SUCKING IN THE 70's PART 5

“You either shut up or get cut up.

They don’t wanna hear about it

It’s only inches on the reel to reel

And the radio is in the hands of such a lot of fools

Trying to anesthetize the way that you feel

Radio is a sad salvation

Radio is cleaning up the nation”

-- Elvis Costello

“Radio Radio”

1978

Alicia Bridges – She loved the nightlife – she loved to boogie

On the disco ‘round – oh yeh.

          My friends and family give me a lot of (good natured) crap about my insistence that I hated all the music that was popular when I was growing up, and my further insistence that the 1970’s was the first truly worthless decade for hit music. The subtle implication seems to be ‘If you were reminded of all the songs that were hits in the 70’s you would be overwhelmed by how much stuff YOU REALLY LIKED that you have conveniently forgotten.’ The other day I found a web site that lists the top 100 songs of each year going back to the 1940’s.  I did find that the early 70’s were a bit less putrid than the late 70’s, but that would fit with my theory, since I was a little kid in the early 70’s, and I was in my “formative  years” in the late decade, so my negative emotional reaction would be stronger to those newer songs.  

          Rather than write a comment on each song, I have come up with a handy color coding to rate my feelings toward these songs. Songs in red, I admit I DO NOT HATE. I actually LOVE “Heart of Glass” by Blondie & “I Want you To Want Me” by Cheap Trick, because I thought the New Wave fad might have been leading to a better decade ahead for pop music. I couldn’t care less about “The Sultans of Swing” or ‘Billy  Joels’ ‘My Life’, but hey – I’m a nice guy – I can’t hate everything. The songs in green I don’t even remember. I suppose you could argue that if I heard them again I might remember I loved them. Let’s face it – if these were the 100 most played songs (on top 40 radio, at dances, on TV) when I was 15, 16 & 17 AND I DON’T EVEN REMEMBER THEM, they must be pretty damn forgettable. After all, POP MUSIC is about creating MEMORIES. ‘Shadow Dancing” was the No 1 song of the year when I was a high school sophomore and junior and I don’t even remember it? The ones in white I really hate. I say hate, because I imagine dozens (hundreds?) of genuinely creative and talented musicians struggling to make it and never getting anywhere because people were just listening to THIS WIMPY CRAP. You’re telling me there were NO BETTER SONGS that could have been played on the radio at that time?     

Billboard Hot 100 1978

01. Shadow Dancing » Andy Gibb
02. Night Fever » Bee Gees
03. You Light Up My Life » Debby Boone
04. Stayin' Alive » Bee Gees
05. Kiss You All Over » Exile
06. How Deep Is Your Love » Bee Gees
07. Baby Come Back » Player
08. (Love Is) Thicker Than Water » Andy Gibb
09. Boogie Oogie Oogie » A Taste Of Honey
10. Three Times A Lady » Commodores
11. Grease » Frankie Valli
12. I Go Crazy » Paul Davis
13. You're The One That I Want » John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John
14. Emotion » Samantha Sang
15. Lay Down Sally » Eric Clapton
16. Miss You » Rolling Stones
17. Just The Way You Are » Billy Joel
18. With A Little Luck » Wings
19. If I Can't Have You » Yvonne Elliman
20. Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah) » Chic
21. Feels So Good » Chuck Mangione
22. Hot Child In The City » Nick Gilder
23. Love Is Like Oxygen » Sweet
24. It's A Heartache » Bonnie Tyler
25. We Are The Champions / We Will Rock You » Queen
26. Baker Street » Gerry Rafferty
27. Can't Smile Without You » Barry Manilow
28. Too Much, Too Little, Too Late » Johnny Mathis & Deniece Williams
29. Dance With Me » Peter Brown
30. Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad » Meat Loaf
31. Jack And Jill » Raydio
32. Take A Chance On Me » Abba
33. Sometimes When We Touch » Dan Hill
34. Last Dance » Donna Summer
35. Hopelessly Devoted To You » Olivia Newton-John
36. Hot Blooded » Foreigner
37. You're In My Heart » Rod Stewart
38. The Closer I Get To You » Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway
39. Dust In The Wind » Kansas
40. Magnet And Steel » Walter Egan
41. Short People » Randy Newman
42. Use Ta Be My Girl » O'Jays
43. Our Love » Natalie Cole
44. Love Will Find A Way » Pablo Cruise
45. An Everlasting Love » Andy Gibb
46. Love Is In The Air » John Paul Young
47. Goodbye Girl » David Gates
48. Slip Slidin' Away » Paul Simon
49. The Groove Line » Heatwave
50. Thunder Island » Jay Ferguson
51. Imaginary Lover » Atlanta Rhythm Section
52. Still The Same » Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band
53. My Angel Baby » Toby Beau
54. Disco Inferno » Trammps
55. On Broadway » George Benson
56. Come Sail Away » Styx*
57. Back In Love Again » L.T.D.
58. This Time I'm In It For Love » Player
59. You Belong To Me » Carly Simon
60. Here You Come Again » Dolly Parton*
61. Blue Bayou » Linda Ronstadt
62. Peg » Steely Dan
63. You Needed Me » Anne Murray
64. Shame » Evelyn "Champagne" King
65. Reminiscing » Little River Band
66. Count On Me » Jefferson Starship
67. Baby Hold On » Eddie Money
68. Hey Deanie » Shaun Cassidy
69. Summer Nights » John Travolta & Olivia Newton-john
70. What's Your Name » Lynyrd Skynyrd
71. Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue » Crystal Gayle
72. Because The Night » Patti Smith
73. Every Kinda People » Robert Palmer
74. Copacabana » Barry Manilow
75. Always And Forever » Heatwave
76. You And I » Rick James
77. Serpentine Fire » Earth, Wind & Fire
78. Sentimental Lady » Bob Welch
79. Falling » LeBlanc & Carr
80. Dont Let Me Be Misunderstood » Santa Esmeralda
81. Bluer Than Blue » Michael Johnson
82. Running On Empty » Jackson Browne
83. Whenever I Call You "Friend" » Kenny Loggins
84. Fool (If You Think It's Over) » Chris Rea
85. Get Off » Foxy
86. Sweet Talking Woman » Electric Light Orchestra
87. Life's Been Good » Joe Walsh
88. I Love The Night Life » Alicia Bridges
89. You Can't Turn Me Off (In The Middle Of Turning Me On) » High Inergy
90. It's So Easy » Linda Ronstadt
91. Native New Yorker » Odyssey
92. Flashlight » Parliament
93. Don't Look Back » Boston
94. Turn To Stone » Electric Light Orchestra
95. I Can't Stand The Rain » Eruption
96. Ebony Eyes » Bob Welch
97. The Name Of The Game » Abba
98. We're All Alone » Rita Coolidge
99. Hollywood Nights » Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band
100. Deacon Blues » Steely Dan

Hot 100 1979

01. My Sharona » Knack
02. Bad Girls » Donna Summer
03. Le Freak » Chic
04. Da Ya Think I'm Sexy » Rod Stewart
05. Reunited » Peaches & Herb
06. I Will Survive » Gloria Gaynor
07. Hot Stuff » Donna Summer
08. Y.M.C.A. » Village People
09. Ring My Bell » Anita Ward*
10. Sad Eyes » Robert John
11. Too Much Heaven » Bee Gees
12. MacArthur Park » Donna Summer
13. When You're In Love With A Beautiful Woman » Dr. Hook
14. Makin' It » David Naughton
15. Fire » Pointer Sisters
16. Tragedy » Bee Gees
17. A Little More Love » Olivia Newton-John
18. Heart Of Glass » Blondie
19. What A Fool Believes » Doobie Brothers
20. Good Times » Chic
21. You Don't Bring Me Flowers » Barbra Streisand & Neil Diamond
22. Knock On Wood » Amii Stewart
23. Stumblin' In » Suzi Quatro & Chris Norman
24. Lead Me On » Maxine Nightingale
25. Shake Your Body » Jacksons
26. Don't Cry Out Loud » Melissa Manchester
27. The Logical Song » Supertramp
28. My Life » Billy Joel
29. Just When I Needed You Most » Randy Vanwarmer
30. You Can't Change That » Raydio
31. Shake Your Groove Thing » Peaches & Herb
32. I'll Never Love This Way Again » Dionne Warwick
33. Love You Inside Out » Bee Gees
34. I Want You To Want Me » Cheap Trick
35. The Main Event (Fight) » Barbra Streisand
36. Mama Can't Buy You Love » Elton John
37. I Was Made For Dancin' » Leif Garrett
38. After The Love Has Gone » Earth, Wind & Fire
39. Heaven Knows » Donna Summer & Brooklyn Dreams
40. The Gambler » Kenny Rogers
41. Lotta Love » Nicolette Larson
42. Lady » Little River Band
43. Heaven Must Have Sent You » Bonnie Pointer
44. Hold The Line » Toto
45. He's The Greatest Dancer » Sister Sledge
46. Sharing The Night Together » Dr. Hook
47. She Believes In Me » Kenny Rogers
48. In The Navy » Village People
49. Music Box Dancer » Frank Mills
50. The Devil Went Down To Georgia » Charlie Daniels Band
51. Gold » John Stewart
52. Goodnight Tonight » Wings
53. We Are Family » Sister Sledge
54. Rock 'N' Roll Fantasy » Bad Company
55. Every 1's A Winner » Hot Chocolate
56. Take Me Home » Cher
57. Boogie Wonderland » Earth, Wind & Fire
58. (Our Love) Don't Throw It All Away » Andy Gibb
59. What You Won't Do For Love » Bobby Caldwell
60. New York Groove » Ace Frehley
61. Sultans Of Swing » Dire Straits
62. I Want Your Love » Chic
63. Chuck E's In Love » Rickie Lee Jones
64. I Love The Night Life » Alicia Bridges
65. Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now » McFadden & Whitehead
66. Lonesome Loser » Little River Band
67. Renegade » Styx
68. Love Is The Answer » England Dan & John Ford Coley
69. Got To Be Real » Cheryl Lynn
70. Born To Be Alive » Patrick Hernandez
71. Shine A Little Love » Electric Light Orchestra
72. I Just Fall In Love Again » Anne Murray
73. Shake It » Ian Matthews
74. I Was Made For Lovin' You » Kiss
75. I Just Wanna Stop » Gino Vannelli
76. Disco Nights » G.Q.
77. Ooh Baby Baby » Linda Ronstadt
78. September » Earth, Wind & Fire
79. Time Passages » Al Stewart
80. Rise » Herb Alpert
81. Don't Bring Me Down » Electric Light Orchestra
82. Promises » Eric Clapton
83. Get Used To It » Roger Voudouris
84. How Much I Feel » Ambrosia
85. Suspicions » Eddie Rabbitt
86. You Take My Breath Away » Rex Smith
87. How You Gonna See Me Now » Alice Cooper
88. Double Vision » Foreigner
89. Every Time I Think Of You » Babys
90. I Got My Mind Made Up » Instant Funk
91. Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough » Michael Jackson
92. Bad Case Of Lovin' You » Robert Palmer
93. Somewhere In The Night » Barry Manilow
94. We've Got Tonite » Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band
95. Dance The Night Away » Van Halen
96. Dancing Shoes » Nigel Olsson
97. The Boss » Diana Ross
98. Sail On » Commodores
99. I Do Love You » G.Q.
100. Strange Way » Firefall

* Yes, I like this song – ya wanna make somethin’ out of it?