Bradley's Buzz

Top 100 Singles Of The 70's - 50-46

#50-46
Can you even believe it? We are entering the second half of our countdown already! Today we have a couple of bands who've appeared on our countdown before with different singles and they're back to give us a little more, and we also have some pioneers who by the time of the 70's were musical legends, and perhaps another legend or two...

#50 – My Life – Billy Joel
(Billy Joel)
Columbia/CBS single #10853 US/ CBS single #6821 UK
Chart Debut: US Pop 11/04/1978 #3 / UK 12/02/1978 #12
Billy Joel may not seem like someone who would be a personal guru but for 3 and ½ minutes in 1978, he did seem to have some pretty awesome advice to hand out. “My Life” begins with Billy’s piano pounding away with the guitars and drums, The song’s verses tell two different stories about trying to live your own life. In our opening verse, Billy’s pal sells his belongings and heads to LA to be a stand up comic while the second verse is a bit more universal and much better, “They will tell you, you can’t sleep alone in a strange place/ then they’ll tell you/ you can’t sleep with somebody else/ sooner or later you sleep in your own space/ either way it’s okay/ you wake up with yourself…” which I think is a damn great line. Then it’s the chorus that makes the song something worth remembering, “I don’t need you to worry about me/ cause I’m all right/ I don’t need you to tell me it’s time to come home/ I don’t care what you say anymore this is my life/ go ahead with your own life/ leave me alone…” Oh Billy, so sassy and so right.
#49 – Rip Her To Shreds – Blondie
(Deborah Harry/Chris Stein)
Chrysalis single #2180 UK only
Released November 1977 - Not Charted
Blondie’s first album was originally released on Private Stock records and launched two singles but neither of them went anywhere here in the US. When Chrysalis bought out the Private Stock contract, they re-released the album and in the UK they put the singles all together on one little vinyl 45 with the main A side being “Rip Her To Shreds.” Unfortunately the song didn’t do much on the charts but as is so often the case that doesn’t mean the song isn’t any good, and I’m not being biased here at all. Our second Blondie single on the list begins with a 60’s warpy keyboard coming in and Debbie speaking ever so bitchy, “Psst, here she comes now…” and she breaks into her rant, “Ah you know her/ would you look at that hair?/ yeah you know her/ check out those shoes/ she looks like she stepped out of the middle of somebody’s blues…” What a frickin’ crack up, and for the next three minutes Debbie continues to berate the chick who I’m sure totally deserved it.

#48 – Me & Bobby McGee – Janis Joplin
(Kris Kristofferson/Fred Foster)
Columbia single #45314 US/ CBS single #7019 UK
Chart Debut: US Pop 10/30/1971 #1
By the time “Me & Bobby McGee” hit #1 poor Janis was gone, having died during the recording of the album Pearl that launched the single. Whether or not the song would’ve been as big of a hit had she not died, isn’t as important as what makes it such a great single to begin with. Janis had a way with a song, she could infuse such power and energy into even a silly lyric and turn it into a bluesy masterpiece. With Kris Kristofferson’s late 60’s attitude of hippiness and freedom resonates the lyrics and with the blues moniker turned down a little low and even Janis’ performance slightly toned down, the song is brilliant. “Busted flat in Baton Rouge/ headin’ for the trains/ feeling as faded as my jeans..” and from there you end up in the middle of a masterpiece. The chorus with it’s hippy mentality always captures me. My Aunt Heidi hitchhiked across the country in the early 70’s and I’ve always thought that was the ultimate in freedom. Whenever I hear this song I kind of thing of her and wonder if perhaps she sang the songs that her drivers knew, “Freedom’s just another word/ for nothing left to lose/ and nothing ain’t worth nothin’ but it’s free/ Feeling good was easy Lord when he sang the blues/ and feeling good was good enough for me/ good enough for me and my Bobby McGee…” On a side note regarding the song, a 1975 episode of Police Woman features a far inferior, in fact so awful it’s illegal version, but the main story features Patty Duke (Astin) as a police informant who wants to get out of town and see her kid in some Midwestern town, as she tries to break free from all the baddies who know she’s an informant she is constantly singing this song as it’s her way to freedom. It’s a brilliant little story and a brilliant performance by Patty Duke; and it’s on DVD so check it out!

#47 - Let It Be – The Beatles
(Lennon/McCartney)
Apple single #2764 US / #5833
Chart Debut: US Pop 03/21/1970 #1 / UK 03/14/1970 #2
The Beatles’ “Let It Be” is another song resonating with the freedom and peace theme of the late 60’s that still hung into the early 70’s. A simple ballad, or as simple as anything by the Beatles can be, Paul McCartney sings his words of wisdom proving John wasn’t the only peace loving hippy of the bunch. I love songs like this, and I love the ideals of these songs, something that seems so simple and obvious yet has most of the world confused. Perhaps someday there will be an answer, let it be.



#46 – Don’t Stop – Fleetwood Mac
(Christine McVie)
Warner Bros. Single #8413 US / #16930 UK
Chart Debut: US Pop 07/09/1977 #3 / UK 04/30/1977 #32
I’m actually quite surprised that it was the one time Christine Perfect who wrote this killer song. Not that she isn’t as talented as Stevie or Lindsay but for some reason her songs never seem as cool as the ones by the other two. But she proves me completely wrong with “Don’t Stop” one of the many highlights of the band’s infamous 1977 Rumours album. Of course it’s been talked about and talked about how during the making of the album all the couples of the band were breaking up including Christine and John McVie. Perhaps this was her romantic way of dealing with that breakup, because Christine is nothing if not romantic. But the song has a similar theme as the others we’ve been discussing, a sense of power and fulfillment that can come if you just do something. “Don’t stop thinking about tomorrow/ don’t stop / it will soon be here/ it will be here better than before/ yesterday’s gone/ yesterday’s gone…” Add incredible harmonies and an intense backing arrangement to the brilliant lyrics and you have a song fit for a presidential campaign.

and there you have another 5 great singles from the decade known as the 70's; stay tuned for more as we edge closer to the top 40 and some of your favorites - I'm sure... and even if they're not, hey they're my favorites.

posted by swivek @ 8:43 AM