This week it's '73. While Secretariat was winning the Kentucky Derby on his way to history, these were the songs that were filling the air around him.
40 - "Blue Suede Shoes," Johnny Rivers
39 - "Danny's Song," Anne Murray
38 - "I Can Understand It," New Birth
37 - "I'm Gonna Love You Just a Little More Baby," Barry White
36 - "It Sure Took a Long, Long Time," Lobo
35 - "Leaving Me," The Independents
34 - "Armed and Extremely Dangerous," First Choice
33 - "I'm Doing Fine Now," New York City
32 - "Playground in My Mind," Clint Holmes
31 - "Cherry, Cherry (Live)" Neil Diamond
This first bunch is bookended by a pair of sixties holdovers. Veteran rocker Johnny Rivers didn't do much new with a Carl Perkins standard. I guess it just snuck in to the 40 on the residual goodwill from "Rockin' Pneumonia." And Neil Diamond took the song he scored his first Top 40 hit with back into the charts with a rollicking live version from the Hot August Night album. It does have a way of moving me, Cherry.
Next we'll delve into that endless reservoir of 70s MOR. Anne Murray took a song about love and impending parenthood that Kenny Loggins wrote to commemorate the birth of his brother's son into the Top 10. One of her best known hits, and it doesn't make me want to claw my eyes out or anything, but being told I'd never hear again might "bring a tear of joy to my eyes." Lobo's here again, and I'm sorry, I really don't care. I don't know what people heard in songs like this then, but to my ears in 2011, they offer nothing. Nothing, I tell you. And Clint Holmes, who I remember mainly from his frequent appearances on Variety Club telethon's in his hometown of Buffalo, had his only hit with this sing-songy novelty about calming down by thinking back to the innocence of childhood, which is represented in the choruses by Holmes duetting with his producer's son on rhymes about buying candy and marrying and having kids with his schoolyard sweetheart. It's silly, and it pretty much destroyed any hope of a serious career for Clint. But he did find a home performing in Las Vegas, and for further consolation, I'll give him this week's Uneasy Rider Award.
The rest is good old R&B. Detroit's New Birth had their biggest of three pop hits with this funky Bobby Womack cover in which the singer proclaims that he can comprehend pretty much everything in the world except how the woman he loves can stand to be away from him for too long. Oh, and by "biggest hit" I mean it hit #35. It deserved better. Barry White scored his first hit with a song that introduced the world to his smooth, impeccable loverman rap. It's probably second or third favorite for me. Oh, and future copyright defendant Ray Parker Jr. played on it. The Independents are here wiith a decent ballas about how their neighborhood is abuzz with the idea that the singer is about to be abandoned by his lady. First Choice are a female trio who had a hit with this fun number about a guy named "Dangerous Dan" who, according to the spoken-word opening, is "Wanted by the FBI" for seducing ladies and leaving women with "another mouth to feed." and lives that are "a mess." Well, now that Bin Laden's been taken care of, maybe they can started conentrating on apprehending this charming fiend. And the song at 33 isn't really remarkable, except for the group's name and the fact that they were produced by the unlikely combo of Partridge Family producer Wes Farrell and "Philly Sound" architect Thom Bell. Those are two names I did not expect to ever have to type in the same sentence.
30 - "Steamroller Blues," Elvis Presley
29 - "Pinball Wizard/See Me, Feel Me," The New Seekers
28 - "Hallelujah Day," The Jackson 5
27 - "Thinking of You," Loggins and Messina
26 - "My Love," Paul McCartney and Wings
25 - "The Right Thing to Do," Carly Simon
24 - "Stir it Up," Johnny Nash
23 - "Hocus Pocus," Focus
22 - "Neither One of Us," Gladys Knight and the Pips
21 - "Funky Worm," The Ohio Players
We'll start with rock. The King leads off with the closing song from his Aloha from Hawaii TV special, a blues number so authentically gritty-sounding you'd never guess it was written by maestro of mellow James Taylor. Paul and his new lads (and lady) appear again with a sweet ballad about his beloved, who reportedly "does it good." I'll assume that any crass interpretations of that line are wrong. And the Dutch band Focus had their only American hit with this drviing, grooving instrumental that features what I would claim are the best uses of yodelling and accordion in a rock song. Makes me proud to have ancestors from those nether lands.
Just a little bit of the easy stuff. The New Seekers are here with a thoroughly forgettable and superfluous cover of two parts of Tommy. And where's that Coke they said they'd buy me? Kenny L. and his buddy Jim are here with a song that reminds me of some of the Lovin' Spoonful's poppier stuff. Except for the fact that it sucks. And Carly Simon has decided that caring for the one she's singing for is the right thing to do. Although she doesn't indicate whether or not it's "a tasty way to do it," unlike Wilford Brimley.
We close with another substantial helping of soul. The Jackson 5 are here with one of their lesser-known hits, their first to hit the 40 but not reach the Top 20. It's basically another in the "peace and love are on their way" genre that was big at this time, but the line "Somebody finally saw the light/They're gonna send our brothers home" is likely a Vietnam reference, which gives the song a topical edge. Johnny Nash, who helped introduce reggae to the U.S. mainstream with "I Can See Clearly Now," had his only other hit with a cover of a then-unknown Jamaican named Nesta Robert Marley. This and "I Shot the Sheriff" were pretty much the only exposure many people got to Bob's music up until his death. Gladys Knight and her backup notched another classic with this song about when people know things have to end but just aren't willing to pull the plug. I'm sure Gladys gets plenty of respect, but I think she still might be a tad underrated. At her best, she was right there with Diana and Aretha. And the Ohio Players had their first hit with a song about a six-foot-long, guitar-playing worm who is managed by "Granny," whose voice is heard throughout the song, making declarations like "That's funky like nine cans of shaving powder!" Had never heard it before, but I did recognize it from hip-hop samples, particularly Granny's "Sing it now," which was used in De La Soul's "Me Myself and I." But now that I've experienced the whole thing, love it love it love it.
Tomorrow: an underground legend, a man who ran over a guy who was once on The Muppet Show, and a woman who got away with *gasp* murder!
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