Bradley's Buzz

Top 100 Singles Of The 70's - 20-16

The Top 100 Singles Of The 70's - According To Bradley
#20-16
Welcome back to the world of yellow, gold and avacado green polka dotted bliss - the 70's - a decade that gave us so many things from the Ford Maverick to the Brady Bunch, and plenty of tunes to listen to including our next batch of the top 70's singles - according to yours truly - the bradley of bradley's buzz.. so let's get on with it man...

#20 – Magic Man – Heart
(Ann & Nancy Wilson)
Mushroom single #7011 US / Arista single #71 UK
Chart Debut: US Pop 07/16/1976 #9
Ann Wilson can sing the paint right off of a house, her energy is incredible and even on their first album the Wilson sisters, with Ann in the front on vocals and Nancy sliding her guitar, were an incredible force. The single “Magic Man” is just one of the many reasons the band deserves a lot more recognition than I think they get. The grinding rock and seduction of Ann’s vocals draws you in from that very first note. Add in the somewhat mystical Stevie Nicks-ish lyrics a classic is born. “Come on home girl, Mama cried on the phone/ too soon to lose my baby and my girl should be at home/oh try to understand/ try to understand/ try, try, try to understand/ he’s a magic man, mama…” I understand it, I have a magic man myself. The song always reminds me of an old pal of mine named Angie Rachenback (the last name was massacered in spelling to protect the innocent) who had this crazed relationship with her man JB and she always felt this was their song.. god I miss those people.

#19 – Paradise By The Dashboard Light – Meat Loaf
(Jim Steinman)
Cleveland International single #50588 US / CBS single #6673 UK
Chart Debut: US Pop 08/12/1978 #39
“Paradise By The Dashboard Light” is an 8 minute opus of raw sex, losing your virginity and teenage boy’s lust dreams – you know rock and roll. Originally conceived as a stage rock opera the Bat Out Of Hell concept by writer Jim Steinman is one that has lasted through out the years. When the team of Steinman and singer Meat Loaf finally secured a record deal in early ’77, no one could’ve been prepared for the storm that followed it. One of the biggest selling albums of all time, Bat Out Of Hell, is actually a very riveting album even all these years later. Of course the single found here is one of those enduring reasons, Meat Loaf’s huge voice beckoning to his girl to do it in the car while Ellen Foley’s breathy sexiness and attitude come in wondering if he’s going to love her forever should she give in. After all the foreplay, fooling around and of course lying, our hero gets the girl while we get a play by play action by a sportscaster then as things are over and done we get the realization that the sexual couple are now linked forever much to Meat’s dismay. A brilliant opus of real life set to a bombastic rock melody that changes into three different songs. Say what you want about the overplayed song but there is a reason it has been so permanently imprinted into our rock and roll minds.

#18 – Time For Me To Fly – REO Speedwagon
(Kevin Cronin)
Epic single #50582 US only
Chart Debut: US Pop 07/22/1978 #56
I love this song. I can’t tell you how loud I start signing it whenever I hear it, and I’m not exactly why the lyrics have attached themselves to permanently into my mind, but it constantly pops up, “I’ve been around for you/ been up and down for you/ but I just can’t get any relief/ I swallowed my pride for you/ lived and lied for you/ but you still make me feel like a thief/ you’ve got me stealing your love away/ cause you never give it…” I tell you I sing it with so much conviction you’d think I actually had been treated this way. A perfect break up/ kick em to the curb song, “Time For Me To Fly” flows effortlessly with great guitar strums and Kevin Cronin’s impassioned vocals, even Dolly Parton’s honky tonk blue grass version of it from her 1989 White Limozeen album couldn’t take away the guts found in the verses.

#17 – A Little More Love – Olivia Newton-John
(John Farrar)
MCA single #40975 US / EMI single #2879 UK
Chart Debut: US Pop 11/25/1978 #3 / UK 12/16/1978 #4
After Grease, our Olivia held onto those tight leather pants and created a whole new image for herself, one of a hot, blonde rock chick who could take a pop single and add sexiness to it while still staying somewhat middle of the road sweet. Her 1978 album Totally Hot and it’s cover said all it needed to but a make over and the success of Grease didn’t necessarily guarantee a huge new career and that’s where the songs had to come in. Luckily, her main songwriter and producer John Farrar was on the same wavelength as Livvie and they created a slew of rocking little pop songs including the guitar laced “A Little More Love.”

The song opens with a rocky little pop guitar hook, “Night is draggin’ her feet” and a guitar kick up comes in, “I wait alone in the heat”, and Olivia’s sexiness begins to shine through, “I know/ know that you’ll have your way/ til you have to go home/ ‘No’s a word I can’t say…” and the song shifts into a catchy pop beat, “Cause it gets me nowhere to tell you ‘no’/ and it gets me nowhere to make you go” before shifting into the real part of the chorus and Livvie’s vocals go higher, “Will a little more love make you start dependin’?/ will a little more love bring a happy ending?/ will a little more love make it right?/ will a little more love make it right?” and of course she throws in some of those off the charts Livvie screeches I so adore, and we end up with a perfect single to introduce the new and improved post-Grease Olivia Newton-John.

#16 – One Way Or Another – Blondie
(Deborah Harry/Nigel Harrison)
Chrysalis single #2336 US only
Chart Debut: US Pop 06/02/1979 #24
Blondie’s final US single from their third album Parallel Lines, “One Way Or Another” is the ultimate stalker song, Debbie grunted through this three and a half minute rock fest, and though it’s been used in endless commercials, the single itself is still a worthy piece of 70’s gloriousness. “One Way Or Another I’m gonna getcha/ getcha/ getcha…” begins the catchy verse before moving into a darker melody and the actual stalking parts, “I will drive past your house/ and if the lights are all down/ I’ll see who’s arouuuwwwwnd…” I love singing this song in karaoke because of the different parts and just the whole nastiness of it all. Of course it turns even cooler when the end of the song turns the whole thing around with Debbie’s interest in her prey completely over with, “One way or another I’m gonna lose you/ I’ll trick ya/ I’ll trick ya…” and once again the song changes melody only this time it turns into a marching band of craziness, “I’ll walk down the mall/ stand over by the wall/ where I can see it all/ I’ll find out who you call/ lead you to the supermarket/ checkout some specials and rat food/ get lost in the crowd…” and the song fades out with Debbie’s voice alternating lines in each speaker. “One Way Or Another” is a masterpiece in musicianship, vocals and Mike Chapman’s superb production. It’s still one of the highlights on the 1978 Parallel Lines album that finally put Blondie into the mainstream.

and there you have it, only 5 more until we hit the top 10 singles of the 70's and if you're like me, you're just twittering in anticipation...

Labels: 70s, Blondie, Bradley, Heart, Meat Loaf, Olivia Newton-John, REO Speedwagon, Retro songs

posted by swivek @ 1:59 PM