December 14, 1974

Okay, going back to '74. I'll start the way I usually do with these one-parters, by listing 40-11 with the songs I haven't encountered in the past in bold.

40 - "Whatever Gets You Thru the Night," John Lennon
39 - "The Heartbreak Kid," Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods
38 - "Dancin' Fool," The Guess Who
37 - "Fire Baby, I'm On Fire," Andy Kim
36 - "Everlasting Love," Carl Carlton
35 - "Dream On," The Righteous Brothers
34 - "Morning Side of the Mountain," Donny and Marie Osmond
33 - "Woman to Woman," Shirley Brown
32 - "Dark Horse," George Harrison
31 - "Please Mr. Postman," The Carpenters
30 - "Mandy," Barry Manilow
29 - "I've Got the Music in Me," The Kiki Dee Band
28 - "Never Can Say Goodbye," Gloria Gaynor
27 - "Ride 'em Cowboy," Paul Davis
26 - "Willie and the Hand Jive," Eric Clapton
25 - "Bungle in the Jungle," Jethro Tull
24 - "One Man Woman/One Woman Man," Paul Anka with Odia Coates
23 - "Boogie On Reggae Woman," Stevie Wonder
22 - "Longfellow Serenade," Neil Diamond
21 - "I Feel a Song (In My Heart)," Gladys Knight and the Pips
20 - "Must of Got Lost," The J. Geils Band
19 - "My Melody of Love," Bobby Vinton
18 - "Only You," Ringo Starr
17 - "Ain't Too Proud to Beg," The Rolling Stones
16 - "Laughter in the Rain," Neil Sedaka
15 - "Wishing You Were Here," Chicago
14 - "Promised Land," Elvis Presley
13 - "Fairytale," The Pointer Sisters
12 - "You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet," Backman-Turner Overdrive
11 - "You Got the Love," Rufus featuring Chaka Khan

Eleven newcomers to BGC-land in the first 30. I'll start by covering the American pop-rock groups. Hey, here's yet another non-"Billy, Don't be a Hero" hit from Cincinnati's Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods. It's actually kind of a cool little R&B-influenced number about a male equivalent to Dion's "Runaround Sue." A surprise gem. The Righteous Brothers had their final Top 40 single (not counting the "Unchained Melody" revival of 1990) with this song in which they pledge to protect a woman while she sleeps so she can have happy dreams. Kind of like a reverse Freddy Kruger thing, I guess. Anyway, not much here. And the J. Geils band had one of their bigger pre-"Centerfold" singles with this grammatically incorrect soul-rocker about the regret that comes with letting a good woman get away. They kind of sound like a real version of the Blues Brothers on this. And yes, I consider that a good thing.

There are two non-American rock bands here. Canada's Guess Who had their last American hit with this pleasant little ditty about a "flashy filly" who helps Burton Cummings overcome his shyness. Frank Zappa has a much better song with this title. And The Rolling Stones picked up a hit with a faithful cover of a 1966 Temptations hit. Not at all essential or necessary, but it's nice to hear Mick and the boys just letting loose on one of their favorites. You can hear the joy.

Three solo male singers are among the newcomers. Canadian Andy Kim followed up his #1 smash "Rock Me Gently with this piano-driven sex plea that sounds like something Mac Davis would have come up with. But better. Eric Clapton followed up "I Shot the Sheriff" with another cover, this one a restrained version of Johnny Otis' 1958 rock standard about a guy name Willie and his talent for a certain type of dance move. When it first came out, some moral watchdogs suspected that "hand jive" was code for masturbation. Could've been, I suppose. And Elvis is here, sounding inspired with this rollicking cover of a 1964 Chuck Berry song about a wild trip from Norfolk, Virginia to California. Even as he was being sanitized and Vegasized, the heart of a true rocker was still in there somewhere.

We'll finish with R&B. Well, R&B artists anyway. Arkansas' Shirley Brown had her only pop hit with this ballad in which she calls a woman named Barbara whose name and number she found in her man's pocket. First in a spoken-word intro, then in the sung part, Shirley forcefully asserts that she loves her man and will not give him up without a fight. It was a #1 soul hit, and it later inspired a woman named Barbara Mason to put out a response record "From His Woman to You." We encountered that one first, in an early '75 entry. Gladys Knight and the Pips had another hit in their hot period with this song in which Gladys tells the man who left her crying about the new man who has put the music back in her life. Not a great song, but the performance more than makes up for that. And The Pointer Sisters had their second Top 40 hit with this straight-up country song written by Bonnie and Anita. A definite departure for them, but they sounded perfectly natural and sincere with traditional C&W backing singing about leaving a cheating man. This would go on to win them a Grammy for Best Country Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group, and I have to say that award was well-deserved.

Here's a ten-spot for your trouble:

10 - "Junior's Farm," Paul McCartney and Wings
The lyrics to this still don't make any sense. But there was an actual "Junior's Farm," a place in Nashville where the band recorded this song. So that's something.

9 - "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds." Elton John
The second Elton John Lennon song on this chart, after "Whatever Gets You Thru the Night. Both went to #1. Clearly a fruitful combination. It might have been nice it they'd done more stuff together. And perhaps they would have...

8 - "Sha-La-La (Make Me Happy)," Al Green
Reverend Al is happy to see you. And I'm happy to hear him so happy. I'm still not as versed on him as I'd like to be, but there's no question in my mind anymore of his amazing greatness.

7 - "You're the First, the Last, My Everything," Barry White
This is the Barry White song I remember best from my childhood, and still my favorite. If I ever have a disco party, both this and "Never Can Say Goodbye" will be key pieces of the playlist.

6 - "Do It ('Til You're Satisfied)," B.T. Express
"Whatever it is, you've got it, 'long as it pleases you," these guys sing on this funky bumper. Works for me.

5 - "Angie Baby," Helen Reddy
Ah, crazy Angie, we meet again. Did I mention I love this song? I think I might have. It's a masterpiece of pop psychodrama. Helen rules.

4 - "Cat's in the Cradle," Harry Chapin
Yes, Harry, it is ironic that after you didn't have enough time to spend with your son while he was growing up, he's nowthe one who's too busy to spend time with you. It's a good song, don't get me wrong, but I think I could do without hearing it for a long while.

3 - "I Can Help," Billy Swan
Ah yes, the distinctive, organ-backed hiccup that is this song. But somehow, it's wonderful. And the guitar solo is cool in a non-flashy way.

2 - "When Will I See You Again," The Three Degrees
Just lush and beautiful. Philly soul at its best. Fantastic arrangement, great vocals, hits all the sweet spots.

And 37 years ago, the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 was occupied by...

1 - "Kung Fu Fighting," Carl Douglas
Yes, this novelty record that now accompanies the antics of an animated Jack Black-voiced panda really did make it all the way to the top. And yes, it's a fun little artifact, and it'll probably also make the playlist at my hypothetical future disco party. But I'm a little pissed by the fact by the fact that this made it to #1 while "When Will I See You Again" never did. Would history really have changed all that much if those two songs had simply switched chart fates? I don't think so. And the world would be a little more just to boot.

This chart's NotCaseys were "Best of My Love" by the Eagles, "My Eyes Adored You" by Frankie Valli, and "Lady" by Styx.

And that's that, for a few days anyway.