Friday, May 03, 2024

Back to the '70s: Daily Songs for March and April

I'm taking a quick break in the Black History Month reviews because I just finished two months worth of songs.

It has been an ongoing project, but I had been choosing ten charting songs per year, starting in 1980. 

(I did not blog about the songs in the 80s, but I have the links for the posts on the 90s songs down below.)

The initial impulse partly came from loving the '80s and a lot of the '90s, but also the thought that someday I might want to go on Beat Shazam. It made sense to see if there were hit songs where I didn't remember the title.

Having gone through 1999 on the last round, I fully meant to keep going forward into the 2000s, but then I didn't want to. There were too many unfamiliar songs, and I suspected that a lot of them would suck. Sure, I would probably find some cool things, but it would take so much effort.

I decided to go the other direction: 1979 - 1974.

That's been much groovier.

I will eventually get back to 2000, but currently 1973 is more appealing.

Just in case anyone is wondering how far it can go, Billboard started tracking end of year hit songs in 1946. There are 35 songs, but also going through 41 for that year, which may have been due to different listings for individual sales and jukebox play. The "Hot 100" debuted in 1958. 

I can definitely see myself going back to 1958, and potentially to 1946. 

It would not be impossible to go back further, but then the popularity indicators become harder to define, including it moving away at one point from recordings to live performances and sheet music sales. 

That is not insurmountable, especially since I am choosing popular songs based more on my liking of them than their overall popularity.

For now, I will just keep doing a few years at a time, here and there, for as long as it's interesting.

Wherever the music takes me, kitten.

1979

3/2 “My Sharona” by The Knack
3/3 “Music Box Dancer” by Frank Mills
3/4 “What A Fool Believes” by The Doobie Brothers
3/5 “My Life” by Billy Joel
3/6 “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor
3/7 “Le Freak” by Chic
3/8 “September” by Earth, Wind, & Fire
3/9 “Heart of Glass” by Blondie
3/10 “A Little More Love” by Olivia Newton-John
3/11 “I Was Made For Lovin' You” by KISS

1978

3/12 “Sweet Talkin' Woman” by Electric Light Orchestra
3/13 “Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood” by Santa Esmeralda
3/14 “Blue Bayou” by Linda Ronstadt
3/15 “Come Sail Away” by Styx
3/16 “On Broadway” by George Benson
3/17 “Feels So Good” by Chuck Mangione
3/18 “Love Is in the Air” by John Paul Young
3/19 “Can't Smile Without You” by Barry Manilow
3/20 “Last Dance” by Donna Summer
3/21 “Sometimes When We Touch” by Dan Hill

1977

3/22 “Sir Duke” by Stevie Wonder
3/23 “You Make Me Feel Like Dancing” by Leo Sayer
3/24 “On and On” by Stephen Bishop
3/25 “Margaritaville” by Jimmy Buffett
3/26 “Don't Give Up On Us” by David Soul
3/27 “I Just Want to Be Your Everything” by Andy Gibb
3/28 “Hotel California: by Eagles
3/29 “Jet Airliner” by Steve Miller Band
3/30 “The Rubber Band Man” by The Spinners
3/31 “Best of My Love” by The Emotions

1976
4/1 “The Boys Are Back In Town” by Thin Lizzy
4/2 “Right Back Where We Started From” by Maxine Nightingale
4/3 “A Fifth of Beethoven” by Walter Murphy & The Big Apple Band
4/4 “Boogie Fever” by The Sylvers
4/5 “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen
4/6 “Saturday Night” by Bay City Rollers
4/7 “Theme From Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)” by Diana Ross
4/8 “I'd Really Love to See You Tonight” England Dan & John Ford Coley
4/9 “You Sexy Thing” by Hot Chocolate
4/10 “You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine” by Lou Rawls

1975

4/11 “Love Will Keep Us Together” by Captain & Tenille
4/12 “The Ballroom Blitz” by Sweet
4/13 “At Seventeen” by Janis Ian
4/14 “Why Can't We Be Friends” by War
4/15 “The Hustle” by Van McCoy & the Soul City Symphony
4/16 “Dance With Me” by Orleans
4/17 “You're the First, the Last, My Everything” by Barry White
4/18 “Before the Next Teardrop Falls” by Freddy Fender
4/19 “Best Of My Love” by Eagles
4/20 “Sister Golden Hair” by America

1974

4/21 “Love's Theme” by Love Unlimited Orchestra
4/22 “Come And Get Your Love” by Redbone
4/23 “Hooked On A Feeling” by Blue Swede
4/24 “Annie's Song” by John Denver
4/25 “The Joker” by Steve Miller Band
4/26 “Takin' Care of Business” by Bachman-Turner Overdrive
4/27 “Please Come to Boston” by Dave Loggins
4/28 “Time In A Bottle” by Jim Croce
4/29 “Rock the Boat” by Hues Corporation
4/30 “Tell Me Something Good” by Rufus & Chaka Khan 


Related posts:

https://sporkful.blogspot.com/2023/05/april-daily-songs-top-songs-1991-1994.html

https://sporkful.blogspot.com/2023/09/daily-songs-1995-1999.html

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