1973 In Music - November's Almost Made the Charts

 Continuing my look at songs that dropped off the charts during the month, but never made the Top 40.  And for November, I counted 26, just a couple fewer than typical.

Here they are, with peak position noted:

• Raised On Rock - Elvis Presley - 41
• Let Me Be Your Lovemaker - Betty Wright - 55
• Such A Night - Dr. John - 42
• Sister James - Nino Tempo And 5th Ave. Sax - 53
• You're In Good Hands - Jermaine Jackson - 79
• If I Were Only A Child Again - Curtis Mayfield - 71
• Life Ain't Easy - Dr. Hook And The Medicine Show - 68
• In The Midnight Hour - Cross Country - 30
• (I Don't Want To Love You But) You Got Me Anyway - Sutherland Brothers And Quiver - 48
• To Know You Is To Love You - B.B. King - 38
• Gotta Find A Way - Moments - 68
• Outlaw Man - Eagles - 59
• You'd Better Believe It - The Manhattans - 77
• Rubber Bullets - 10cc - 73
• Roll In My Sweet Baby's Arms - Hank Wilson 78
• I Won't Last A Day Without You - Maureen McGovern - 89
• Hey, Little Girl - Foster Sylvers - 92
• Ashes To Ashes - The 5th Dimension - 52
• Ridin' My Thumb To Mexico - Johnny Rodriguez - 70
• West Coast Woman - Painter - 79
• Take A Closer Look At The Woman You're With - Wilson Pickett - 90
• Mr. Skin - Spirit - 92

On The Charts - November 1973

Continuing the review of songs that were on the Top 40 (US) charts 50 years ago (1973).  We're on to November; the penultimate month of 1973.  

All of the 1973 music posts can be seen HERE, btw.

Following the normal format, here's the Top 10 songs for November1973, based on the average chart position (US charts) over the 4 weeks in the month:

• Keep On Truckin' (Part 1) - Eddie Kendricks - 1.75
• Midnight Train To Georgia - Gladys Knight And The Pips - 2.75
• Heartbeat It's A Lovebeat - The DeFranco Family - 4.5
• Photograph - Ringo Starr - 5.5
• Paper Roses - Marie Osmond - 6
• Angie - The Rolling Stones - 6
• Space Race - Billy Preston - 6.25
• Top Of The World - Carpenters - 8.25
• Just You 'n' Me - Chicago - 11.25
• Half-Breed - Cher - 11.25

Three (3) songs topped the charts in November, 1973:  Gladys Knight and the Pips' Midnight Train to Georgia started the month, continuing from the last week of October. Keep On Truckin' was #1 for the middle 2 weeks of November, and Ringo Staar closed out the month with Photograph.  There's a couple of songs in this Top 10 that I see as real stinkers, and a couple of really good songs.  I own 7 of the 10, can you guess which ones? 

There were 55 individual songs on the Top 40 over the course of the 4 weeks in November, which is pretty much average.

18 songs made their Top 40 debut in November, which is pretty typical.  Several are especially notable, a few? not so much. Here they are, with their debut rank:  

• Leave Me Alone (ruby Red Dress) - Helen Reddy - 29
• Let Me Serenade You - Three Dog Night - 32
• My Music - Loggins and Messina - 32
• Ooh Baby - Gilbert O'Sullivan - 33
• Rockin' Roll Baby - The Stylistics - 34
• Be - Neil Diamond - 35
• Hello It's Me - Todd Rundgren - 36
• The Joker - The Steve Miller Band - 37
• Show And Tell - Al Wilson - 37
• If You're Ready (Come Go With Me) - The Staple Singers - 38
• Check It Out - Tavares - 38
• Sweet Understanding Love - Four Tops - 38
• Living For The City - Stevie Wonder - 38
• Come Get To This - Marvin Gaye - 39
• Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - Elton John - 40
• Never, Never Gonna Give Ya Up - Barry White - 40
• D'yer Mak'er - Led Zeppelin - 40
• Friends - Bette Midler - 40

So that's it, look for the post later this month of songs that dropped off the Hot 100 in November without having made the Top 40!

1973 In Music - October's Almost Made the Charts

  Continuing my look at songs that dropped off the charts during the month, but never made the Top 40.  And for October, I counted 26, a much more typical number.

Here they are, with peak position noted:

• Woman From Tokyo - Deep Purple - 60
• This Time It's Real - Tower Of Power - 65
• Everybody's Had The Blues - Merle Haggard And The Strangers - 62
• You're The Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me - Ray Price - 82
• Blood Red And Goin' Down - Tanya Tucker - 74
• Slippin' Away - Jean Shepard - 81
• Kid Stuff - Barbara Fairchild - 95
• Rhapsody In Blue - Deodato - 41
• Loving Arms - Dobie Gray - 61
• Evil - Earth, Wind and Fire - 50
• Love Is All - Engelbert Humperdinck - 91
• Farewell Andromeda (Welcome To My Morning) - John Denver - 89
• Tonight - Raspberries - 69
• Sexy, Sexy, Sexy - James Brown - 50
• Muskrat Love - America - 67
• He - Today's People - 90
• Make Me Twice The Man - New York City - 96
• Sweet Harmony - Smokey Robinson - 48
• The Last Thing On My Mind - Neil Diamond - 56
• Freedom For The Stallion - The Hues Corporation - 63
• Send A Little Love My Way - Anne Murray - 72
• Parrty - Part I - Maceo And The Macks - 71
• That's Why You Remember - Kenny Karen - 82
• As Time Goes By - Nilsson - 86

On The Charts - October 1973

 Continuing the review of songs that were on the Top 40 (US) charts 50 years ago (1973).  We're on to October; starting to wind it down.  

All of the 1973 music posts can be seen HERE, btw.

Following the normal format, here's the Top 10 songs for October 1973, based on the average chart position (US charts) over the 4 weeks in the month:

• Half-Breed - Cher - 1.75
• Angie - The Rolling Stones - 4
• Ramblin Man - The Allman Brothers Band - 4
• Let's Get It On - Marvin Gaye - 4
• Midnight Train To Georgia - Gladys Knight And The Pips - 6.25
• That Lady (Part 1) - The Isley Brothers - 6.75
• Higher Ground - Stevie Wonder - 6.75
• Keep On Truckin' (Part 1) - Eddie Kendricks - 7.75
• Loves Me Like A Rock - Paul Simon (with The Dixie Hummingbirds) - 9.75
• We're An American Band - Grand Funk - 10

Three (3) songs topped the charts in October, 1973:  Hilf Breed, by Cher, opened the month at #1 for the first 2 weeks.  Rolling Stones took over the 3rd week of October, with Angie, and Gladys Knight and the Pip's Midnight Train to Georgia closed out the month at the top.  Another interesting month in the top 10, Angie and Midnight Train are 2 of the greatest songs of the 70's.  And Half Breed is solid, but the only song in this top 10 that I don't own.  

There were 53 individual songs on the Top 40 over the course of the 4 weeks in September, which is pretty much average.

18 songs made their Top 40 debut in October, which is pretty typical.  Several are especially notable, a few?  Not so much. Here they are, with their debut rank:  

• Paper Roses - Marie Osmond - 25
• Space Race - Billy Preston - 26
• Just You 'n' Me - Chicago - 28
• All I Know - Garfunkel - 29
• Photograph - Ringo Starr - 29
• We May Never Pass This Way (Again) - Seals and Crofts 31
• Top Of The World Carpenters 31
• Ecstasy - Ohio Players - 34
• You're A Special Part Of Me - Diana Ross and Marvin Gaye - 35
• Nutbush City Limits - Ike and Tina Turner - 36
• The Love I Lost (Part 1) - Harold Melvin And The Blue Notes - 37
• Jesse - Roberta Flack - 38
• Let Me In - The Osmonds - 38
• Cheaper To Keep Her - Johnnie Taylor - 38
• Summer (The First Time) - Bobby Goldsboro - 39
• Funky Stuff - Kool and The Gang - 40
• I Got A Name - Jim Croce - 40
• The Most Beautiful Girl - Charlie Rich - 40

So that's it, look for the post later this month of songs that dropped off the Hot 100 in September without having made the Top 40!

1973 In Music - September's Almost Made the Charts

 Continuing my look at songs that dropped off the charts during the month, but never made the Top 40.  And for August, I counted a whopping 50.  That's more than triple the normal (since I started logging)

Here they are, with peak position noted:

• Baby I've Been Missing You - The Independents - 41
• Sweet Charlie Babe - Jackie Moore - 42
• Love, Love, Love - Donny Hathaway - 44
• Clouds - David Gates - 47
• Everyone's Agreed That Everything Will Turn Out Fine - Stealers Wheel - 49
• Don't Let It End ('til You Let It Begin) - The Miracles - 56
• Billion Dollar Babies - Alice Cooper - 57
• Bongo Rock - The Incredible Bongo Band - 57
• Twisting The Night Away - Rod Stewart - 59
• Just Don't Want To Be Lonely - Ronnie Dyson - 60
• All I Need Is Time - Gladys Knight And The Pips - 61
• Show Biz Kids - Steely Dan - 61
• Slick - Willie Hutch - 65
• Sixty Minute Man/Mother-In-Law - Clarence Carter - 65
• Top Of The World - Lynn Anderson - 74
• One Tin Soldier (The Legend of Billy Jack) - Coven - 79
• The Peacemaker - Albert Hammond - 80
• Hang Loose - Mandrill - 83
• They're Coming To Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa! - Napoleon XIV - 87
• Queen Of The Roller Derby - Leon Russell - 89
• Stay Away From Me - The Sylvers - 89
• Sylvia - Focus - 89
• The Long Way Home - Neil Diamond - 91
• Make Me Twice The Man - New York City - 93
• Kid Stuff - Barbara Fairchild - 95
• Until It's Time For You To Go - The New Birth - 97
• Make Up Your Mind - The J. Geils Band - 98
• Soul Je T'aime - Sylvia And Ralfi Pagan - 99

Note that "One Tin Soldier" was a re-recording of the 1971 hit that had previously reached #26.

Note that "They're Coming to Take Me Away" is a re-release of the song that hit #3 in 1966. 

On The Charts - September 1973

Continuing the review of songs that were on the Top 40 (US) charts 50 years ago (1973).  We're on to September; 3/4 through the year!  

All of the 1973 music posts can be seen HERE, btw.

Following the normal format, here's the Top 10 songs for September 1973, based on the average chart position (US charts) over the 5 weeks in the month:

• Let's Get It On - Marvin Gaye - 1.6
• Delta Dawn - Helen Reddy - 3
• Say, Has Anybody Seen My Sweet Gypsy Rose - Dawn Featuring Tony Orlando - 5
• Brother Louie - Stories - 5.2
• We're An American Band - Grand Funk - 5.4
• Loves Me Like A Rock - Paul Simon - 5.4
• Touch Me In The Morning - Diana Ross - 7.8
• Live And Let Die - Paul McCartney And Wings - 13
• Gypsie Man - War - 13.2
• That Lady (Part 1) - The Isley Brothers - 14.2 (Tie)
• Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting - Elton John - 14.2 (Tie)

Three (4) songs topped the charts in September, 1973.  Brother Louie, by Stories, opened the month at #1 but only for 1 week.  Marvin Gaye's Let's Get It On took over the 2nd week of September, dropped out for a week, the rebounded for the 4th week of the month.  Delta Dawn, by Helen Reddy spent one week at #1, splitting Marvin Gaye's stay.  The month ended with Grand Funk's We're An American Band at the top.       Another eclectic month in the top 10, some great, some good, some...  well, not my favorite.  In fact, I only own 7 of the top 10 songs.  

There were 64 individual songs on the Top 40 over the course of the 5 weeks in September, which is pretty much average.

24 songs made their Top 40 debut in September, which is pretty typical.  But some are especially notable.Here they are, with their debut rank:  

• Angie - The Rolling Stones - 22
• China Grove - The Doobie Brothers - 24
• Basketball Jones Featuring Tyrone Shoelaces - Cheech & Chong - 26
• Higher Ground - Stevie Wonder - 30
• Keep On Truckin' (Part 1) - Eddie Kendricks - 30
• Ghetto Child - The Spinners - 30
• Half-Breed - Cher - 33
• Midnight Train To Georgia - Gladys Knight And The Pips - 33
• Jimmy Loves Mary-Anne - Looking Glass - 33
• Yes We Can Can - The Pointer Sisters - 34
• Ecstasy - Ohio Players - 34
• Ramblin Man - The Allman Brothers Band - 35
• You've Never Been This Far Before - Conway Twitty - 35
• Stoned Out Of My Mind - The Chi-lites - 36
• Rocky Mountain Way - Joe Walsh - 36
• Knockin' On Heaven's Door - Bob Dylan - 36
• Free Ride - Edgar Winter Group - 37
• I've Got So Much To Give - Barry White - 37
• To Know You Is To Love You - B.B. King - 38
• Hey Girl (i Like Your Style) - The Temptations - 39
• In The Midnight Hour - Cross Country 39
• Heartbeat - It's A Lovebeat - The DeFranco Family - 39
• Get It Together - Jackson 5 - 40
• Hurts So Good - Millie Jackson - 40

So that's it, look for the post later this month of songs that dropped off the Hot 100 in September without having made the Top 40!

1973 In Music - August's Almost Made the Charts

Continuing my look at songs that dropped off the charts during the month, but never made the Top 40.  And for August, I counted a whopping 50.  That's more than triple the normal (since I started logging)

Here they are, with peak position noted:

• Roll Over Beethoven - Electric Light Orchestra - 42
• Watergrate - Dickie Goodman - 42
• There's No Me Without You - The Manhattans - 43
• Soul Makossa - Afrique - 47
• Never, Never, Never (Grande, Grande, Grande) - Shirley Bassey - 48
• Over The Hills And Far Away - Led Zeppelin - 51
• Finder's Keepers - Chairman Of The Board - 59
• I'd Rather Be A Cowboy - John Denver - 62
• Tequila Sunrise - Eagles - 64
• Darling Come Back Home - Eddie Kendricks - 67
• Lord, Mr. Ford - Jerry Reed - 68
• It's Forever - The Ebonys - 68
• Didn't I - Sylvia - 70
• Blockbuster - The Sweet - 73
• He Did With Me - Vicki Lawrence - 75
• My Merry-go-round - Johnny Nash - 77
• Think - James Brown - 80
• There You Go - Edwin Starr - 80
• Friend Of Mine - Bill Withers - 80
• Roland The Roadie And Gertrude The Groupie - Dr. Hook And The Medicine Show - 83
• Sunshine - Mickey Newbury - 87
• Black Byrd - Donald Byrd - 88
• You Were Always There - Donna Fargo - 93
• Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette) - Commander Cody - 94
• L.a. Freeway - Jerry Jeff Walker - 98

There's some real classics there, somewhat surprising.  Just goes to show....

On The Charts - August 1973

 Continuing the review of songs that were on the Top 40 (US) charts 50 years ago (1973).  We're on to August, well into the second half of the year!  

All of the 1973 music posts can be seen HERE, btw.

Following the normal format, here's the Top 10 songs for August 1973, based on the average chart position (US charts) over the 4 weeks in the month:

• Live And Let Die - Paul McCartney And Wings - 2.25
• The Morning After - Maureen McGovern - 2.75
• Brother Louie - Stories - 3.75
• Touch Me In The Morning - Diana Ross - 3.75
• Bad, Bad Leroy Brown - Jim Croce - 5.75
• Let's Get It On - Marvin Gaye - 8.25
• Get Down - Gilbert O'Sullivan - 10.25
• Uneasy Rider - Charlie Daniels - 10.5
• Feelin' Stronger Every Day - Chicago - 10.75
• Smoke On The Water - Deep Purple - 11.25

Three (3) songs topped the charts in August, 1973.  Maureen McGovern's "The Morning After" held the top spot for the first two weeks, followed by 1 week for Diana Ross's "Touch Me In The Morning".  Stories' "Borther Louis" reached #1 for the last week of the month.     A pretty eclectic month in the top 10, some great, some good, some...  well, not my favorite.  In fact, I only own 7 of the top 10 songs.  

There were 53 individual songs on the Top 40 over the course of the 4 weeks in August, which is pretty much average.

16 songs made their Top 40 debut in July, which tie January for the fewest chart entries for the year.  But some especially notable sogs that we'll see near the top soon.  Here they are, with their debut rank:  

• Loves Me Like A Rock - Paul Simon - 27
• We're An American Band - Grand Funk - 29
• That Lady (Part 1) - The Isley Brothers - 31
• I Was Checkin' Out She Was Checkin' In - Don Covay - 32
• Why Me - Kris Kristofferson - 32
• Gypsie Man - War - 33
• Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting - Elton John - 34
• Theme From Cleopatra Jones - Joe Simon - 34
• Nobody Wants You When You're Down And Out - Bobby Womack - 35
• My Maria - B.W. Stevenson - 35
• A Million To One/Young Love - Donny Osmond - 36
• You Light Up My Life/Believe In Humanity - Carole King - 37
• There It Is - Tyrone Davis - 38
• The Hurt - Cat Stevens - 39
• Future Shock - Curtis Mayfield - 40
• I'll Always Love My Mama (Part I) - The Intruders - 40

So that's it, look for the post later this month of songs that dropped off the Hot 100 in August without having made the Top 40!

1973 In Music - July's Almost Made the Charts

 Continuing my look at songs that dropped off the charts during the month, but never made the Top 40.  And for July, I counted 18.  That's pretty much typical.

Here they are, with peak position noted:

Hey You! Get Off My Mountain - The Dramatics - 43

The Free Electric Band - Albert Hammond - 48

Love And Happiness - Earnest Jackson - 58

Letter To Lucille - Tom Jones - 60

What About Me - Anne Murray - 64

Be What You Are - The Staple Singers - 66

Shambala - B.W. Stevenson - 66

Brother's Gonna Work It Out - Willie Hutch - 67

First Cut Is The Deepest - Keith Hampshire - 70

Kids Say The Darndest Things - Tammy Wynette - 72

Avenging Annie - Andy Pratt - 78

Mother-in-law - Clarence Carter - 80

I Can Make It Thru The Days (But Oh Those Lonely Nights) - Ray Charles - 81

Giving It All Away - Roger Daltrey - 83

You Always Come Back (To Hurting Me) - Johnny Rodriguez - 86

I Don't Want To Make You Wait - The Delfonics - 91

My Heart Just Keeps On Breakin' - The Chi-lites - 92

Hello Stranger - Fire And Rain - 100

I can't say there's anything here that really shocks me.  i only own one of these songs (Avenging Annie), and I wouldn't really argue for it to be a hit.

On The Charts - July 1973

 Continuing the review of songs that were on the Top 40 (US) charts 50 years ago (1973).  We're on to July, and into the second half of the year!  

All of the 1973 music posts can be seen HERE, btw.

Following the normal format, here's the Top 10 songs for July1973, based on the average chart position (US charts) over the 4 weeks in the month:

• Will It Go Round In Circles - Billy Preston - 2.25
• Bad, Bad Leroy Brown - Jim Croce - 2.5
• Kodachrome - Paul Simon - 4
• Shambala - Three Dog Night - 4.5
• Yesterday Once More - Carpenters - 4.75
• Give Me Love - (Give Me Peace On Earth) - George Harrison - 6.25
• Smoke On The Water - Deep Purple - 7.5
• Playground In My Mind - Clint Holmes - 9
• Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy - Bette Midler - 11
• Diamond Girl - Seals and Crofts - 11.75

Only 2 songs topped the charts in July, 1973.  Billy Preston's "will It Go Round In Circles" held the top for the first 2 weeks, followed by Jim Croce's "Bad Bad Leroy Brown".  Another great month at the top of the charts, another in a great year.  I only own 8 of the top 10, though, can you guess which I don't have?

There were 56 individual songs on the Top 40 over the course of the 4 weeks in July, which is back in line with the average, after a low June.

22 songs made their Top 40 debut in July, which is a little above the average for the year.  Here they are, with their debut rank:  

• Touch Me In The Morning - Diana Ross - 29
• The Morning After - Maureen McGovern - 29
• Live And Let Die - Paul McCartney And Wings - 29
• Uneasy Rider - Charlie Daniels - 30
• Get Down - Gilbert O'Sullivan - 31
• Feelin' Stronger Every Day - Chicago - 32
• I Believe In You (You Believe In Me) - Johnnie Taylor - 32
• Delta Dawn - Helen Reddy - 32
• Here I Am Come & Take Me - Al Green - 33
• Where Peaceful Waters Flow - Gladys Knight And The Pips - 34
• If You Want Me To Stay - Sly and The Family Stone - 34
• How Can I Tell Her - Lobo - 35
• Let's Get It On - Marvin Gaye - 36
• Brother Louie - Stories - 37
• Why Me - Kris Kristofferson - 37
• Soul Makossa - Manu Dibango - 37
• Angel - Aretha Franklin - 38
• Are You Man Enough - Four Tops - 38
• Goin' Home - The Osmonds - 39
• Swamp Witch - Jim Stafford - 39
• Say, Has Anybody Seen My Sweet Gypsy Rose - Dawn - 39
• The Plastic Man - The Temptations - 40

Some solid songs here, which will be climbing the charts over the next month...

So that's it, look for the post later this month of songs that dropped off the Hot 100 in July without having made the Top 40!

1973 In Music - June's Almost Made the Charts

 Continuing my look at songs that dropped off the charts during the month, but never made the Top 40.  And for June, I counted 21.  That's pretty much typical, after May's really short list.

Here they are, with peak position noted:

• Drinking Wine Spo-dee O'dee - Jerry Lee Lewis - 41
• I Knew Jesus (Before He Was A Star) - Glen Campbell - 45
• Only In Your Heart - America - 62
• Music Everywhere - Tufano and Giammarese - 68
• It's Hard To Stop (Doing Something When It's Good To You) - Betty Wright - 72
• I'm A Stranger Here - Five Man Electrical Band - 76
• What A Shame - Foghat - 82
• Cosmic Sea - The Mystic Moods - 83
• California Saga (On My Way To Sunny Californ-i-a) - The Beach Boys - 84
• Don't Let It Get You Down - The Crusaders - 86
• Bad Weather - The Supremes - 87
• Giving It All Away - Roger Daltrey - 87
• Your Side Of The Bed - Mac Davis - 88
• Come Live With Me - Roy Clark - 89
• Together We Can Make Such Sweet Music - The Spinners - 91
• A Little Bit Like Magic - King Harvest - 91
• Outlaw Man - David Blue - 94
• Working Class Hero - Tommy Roe - 97
• Cum On Feel The Noize - Slade - 98
• I'm Leavin' You - Engelbert Humperdinck - 99

On The Charts - June 1973

Continuing the review of songs that were on the Top 40 (US) charts 50 years ago (1973).  We're on to June, and 50% through the year!  

All of the 1973 music posts can be seen HERE, btw.

Following the normal format, here's the Top 10 songs for June 1973, based on the average chart position (US charts) over the 5 weeks in the month:

• My Love - Paul McCartney And Wings - 1.2
• Pillow Talk - Sylvia - 4.4
• I'm Gonna Love You Just A Little More Baby - Barry White - 4.8
• Playground In My Mind - Clint Holmes - 5.2
• Daniel - Elton John - 6.8
• Frankenstein - Edgar Winter Group - 8
• Give Me Love - (Give Me Peace On Earth) - George Harrison - 8.2
• Will It Go Round In Circles - Billy Preston 9.4
• Right Place Wrong Time - Dr. John - 11.4
• Long Train Runnin' - The Doobie Brothers - 12.2

McCartney's "My Love" topped the charts for the first 4 weeks of June 1975, and was knocked off by George Harrison's "Give Me Love", making an all-ex-Beatle month.  Both super songs, iconic, even.  This is a really great month at the top of the charts. I own 9 of the 10 top songs.

There were 55 individual songs on the Top 40 over the course of the 5 weeks, which is a quite a bit lower than the previous months of 1973.  That simply means that the songs were sticking around that June.

Here's the songs that made their Top 40 debut in June 1973:

• Kodachrome - Paul Simon - 28
• Natural High - Bloodstone - 30
• Bad, Bad Leroy Brown - Jim Croce - 31
• Monster Mash - Bobby "Boris" Pickett And The Crypt-Kickers - 31
• Misdemeanor - Foster Sylvers - 32
• Money - Pink Floyd - 33
• Smoke On The Water - Deep Purple - 35
• Shambala - Three Dog Night - 36
• You'll Never Get To Heaven (If You Break My Heart) - The Stylistics - 36
• Daddy Could Swear, I Declare - Gladys Knight And The Pips - 38
• Behind Closed Doors - Charlie Rich - 38
• Give Your Baby A Standing Ovation - The Dells - 38
• Yesterday Once More - Carpenters - 38
• Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy - Bette Midler - 39
• So Very Hard To Go - Tower Of Power - 39
• Satin Sheets - Jeanne Pruett - 39
• I'll Always Love My Mama (Part I) - The Intruders - 39
• Diamond Girl - Seals & Crofts - 40
• Back When My Hair Was Short - Gunhill Road - 40
• Doing It To Death - Fred Wesley and The J.B.'s - 40
• Time To Get Down - The O'Jays - 40

Some pretty impressive songs here, which will be climbing the charts over the next month...

So that's it, look for the post later this month of songs that dropped off the Hot 100 in June without having made the Top 40!

1973 In Music - May's Almost Made the Charts

 Continuing my look at songs that dropped off the charts during the month, but never made the Top 40.  And for the May, I counted 11.  That's notably fewer than any month this year, the next closest is April with 16/  

Here they are, with peak position noted:

• Cindy Incidentally - Faces - 48
• Who Was It? - Hurricane Smith - 49
• If We Try - Don McLean - 58
• Dancing To Your Music - Archie Bell and the Drells - 61
• Always - Luther Ingram - 64
• Everything's Been Changed - The 5th Dimension - 70
• People Are Changin' - Timmy Thomas - 75
• Am I Black Enough For You - Billy Paul - 79
• Only Love - Bill Quateman - 86
• Dueling Tubas - Martin Mull and Orchestra - 92
• Let Me Down Easy - Cornelius Brother and Sister Rose - 96

Cindy Incidentally is the only one of these I have, originally from a multi-artist compillation.  But I now have the associated Faces album.

On The Charts - May 1973

  Continuing the review of songs that were on the Top 40 (US) charts 50 years ago (1973).  We're on to May, and 33% through the year!  

All of the 1973 music posts can be seen HERE, btw.

Following the normal format, here's the Top 10 songs for May 1973, based on the average chart position (US charts) over the 4 weeks in the month:

• Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Ole Oak Tree - Dawn Featuring Tony Orlando - 2
• You Are The Sunshine Of My Life - Stevie Wonder - 3
• Little Willy - The Sweet - 4
• Frankenstein - Edgar Winter Group - 5.5
• Drift Away - Dobie Gray - 6.5
• Daniel - Elton John - 7.75
• Stuck In The Middle With You - Stealers Wheel - 8.5
• The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia - Vicki Lawrence - 10.25
• Wildflower - Skylark - 11
• The Cisco Kid - War - 11.25

"Tie a Yellow Ribbon..." was #1 for the first 2 weeks of May, and the last 2 weeks of April, for a 4-week run at the Top.  I rather dislike this song, probably because it was SO inescapable at the time.  Stevie Wonder's "You Are The Sunshine Of My Life" was #1 for the third week of May; a little surprising, I would have expected it to be on top longer than 1 week...  And the month ended with Edger Winter's "Frankenstein".  Back in the days when instrumentals weren't rare, and occasionally hit #1!  Other than "Tie A Yellow Ribbon" it's a really great Top 10.  I own 8 of the 10 songs.

There were 59 individual songs on the Top 40 over the course of the 4 weeks, which is slightly higher than the previous months of 1973.  

Here's the songs that made their Top 40 debut in May 1973:

• Steamroller Blues/Fool - Elvis Presley - 30
• Will It Go Round In Circles - Billy Preston - 30
• Long Train Runnin' - The Doobie Brothers - 30
• Playground In My Mind - Clint Holmes - 32
• Right Place Wrong Time - Dr. John - 34
• Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth) - George Harrison - 34
• Super Fly Meets Shaft - John & Ernest - 35
• One Of A Kind (Love Affair) - The Spinners - 35
• It Sure Took A Long, Long Time - Lobo - 36
• I'm Gonna Love You Just A Little More Baby - Barry White - 37
• And I Love You So - Perry Como - 37
• Teddy Bear Song - Barbara Fairchild - 37
• I Can Understand It - The New Birth - 38
• Hearts Of Stone - The Blue Ridge Rangers - 38
• No More Mr. Nice Guy - Alice Cooper - 39
• Give It To Me - The J. Geils Band - 39
• Let's Pretend - Raspberries - 40
• Close Your Eyes - Edward Bear - 40
• Blue Suede Shoes - Johnny Rivers - 40

A few gems, and a lot that I don't even remember.

So that's it, look for the post later this month of songs that dropped off the Hot 100 in Maywithout having made the Top 40!

1973 In Music - April's Almost Made the Charts

Continuing my look at songs that dropped off the charts during the month, but never made the Top 40.  And for the April, I counted 16.  That's notably fewer than previous months in 1973. February and March.

Here they are, with peak position noted:

• Superman - Donna Fargo - 41
• Down And Out In New York City - James Brown - 50
• Pardon Me Sir - Joe Cocker - 51
• Let Your Yeah Be Yeah - Brownsville Station - 57
• Yesterday I Had The Blues - Harold Melvin And The Blue Notes - 63
• If You Gotta Break Another Heart - Albert Hammond - 63
• Gudbuy T' Jane - Slade - 68
• Mama Was A Rock And Roll Singer, Papa Used To Write All Her Songs Part 1 - Sonny & Cher - 77
• Wish That I Could Talk To You - The Sylvers - 77
• Sail On Sailor - The Beach Boys - 79
• Delta Queen - Don Fardon - 86
• River Road - Uncle Dog - 86
• If I Could Only Be Sure - Nolan Porter - 89
• Saw A New Morning - Bee Gees - 94
• Mr. Magic Man - Wilson Pickett - 98
• Friend And A Lover - The Partridge Family - 99

On The Charts - April 1973

 Continuing the review of songs that were on the Top 40 (US) charts 50 years ago (1973).  We're on to April, and 33% through the year!  

All of the 1973 music posts can be seen HERE, btw.

Following the format from last year, here's the Top 10 songs for April1973, based on the average chart position (US charts) over the 4 weeks in the month:

• The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia - Vicki Lawrence - 2
• Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Ole Oak Tree - Dawn Featuring Tony Orlando - 2.75
• Sing - Carpenters - 4.5
• The Cisco Kid - War - 5.5
• Neither One Of Us (Wants To Be The First To Say Goodbye) - Gladys Knight And The Pips - 5.5
• Ain't No Woman (Like The One I've Got) - Four Tops - 5.75
• Masterpiece - The Temptations - 10
• Danny's Song - Anne Murray - 10.5
• Little Willy - The Sweet - 11
• Killing Me Softly With His Song - Roberta Flack - 11.5

"The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia" spent the first 2 weeks at #1, followed by "Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Ole Oak Tree" for the next 2 weeks.  

There were 56 individual songs on the Top 40 over the course of the 4 weeks, wich tracks pretty closely with the January, February and March.

Not the greatest month for me, as far as top 10, I only own 6 of the 10 songs, but only one I didn't remember (Masterpiece).   On the other hand, there were quite a few great songs making their Top 40 debuts:

• Reeling In The Years - Steely Dan - 25
• Pillow Talk - Sylvia - 30
• Thinking Of You - Loggins & Messina - 32
• Out Of The Question - Gilbert O'Sullivan - 34
• Daniel - Elton John - 35
• "Cherry Cherry" from Hot August Night - Neil Diamond - 36
• My Love - Paul McCartney And Wings - 36
• One Man Band (Plays All Alone) - Ronnie Dyson - 37
• Funky Worm - Ohio Players - 37
• Armed And Extremely Dangerous - First Choice - 37
• Step By Step - Joe Simon - 38
• The Right Thing To Do - Carly Simon - 38
• I'm Doin' Fine Now - New York City - 38
• Bitter Bad - Melanie - 38
• Hallelujah Day - Jackson 5 - 39
• Frankenstein - Edgar Winter Group - 39
• Hocus Pocus - Focus - 39
• Pinball Wizard/See Me, Feel Me - The New Seekers - 40
• Oh La De Da - The Staple Singers - 40
• Leaving Me - The Independents - 40

So that's it, look for the post later this month of songs that dropped off the Hot 100 in April without having made the Top 40!

1973 In Music - March's Almost Made the Charts

Continuing my look at songs that dropped off the charts during the month, but never made the Top 40.  And for the March, I counted 25.  Accounting for the 5 week month, that's pretty consistent with January and February.

Here they are, with peak position noted:

• Rosalie - Sam Neely - 43
• Today I Started Loving You Again - Bettye Swann - 46
• The Message - Cymande - 48
• Keep On Singing - Austin Roberts - 50
• Control Of Me - Les Emmerson - 51
• Follow Your Daughter Home - The Guess Who - 61
• Lost Horizon - Shawn Phillips - 63
• Palace Guard - Rick Nelson And The Stone Canyon Band - 65
• One Man Parade - James Taylor - 67
• Happy - Bobby Darin - 67
• How Can I Tell You - Travis Wammack - 68
• Boo, Boo, Don't 'Cha Be Blue - Tommy James - 70
• Bell Bottom Blues * - Eric Clapton - 78
• Don't Burn Me - Paul Kelly - 79
• Good Morning - Michael Redway - 85
• Girl You Need A Change Of Mind (Part 1) - Eddie Kendricks - 87
• Names, Tags, Numbers and Labels - The Association - 91
• Stop, Wait and Listen - Circus - 91
• Breaking Up Somebody's Home - Albert King - 91
• Rosanna - Dennis Yost And The Classics IV - 95
• We Did It - Syl Johnson - 95
• Love Music - The Raiders - 97
• Tossin' And Turnin' - Bunny Sigler - 97
• If It's All Right With You - Dottie West - 97
• She's Got To Be A Saint - Ray Price - 98

Interestingly, I only know (and have) tow songs of this list.  Note that this was Bell Bottom Blues's second release as a single, neither of which cracked the Top 40.

On the Charts, March 1973

Continuing the review of songs that were on the Top 40 (US) charts 50 years ago (1973).  We're on to March, and 25% through the year!  

All of the 1972 music posts can be seen HERE, btw.

Following the format from last year, here's the Top 10 songs for March 1973, based on the average chart position (US charts) over the 5 weeks in the month:

• Killing Me Softly With His Song - Roberta Flack - 1.2
• Love Train - The O'Jays - 4
• Last Song - Edward Bear - 4.6
• Also Sprach Zarathustra (2001) - Deodato - 4.6
• Dueling Banjos - Deliverance/Eric Weissberg and Steve Mandell - 5
• The Cover Of "Rolling Stone" - Dr. Hook And The Medicine Show - 9
• Neither One Of Us (Wants To Be The First To Say Goodbye) - Gladys Knight And The Pips - 10.2
• Could It Be I'm Falling In Love - The Spinners - 10.6
• Danny's Song - Anne Murray - 12
• Break Up To Make Up - The Stylistics - 13.2

Aretha Franklin's Killing Me Softly started the month at #1, continuing from February.  The O'Jays' Love Train took the top spot in the 4th week, but Killing Ne Softly rebounded to #1 for the last week of the month.

There were 65 individual songs on the Top 40 over the course of the 5 weeks, wich tracks pretty closely with the 4 weeks of January and February..

Not the greatest month for me, as far as top 10, I only own 7 of the 10 songs, but only one I didn't remember (Last Song).   On the other hand, there were song great songs making their Top 40 debuts:

• Break Up To Make Up - The Stylistics - 22
• The Cisco Kid - War - 26
• Call Me (Come Back Home) - Al Green - 28
• Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Ole Oak Tree - Dawn Featuring Tony Orlando - 29
• The Twelfth Of Never - Donny Osmond - 29
• You Are The Sunshine Of My Life - Stevie Wonder - 29
• The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia - Vicki Lawrence - 30
• Sing - Carpenters - 31
• Walk On The Wild Side - Lou Reed - 31
• Masterpiece - The Temptations - 34
• Stuck In The Middle With You - Stealers Wheel - 34
• Stir It Up - Johnny Nash - 36
• Little Willy - The Sweet - 36
• Drift Away - Dobie Gray - 36
• Kissing My Love - Bill Withers - 38
• Hello Hurray - Alice Cooper - 38
• Master Of Eyes (The Deepness Of Your Eyes) - Aretha Franklin - 39
• Good Morning Heartache - Diana Ross - 39
• One Less Set Of Footsteps - Jim Croce - 39
• A Letter To Myself - The Chi-lites - 39
• Wildflower - Skylark - 39
• Peaceful - Helen Reddy - 40
• Cook With Honey - Judy Collins - 40
• Soul Song - Joe Stampley - 40
• Daisy A Day - Jud Strunk - 40

1973 In Music - February's Almost Made the Charts.

 So, with my ongoing series of posts on music from 50 years go, and what we were listening to, I've thought a lot about adding a list of great songs that made the Hot 100, but didn't make the Top 40.  As I've started a new year (and a new spreadsheet) I figured I'd give it a shot.

SO, starting last month, I'm looking at songs that dropped off the charts during the month, but never made the Top 40.  And for the February, I counted 22.  Here they are, with peak position noted:

• I Can't Stand To See You Cry - Smokey Robinson and The Miracles - 45
• You've Got To Take It (If You Want It) - The Main Ingredient - 46
• Lucky Man - Emerson, Lake and Palmer - 51
• Daytime Night-Time - Keith Hampshire - 51
• Don't Leave Me Starvin' For Your Love (Part 1) - Holland-Dozier - 52
• What My Baby Needs Now Is A Little More Lovin' - James Brown-Lyn Collins - 56
• Songman - Cashman and West - 59
• Tweedlee Dee - Little Jimmy Osmond - 59
• I Never Said Goodbye - Engelbert Humperdinck - 61
• Silly Wasn't I - Valerie Simpson - 63
• Boogie Woogie Man - Paul Davis - 68
• Hot Wire - Al Green - 71
• Fever - Rita Coolidge - 76
• Slow Motion (Part 1) - Johnny Williams - 78
• But I Do - Bobby Vinton - 82
• Blind Eye - Uriah Heep - 91
• Sugar Magnolia - Grateful Dead - 91
• We're Gonna Have A Good Time - Rare Earth - 93
• Somebody Loves You - The Whispers - 94
• Come Softly To Me - The New Seekers - 95
• If It's All Right With You - Dottie West - 97
• Tossin' And Turnin' - Bunny Sigler - 97

And yes, I have playlists of great songs that "made the Hot 100 but not the Top 40".  But the 1973 list only has 23 songs.  Maybe I'll update it as we go through the year month by month!