When I was younger, the expression "50 years ago, today" was an abstract concept that trigered my imagination. Now, the era resides in my memory palace, being a part of my childhood. Same with the music of that time. The late 60s and early 70s produced some of the best music around. And a big part of it adorned the charts. So today, we are looking back to the UK singles charts (the top 50 in particular) and discover (or remember) what was happening then.
No 50: Jackie Wilson was a tenor with a four-octave range, a prominent figure in the transition of rhythm and blues into soul, and was considered a master showman and one of the most dynamic singers and performers in pop, R&B, and rock & roll history. His hit (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher was released in 1967 in the US (#6 Hot 100, #1 R&B) but it was released in the UK two years later, peaking at #11. This week it was on the way out. Rita Coolidge's cover was also a huge hit in 1977.
No 49: One of Simon & Garfunkel's best as well as one of their most popular songs was The Boxer: a song built like a short story, whose chorus audaciously consisted of a repeated "Lie La Lie". Having already peaked at #6 in the UK, it too was on the way down.
No 48: Tom Jones was, then, at the top of his game. Love Me Tonight was one of his numerous UK top 10 hits:
No 47: Fairport Convention are probably Britain's most celebrated folk-rock group. Their albums had always been successful but their success on the singles chart was limited. Their only top 20 hit was this curiously attractive version of Bob Dylan's If You Gotta Go, Go Now, in French:
No 46: Speaking of, Bob Dylan has once named Smokey Robinson among his favorite poets. This statement was spinned by a Motown publicist called Al Abrams as Dylan calling Robinson "America's greatest living poet". This was legitimately considered to be a Dylan quote until recently. I'm sure Bob enjoyed it immensly. Smokey too. The Tracks of My Tears was one of the best and biggest hits that Smokey Robinson had with the Miracles. A top 10 hit in the UK.
No 45: Before Fleetwood Mac became the supergroup we all know in the 70s, they were a British blues-rock group fronted by the amazing guitarist Peter Green. Need Your Love So Bad was first recorded by Little Willie John, as it was written by his older brother. 50 years ago, today, the Fleetwood Mac version debuted in the top 50. It would go as high as #31.
No 44: Tommy Roe's biggest hits were Sheila and Dizzy. Heather Honey was the follow-up single to Dizzy. It peaked at #24, being Roe's last hit single in the UK.
No 43: Love Man was a part of a series of posthumous releases by Atco Records after Otis Redding's mainstream reputation skyrocketed in the wake of his 1967 death. It was produced by Steve Cropper and featured Booker T. and the M.G.'s.
No 42: The Bee Gees were well on their way to becoming one of the defining superstars of the 60s and 70s. Tomorrow Tomorrow was a mid-sized hit for them, peaking at #23 in the UK.
No 41: Christine McVie was one of the key players in the 70s version of Fleetwood Mac. In 1969, she was still Christine Perfect and a member of the blues-rock group Chicken Shack. I'd Rather Go Blind, a song first recorded by Etta James in 1967, was a #14 UK hit for Chicken Shack.
No 40: One of Marvin Gaye's numerous hits in the 60s was Too Busy Thinking 'Bout My Baby. First recorded by the Temptations in 1966, the song became Gaye's second most successful song in the 60s. 50 years ago, today, it debuted on the UK charts at #40.
No 39: The Isley Brothers were a seminal R&B group: they have been cited as having enjoyed one of the "longest, most influential, and most diverse careers in the pantheon of popular music". It's Your Thing was one of their biggest hits in the US (#2 Hot 100, #1 R&B). It didn't do as well in the UK, peaking at #30.
No 38: The Move were a rock group from Birmingham, England that were very influenced by the Beatles. Although bassist-vocalist Chris "Ace" Kefford was the original leader, for most of their career the Move was led by guitarist, singer, and songwriter Roy Wood. He wrote all the group's UK singles and, from 1968, also sang lead vocals on many songs, although Carl Wayne was the main lead singer up to 1970. The final line-up of 1972 was the trio of Wood, Bev Bevan and Jeff Lynne; together, they rode the group's transition into the Electric Light Orchestra. Soon after, Wood would form Wizzard. Curly was the follow-up single to the Move's only #1 hit in the UK, Blackberry Way. Curly peaked at #12 in the UK and Ireland.
No 37: Diana Ross and the Supremes had so many absolute classics in the 60s. No Matter What Sign You Are wasn't one of them - but it's enjoyable enough. It peaked at #37 in the UK, after peaking at #31 in the US.
No 36: Finally for today, here's the first hit song about nocturnal emissions. In 1968, Max Romeo wrote lyrics for the rhythm track of Derrick Morgan's Hold You Jack. Morgan, who was due to add his vocals to the track, ultimately turned it down, as did several other vocalists (including John Holt and Slim Smith), leading the producer to turn to Romeo to sing the lyrics he had written. The result was Wet Dream, produced by Harry Robinson and Junior Smith. Although the single was released in 1968, it did not start to sell until 1969. Already a hit in Jamaica, it entered the UK charts in May 1969 reaching 10 as its highest position in August 1969.
The song gained notoriety due to its lyrics of an explicit sexual nature. Despite Romeo's claims that it was about a leaky roof, it contained the lyric "give the fanny to me" and was banned from broadcast by several radio stations. It was only played twice by the BBC before being banned. When it moved into the charts, BBC radio DJs Tony Brandon, Tony Blackburn and Alan Freeman were instructed that they must only refer to the song as "a record by Max Romeo."
Despite the radio ban, the song was hugely popular in clubs, as well as with every high-school kid in the UK. It ultimately became the biggest selling single of Pama Records' catalogue, selling over 250,000 copies. Interviewed in 2007, Romeo claimed to have started the sexual revolution. Asked why he had recorded the song, he replied: "The devil made me do it."
Now, it’s time for our statistics. As far as countries are concerned, France, the United Kingdom, Greece, Italy, and Cyprus suffered minor losses, while winners include the United States, Russia, Sweden, and India. Canada, Germany, and Australia kept their percentages stable.
Here are this week's Top 10 countries:
1. the United States
2. the United Kingdom
3. Russia
4. Germany
5. Canada
6. France
7. Australia
8. Sweden
9. Italy
10. India
Here are the other countries that graced us with their presence since our last statistics (alphabetically): Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Argentina, Aruba, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Bermuda, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Cayman Islands, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Estonia, Eswatini (Swaziland), Ethiopia, Finland, Gabon, Georgia, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kosovo, Kuwait, Latvia, Lebanon, Libya, Lithuania, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Martinique, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Morocco, Myanmar (Burma), the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Réunion, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Saint Lucia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Somalia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Syria, Taiwan, Thailand, Trinidad & Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Happy to have you all!
And here's the all-time Top 10:
1. the United States = 35.7%
2. France = 14.9%
3. the United Kingdom = 11.1%
4. Greece = 7.0%
5. Russia = 3.0%
6. Canada = 2.1%
7. Germany = 2.0%
8. Australia = 1.0%
9. Italy = 0.8%
10. Cyprus = 0.7%
That's all for today, folks. Till the next one!
GREAT DECADES!!!
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