October1972 on the Music Charts

 I'm late, but at least it is still October, so here's  the continuing series of hits -of-the-month.  top music hits of October1972.  Fifty years ago (Yikes!)

There were 4 weeks in October 1972, and there were 51 songs that spent time in the the Top 40/  Over those 4 weeks, there were 3 songs that topped the charts.  October started with Baby Don't Get Hooked On Me by Mac Davis, in the last of its 3 week run at #1.  Michael Jackson's Ben took over for 1 week, giving way to Chuck Berry's My Ding-A-Ling for the last two weeks.  I've always thought it odd, and a little sad, that Chuck Berry's only #1 song was a silly novelty song, released more than a decade after his last Top 40 song.  He had 6 Top 10's in the 50's, but no #1s.  Meanwhile, Ben was Michael Jackson's fist #1 as a solo artist.  A song about a boy's friend rat....  Yep, a sort of odd month at the top of the charts,

Here's the top 10 songs (11 with a tie) of the month, ranked by average chart position over the 4 weeks of the month. 

• Use me - Bill Withers - 3.5
• Burning Love - Elvis Presley - 4.0
• Ben - Michael Jackson - 4.25
• My Ding-A-Ling - Chuck Berry - 4.5
• Everybody Plays The Fool - The Main Ingredient - 5.0
• Nights In White Satin - The Moody Blues - 7.0
• Baby Don't Get Hooked On Me - Mac Davis - 8.75
• Garden Party - Rick Nelson - 10.5
• Go All The Way - Raspberries - 13.25
• Popcorn - Hot Butter - 13.25
• Tight Rope - Leon Russell - 13.25

Some pretty wonderful songs in that list...

Meanwhile, Seventeen (17) songs made their Top 40 debut. Here they are, ranked by debut chart position:

• I Can See Clearly Now - Johnny Nash - 33
• Summer Breeze - Seals and Crofts - 34
• I Believe In Music - Gallery - 35
• I'd Love You To Want Me - Lobo - 35
• Midnight Rider  - Joe Cocker - 36
• I Am Woman - Helen Reddy - 36
• If You Don't Know Me By Now - Harold Melvin And The Blue Notes - 36
• Geronimo's Cadillac - Michael Murphey - 37
• Elected - Alice Cooper - 37
• Rock Me Baby - David Cassidy - 38
• Papa Was A Rollin' Stone - The Temptations - 38
• Loving You Just Crossed My Mind - Sam Neely - 39
• Spaceman - Nilsson - 39
• American City Suite - Cashman and West - 39
• I'll Be Around - The Spinners - 40
• Don't Do It - The Band - 40
• From The Beginning - Emerson, Lake and Palmer - 40

Boy, do I miss the music of 1972.....