steppenwolf's "The Pusher" and Three Dog Night's "Joy to the World," it's a jaunty novelty about a guy who turns down marijuana, cocaine, and whiskey because he's "tired of waking up on the floor." But because of the drug references, some radio stations didn't want to play it, and Casey didn't play it on this week's countdown (although it was played as a NotCasey Extra). Instead, he played the flip side, an okay Elton John/Bernie Taupin composition about a misspent British youth. No no no no, I don't need to hear it no more.

The Eagles are back with their biggest hit to that point. You know it, you've heard it a thousand times, it's been covered here twice already, let's move on.

The it's Joe Cocker, very simply and directly singing the praises of someone's beauty. It's one of those songs that had to exist. It's neither good nor bad, but it had to be written sometime. Don't question me on this.

Finally, Phoebe Snow is back singing about the shy guy who can be a smoothie given the right circumstances. I know a guy like that.

Top ten, top ten, jiggity jog.

10 - "Don't Call Us, We'll Call You," Sugarloaf featuring Jerry Corbetta
This is certainly one of the first songs I remember liking a lot. It just had this big, bottom-heavy sound, and I think I also liked that the singer wasn't really singing on the choruses. It would definitely be in my top 40 of this entire decade.

9 - "Can't Get it Out of My Head," Electric Light Orchestra
ELO again with their first American hit. Okay, but I like their peppier stuff. Or if you have to play a slow one, give me "Telephone Line" over this.

8 - "Express," B.T. Express
String-and-horn-laden disco with a train whistle. What's not to like?

7 - "Lonely People," America
This is somehow in the same position as it was a month ago. I'm sure it moved around in the weeks between, but still.

6 - "Lady," Styx
Chicago's Seger again with their first hit. When The Simpsons did an episode in which Homer was portraying Odysseus, this song played in the background while he crossed the River Styx. He found the experience truly hellish. Not my best Simpsons reference, but it was slim pickings this week.

5 - "Lovin' You," Minnie Riperton
Maya Rudolph's late mother returns with the song that unveiled her ability to sing in what's called "the whistle register" to the world. And yes, it's pronounce "RIP-erton," not "RIPE-erton," in spite of there only being one "P."

4 - "Have You Never Been Mellow," Olivia Newton-John
Another of my early favorites. This song made ONJ #1 in my 4-year-old heart. It's just so warm and comforting. A three-minute hug. And who couldn't use one of those from time to time?

3 - "Lady Marmalade," LaBelle
Yet another one of the first songs that made me prick up my ears every time I heard it. Again, it probably had something to do with me thinking they were singing about shit. Disturbing, I know. But would you rather I knew it was about a hooker? Didn't think so.

2 - "My Eyes Adored You," Frankie Valli
I liked this a lot as a kid too. But unlike the others I've mentioned, I'm over it. I still like "Grease," though, Frankie, even though I'll never understand why a disco song was the theme from a movie about the 50s.

And at peak of pop at this moment of the past, we find...

1 - "Black Water," The Doobie Brothers
I've told you how cool I think it is that a song like this went to #1. But what I haven't told you is something I just read: this is one of the songs the Doobies did when they appeared on a two-part episode of What's Happening! dealing with the scourge of bootleg recording. Hey HEY Hey!

Besides "No No Song," NotCasey played Ace's "How Long" and "Amie" by the Pure Prairie League.

Next week is looking like another fun one, so start getting your hopes up now.