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Top 100 Singles Of The 70's - 55-51

Top 100 Singles Of The 70's - According to Bradley
#55-51
and the count goes on... today we look at a couple of new singles entering our top 100 of the 70's including one repeat offender, a group of brothers who pretty much owned the 70's, a spatting diva, leather clad revolutionaries and some R&B masters, so let's get to it shall we?

#55 – Your Song – Elton John
(Elton John/Bernie Taupin)
MCA single #55265 US / DJM single #233 UK
Chart Debut: US Pop 11/28/1970 #8 / UK 01/23/1971 #7
In recent years, Sir Elton has become something of a pain in the ass diva, spewing things left and right, fighting with Tina Turner and the like. For all that I can probably forgive, I mean he can fight with Tina if he wants but something tells me Tina could kick his ass five times without ever getting a run in her stocking or losing one of her heels. What I can’t really forgive him for is the endless array of awful songs he’s been putting out since about 1990. Back in the 70’s Elton was one of the biggest things in pop music. He was always on the charts, always on the television, always somewhere with his insane eyeglasses, and outrageous clothes. Even Barbara and Julie dressed as Elton and Kiki Dee on One Day At A Time several times. The most important thing about that time in Elton’s life is that his songs were actually good. What I tend to forget a lot of times is that our dear Elton isn’t or wasn’t a lyricist at the time. I’m sure he had a lot of input on Bernie’s writing but it was Mr. Taupin who would head into his room and write lyrics for Elton’s piano work. So if the songs touch me, I have to wonder if it’s Bernie or Elton really coming across, since Elton does sing the songs and usually does them quite well, I’ll have to give kudos to both. “Your Song” was one of Elton’s first singles ever, right off his debut album and after going through all of his 70’s output it’s still one of his best songs ever. "Your Song" is really a dedication to someone who gets the ultimate in prizes by having the song made in their honor. He may not remember if her eyes are green or blue but he knows they are the most beautiful eyes he’s ever seen and she gets the privilege of telling everybody that this is her song. Bitch.

#54 – Walk This Way – Aerosmith
(Perry/Tyler)
Columbia/CBS single #10449 US / CBS single #4878 UK
Chart Debut: US Pop 11/20/1976 #10 The first repeat offender in our countdown, Aerosmith first showed up at #71 with their ballad “Dream On” but anyone who knows anything about Aerosmith knows this song. “Walk This Way” is arguably the group’s most famous single. I mean even in the 80’s it got a fresh new start with the cover version by Run-DMC and actually rejuvenated Aerosmith’s career. But the original is just as clever and innovative as it’s resurgent in the following decade. A bluesy boozy jaunt full of life and sex, the lyrics tell the story of losing your virginity and learning to umm ‘walk this way’. It’s filthy, it’s vulgar, it’s downright raunchy and who doesn’t love that?

#53 – Le Freak – Chic
(Bernard Edwards/Nile Rodgers)
Atlantic single #3519 US/ #11209 UK Chart Debut: US Pop 10/28/1978 #1/ UK 11/18/1978 #7
You may not have known it at the time but I guarantee you’ve all heard the infamous bass lines of Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers. A sort of running theme in all their songs, they are all different yet somehow very much the same, try listening to Debbie Harry’s “The Jam Was Moving” next to Diana Ross’ “Upside Down” and then throw on this clever single and you’ll see they have a similar feel. Not that it’s a bad thing; in fact the familiarity of it is what makes them all so good. You can’t really love one without loving the music of the other. But “Le Freak” was the one that pushed them into the total consciousness of everyone. The year before this single came out Chic had a hit with “Dance Dance Dance” but it was this jumping disco R&B hybrid that remains in the consciousness. Supposedly begun as a call after the band was refused entrance into the famed Studio 54, with the original song yelling, “Fuck off” rather than “Freak out.” Of course that could all be made up but that’s what one of the boys said so how can you argue? Something tells me the minute this song hit they were able to hob knob with Liza and Warhol without any problems.

#52 – I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend – The Ramones
(The Ramones)
Sire single #734 US only
Released October 1976 - Not charted
I love The Ramones, full two minute cuts of fun and punkiness and a sort of quirkiness that is plain lovable. Of course the band got its beginnings in that seedy little place known as CBGB’s along with Debbie and her boys of Blondie so it’s only appropriate I should have some kind of love for them. But unlike other bands that got their start at the same place, The Ramones are probably closest in sound and attitude to Blondie. Perhaps that’s why no one really expected anything big out of either band. Of course we know now how great they are. The self titled debut album by The Ramones launched a few singles, none of which did too well chart wise here or in the UK but of the singles released, it’s “I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend” that has always stood out for me. I’ve read that others like the song but always felt it didn’t fit in with the other songs on the album, while I’m from the other spectrum, this is to me the best song of an album worth of great songs. The somewhat silly yet sad lyrics, “Hey little girl I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend” has all the punchiness of a girl group from the 60’s, and when the line comes in, “Do you love me back?” I can’t help but smile every time. It’s a song worthy of Blondie, which makes it even better.

#51 – Stayin’ Alive – Bee Gees
(Barry/Maurice/Robin Gibb)
RSO single #885 US / #2090267 UK
Chart Debut: US Pop 12/10/1977 #1 / UK 02/14/1978 #4
Anyone who knows anything about 70’s culture knows that Saturday Night Fever was the biggest thing in the world. A two hour Travolta fest about a kid who works at a painfully boring job during the day and becomes the star of the disco on Saturday night, complete with tighter than tight pants, Brooklyn Bridge accidents and Donna Pescow as a co-dependant. It was great, and it was also the biggest movie at the time. Not to be outdone by the movie itself, the soundtrack was huge. Led mostly by the songs of the Bee Gees, it was what made them international stars and turned Barry into a mega producer.

“Stayin’ Alive” was the essential track on the soundtrack and in the film it’s the opening montage with our eyes cascading over every little aspect of John Travolta’s physique as Barry’s high falsetto chimes, “Well you can tell by the way I use my walk I’m a woman’s man/ no time for talk/Music loud and women warm/I’ve been kicked around since I was born” as the music changes in melody ever so slightly the excitement increases, “and now it’s all right/ it’s ok/ you can look the other way/ we can try to understand/ the New York times effect on man”, and we venture to the chorus, “whether you’re a brother/ or you’re a mother/ you’re stayin’ alive/ stayin’ alive/ feel the city breakin’ and everybody’s shakin’/ we’re stayin’ alive/ stayin’ alive” and the parts that probably made it such a huge hit, “huh huh huh Stayin’ alive/ stayin’ alive/ stayin’ aliiiiiive!” There’s no doubt that the Bee Gees really had their hand in the mix of American culture and despite it’s somewhat frowned upon genre there’s no doubt that the disco dreams and songs from that summer in 1977 spoke to a lot of people.

and there we have our next five singles on our quest to find the greatest single of the 1970's - according to me that is.. until next time.

posted by swivek @ 8:41 AM