Muses about music, musicians, and musical interludes of all sorts. Also, chronicling the creation of an album of original songs, by a guy who figures he might as well.
Short week, and not an especially interesting one. It
happens.
Barbra Streisand, “The Main Event/Fight,” #3, 8/11/79
Streisand goes disco, which wasn’t a bad idea. The Main
Event was her 1979 romantic comedy with Ryan O’Neal, with the hopes that
lightning would strike twice (the two had starred in the 1972 film What’s
Up, Doc?) – financially the movie was a success, critically not so much.
Anyway, the soundtrack had three versions of this song – an 11:39 version for
club play, the standard 4:54 edit we generally hear today (the single was
edited further, coming in at 4:39), and a ballad version. Streisand doesn’t
generally perform the song live (it can’t be an easy song to sing, and disco
doesn’t generally fit in with her concerts nowadays), but there is a live
version on her 1999 album Timeless. Trying to find a decent video for
this that I could embed into this text was a chore considering how big a hit
it was; I recommend going here for a montage including clips from Streisand
performing it live interspersed with movie clips, with the caveat that you
might want to be careful about playing it at work. Apparently tiny shorts were
a lot more acceptable in this era.
Dr. Hook, “When You’re in Love With a Beautiful Woman,”
#6, 8/11/79
Third single from the band’s 1978 album Pleasure and Pain
– and/or first single from their 1979 album Sometimes You Win. (I’m sure
their fans must have appreciated having the same song appear on two consecutive
studio albums, he said sarcastically.) This is such a 1970s song it’s almost
impossible to stomach today: apparently when you’re in love with a beautiful
woman, she can’t be trusted (“You watch her eyes/you look for lies”), all the
guys you know can’t either (“You watch your friends/it never ends”) and
everybody’s out to get you (“You know that’s it’s crazy/You want to trust
her/Then somebody hangs up when you answer the phone”). Written by Even
Stevens, a member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame (and whose
cowritten songs with Eddie Rabbitt, including “I Love A Rainy Night” an “Drivin’
My Life Away,” have stood the test of time far better).
Kiss, “I Was Made for Lovin’ You,” #11, 8/11/79
Kiss’ sorta-kinda foray into disco – apparently Paul Stanley
put the basic song together pretty quickly (with singer/songwriter Desmond
Child; producer Vini Poncia is also credited) to make a point about how easy it
was to write a disco song. (The end result must have pleased their label,
Casablanca Records, which was at the forefront of the disco movement in 1979.)
Drummer Peter Criss does not play on the song (he was recovering from injuries
suffered in a 1978 car accident), so Anton Fig is the unbilled drummer on the
track (and for most of the parent album, Dynasty). This would be Kiss’
last top 40 hit until the 1990 ballad “Forever.” They still play it in concert,
even though Gene Simmons hates the song.
The Marshall Tucker Band, “Last of the Singing Cowboys,” #42,
8/11/79
This was Marshall Tucker’s first single release on Warner
Brothers Records; their previous eight albums (six studio, one half studio half
live, and a greatest hits set) had been on Capricorn. Give credit to the band
(none of whom was named Marshall Tucker; that was the name of a blind piano
tuner who’d rented their rehearsal space in Spartanburg, SC before they got it,
and left a key ring behind with his name on it. You probably haven’t heard this
one much (“Heard It in a Love Song” and “Can’t You See” get all the classic
rock airplay now), but this was actually one of their more successful singles.
It’s about a vintage Hollywood cowboy singing on stage – the twist comes at the
end, when the old drunk guy is shoved out the door, and the bartender tells the
narrator the cowboy was blind – and [SPOILER ALERT] thus didn’t know his audience was just the two of them.
Peaches & Herb, “We’ve Got Love,” #44, 8/11/79
Third single from the duo’s album 2 Hot!, this had
neither the propulsive groove of “Shake
Your Groove Thing” nor the romantic feeling of ”Reunited.”
It’s not a bad song, but disco was definitely winding its way down, and other
than the Netherlands (where this song his #14), “We’ve Got Love” didn’t make
the grade. Freddie Perren, who produced the duo and cowrote all the songs on 2
Hot!, was one of the original songwriter/producers that formed The
Corporation for Motown Records in the early 1970s – he cowrote “I Want You
Back,” “ABC,” and “The Love You Save,” among others, for The Jackson Five, and
under his own name produced “Love Machine” for The Miracles and cowrote “It’s
So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday,” a minor hit for G.C. Cameron on its
initial release but later a huge hit for Boyz II Men.
Hot Chocolate, “Going Through the Motions,” #53, 8/11/79
Title song from the band’s 1979 album of the same name, and after the success of “Every 1’s a Winner,” they might have wanted to wait a while longer. Between song titles like this and “Mindless Boogie,” you get the idea that Errol Brown, the group’s leader, was getting a little bored with the whole music thing. Between disco running down (Hot Chocolate was more of a soul/funk band, but those groups were getting lumped into disco as well) and their American label Infinity Records struggling (the label would cease operations a few months after this song peaked), it’s almost understandable that the band felt unneeded.
Other
Superhits 1979 entries you may or may not enjoy:
Another
two-week entry, since only three songs peaked during the week of July 28.
Atlanta
Rhythm Section, “Do It or Die,” #19, 7/28/79
Even
slower than their midtempo hits “So Into You” and “Imaginary Lover,” this song
is an end-of-the-night-hold-your-sweetie-tight ballad. Which might have been
the reason ARS started its downward slide here (most of the rock & roll had
been snuffed out of the band); it also might have been that southern rock was
on the way out (Allman Brothers were falling apart, Lynyrd Skynyrd had
temporarily ended, Marshall Tucker Band was struggling). This is from their
1979 LP Underdog.
Wings,
“Getting Closer,” #20, 7/28/79
First
single from their 1979 album Back to the Egg – remember,
“Goodnight Tonight” wasn’t included on the album, for reasons known
primarily known to Paul McCartney (I’ve read where he said it didn’t fit the
concept of the album). In any case, this was the first single from the actual
album in most territories (the UK got “Old Siam, Sir,” with “Getting Closer”
becoming the second release). It’s a pretty good song and a flat-out rocker,
but given it was the first single from a McCartney, a #20 peak was a
disappointment – and the album’s sales were similarly disappointing (the
album’s peak at #6 in the US and #8 in the UK was the lowest for the band since
their debut, the tentative Wings Wild Life) – possibly because fans
couldn’t get “Goodnight Tonight” on the album (it would eventually be added to
CD reissues). Columbia Records, Paul’s new label (he’d been with Capitol until
then) took a pretty big loss on his contract at the start, although a 1983 People
magazine claim that “According to industry rumors, McCartney’s deal almost
ruined Columbia, until the recent successes of such groups as Men at Work got
the company back on its financial feet” sets off my BS alarms. Columbia/Epic
had Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Barbra Streisand, Pink Floyd, REO
Speedwagon, Journey, Aerosmith, Earth Wind and Fire, Eddie Money, James Taylor,
Willie Nelson, and many others under contract – they might have been unhappy with
McCartney’s sales, but they weren’t going out of business (and giving credit
for the label’s revival to Men at Work has not aged well).
Wet
Willie, “Weekend,” #29, 7/28/79
Another
band goes disco (although for southern rock/funk band Wet Willie, it wasn’t that
much of a leap). This song was written by Mick Jackson (who also wrote The
(unrelated) Jacksons’ “Blame It on the Boogie”), and it gets a fair amount of
airplay from oldies stations today considering it wasn’t much of a hit (I don’t
think I ever heard it on the radio during its time on the chart other than on American
Top 40). This comes from their LP Which One’s Willie?, which would
be their last for Epic Records, as lead singer Jimmie Hall started a solo
career the following year. Hall and other members of the band still work
together, however; their Facebook page shows a number of appearances in the
Southeast scheduled for the next few months.
John
Stewart, “Gold,” #5, 8/4/79
Huge
hit for Stewart, a music industry veteran who had been a member of The Kingston
Trio (he replaced Dave Guard, one of the three original members of the group,
in 1961 and stayed until their 1967 breakup). Stewart had found success as a
songwriter (“Daydream Believer” for The Monkees being the biggest hit), but not
on the charts as a solo performer. This song, and its parent album Bombs
Away Dream Babies, would change that. Produced by Lindsey Buckingham of
Fleetwood Mac (Buckingham also played guitar, while Stevie Nicks added harmony
vocals to several songs, including “Gold”), it’s a song about the music
industry that seemed to ring true at the time. Stewart eventually stopped
performing the song, calling it “vapid” and “empty” and claiming he only wrote
it to please RSO Records in a 2006 interview. (Stewart was diagnosed as being
in the early stages of Alzheimer’s the following year, which might have had
something to do with that take.) It’s still an oldies mainstay today, in any
case.
Kansas,
“People of the South Wind,” #23, 8/4/79
First
single from the band’s 1979 album Monolith, and probably the only Kansas
song that was even slightly danceable. In an interview with Classic Rock
Revisited, guitarist Rich Williams said “People of the South Wind’ was more
like us doing a disco song by somebody else,” although to call this song disco,
to me, was a bit of a reach. It was actually written about the Kaw, a group of
Native Americans that gave the state of Kansas (and, indirectly, the band) its
name. This song was left off the band’s setlist for a long time (Monolith
wasn’t a particularly popular album with fans) until the 1990s, and seems to
have been banished again since then.
Blondie,
“One Way or Another,” #24, 8/4/79
Second
chart hit for the band from Parallel Lines; this one makes it clear
Blondie was not a disco band (the song had been getting lots of airplay on
album-oriented rock stations before its single release). Debbie Harry told Entertainment
Weekly the genesis of the song was about a former boyfriend with stalker
tendencies, “but I tried to inject a little bit of levity into it to make it
more lighthearted.” It’s been used lots of times in television commercials (for
Coca-Cola, Swiffer, and Macy’s, just to name three I’m certain about). What
always drove me nuts about this song had nothing to do with the song, it was
its progress on Billboard’s Hot 100 – here’s its chart progression
between June 23 and August 4: 41-35-34-41-29-26-24. Why did it drop out of the
top 40 one week and then come back? Was there that big a turnaround in sales
and/or airplay, or did somebody compiling numbers at Billboard screw up?
(My bet would be on the latter.)
Pink
Lady, “Kiss in the Dark,” #37, 8/4/79
And
you thought all the people making Pink Lady and Jeff jokes for years
were kidding. Pink Lady was a hugely popular two-woman duo in Japan, Mitsuyo
Nemoto (Mie) and Keiko Masuda (Kei). Between November 1976 and December 1978,
they had nine consecutive #9 hits in Japan, which between them were #1 for 63
weeks (so basically over half that time there was a Pink Lady song at #1).
Elektra Records decided there was a market for them in the United States (hey,
Abba started out recording their hits phonetically, right?), so their first
English album came out in June – and didn’t make the Billboard charts at
all, while this song barely scratched the top 40 and was their first in years
to miss the top 10 in Japan (they’d had a few PR problems there over the
previous few months). Undaunted, NBC president Fred Silverman had the idea to
create a variety series with the duo, so brought in producers Sid and Marty
Krofft (who’d done everything from H.R. Pufnstuf to Donny & Marie,
and were apparently unaware when they took the job Mie and Kei didn’t speak
English). The Kroffts wanted to steer the show toward their Japanese heritage,
but Silverman said “No, that's just too different. Let's just do Donny &
Marie.” So comedian Jeff Altman was brought in to be their guide, of sorts.
Long story short, it was a disaster, lasting five episodes, and that ended Pink
Lady’s career in the States (they still make appearances together in Japan).
Tony
Orlando, “Sweets for My Sweet,” #54, 8/4/79
Tony
Orlando and Dawn have had some nice reunions since the 1970s and Orlando still
works today as a solo performer, but he had some tough times in the late 1970s.
After the cancellation of their variety show Tony Orlando and Dawn and
the suicide of Orlando’s close friend Freddie Prinze (as well as the death of
his sister Rhonda, who’d suffered from cerebral palsy, at age 21), Orlando had
what can really only be described as a breakdown during a performance in
Cohasset, MA. Orlando was in a psychiatric institution for a period thereafter,
but gradually made it back and got a new solo contract with Casablanca Records
– this would be his one and only solo chart hit; a remake of the old Drifters
song. He’s only recorded occasionally since then, but tours frequently (both
solo and occasionally with Telma Hopkins and Joyce Vincent Wilson of Dawn), and
he and his wife Elaine will celebrate their 55th anniversary this
year.
Samantha
Sang, “In the Midnight Hour,” #88, 8/4/79
Sang
had achieved a huge hit in 1978 with the song “Emotion,” written for her by fellow
Australians Barry and Robin Gibb of The Bee Gees, who were red hot at the time
with their success on Saturday Night Fever. But she then got hit with a
double whammy: her record label in the United States, Private Stock, went out
of business, and she decided to work with others on her next album.
Unfortunately for her, a disco remake of the old Wilson Pickett song “In the
Midnight Hour” (also performed by The Young Rascals) didn’t work out, and
United Artists Records dropped her after her first album with them, From
Dance to Love. As far as I know, she’s back in Australia.
Other
Superhits 1979 entries you may or may not enjoy:
Second hit from Jackson’s breakthrough solo album Off the Wall (he made four solo albums with Motown between 1972 and 1975, but to put it a little unkindly, they weren’t very good). To me, this song was a breakthrough as well (even though it was written by Rod Temperton, rather than Jackson himself). “Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough” seemed a little gimmicky to me, especially given the falsetto throughout; this served as a great radio hit and could be played in clubs as well. Jackson had definitely arrived as a solo performer, which completely changed the dynamic within the family’s main act, The Jacksons.
On the other hand, Cliff Richard’s first hit in Great Britain, “Move
It,” was released on August 29, 1958 – the same day Michael Jackson was born. Sir
Cliff has been a huge star in the UK for over a half century, with over 130 top
20 disks between the singles, album, and EP charts – but in America, not so
much (up until this point, his only top 20 was the 1976 hit “Devil Woman”). This
song changed the game a bit. A bit of synthpop (the synthesizer dominated the
song, as opposed to guitars), the cheery melody was a stark contrast to the
lyric about the end of a relationship, and the singer’s denial of same (“But I
ain’t losing sleep/I ain’t counting sheep”). Added as an afterthought to his UK
release Rock ‘n’ Roll Juvenile, the
song became the title track for the US version, and heralded a period where
Richard put nine songs in the Billboard Hot
100 between 1980 and 1983.
Little River Band, “Cool Change,”
#10, 1/19/80
A song about getting away from your troubles by getting in your boat
and going out on the water – one of two 1980 songs on the theme (although I’m
pretty sure Christopher Cross had already recorded his song “Sailing” by the
time this one hit the charts). Second top 10 hit from the band’s album First Under the Wire, and their fourth
one overall in the United States to this point. Written by lead singer Glenn
Shorrock – or, I should say, former
lead singer (as some of you may know, the group traveling under the name Little
River Band today features precisely zero people who played on this song).
Dr. Hook, “Better Love Next Time,”
#12, 1/19/80
Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show arrived with a bang in the early 1970s,
mainly riding on the material of songwriter, humorist, and children’s book
writer Shel Silverstein (“Sylvia’s Mother,” “The Cover of The Rolling Stone,”
etc.). But by the mid-1970s, Silverstein had stopped writing songs – which left
Dr. Hook (their new, shortened name) at the mercy of whoever produced the band,
since there were no songwriters in the group. As a result, their later output,
while hitting higher positions on the singles charts (the two aforementioned
songs were their only top 40 hits during the first era) were all by outside
anonymous songwriters or remakes – and, to put it less kindly, were the typical
soft rock pap you’d think this band would have made fun of early on. “Better
Love Next Time” is a good example – nothing special, written by three outside
songwriters, missed the top 10 in the U.S. pop chart but made it in the U.K.
(and hit #3 on the adult contemporary chart here in the States, their best
showing ever).
Jefferson Starship, “Jane,” #14,
1/19/80
On the other hand, “Jane” shows the Jefferson Starship (temporarily)
making a move to the other direction. Their big hits over the previous few
years – “Miracles,” “With Your Love,” “Count On Me,” and “Runaway” – were all
ballads/midtempo songs written for lead singer Marty Balin. (Balin wrote the
first two; outside songwriters submitted the others.) But by 1979, Balin was
gone (and so was Grace Slick, although she would return in 1981), so with new
lead singer Mickey Thomas on board, the band moved back into rock – which is
where it had been for a long time under the original name Jefferson Airplane,
as well as the early Starship days before Balin came back. “Jane” (cowritten by
band members David Freiberg, Paul Kantner, and Craig Chaquico with singer/songwriterJim
McPherson) isn’t astonishing, but it showed that the band hadn’t forgotten how
to rock – and as a result, it’s still played on classic rock stations (one of
the few Jefferson Starship song you’ll hear in that format). Note this video is
from 1981, by which time Grace Slick had returned to the group.
Herb Alpert, “Rotation,” #30,
1/19/80
“Rise” was a pleasant surprise for Herb Alpert; it was his first top 40
single in 12 years – in fact, the song hit #1, with a lot of help from its
placement in General Hospital, where
it was used during a scene showing Luke Spencer raping/seducing/doing something
with Laura Webber. (I’ve written more about that song here.) In any case, “Rotation” was the follow-up single, and not dissimilar
in sound – a light disco beat and Alpert’s lead trumpet lines. It didn’t do
anywhere near as well as “Rise,” but a top 30 single is nothing to sneeze at. All
of which meant Alpert would have additional duties at his record label beside
overseeing the entire operation.
Suzi Quatro, “She’s in Love With You,” #41, 1/19/80
I’ve never quite figured out why Suzi Quatro didn’t make it bigger in
the United States – which, of course, is her home country. She was a much
bigger star in the United Kingdom (this was her tenth Top 40 hit there), she’d
just had a huge duet hit with “Stumblin’ In,” and her recurring role as Leather
Tuscadero on Happy Days certainly
made her better known to the public. (It might have helped if she’d actually
been able to perform her own songs on the show, but they didn’t really fit the
format.) However, “She’s in Love With You” was the second of three consecutive
singles to just miss being played on Casey Kasem’s American Top 40, all peaking between #41 and #45.
The Flying Lizards, “Money,”
#50, 1/19/80
Another song that became a top 40 hit in ten countries, but not the
United States. This was The Flying Lizards’ one major hit single (they did
notch a second chart hit in the UK), and it may be the best known of the
various versions of “Money,” with a unique reading from lead singer Deborah
Evans (although the group was primarily David Cunningham’s creation). The
song’s highest chart performance was the #16 version by The Kingsmen, although
Barrett Strong’s original version hit #23, and The Beatles’ version certainly
has many fans as well.
The Inmates, “Dirty Water,” #51,
1/19/80
A second revival of a 1960s American hit by a contemporary British
band, although The Inmates were more of a pub rock group. The original, by
California-based band The Standells (although the song is specifically based in
Boston), hit #11 in 1966; this version moved the location to London (and
switched the Charles River for the Thames). The Inmates probably helped
themselves by distributing promo versions to radio stations across the United
States, substituting local markets and rivers near them. This was their one and
only American hit, but they’re still extent and playing in the UK (although
they might want to update their MySpace and record label pages).
Peter Brown, “Stargazer,” #59,
1/19/80
Fifth and final chart hit for the singer-songwriter, who recorded with
TK Records (KC & The Sunshine Band’s label), but came from the Chicago
suburb of Palos Heights. Unlike most of his other hits, this one’s a slow song.
After his recording career ended, he still kept writing (he’s currently
collecting royalties thanks to his cowrite on Madonna’s “Material Girl”), but
tinnitus ended work in the music industry altogether. He’s now working full
time in design and architecture.
Earth, Wind & Fire, “Star,”
#64, 1/19/80
Two stars in a row. Perfectly good EWF single, the fourth from their album I Am, that probably didn’t chart higher
because radio and record buying might have had enough for a while. (From
February 1978 to September 1979 Earth, Wind & Fire put six singles in the
top 40, four of which made top 10.) There also might have been a little
confusion with their earlier hit “Shining Star,” for that matter. Cowritten by
Allee Willis, who has written lots of songs you’ve heard over and over again –
“September” and “Boogie Wonderland” for EWF, “Neutron Dance” for The Pointer
Sisters, “What Have I Done to Deserve This?” for the Pet Shop Boys and Dusty
Springfield, and “I’ll Be There for You,” the theme from Friends.
Jimmy Buffett, “Volcano,” #64,
1/19/80
One of “The Big Eight” – eight songs you will almost always hear at a Jimmy Buffett concert. (The
others are “A Pirate Looks at Forty,” “Changes in Latitudes, Changes in
Attitudes,” “Cheeseburger in Paradise,” “Come Monday,” “Fins,”
“Margaritaville,” and “Why Don’t We Get Drunk [And Screw]” – although the
latter has been modified somewhat over the years.) Second single from the album
of the same name, this album was his first release for MCA Records; the label
had folded up ABC Records, Buffett’s longtime label, in mid-1979 after
purchasing it earlier that year. 23rd Street was always on my way.
Jennifer Warnes, “Don’t Make Me Over,” #67, 1/19/80
Remake of the old Dionne Warwick hit (written by Burt Bacharach and Hal
David), which became Warwick’s first major chart hit. R&B singer Sybil also
made it her first chart hit in 1989 (her second was a remake of the
Warwick/Bacharach/David song “Walk On By,” which was one time to the well too
many). Warnes’ version is nice, but nothing eye-poppingly different from
Warwick’s original. In fairness, Jennifer Warnes isn’t a prolific songwriter,
and Arista label head Clive Davis was famous for foisting outside songwriters
and remakes on his artists, so there shouldn’t have been any surprises here.
Dollar, “Shooting Star,” #74, 1/19/80
Dollar was a pop duo, Canadian Thereza Bazar and Brit David Van Day,
who met when performing for the British pop act Guys ‘n Dolls in the 1970s.
Ejected from the band in 1978, they struck out on their own, and subsequently
put 14 hits on the British charts over the next ten years – but this is the
only one that crossed over into America. It’s a pretty catchy song, and I’m a
little surprised they didn’t go further – I’m guessing their record label,
Carrrere (distributed by Atlantic) wasn’t able to do enough for them. In any
case the duo, who had been romantically involved for a while, became not
romantically involved at some point, and broke up personally and professionally
in 1983. They’ve had a couple of reunions since then, but it appears the break
is now permanent (for those that are still interested).
Breathless, “Takin’ It Back,” #92, 1/19/80
One of several acts to emerge from Cleveland in the late 1970s,
Breathless was led by singer-songwriter Jonah Koslen, who’d previously played
guitar, sang, and wrote for The Michael Stanley Band. Finding that two
songwriters was one too many, Koslen left in 1977 and established his own band,
with former Wild Cherry member Mark Avsec. Signing with EMI-America records,
they released two albums and gained some popularity in Cleveland, but not much
elsewhere. The band broke up late in 1980, with Avsec and drummer Kevin
Valentine joining Donnie Iris’ band The Cruisers (Avsec becoming their primary
songwriter). Koslen has spent time in the computer gaming industry, released a
few other albums solo and with other groups, and briefly reunited with Stanley
in the 1990s.
Other Superhits 1980 entries you may or may not enjoy:
A pile of well-known songs in this entry, up and down the Hot 100. This
was a special week for me in 1979 (I spent the week at Presidential
Classroom in Washington, DC), so I’m glad so many good songs peaked that
week.
David Naughton, “Makin’ It,” #5, 7/21/79
This was the one and only chart hit for Naughton, who had previously
been known for television commercials (he was the guy with the bottle of soda
in his hand urging everyone to Be a Pepper), and he’d later star in the film An
American Werewolf in London. This song was the theme to his TV series Makin’
It, which seemed to have all the pedigrees – Garry Marshall (The Odd
Couple, Happy Days) cocreated the concept about working class guys who’d go
to the disco every night (sound familiar, Saturday Night Fever fans?).
Just to be sure, Ellen Travolta, John’s older sister, was cast as Naughton’s
mom. But it wound up being a spectacular flop, getting pulled off the air after
nine episodes – right before this single hit the Billboard charts. Did
Paramount Pictures (the show’s production company) and RSO Records throw in the
towel? Hell no, there’s money to be made! They stuck the song on the soundtrack
for an upcoming movie with teen appeal, even though the film had already been
shot and it wasn’t necessarily a good fit. Fortunately for everyone involved,
that movie was Meatballs, and the song kept climbing the charts. I’ve
put in the opening credit sequence from the TV show (which includes most, but
not all, of the whole song), because only in the 1970s could the opening
credits be nearly two minutes long.
Cheap Trick, “I Want You to Want Me,” #7, 7/21/79
I’d love to assemble the executives who led Epic Records in 1979 to
ask, “Okay, how many of you think the live album from a band that’s had three
studio LPs that sold poorly, and no top 40 hits will go to number 3 and sell
three million copies?” Cheap Trick, a four-man rock band from Rockford, IL,
hadn’t sold well in the United States with their first three albums, but fans
in Japan loved them – so they recorded two shows there in 1978 with the
intent of a Japan-only live release. But copies were imported to the United
States, and they went over really well, so an American version came out – and
rock fans went nuts. (This may be another example of white male rock fans
buying anything that wasn’t disco, given Cheap Trick has never had
anything sell this well before or since.) “I Want You to Want Me” originally
appeared on their second studio album, In Color, but the live version –
with the girls screaming during the choruses – is something else.
Electric Light Orchestra, “Shine a Little Love,” #8, 7/21/79
Insanely catchy first single from ELO’s album Discovery (or, as
both rock critics and the band themselves referred to it at times, Disco
Very). This is easily the most danceable of the songs on the album, so the
derogatory nickname may not be totally earned – but I get where everybody’s
coming from. Anyway, Discovery has sold better than any ELO album in the
United States and Canada, and became the band’s first #1 album in the UK, so it
did okay. Trivia note: the guy pulling out his scimitar on the back of the
wraparound LP cover is actually actor/comedian Brad Garrett. His Twitter post
on the subject: “Thinner, younger (18 ugh) Got me my first agent. Jews had to
play Arabs back then. Ahhhh, simpler times.”
McFadden and Whitehead, “Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now,” #13, 7/21/79
Gene McFadden and John Whitehead were songwriters for the Kenny Gamble
and Leon Huff stable at Philadelphia International Records (a sublabel of
Columbia/Epic), writing a ton of hits for other artists (“Back Stabbers” for
The O’Jays, “Bad Luck” and “Wake Up Everybody” for Harold Melvin & The Blue
Notes, and “I’ll Always Love My Mama” for The Intruders). But they wanted to
record themselves, and got some pushback from the label heads, who didn’t think
they’d be commercial enough. That’s where “Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now” came from –
it’s actually a subtle jab at Gamble & Huff for not letting them record.
This became their one and only hit single, but it’s had a long life – plenty of
sports teams have used it as a theme song, it’s had several cover versions, and
was played at the 2008 Democratic Convention when Barack Obama accepted the
presidential nomination. Nice to see the duo in the video, although do note those
are absolutely, positively not the backing singers on the record.
Peter Frampton, “I Can’t Stand It No More,” #14, 7/21/79
Another guy whose star went into descent really quick. After the double
whammy of his poorly-reviewed album I’m in You and then the disastrous Sgt.
Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band movie, Frampton had to do some work to get
back into rock’s good graces. After recovering from an automobile accident in
1978, Frampton reemerged with Where I Should Be, which had both feet set
in rock & roll. This single didn’t set the world on fire (and had an odd
middle section with the lyrics “My mama told me when she set me free/She said,
"Son, you just have got to find/Find a girl who will treat you like I
do"), but it was a solid comeback for his, and Where I Should Be
(featuring Donald “Duck” Dunn on bass and Steve Cropper on guitar) went gold. Weird video - sorry for the low quality, but it’s the only version available.
Gerry Rafferty, “Days Gone Down (Still Got That Light in Your
Eyes),” #17, 7/21/79
Sweet love song from Rafferty, which may not have been the best choice
for a first single from his new album, Night Owl (two and a half minutes
had to be shaved off the full-length version to make it suitable for single
release). I get the sense that this was intended for his wife, Carla Ventilla,
whom he married in 1970 and divorced twenty years later (Rafferty had a long,
alcoholic downward spiral, dying of liver failure in 2011). Linda Thompson is
among the backup vocalists on this song – she and her then-husband Richard
would tour with Rafferty in 1980 and worked with him on an album, which
eventually was rerecorded and released as the acclaimed Shoot Out the Lights
LP in 1982.
Abba, “Does Your Mother Know,” #19, 7/21/79
Absolutely pure pop, and one of my favorite Abba songs. A rare song
with lead vocals by one of the men in the group (in this case Björn Ulvaeus),
this song is a not-atypical piece about an underage woman showing interest in a
rock star. However, in this case the rock star pushes her away, saying she’s
too young (and “Does your mother know that you’re out?”). Ulvaeus admitted in a
2018 podcast interview with The Economist he’d hesitate to write the
same song today, and said the song was based on real-life experiences – but he
was smart enough to walk away from temptation.
Poco, “Heart of the Night,” #20, 7/21/79
Four months after Poco notched their first top 40 hit in their ten
years as a band, they managed to turn the trick again. (Of course, it would be
another ten years before the third one came along.) Written and sung by
longtime member Paul Cotton, it’s a salute to New Orleans (and note the correct
pronunciation of Lake Pontchartrain). Trivia note: the album cover for Legend,
which contained both “Crazy Love” and “Heart of the Night,” was designed by
Phil Hartman, whose primary career at that point was graphic artist (I don’t
know whether he created the horse artwork or just the cover typography work).
Another video with lousy sound quality, but there’s nothing really better, and
at least it’s the whole song.
Anne Murray, “Shadows in the Moonlight,” #25, 7/21/79
Second single from her New Kind of Feeling album performed fairly
similarly on the charts as the first, “I Just Fall in Love Again” – both hit #1
on the Canadian Country and Adult Contemporary charts, and #1 on the US Country
and Adult Contemporary. (Her next single, “Broken Hearted Me,” from her
subsequent album I’ll Always Love You, would do the same.) Only the pop
charts were different – “I Just Fall in Love Again” hit #1 pop in Canada and
#12 in the United States, but “Shadows in the Moonlight” only made #10 pop in
Canada. All of which is my way of saying this is a pleasant but samey love song
from Murray, who had a major run of them during this time frame.
James Taylor, “Up on the Roof,” #28, 7/21/79
First and only chart single from Taylor’s album Flag, which was
undoubtedly a disappointment for him and Columbia Records (his previous album, JT,
went triple platinum and yielded two top 20 singles). For some people, this may
be the definitive version of this song, rather than The Drifters’ version from
1962 (although The Drifters were topped in the UK on their original release by
covers by natives Julie Grant and Kenny Lynch). Written by Carole King and
Gerry Goffin, Taylor has often performed the song with King on tours, and the
song remains a centerpiece of his own shows as well. I’ve come to like both the
Taylor and Drifters’ versions equally over the years – the arrangement on the
Taylor version (by Arif Mardin) is really quite nice.
The Who, “Long Live Rock,” #54, 7/21/79
This started life during the Who’s Next sessions in 1971,
although the band didn’t get around to actually recording it the following
year. The studio version was finally released on the band’s Odds and Sods
album of rarities and outtakes in 1974, and was added to the band’s concert/documentary
film The Kids Are Alright (where it’s played over the credits) in 1979,
roughly nine months after the death of drummer Keith Moon. At that point, it
was finally released as a single in 1979 and charted in the United States, the
United Kingdom, and France. Despite Pete Townshend seeming somewhat dismissive
of the song in the past (“Well there are dozens of these self-conscious hymns
to the last fifteen years appearing now and here's another one”), it’s a pretty
important song for the band. Townshend messes up his lyrics on this one.
Dolly Parton, “You’re the Only One,” #59, 7/21/79
This was Dolly’s 11th #1 hit on the Country charts (this
includes one duet with Porter Wagoner, 1974’s “Please Don’t Stop Loving Me”).
Cowritten by Carole Bayer Sager and Bruce Roberts, it’s an attractive song that
probably was given a country feel by Parton (neither Bayer Sager nor Roberts
are particularly known for their work in the country field other than this
song). The protagonist promises that, while she may have broken her lover’s
heart by leaving, she had to – and this time she promises she won’t do that
again. I’d buy it.
Amii Stewart, “Light My Fire/137 Disco Heaven,” #69, 7/21/79
Not much disco on this week’s set of songs, but here’s an example of
one of the year’s more odious trends: disco remakes of rock classics. Yes, the
A-side of this single (eventually both “Light My Fire” and “137 Disco Heaven”
were listed in Billboard; the album track is a mashup of the two songs)
is a remake of the old Doors song. I’m not sure how happy Jim Morrison would
have been about this version of the song (he once threatened to smash a Buick
on television after the other three Doors agreed to $75,000 to use the song in
a Buick commercial), but he wasn’t around (presumably) to make that decision.
This was Stewart’s second hit after the #1 “Knock On Wood.”
Lazy Racer, “Keep On Running Away,” #81, 7/21/79
Six-member British/American studio band (they apparently never toured),
produced by Glyn Johns, who’s worked with most of the best British bands (The
Who being the biggest of them; he produced Who’s Next, Quadrophenia, The Who
by Numbers, and Who Are You). Not surprisingly, they never broke
here. Drummer Henry Spinetti has had a lengthy career as a studio musician and
has done many albums with Eric Clapton, while keyboardist Tim Gorman played on
several Who albums and guitarist Tim Renwick has worked with Clapton, Elton
John, and Al Stewart.
Other Superhits 1979 entries you may or may not enjoy:
