Top 100 Singles Of The 70's - 25-21
Top 100 Singles Of The 70's - According To Bradley#25-21
and we're back for more fun and games...and we have some doozies for you today - from a couple of schtick mongers, a new wave band of Boston fun, some repeat offenders and a classic from a big time heartbreaker.... so let's get our groove on!
#25 – Just What I Needed – The Cars(Ric Ocasek)
Elektra single #45491 US/ #12312 UK
Chart Debut: US Pop 06/17/1978 #27 / UK 02/17/1979 #17
I always forget about the Cars. I’m not sure why but when I come up with lists or just want to hear some great new wavey type of tunes I somehow forget about the Ric Ocasek led band. But once I recall I own hteir CDs and pop them into the stereo I’m a huge fan.it was hard to pick out one single from the band that released so many good ones in the 70’s but after listening and re-listening to songs and making my little blue highlights, it always came down to “Just When I Needed.” “I don’t mind you coming here wasting all my time, time/ cause when you’re standing oh so near/ I kind of lose my mind, yeah…” how great of a line is that? Perfect lyrics with the perfect late 70’s new wave sound, this is a classic and from now on I will remember The Cars. In fact, I may be brewing up a Bubbatunes compilation in the near future.
#24 – Love Will Keep Us Together – Captain & Tennille(Neil Sedaka)
A&M single #1672 US / #7165 UK
Chart Debut: US Pop 04/19/1975 #1 / UK 08/02/1975 #32
I have a suddenly strange relationship with Mr. Darryl Dragon and his wife these days. When I was a little kid I loved the Captain & Tennille. I used to watch their shows, and when I attended those RIF things at the elementary school one of the first books I got was the biography of these two. What can I say, I was a very strange child. I always liked their music and remember watching their variety show. A few years ago the show came out on DVD and I got it as a Christmas present and I was so happy. That is until I watched the show, I never realized Toni Tennille had such a horrible accent. She’s from Alabama and she never lost that annoyingly stupid accent. It makes everything she says sound like she’s a toothless hick. I know that’s probably prejudiced or something but just watch it for yourself and see if you can get through a scene of her talking. But now her singing voice that’s a whole different thing. With her low alto she was able to take the 70’s schtick of love and bring about some very classic singles. Of course their cover of Neil Sedaka’s “Love Will Keep Us Together” is what they’re most famous for and with good reason. The Captain’s intense keyboard work and Toni’s passioned vocals make this bouncy tune a classic 30 some years after its release. For this I can forgive that annoying speaking voice. As for the DVD, it sits on my shelf and occasionally gets thrown into the player, but I fast forward her talking and run right into the musical numbers.
#23 – Dreams – Fleetwood Mac(Stevie Nicks)
Warner Bros single #8371 US / #16969 UK
Chart Debut: US Pop 04/16/1977 #1 / UK 07/09/1977 #24
“Dreams” is the final Fleetwood Mac single on our list and with this Stevie Nicks penned masterpiece they come in with the second most number of singles on our list. I’m sure you know who is first. But let’s talk a little about Miss S and her crazy antics when it comes to the ethereal world of songwriting. More of a ballad than the other Fleetwood Mac singles from Rumours, this song is what launched them into the stratosphere. Her take on her break up with Lindsay, she lacks the cynicism of Lindsay and though she has some romanticism in her, she’s not as sugary sweet as Christine McVie. Instead she uses her witchy powers to create a haunting rock song, “So there you go/ you say you want your freedom/ well who am I to hold you down?” Stevie always portrays herself as a realist in lyrics, which may seems strange considering her penchant for the mystic but the fact is you never doubt the honesty in her voice or her words and she never seems to concerned with breaking down. She just picks up her shawls and goes home.
#22 – I Want You To Want Me (Live) – Cheap Trick(Rick Nielson)
Epic single #50680 US / CBS single #7258 UK
Chart Debut: US Pop 04/28/1979 #7 / UK 05/05/1979 #29
“I Want You To Want Me” was originally released in 1977 as a single off of the Cheap Trick album In Color. The song charted but wasn’t the huge hit nor the version that most people know. The classic version of the song comes from the live album At Budoken that was on a number of heavy metal heads turn tables in the late 70’s. A fiercely intense little fun box of music, the album launched a number of singles but it was the highly infectious version of “I Want You To Want Me” that became the major hit. The song is great, and I can’t believe how fast and furious the live version is compared to the rather pale recorded version from two years before. Robin Zander’s radar like vocals had me confused for years. What the hell is that second verse I wondered FOR YEARS, and the fact that I still sung the song and turned it up without knowing the lyrics shows you just how good of a song it is. But for those of you, who like me could never quite make out all the lyrics, I’ve learned they are quite a bit easier to understand on the studio version and have finally heard what he’s saying, “Shine up the old brown shoes/ Put on a brand new shirt/ get home early from work / if you say that you love me…” Of course I think we all know, “Didn’t I/ didn’t I/ didn’t I see you crying?/ didn’t I/ didn’t I/ didn’t I see you crying” but the rest goes, “Feeling all alone without a friend/ you know you feel like dying”… I tell you that Robin can be a real Motormouth Mabel.
#21 – American Girl – Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers(Tom Petty)
Shelter single #62007 US / Island single #643 UK
Chart Debut: UK 08/13/1977 #40
It’s kind of strange to think that one of the most popular Tom Petty singles never even hit the top 100 in his home land yet was a top 40 hit over seas right out of the box. Perhaps it was promotion or some other crazy thing, but it is one of the best singles of the 70’s, okay perhaps the 21st best single of the 70’s. One of the more bouncy singles in Petty’s career, the rock beat bounces right from the beginning, “Well she was an American Girl/ raised on promises/ she couldn’t help thinking/ that there was a little more to life somewhere else…” Yet another example of a great opening line. Almost everyone I know can relate to the idea of trying to find out what is around the corner, what would happen if you just packed up and left. I know I’ve had those feelings and never ever regret on acting on any of them. My favorite lines come about when Petty puts us right into the girl’s mind, “Well it was kind of cold that night/ she stood alone on her balcony/ yeah, she could hear the cars roll by/ out on 441 like waves crashing on the beach/ and for one desperate moment there/ he crept back in her memory/ god it’s so painful when something that’s so close/ and still so far out of reach…” I love it, and the chorus isn’t bad either.
and there you have our latest in our long line of 70's classics, stay tuned for next time when we wrap up the top 20 and head on into the top 10 Singles of the 70's!
Labels: 70s, Bradley, Captain, Cheap Trick, Fleetwood Mac, Retro songs, Tennille, The Cars, Tom Petty
posted by swivek @ 8:54 AM
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