The cosmic ballet goes on.
20 - "Pillow Talk," Silvia
19 - "Out of the Question," Gilbert O'Sullivan
18 - "Daisy a Day," Jud Strunk
17 - "Ain't No Woman (Like the One I've Got)," The Four Tops
16 - "Walk on the Wild Side," Lou Reed
We start with Sylvia Robinson, who had scored a hit as part of the duo Mickey and Sylvia in 1957 with "Love is Strange." She worked behind the scenes in the music industry for a while after that, and in 1972, she wrote a song that she thought would be perfect for Al Green. But Green turned it down, deeming it "too sexy" for the future Reverend to record. So Robinson recorded it herself, and made it even more raunchy by adding some orgasmic moaning at the end. It's pretty hot, and probably set the stage for "Love to Love You Baby" After this, Robinson would go back behind the scenes, forming the seminal rap label Sugar Hill Records. But no, she wasn't the same Sylvia who did the country-pop hit "Nobody" in 1982.
Then it's my old buddy Gilbert. This time he's not singing about suicide or dogs or anything like that. Just a straightforward pop song about being led on by a woman. I hesitate to say this but...it's not bad. You broke through, Gil. Congrats.
Then it's singer/comedian Jud Strunk, the second singer on this week's list to have been raised over the bridge from me in Western New York. On this folky number, he sounds almost Irish as he tells the story of a couple so much in love that even when she dies, he fulfills his promise to present her daily with her favorite flower. It's normally the kind of sap that would turn me off, but daisies happen to be my Mom's favorite flower, and Mother's Day was yesterday, so it gets a pass.
The Four Tops are next with their second post-Motown single, which would be their biggest hit away from Hitsville U.S.A. It was apparently recorded first by MOR footnotes Hamilton, Joe Frank and Reynolds. I can't imagine their version was one quintillionth as good as this. Levi freaking Stubbs, man. What can you say?
Rounding out this group is a song that Casey said "has my nomination for the most unusual song of the year." So I guess he's contradicting my choice for this week's Uneasy Rider. And I'll admit that perhaps if I wasn't so familiar with this song, the idea of a jazzy, Bowie-produced number by the ex-leader of the Velvet Underground with lyrics referring to transvestism, valium, and (though not in the radio edit) fellatio would seem like an odd formula for a Top 20 single in 1973. But in the end, I just think it's so cool and catchy that it couldn't help getting on the radio, subject matter aside. So Clint Holmes keeps his award, regardless of what Casey thinks.
15 - "Reelin' in the Years," Steely Dan
14 - "Daniel," Elton John
13 - "Wildflower," Skylark
12 - "Peaceful," Helen Reddy
11 - "Masterpiece," The Temptations
This section opens with a band named after a fictional sex toy from the William S. Burroughs novel Naked Lunch. This was their second hit, and it contains a couple highly-regarded guitar solos. I like the Dan. They may be a bit pretentious, but they filled a niche for literate-yet-accessible pop-rock.
Then it's Elton with a Vietnam-inspired soft-rocker about a blinded vet who escapes his demons by making regular visits to Spain. At least that's what I've been able to piece together. This is another song I remember doing the "Health Hustle" to in my early years of elementary school. I didn't mention it at the time, but "Joy to the World" was too.
Next is the only hit by Canada's Skylark, a ballad in which they suggest that a woman be allowed to cry because "she's a free and gentle flower growing wild." The keyboardist for this band was David Foster, who would go on to become the multimillionaire producer of records by a who's who of MOR of the past thirty years. Oh yes, and in 1992, he apparently saved Ben Vereen's life by hitting him with his car. Yes, you read that right.
Then it's Helen R., my girl, with one of her non-crazy lady hits. This was the follow-up to her first #1 "I Am Woman." It's a song about basking in a quiet, bucolic corner of the world. Personally, I think it's more suited to John Denver.
Ending this section are the Temps with a song that, despite its title, is a gritty tale of crime and despetation in the inner city. Like "Papa Was a Rolling Stone," the vocals don't come in until quite a while into the song, which apparently caused friction between the group and producer Norman Whitfield. This was their last Motown Top 10
And now, introducing the starting lineup for your World Champion Top Ten!
10 - "Frankenstein," The Edgar Winter Group
A smash instrumental by one of rock's most successful albinos. The song's name comes from the fact that it contains elements of various studio jams that were edited together. It was playing in a van that some cool kids had dubbed "the Second Base Mobile" when a teenaged Homer Simpson apporached to hang out with them in their strobe-lit glory. He was rebuffed.
9 - "Sing," The Carpenters
You may have heard this song about the joy of beltiing out a tune, even if "it's not good enough for anyone else to hear" early in your life, as it was written for
Sesame Street. Barbra Streisand was the first pop artist to record it, but the Carpenters apparently decided to do their own version, complete with a children's choir, after hearing it performed on a TV special called Robert Young With the Young. Ah, early 70s television, when giving the guy who played Marcus Welby M.D. a children's special was thought to be a ratings-grabber.
8 - "The Twelfth of Never," Donny Osmond
Another cover by young Donald, this one of a Johnny Mathis hit that declares that the singer will love his lady until the titular non-existent date. The voice was deepening, but I have to admit, the kid did all right on this one.
7 - "Stuck in the Middle with You," Stealers Wheel
Yes kids, there was a time when people could hear this song sung by future "Baker Street" hitmaker Gerry Rafferty without picturing Michael Madsen cutting a cop's ear off. Before that, it was just a catchy pop number about being caught between clowns and jokers. Ah Tarantino, he can be a blessing and a curse.
6 - "Drift Away," Dobie Gray
This singer who was discovered by Sonny Bono of all people and took his stage name partly from the TV show The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis had his first hit in 1965 with "The 'In' Crowd." His second wouldn't come for another eight years in the form of this soulful ode to getting lost in music. The only good thing I can say about Uncle Kracker's 2003 cover version is that Dobie sang on it, and presumably made some nice cash.
5 - "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia," Vicki Lawrence
The second female lead on The Carol Burnett Show made her only impact on the music biz with this countryish tale of a man who is convicted and executed for murdering one of his wife's lovers, even though his sister knows he's innocent. How, you ask? Because she killed the guy. And the brother's wife, who's body "will never be found." She says she couldn't save her brother because she didn't have time or opportunity to confess, but me, I'm not so sure she tried as hard as she could. Apparently, this song was first offered to Cher, but Sonny made her turn it down for fear that it would offend Southerners. Too bad. Vicki does the best she can, but I imagine Cher would have knocked this out of the park.
4 - "You are the Sunshine of My Life," Stevie Wonder
Stevie's third charttopper. It's less adventurous than most of his other hits from his creative flowering, but it's still an effective pop song. Although I don't understand why he decided to let two other singers sing the first four lines.
3 - "Little Willy," Sweet
The first, and biggest, U.S. hit by these British glam titans. I don't know if the fact that the title can also mean "small penis" was taken into consideration during the song's creation, but I wouldn't be surprised. What I am sure of is that it's one of the decade's catchiest singalongs. I would love one day to be in a roomful of drunks belting this one out at the top of our lungs.
2 - "The Cisco Kid," War
One of the band's biggest hits, this song was inspired by a character created by writer O. Henry in 1907 as a Caucasian outlaw who would later morph into a Latino Western hero in movies and TV. The Kid and sidekick Pancho were stars of the first TV show shot in color, and they were also American TV's first major Hispanic characters. As for the song itself, it's got the group's usual Latin flavor, but it's more naturally intergrated with funk than some of their other stuff. It may be my favorite of theirs.
And leading the pop pack on this particular occasion was...
1 - "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree," Dawn
Tony Orlando and his female backups had their second Number One with this story of a man coming home from a stint in prison who wrote his lover that if she wanted him back, she should affix a bit of material to a tree near her home. He spends most of the song dreading her response, but at the end, he sees that she's greeted him with not one but 100 yellow ribbons. Aw, ain't that sweet. But how much you wanna bet that the guy was back in the pen within a year?
The NotCaseys this week were "Right Place, Wrong Time," by Dr. John, "No More Mr. Nice Guy" by Alice Cooper, and "Bad Bad Leroy Brown" by Jim Croce. The last one of these is notable because it appeared on the very first chart I covered here. We're starting to come full circle, and we may soon run into more and more previously traveled ground. I foresaw this, and I have some thoughts on what I'm going to do when things start getting repetitive. Stay tuned.
See you in six.
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