Music of the 1970's

1970 - Bridge Over Troubled Water - Simon and Garfunkel
1971 - Joy To The World - Three Dog Night
1972 - First Time Ever I Saw Your Face - Roberta Flack
1973 - Killing Me Softly With His Song - Roberta Flack
1974 - The Way We Were - Barbra Streisand
1975 - Love Will Keep Us Together - Captain and Tennille
1976 - Tonight's The Night - Rod Stewart
1977 - You Light up My Life - Debby Boone
1978 - Night Fever - Bee Gees
1979 - My Sharona - The Knack

When the 1960's ended and the 70's began I wasn't really listening too much to music. But when The Partridge Family debuted on ABC Television I was really exposed to music. Call it bubble gum rock, but the number 6 song I think I Love You by The Partridge Family was top on my list.

The Beatles formally announced their breakup and John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison each had their own projects. George must have had a big backlog of songs since he released the three record All Things Must Pass along with the number 5 best song of 1970, My Sweet Lord.

The number 4 song of the year, Close To You by The Carpenters. It was the first hit single release by the siblings Richard and Karen Carpenter. The song was written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David.

The number 3 song was also written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David and was featured in the movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head by B.J. Thomas was the first number one song of the 1970's.

I'll Be There by Jackson 5 was their 4th number one song in 1970. The previous three were all upbeat songs, but this one was a ballad.

Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon and Garfunkel was the number 1 song of 1970. It also won the Grammy for Song of the Year, Record of the Year and appeared on the Album of the Year, which also had the same title.

This was originally published at 6ThingsToConsider.com

It seems as if nearly everyone has one year that stands out as the one the produced their favorite songs. Or maybe I should say a year that produced more of their favorite songs than any other. For me that year was 1971. It was the year that I became a teenager and listened to Pop 40 radio whenever I could.

The Bee Gees had the year's number 5 most popular song with How Can You Mend a Broken Heart. In some way 1971 could be marked as the end of one part of their career since after 1971 their popularity decreased until the rise of Disco a few years later.

Even though to some the Osmonds seemed like the white Jackson 5, the brothers had been singing together for over 10 years when they recorded their self-named album and reached the top with their most popular song One Bad Apple. Many loved it since it was the number 4 song of the year.

Tapestry was Carole King's second solo album and it became one of the biggest selling albums of all time. The release of It's Too Late and I Feel The Earth Move on the same single record gave disc jockeys a hard choice on which to play. While I liked both songs, my favorite side was I Feel The Earth Move.

Rod Stewart also had a two sided hit record with Maggie May and Reason to Believe. This release helped him to establish himself as s solo star and was the number 2 bestselling record of the year. My feeling is that the best song done by Stewart in 1971 was with him as the singer of Faces and their song Stay With Me.

When I first saw the song Joy to The World from the Album Naturally by Three Dog Night listed on a chart, I saw it listed on a top 40 chart published by a newspaper before I heard the song, I was wondering why 1) a Christmas song was doing on the charts and 2) why it was still their in April? Since then I've enjoyed plenty of wine (figurately) with my friend the Bull Frog, Jeremiah.

And this list doesn't include a couple of album tracks that not only are a couple of my favorite songs, they are favorites of many others. Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven and The Who's Won't get Fooled Again. Even though it was recorded in 1970 and released that same year, it was in 1971 that my all time favorite song was released as single record. Chicago's Colour My World.

Originally Published at 6ThingsToConsider.com

With the end of one year and the coming of the next, it's not unusual to have list showing the Best Of. That's what today's information will be. At the beginning of 1973 it was the publishing the top songs of 1972. An to start this list is the number 6 most popular song as determined by Billboard. Joe Tex had a big hit with his self penned song I Gotcha.

Coming in at number 5 was Sammy Davis Jr.'s biggest selling record reaching number 1 on June 10, 1972 . The Candy Man was written by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley for the film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Davis' version was not in the film, the song was sung Aubrey Woods.

Harry Nilsson was a song writer but his biggest hit was the 1972 fourth most popular song Without You. The song originally appeared on the Badfinger album No Dice and was written by band members Peter Ham and Tom Evans. It was number one for four weeks beginning on February 13

Don McLean sang about 'the day the music died' in number 3 American Pie. The song was recorded in 1971 and followed Melanie's Brand New Key, which ended 1971 and began 1972 at number 1, on January 15, 1972.

The number 2 song Alone Again (Naturally) by Gilbert O' Sullivan spent a total of six weeks at number 1. It held the number one spot for five weeks before being pushed back to number 2 by Looking Glass' Brandy (You're a Fine Girl).

And the Number 1 song of 1972 was Roberta Flack's The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face. The song was written in 1957 by Ewan MacColl and appeared in the Clint Eastwood directed film Play Misty for Me.

By 1973 music was moving in a direction where songs were more suggestive and Let's Get It On by Marvin Gaye held many suggestions. The 6th best song of 1973 was one of the biggest hits in the long career of Marvin Gaye.

Even though 1972 was a big year for Elton John his first hit in 1973 Crocodile Rock became his fisrt Number 1 US single It was a big one being the Number 5 song of the year.

Carly Simon's You're So Vain, her song about a very vain ex-lover came in at Number 4 for the year. Simon still has not said who the song was about, but there are quite a few people who thought, 'this song is about you.'

Paul McCartney was the most successful Beatle after the Beatles and the tender My Love written for his wife Linda was a favorite in the summer of 1973. When this song was pushed out of the Number 1 spot it was replaced by a song done by his ex-band mate and friend George Harrison and his Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth).

The Number 2 song of the year had the advantage of being release at the right time. Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree by Tony Orlando and Dawn was a big hit and nearly was the top song of the year.

The Number 1 song was Killing Me Softly With His Song by Roberta Flack. Flack had two very good years in 1972 and 1973 having the top song in both of those years.

Billy Don't Be a Hero was a big hit in Europe by the group that originally recorded it, Paper Lace. Bo Donalson and the Heywoods released it in the United States and reached the number 1 spot and the Number 6 Song of the year. Ironically the song by Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods didn't chart in England while Paper Lace's version barely broke the Top 100.

Kung Fu Fighting by Carl Douglas was inspired by a Kung Fu movie, this type of featuring Chinese martial arts was just beginning .

(You're) Having My Baby was written and recorded by Paul Anka and was originally suppose to be a solo record but it was decided to add Odia Coates to the song. Anka's last appeared on the pop charts in 1959 before this song, which was his third Number 1.

It was the spring of 1974, near the end of the Streaking craze when Ray Stevens reached the top of the Charts with The Streak, a story song about the craze. Don't Look Ethel!

Seasons in the Sun, the story of a dying man, bidding farewell to friends and family, was written in 1961 in French by the Belgian poet-composer Jacques Brel (Le moribond) with the English translation by Rod McKuen. Canadian Terry Jacks liked the song and tried to convince the Beach Boy to record the song when he was working with them.

One of the biggest movies of 1973 was The Way We Were starring Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford. Not only was it the Top song of 1974 it also won the academy award for Best Song.

While I was watching my son's high school graduation I thought back on mine many years ago in 1976. Since graduation is at mid year, many of the songs of my prom and graduation were songs of 1975. The 6th biggest Billboard song of 1975 was Glen Campbell and the Rhinestone Cowboy.

At number 5 was Neil Sedaka's Bad Blood. The song written by Neil Sedaka and Phil Cody with a background vocal by Elton John reached number 1 in October remaining there for three weeks.

Tony Orlando and Dawn had the number 4 song of the year with He Don't Love You Like I Love You.

Elton John had a big year in 1975 with three of the top 11 songs. The highest ranked of these was Island Girl from his number 1 Album Rock of the Westies.

At number 2 was the disco flavored Fly Robin Fly by the German group Silver Convention. It was the first song by a German pop group to reach Number 1 in the US.

And rounding out the list was Love Will Keep Us Together by the husband and wife team, Captain and Tennille and written by Neil Sedaka and his songwriting partner Howard Greenfield.

Originally Published at 6 Things To Consider

1976 was the year I graduated from High School and in many ways it was also the changing of styles of the 1970's. The Top Six songs of the year had a few songs by long time artist and others from newer ones. The 6th best song of 1976 was from one of those who was big in the mid 60's and their last big song, December, 1963 (Oh, What A Night) by the Four Seasons.

Number 5 was from one of the new bands and it was their biggest hit. Play That Funky Music by Wild Cherry.

And with the Disco era beginning to move into full swing, it's understandable that there was a Disco song in the Top 6 and at Number 4 was Disco Lady by Johnnie Taylor.

Elton John was in many ways the artist of the Seventies and 1976 was one of his biggest year. A few years earlier he had formed a record label, Rocket Records, and the Kiki Dee Band was the company's biggest act in the US. In 1976 Kiki Dee joined Elton John and recorded the Number 3 song, Don't Go Breaking My Heart.

Paul McCartney by 1976 was the most successful former Beatle having created the band Wings. Wings had some big hits in the Seventies and one of the biggest was the Number 2 song, Silly Love Songs.

The Number 1 song of 1976 comes from an artist that had a few big singles in the decade and appeared a number of times in the Top 6. And he's still going strong in 2008. The Number 1 song of 1976 is Rod Stewart's Tonight's the Night.

Originally Published at 6 Things To Consider

Stevie Wonder by the mid 1970s was one of the biggest artists in R&B. wrote the song Sir Duke in tribute to the jazz great Duke Ellington, who died in 1974. It was the second single release from his 1976 album Songs in the Key of Life. It was the sixth most popular of 1977 reaching the top of the charts in May.

At the Number 5 spot is A Star Is Born (Evergreen) from the movie of the same name. It was composed and performed by Barbra Streisand with lyrics by Paul Williams and won the Grammy Award for Best Song. It reached number 1 for three weeks in March.

The movie Saturday Night Fever was released on December 14, 1977 with many of the songs from it being written and/or sung by the Bee Gees. Their first single from the movie How Deep is Your Love was the fourth most popular song of 1977.

At Number 3 is the little brother of the Bee Gees, Andy Gibb. I Just Want to be Your Everything his first single release from his first album. It was written by Andy along with his older brother Barry and was the first of three consecutive number one for him.

A few times the first single release by an artist is also their biggest song. 1977 Number 2 song Best of My Love by Emotions falls into that category. The song was written by Earth Wind & Fire's Maurice White and Al McKay. This song and the previous one swapped the number 1 spot a couple of times in the summer of 1977.

One of the biggest recording of all time was the title song of the movie You Light up My Life written by Joe Brooks. Kasey Cisyk recorded the song for the movie, it was lip-synced by Didi Conn. The movie version was released as a single but peaked at Number 60. Debby Boone, the daughter of the 1950s pop star Pat Boone. also released a version and was the top song of the year. The song hit number 1 on October 15 and reminded there until mid-December when it was bumped from Number 1 by How deep is Your Love by the Bee Gees.

Disco was huge in 1978 and many of the songs reaching the top of the charts were disco inspired. The Number 6 song Taste of Honey Boogie Oogie Oogie fits that description.

The song Kiss You All Over by Exile not only follows the previous song on this list it followed it as the weekly Number 1 song.

The Bee Gees had started as a ballad singing group in the late 1960's and in 1975 began doing more rhythmic disco style songs. In 1977 they were asked to do the soundtrack for Saturday Night Fever, the single movie that shows the Disco Era and continue with the Disco craze. From this record and movie came the fourth favorite song of the year and the opening song with John Travolta walking down the street with Staying Alive.

At Number 3 is the disco hit Le Freak by the funk group Chic. This song, the biggest selling single on Atlantic Records, was the first song to reach the Billboard number 1 spot three times. In December 1978, January 1979 it was twice knocked out of the Number 1 spot only to reclaim it later.

Shadow Dancing by Andy Gibb was Number 1 for seven weeks during the summer of 1978. Andy wrote the song along with all three of his brothers.

In many ways 1978 can be called the year of the Gibb brothers. Many of the top songs were written on recorded by the brothers, Barry, Maurice and Robin of the Bee Gees or their younger brother Andy. The Number 1 song of the year came from Saturday Night Fever, Staying Alive, one of many songs that John Travolta danced to in the movie.

Originally published at 6ThingsToConsider.com.

At the end of the 1970's Disco may have begun to fade, but it was still very popular in 1979. The Number 6 top song of the decade was one that turned into an anthem for women. I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor.

Donna Summer was the Queen of Disco and 1979 was one of her greatest year. Her song Hot Stuff comes in at Number 5.

Peaches and Herb had been around since 1967. While Herb was always Herb Fame (born Herbert Feemster) there has been five different Peaches. Peaches from 1977 until 1983 was Linda Greene. Reunited was their biggest song together and was the 4th best song of 1979.

If it hadn't been for Elton John, Rod Stewart may have been the top act of the '70's having a number of tops songs during the decade. 1979 was no different with his disco inspired song Do Ya Think I'm Sexy at Number 3.

Donna Summer had two of the top songs of 1979 with Bad Girls as the second best song of the year.

During the decade of the '70's there were a number of acts that had big debut songs and were called the new coming of the Beatles. The Knack hit the scene running but they never were able to match the success of their first release, which also was the Top song of 1979, My Sharona.

Originally Published at 6 Things To Consider

1978 can be called the year of the Brothers Gibb (The Bee Gees, brothers Barry, Maurice and Robin, or their younger brother Andy). In that year 25 weeks found a song either written or performed by one of the 4 brothers at the number one spot including 15 weeks in a row from February 4th to May 13th.

In a 53 week period from July 30, 1977 to July 29, 1978 they held the Billboard Number 1 spot for 31 weeks.
July 30 - August 13 and September 17, 1977 (4) "I Just Want to be Your Everything" - Andy Gibb
December 24, 1977 - January 7, 1978 (3) "How Deep is Your Love - Bee Gees
February 4 - February 25 ( 4) "Stayin' Alive" - Bee Gees
March 4 - March 11 (2) " (Love is) Ticker than Water" - Andy Gibb
March 18 - May 6 (8) "Night Fever" - Bee Gees
May 13 - "If I Can't Have You" - Yvonne Elliman (Written by the Bee Gees)
June 17 - July 29 (7) - "Shadow Dancing" - Andy Gibb

During this 53 week period the only artists to have a Number 1 song are:
August 20 - September 10 & September 24 (5) - "Best of my Love" The Emotions
October 1 & 8 (2) "Star Wars Theme" - Meco
October 15 - December 17 (10) - "You Light Up My Life" Debby Boone
January 14 - January 28 (3) - "Baby Come Back: - Player
May 20 & 27 (2) - "With a Little Luck" - Wings
June 3 - " "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late" - Johnny Mathis and Deniece Williams
June 10 - "You're the One That I Want" - John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John

The movie "Grease" would have another Number 1 song in 1978, its theme song "Grease" by Frankie Valli and written by Barry Gibb. It would spend 2 weeks at Number 1, August 26 and September 2.

Near the end of the Disco Era, Casey Kasem's America Top 40 did a countdown of the top songs of the Era. This is where this list originated. these are songs that living through the Era, are hard not to know and in some ways remember. But for me I continued to listen to Rock, enjoying the tunes of Chicago, Heart and Punk Rock bands such as Blondie.

At number 6 is the song that for many women then and for the 30 years since has become an anthem, Gloria Gaynor's I Will Survive. It was originally the 'B' side of a single until Disc Jockeys began playing this instead of the 'A' side Substitute.

During the Disco Era it seems as if there was nothing that couldn't be recorded with a Disco beat. Movie themes such as Star Wars and others were recorded by Disco artists. But one of the most creative and popular was Walter Murphy taking Beethoven's 5th Symphony turning it into A Fifth of Beethoven and became the Fifth most popular song.

Some of the most popular Disc songs also were One Hit Wonders. Songs by groups who only had one big hit and the 1977 song Best of My Love by The Emotions coming in at number 4 was their biggest hit.

The Bee Gees had started as a ballad singing group in the late 1960's and in 1975 began doing more rhythmic disco style songs. In 1977 they were asked to do the soundtrack for Saturday Night Fever, the single movie that shows the Disco Era and continue with the Disco craze. From this record and movie came the third and second most popular Disco songs. Who doesn't remember the opening with John Travolta walking down the street with Staying Alive playing or his dancing to the second most popular song, Night Fever.

And at number 1 was a song that was also one of the most popular dance moves of the Era. Le Freak by the funk group Chic. This song, the biggest selling single on Atlantic Records, was the first song to reach the Billboard number 1 spot three times. In December 1978, January 1979 it was twice knocked out of the Number 1 spot only to reclaim it later.