4x Life

One month in pop history, every week.

It’s November, 1973

Written by

Thomas Scovell

in

Let’s tune our ears to the sounds of November, 1973…

Songs of the month

  • “All I Know” – Garfunkel
  • “Angie” – Rolling Stones
  • “Basketball Jones Ft Tyrone Shoelaces” – Cheech And Chong
  • [new] “Cheaper To Keep Her” – Johnnie Taylor
  • [new] “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” – Elton John
  • “Half Breed” – Cher
  • “Heartbeat – It’s A Lovebeat” – Defranco Family
  • [new] “Hello It’s Me” – Todd Rundgren
  • “Higher Ground” – Stevie Wonder
  • “Hurts So Good” – Millie Jackson
  • “I Got A Name” – Jim Croce
  • [new] “If You’re Ready” – Staple Singers
  • “Just You N Me” – Chicago
  • “Keep On Truckin’” – Eddie Kendricks
  • “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” – Bob Dylan
  • [new] “Leave Me Alone” – Helen Reddy
  • [new] “Let Me Serenade You” – Three Dog Night
  • “Let’s Get It On” – Marvin Gaye
  • “Loves Me Like A Rock” – Paul Simon
  • “Midnight Train To Georgia” – Gladys Knight And The Pips
  • “My Maria” – B.W. Stevenson
  • [new] “Never Never Gonna Give You Up” – Barry White
  • [new] “Nutbush City Limits” – Ike And Tina Turner
  • [new] “Ooh Baby” – Gilbert O’sullivan
  • “Paper Roses” – Marie Osmond
  • “Photograph” – Ringo Starr
  • “Ramblin’ Man” – Allman Brothers Band
  • [new] “Rockin’ Roll Baby” – Stylistics
  • “Space Race” – Billy Preston
  • “Summer (The First Time)” – Bobby Goldsboro
  • “That Lady” – Isley Brothers
  • [new] “The Joker” – Steve Miller Band
  • [new] “The Love I Lost” – Harold Melvin And The Blue Notes
  • [new] “The Most Beautiful Girl” – Charlie Rich
  • “Top Of The World” – Carpenters
  • “We May Never Pass This Way” – Seals And Crofts
  • “We’re An American Band” – Grand Funk
  • “Why Me” – Kris Kristofferson
  • “Yes We Can Can” – Pointer Sisters
  • “You’re A Special Part Of Me” – Diana Ross And Marvin Gaye

[new] = New to the chart this week.

You can listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.

This month in history

While he had released music before, November 9, 1973, marked the release of the album that would change Billy Joel’s life forever: Piano Man. The title track, inspired by his real-life experience working as a lounge singer in Los Angeles to avoid a bad contract, became a definitive anthem. Its blend of character-driven storytelling and melodic piano work not only gave Joel his first major hit but established the “Piano Man” persona that would define his five-decade career.

Long before the modern era of viral royal news, the wedding of Princess Anne to Captain Mark Phillips at Westminster Abbey on the 14th captured the world’s imagination. It was a massive media event, estimated to have been watched by over 100 million people worldwide—a staggering number for 1973. Beyond the ceremony, the wedding influenced 1970s fashion and served as a rare moment of global celebration during a year otherwise dominated by the energy crisis and political turmoil.

During the opening night of The Who’s Quadrophenia US tour at the Cow Palace in California on the 20th, legendary drummer Keith Moon collapsed on stage after reportedly consuming animal tranquilizers. When he couldn’t continue, guitarist Pete Townshend asked the crowd, “Can anybody play the drums?” A 19-year-old fan in the audience named Scot Halpin was pushed forward by his friend. Halpin stepped up, played the final three songs of the set with the band, and became a permanent fixture in rock history as the fan who saved a The Who concert.

What’d Sadie think?

It’s a week at number one for “Midnight Train To Georgia” by Gladys Knight And The Pips before “Keep On Truckin’” by Eddie Kendricks has it for two weeks, only to be usurped by Ringo Starr’s “Photograph” for the last week of November.

Loved ’em

  • “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” – Elton John
  • “Never Never Gonna Give You Up” – Barry White
  • “Nutbush City Limits” – Ike And Tina Turner
  • “The Joker” – Steve Miller Band
  • “The Most Beautiful Girl” – Charlie Rich

Liked ’em

  • “Hello It’s Me” – Todd Rundgren
  • “If You’re Ready” – Staple Singers
  • “Leave Me Alone” – Helen Reddy
  • “Let Me Serenade You” – Three Dog Night
  • “Ooh Baby” – Gilbert O’sullivan
  • “Rockin’ Roll Baby” – Stylistics
  • “The Love I Lost” – Harold Melvin And The Blue Notes

Leave ’em

  • “Cheaper To Keep Her” – Johnnie Taylor

Now go listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.

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