Welcome to late March 1978. In America, a rock festival called California Jam II had just drawn over 350,000 people to a speedway in the town of Ontario. The lineup featured Heart, Ted Nugent, Santana, Aerosmith, and more. None of these bands, however, were having an impact on the British charts at the time. What was? Well...
40 - "We've Got the Whole World," Nottingham Forest and Paper Lace
As you may be aware of, soccer is quite popular in Britain, and its impact has been felt over the years on the pop chart, with songs not only about the sport, but with vocal contributions by players and teams, appearing with some regularity over the years. The first example we come across is this collaboration between the band best known for "The Night Chicago Died" and their local club, who were in the midst of the most successful period in their history. The team sings as a chorus a modified versions of the spiritual "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands," featuring lyrics about how great they are and how they're going to win. Simple, but effective. Football songs and chants are one of the things I like about British culture that I wish could somehow be adapted to sports here. But singing players...not so much. You get stuff like the near-Top 40 from 1985 "The Super Bowl Shuffle" by The Chicago Bears Shufflin' Crew. Not good. And I say that as a Bears fan.
39 - "Too Much Too Little Too Late," Johnny Mathis and Deneice Williams
The breakup duet between Mr. "Misty" and the future Ms. "Let's Hear it for the Boy," went to #1 in the States and Top Five here. Covered it a long time ago. Smooth and okay. I still prefer their Family Ties theme.
38 - "Too Hot ta Trot/Zoom," The Commodores
Double-sided hit from the pride of Tuskegee, Alabama. The A is good solid sex-funk. The B is a Lionel Richie-fronted ballad about longing for a place where "people can be what they wanna be." I think these guys are underrated.
37 - "Figaro," Brotherhood of Man
This two-man, two-woman British vocal group first gained world attention with the transatlantic 1970 hit "United We Stand." They didn't do much more until 1976, when they had a run that featured three U.K. #1s, the last of which was this disco pop song about a lothario who wows women when he "plays guitar at the disco bar." It's in the same genre as ABBA, but they are the monarchs, and this effort is below their standard, and that of Bucks Fizz, the group that would soon usurp them as the nation's leaders in this field.
36 - "Baby Come Back," Player
This very familiar U.S. #1 soft rocker was also their only U.K hit. But here it only made it to #32. I tend to side with the Brits.
35 - "5 Minutes," The Stranglers
The band's fourth hit was this blast of anger from bassist Jean-Jacques Burnel toward the men who raped a woman who lived in his neighborhood. You feel his conflicted feelings about his desire for revenge. A good example of the urgency punk brought to rock.
34 - "Singin' in the Rain," Sheila B. Devotion
French singer Annie Chancel, who took the stage name "Sheila," had been having hits at home for over a decade when she was paired with a disco group of singers and dancers called "B.Devotion." For much of the world, they were known together as Sheila B. Devotion. Anyway, they had two U.K. hits, the first and biggest of which was this dance cover of a 1929 song that was popularized in 1952 in a 1952 Gene Kelly musical. Interesting, but inconsequential.
33 - "Never Let Her Slip Away," Andrew Gold
The late Californian, best known in the States for "Lonely Boy," and writing the eventual Golden Girls theme "Thank You for Being a Friend," had a Top Five here with this jaunty pop love song inspired by the moment he met his then-girlfriend, Saturday Night Live "Not Ready for Prime Time Player" Laraine Newman. It also features background vocals from Gold's buddy Freddie Mercury. Yet another gem I've discovered.
32 - "Love is Like Oxygen," Sweet
The last major hit on both sides of the Atlantic for the British glam stars. I always like to breathe in its goodness.
31 - "The Ghost of Love," Tavares
The last non re-release U.K Top 40 for these funky Rhode Island brothers is vibrant disco about how a man's memories of a previous lover scare future prospects away. They sound a little too happy about what seems like a depressing predicament, but I guess disco helps the medicine go down.
30 - "Sometimes When We Touch," Dan Hill
The timeless sapfest. Again, his only U.K. hit, and it didn't hit as big. I definitely think British tastes match up more with my own.
29 - "Just the Way You Are," Billy Joel
Billy's American breakthrough was his first hit here, but it only got this high. If it were up to me, I'd probably split the difference between this and its U.S peak of #3.
28 - "I'll Go Where Your Music Takes Me," Tina Charles
The last Top 40 for the former Tina Hoskins was this bit o'disco about being really in love with a musician. There's xylophone on it, which is nice. Otherwise, irrelevant.
27 - "News of the World," The Jam
The legendary band's fourth hit (and the only one written solely by bassist Bruce Foxton) was this snarling punk roar at the British tabloid media. It doesn't have the impeccable pop hooks of the band at their best, but still a very good song.
26 - "I Don't Want to Go to Chelsea," Elvis Costello
The son of a London bandleader, Declan Patrick McManus took on a stage surname Dad had used and an iconic first name when he began his career as punk's bespectacled poet laureate. His second hit was this rubbery rock song about flirting girls, dirty old men, violent thugs, and other reasons he doesn't want to visit a certain section of London. I think that's it. Anyway, great stuff. It's hard to go wrong with EC from this period.
25 - "I Wonder Why," Showaddywaddy
This eight-piece from Leicester racked up 23 Top 40s between 1974 and 1982, including a #1 and four Number Twos. The last of the latter was this pretty faithful cover of a 1958 hit by Dion and the Belmonts. Covering songs from that era without changing much was their style, and it worked for them. I prefer more adventurousness, but good for them for succeeding with their thing. But I must say they have a contender for my dream all-name band in drummer Romeo Challenger. And speaking of Leicester, it's amazing what their doing in the Premiership this year. They could actually win the league, which would be the stuff of legend. I'm kind of rooting for them, but I can't go all the way, because their closest pursuers are my club, Tottenham Hotspur, and I don't know when we'll ever get another chance this good to win the league.
24 - "Walk in Love," The Manhattan Transfer
The New York jazz-pop vocal group had twice as many hits here than they did at home. They had a #1 with "Chanson D'Amour," but their second-biggest, this ballad about falling in love and having sex on a beach, only hit #12. It's okay romantic mood-setting.
23 - "All Right Now," Free
Here it is again. It must have been re-released for some reason in '78. Oh well, it's always good for a rock-out.
22 - "Follow You Follow Me," Genesis
The first U.S. Top 40 and first U.K. Top Ten for the now Gabriel-less ones. Slick pop sung by Phil Collins. We had no idea how much more of that there would be to come.
21 - "Just One More Night," Yellow Dog,
The only hit by this British band, fronted by American Kenny Young, had their only hit with this pop-rocker about a woman who keeps extending her stand beyond a single evening with sweet talk and promises. Silly fun. The false ending that resumes with a ringing telephone and a continuation of the pledges of chore-doing was a nice touch.
In Part two: art, literature, and more football.
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