My Seventies Music

Tag: Number 1

  • The Commodores – “Three Times A Lady”, “Easy” And “Nightshift”

    Cover of "Easy" by The Commodores (1977)

    In 1978 The Commodores had their first Number One hit on the Billboard Hot 100 with the Lionel Richie love song “Three Times A Lady”.

    It turned out to be the only Motown track to reach the Top Ten in 1978 and was also one of very few Motown songs to go to Number 1 in the UK.

    “Three Times A Lady” is one of those songs that sticks in your mind – I guess it must be, or I wouldn’t have thought of it today, 32 years after it originally charted…

    The previous year, 1977, The Commodores had had another soft hit with “Easy”, which peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100.

    The Commodores originally had a more funky sound, but had gradually moved towards softer numbers, and had another major hit in 1985 with the Jackie Wilson/Marvin Gaye tribute “Nightshift”, their first with original lead singer Walter “Clyde” Orange after Lionel Richie had left to pursue a solo career.

    It peaked at No. 3 in both the USA and the UK.

    “Three Times A Lady”:

    “Easy”:

    “Nightshift”:

    Definitely easy listening for the nightshift.

    Paul

  • Anne Murray – “Snowbird” And “You Needed Me”

    Anne Murray album “This Is My Way”

    When Anne Murray reached No. 1 on the U.S. charts with her single “You Needed Me” in 1978, she was the first Canadian female solo singer to ever achieve that honour. Previously she had hit No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1970 with “Snowbird”, which got to No. 2 on the pop charts in Canada and 1 on both the adult contemporary and country charts.

    “This Way Is My Way”, the album from which “Snowbird” was taken, charted at No. 1 on both the U.S. and Canadian album charts.
    “You Needed Me” was Number 1 on both the U.S. and Canadian pop charts, the Canadian album charts and the Canadian country charts, while reaching No. 4 on the U.S. country and 3 on the U.S. album charts.

    It made it to No. 2 in Australia and 22 in the UK.

    Here now first is Anne Murray singing “Snowbird”:

    And “You Needed me”:

    I’ve been writing this on a tiny netbook with a miniscule screen on a mobile connection, and the first draft didn’t quite look the way I was expecting so I may have to come back to this…

    Meanwhile, enjoy the music!

    Paul

  • Ringo Starr – “Photograph”, “You’re Sixteen” And “Six O’Clock”

    "Ringo" by Ringo Starr (1973)

    In 1974 while visiting my older brother in Invercargill at the very bottom of New Zealand’s South Island, I bought the Ringo Starr album “Ringo”, featuring the single “Photograph”, which went to No. 1 in America.

    Another song from the album, also a Number 1 hit in the USA, was “You’re Sixteen”.

    I also rather like “Six O’Clock”, penned by Paul McCartney.

    Here is the album version of “Photograph”, which was co-written by another former member of The Beatles, George Harrison, and produced by Richard Perry:

    I’m not sure when this live version of “Photograph” was performed, it is Ringo Starr & His All-Star Band, featuring John Entwistle of The Who on bass, Billy Preston on keyboards and Ringo’s son Zak Starkey on drums (at least I think it is, I had to change the video, this one is 1995 apparently):

    As both John Entwistle and Billy Preston are no longer alive, it must have been a while ago.

    And here is “Six O’Clock”, not a hit, but I like it:

    I have found an interesting connection with Ringo Starr: a fellow (earlier) graduate of Massey University in Palmerston North, New Zealand, the late Dave Jordan, wrote one of the songs on his 1976 album “Rotogravure”.

    Paul

  • Crystal Gayle – “Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue”

    I only really know one song by American country singer Crystal Gayle, but I really like it, especially the piano accompaniment: “Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue”.

    The song was a hit worldwide in 1977, reaching Number 1 on the U.S. Country charts and No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album it was taken from , “We Must Believe In Magic”, went platinum.

    This performance of “Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue” by Crystal Gayle appears to have been in Australia, judging by the accent of the announcer (or is it South Africa?):

    Apparently Crystal Gayle, who is the younger sister of Loretta Lyn (never knew that till now), has blue eyes.

    Fancy that.

    Paul

  • Harry Nilsson – “Without You”, “One”, “Everybody’s Talkin’” and “I Guess The Lord Must Be In New York City”

    Cover of 1971 Harry Nilsson album "Nilsson Schmilsson"

    The Harry Nilsson song that stands out in my mind is his version of the Badfinger song “Without You”, which went to Number 1 across the charts (U.S., Canada, UK, Australia, Ireland…) in 1971.

    “Without You”

    For a long time Harry Nilsson, who became close friends with the Beatles (in particular John Lennon, with whom he collaborated to produce the 1974 album Pussy Cats”, and Ringo Starr) was better known as a songwriter than a singer.

    Especially among other artists, and many of his songs are more familiar in other versions, such as the Three Dog Night hit “One”.

    Here is Harry Nilsson’s own version of his song “One”:

    Nilsson, who died in 1994, was not only successful at providing other musicians with songs, he is also known in theatre and as a provider of film music.

    Most well known here is perhaps his singing of “Everybody’s Talkin’” in the 1969 movie “Midnight Cowboy starring John Voight and Dustin Hoffman.

    “Everybody’s Talkin’”:

    Here are the opening scenes of “Midnight Cowboy” underscored by “Everybody’s Talkin’”:

    Nilsson had actually written his Top Ten hit “I Guess The Lord Must Be In New York City” as a contender for the movie:

    A few years ago (2006) there was a documentary “Who is Harry Nilsson? (And Why Is Everybody Talkin’ About Him)”.

    I guess there is a reason “everybody’s talkin’” about him.

    Paul

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