Number 22 is a song that bombed on the pop charts in 1977, but then was added to the soundtrack of "Saturday Night Fever," and has since gone on to be a huge hit. The song is "Disco Inferno," by the Trammps, and it was one of my very favorite songs in the world when I was 12 years old.
Number 21: Samantha Sang, "Emotion." This is another Australian Bee-Gees type song. I've probably heard this song about 1000 times, and I never knew who did it.
Hear, hear. I saw Paul McCartney talking about them somewhere recently. He said that, when he first saw them, he, of course, heard all of the Beatles influence. But, he said, as you keep listening to them, you started to realize that, no, ELO is ultimately only ELO. To this day, I think they sound totally modern.
Number 18: Atlanta Rhythm Section, "Imaginary Lover"
According to Casey, someone -- I think he said it was the magazine "Crawdaddy" -- claimed that ARS was the best Southern band since the Allman Brothers. Given the existence of Lynyrd Skynyrd, this strikes me as an absurd claim.
This is like a whole style of music that just doesn't exist at all any more, as far as I can tell. And I can understand what it went away. But every once in awhile, I do love to hear this song.
"Goodbye Girl" was one of those movies that I was too young to see at the time, and then when I was old enough to see it, I thought it was too dated. So I've never seen it. I hope it's good.
Finally falls down to 13 after multiple weeks as number 1 or number 2. Still a song that, as soon as you hear it, you think, "This sounds like a big hit."
You know, I really like that song "Lawyers in Love." I don't hear that song enough. I think I'm going to look that up as soon as the countdown is over.
Number 9: England Dan and John Ford Coley, "We'll Never Have to Say Goodbye Again."
This is the highest level this song will reach on the AT 40, and England Dan and John Ford Coley will never have another song that gets this high on the charts.
As I did with Toto a few years later, kid me thought England Dan and John Ford Coley sounded so totally adult and competent and pleasant that they would dominate the music scene for years. I would've never dreamed that Jackson Browne or even John Travolta, for example, would've loomed larger in the culture over the next three decades.
This was, of course, the song that was played as the "slow skate" at my sixth-grade skating party. In retrospect, it seems ludicrous that there was such a thing as a "slow skate" for sixth-graders. But at the time, it seemed pretty normal. After all, we had full-on dances for seventh- and eighth-graders, with suits and dresses and disco balls. We were supposed to grow up fast.
Number 5: Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway, "The Closer I Get To You"
Less than a year from April 1978, in January 1979, Donny Hathaway was found dead after apparently jumping from the 15th floor of his hotel in New York City. His death was ruled a suicide.
On the day that I moved from my old tiny bedroom, which would be plumbed by Dad to become a utility room, to the larger bedroom that had been occupied by one of my brothers before he got married, I played a Barry Manilow greatest-hits record on a stereo as I hauled baseball cards and what-not. I absolutely remember how exposed and embarrassed I felt when Dad yelled at me to turn down the record and quit singing so loud during "Copacabana."
Number 22 is a song that bombed on the pop charts in 1977, but then was added to the soundtrack of "Saturday Night Fever," and has since gone on to be a huge hit. The song is "Disco Inferno," by the Trammps, and it was one of my very favorite songs in the world when I was 12 years old.
ReplyDeleteNumber 21: Samantha Sang, "Emotion." This is another Australian Bee-Gees type song. I've probably heard this song about 1000 times, and I never knew who did it.
ReplyDeleteI cannot wait to go listen to this song and act (which I don't recognize by name) and realize that I, too, have heard it a thousand times.
DeleteNumber 20: Johnny Mathis and Denise Williams, "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late."
ReplyDeleteThis is Johnny Mathis's first top 40 hit in 15 years.
I once played cards with a guy who would start singing this song whenever he was about to beat you.
It's a great song.
DeleteNumber 19: ELO, "Sweet Talkin' Woman."
ReplyDeleteI took ELO for granted as a kid, but now I realize that they were really great.
Hear, hear. I saw Paul McCartney talking about them somewhere recently. He said that, when he first saw them, he, of course, heard all of the Beatles influence. But, he said, as you keep listening to them, you started to realize that, no, ELO is ultimately only ELO. To this day, I think they sound totally modern.
DeleteNumber 18: Atlanta Rhythm Section, "Imaginary Lover"
ReplyDeleteAccording to Casey, someone -- I think he said it was the magazine "Crawdaddy" -- claimed that ARS was the best Southern band since the Allman Brothers. Given the existence of Lynyrd Skynyrd, this strikes me as an absurd claim.
Number 17: Chuck Mangione, "Feels So Good"
ReplyDeleteThis is like a whole style of music that just doesn't exist at all any more, as far as I can tell. And I can understand what it went away. But every once in awhile, I do love to hear this song.
I listen to smooth jazz at least as much as anything else. It never fails to make me feel better about this world.
DeleteNumber 16: Parliament, "Flashlight"
ReplyDeleteThis song didn't get a lot of play on WKYX-AM. And I can see why.
Number 15: David Gates, "Goodbye Girl"
ReplyDelete"Goodbye Girl" was one of those movies that I was too young to see at the time, and then when I was old enough to see it, I thought it was too dated. So I've never seen it. I hope it's good.
It's great. This is my favorite era of movies.
DeleteNumber 14: Jefferson Starship, "Count on Me"
ReplyDeleteI was a big, big fan of this song.
Number 13: Bee Gees, "Stayin' Alive"
ReplyDeleteFinally falls down to 13 after multiple weeks as number 1 or number 2. Still a song that, as soon as you hear it, you think, "This sounds like a big hit."
Number 12: Jackson Browne, "Runnin' on Empty"
ReplyDeleteYou know, I really like that song "Lawyers in Love." I don't hear that song enough. I think I'm going to look that up as soon as the countdown is over.
Number 11: Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta, "You're the One that I Want"
ReplyDeleteI really like a lot of the songs on this countdown. But this is by far my favorite one so far.
Casey tells us that Olivia Newton-John is the granddaughter of Max Born, who won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1954.
Number 10: Natalie Cole, "Our Love"
ReplyDeleteThis is a fairly bland song typical of a lot of slow ballads in the late 1970's.
Number 9: England Dan and John Ford Coley, "We'll Never Have to Say Goodbye Again."
ReplyDeleteThis is the highest level this song will reach on the AT 40, and England Dan and John Ford Coley will never have another song that gets this high on the charts.
As I did with Toto a few years later, kid me thought England Dan and John Ford Coley sounded so totally adult and competent and pleasant that they would dominate the music scene for years. I would've never dreamed that Jackson Browne or even John Travolta, for example, would've loomed larger in the culture over the next three decades.
DeleteNumber 8: Raydio, "Jack and Jill"
ReplyDeleteRaydio was a band fronted by Ray Parker, Jr., who later had a big hit with the theme from "Ghostbusters." I never knew that until today.
"A Woman Needs Love" is another great one by Ray Parker Jr.
DeleteNumber 7: Paul McCartney and Wings, "With a Little Luck"
ReplyDeleteThis is probably something like the 50th best song Paul McCartney ever wrote, and it's still very, very good.
Hear, hear.
DeleteNumber 6: Kansas, "Dust in the Wind"
ReplyDeleteThis was, of course, the song that was played as the "slow skate" at my sixth-grade skating party. In retrospect, it seems ludicrous that there was such a thing as a "slow skate" for sixth-graders. But at the time, it seemed pretty normal. After all, we had full-on dances for seventh- and eighth-graders, with suits and dresses and disco balls. We were supposed to grow up fast.
I barely participated in any of this stuff, but I totally recognized its importance.
DeleteNumber 5: Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway, "The Closer I Get To You"
ReplyDeleteLess than a year from April 1978, in January 1979, Donny Hathaway was found dead after apparently jumping from the 15th floor of his hotel in New York City. His death was ruled a suicide.
Number 4: Eric Clapton, "Lay Down Sally"
ReplyDeleteThis song, and "I Shot the Sheriff," are the only two Eric Clapton singles to make the top 5 in the United States.
As a member of Cream, Clapton got to number 5 in the United States with "Sunshine of Your Love."
Number 3: Barry Manilow, "I Can't Smile Without You"
ReplyDeleteThis was the last Barry Manilow song to get this high on the AT 40. He would have two more top 10 hits: "Somewhere in the Night," and "Ships."
I don't remember "Ships" at all.
On the day that I moved from my old tiny bedroom, which would be plumbed by Dad to become a utility room, to the larger bedroom that had been occupied by one of my brothers before he got married, I played a Barry Manilow greatest-hits record on a stereo as I hauled baseball cards and what-not. I absolutely remember how exposed and embarrassed I felt when Dad yelled at me to turn down the record and quit singing so loud during "Copacabana."
DeleteNumber 2: Yvonne Elliman, "If I Can't Have You"
ReplyDeleteI had no idea this song got this high.
Love that song. Didn't know the singer's name. Would've guessed ... hmm? ... Deniece Williams?
DeleteNumber 1: Bee Gees, "Night Fever"
ReplyDeleteThis is the SIXTH WEEK IN A ROW that "Night Fever" was number one. The country really did have disco fever.
All in all, a very enjoyable countdown. Thank you, 1978.