Author: Thomas Scovell

It’s 47 years and 1 months before Sadie is born and 3 years and 7 months before Thomas is.

Songs of the month

• [new] “Angel” – Aretha Franklin
• [new] “Bad Bad Leory Brown” – Jim Croce
• “Bad Bad Leroy Brown” – Jim Croce
• “Behind Closed Doors” – Charlie Rich
• “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” – Bette Midler
• [new] “Brother Louie” – Stories
• [new] “Daddy Could Swear – I Declare” – Gladys Knight And The Pips
• “Daddy Could Swear I Declare” – Gladys Knight And The Pips
• “Daniel” – Elton John
• “Diamond Girl” – Seals And Crofts
• “Doin’ It To Death” – Fred Wesley And The Jb’s
• [new] “Feelin’ Stronger Every Day” – Chicago
• “Frankenstein” – Edgar Winter Group
• [new] “Get Down” – Gilbert O’sullivan
• “Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)” – George Harrison
• [new] “Here I Am” – Al Green
• [new] “How Can I Tell Her” – Lobo
• [new] “I Believe In You” – Johnnie Taylor
• “I’m Doin’ Fine Now” – New York City
• “I’m Gonna Love You Just A Little More Baby” – Barry White
• [new] “If You Want Me To Stay” – Sly And The Family Stone
• “Kodachrome” – Paul Simon
• [new] “Live And Let Die” – Wings
• “Long Train Runnin’” – Doobie Brothers
• [new] “Misdemeanour” – Foster Sylvers
• “Money” – Pink Floyd
• [new] “Monster Mash” – Bobby Pickett And The Crypt-Kicker
• [new] “Monster Mash” – Bobby Pickett And The Crypt-Kickers
• “My Love” – Paul Mccartney And Wings
• “Natural High” – Bloodstone
• “One Of A Kind” – Spinners
• “Pillow Talk” – Sylvia
• “Playground In My Mind” – Clint Holmes
• “Right Place Wrong Time” – Dr. John
• [new] “Satin Sheets” – Jeanne Pruett
• “Shambala” – Three Dog Night
• “Smoke On The Water” – Deep Purple
• “So Very Hard To Go” – Tower Of Power
• [new] “The Morning After” – Maureen Mcgovern
• “Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Ole Oak Tree” – Dawn
• [new] “Touch Me In The Morning” – Diana Ross
• [new] “Uneasy Rider” – Charlie Daniels
• [new] “Where Peaceful Waters Flow” – Gladys Knight And The Pips
• “Will It Go Round In Circles” – Billy Preston
• “Yesterday Once More” – Carpenters
• “You’ll Never Get To Heaven” – Stylistics

[new] = New to the chart this week.

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

This month in history

Some history

What’d Sadie think?

The number one song this month was {number_one_song}.

• “Angel” – Aretha Franklin
• “Bad Bad Leory Brown” – Jim Croce
• “Brother Louie” – Stories
• “Daddy Could Swear – I Declare” – Gladys Knight And The Pips
• “Feelin’ Stronger Every Day” – Chicago
• “Get Down” – Gilbert O’sullivan
• “Here I Am” – Al Green
• “How Can I Tell Her” – Lobo
• “I Believe In You” – Johnnie Taylor
• “If You Want Me To Stay” – Sly And The Family Stone
• “Live And Let Die” – Wings
• “Misdemeanour” – Foster Sylvers
• “Monster Mash” – Bobby Pickett And The Crypt-Kicker
• “Monster Mash” – Bobby Pickett And The Crypt-Kickers
• “Satin Sheets” – Jeanne Pruett
• “The Morning After” – Maureen Mcgovern
• “Touch Me In The Morning” – Diana Ross
• “Uneasy Rider” – Charlie Daniels
• “Where Peaceful Waters Flow” – Gladys Knight And The Pips

Loved ’em

here

Liked ’em

here

Leave ’em

here

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

It’s nearly midway through 1973 in our journey through music history, let’s hear the sounds of June…

Songs of the month

• [new] “And I Love You So” – Perry Como
• [new] “Bad Bad Leroy Brown” – Jim Croce
• [new] “Behind Closed Doors” – Charlie Rich
• [new] “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” – Bette Midler
• [new] “Daddy Could Swear I Declare” – Gladys Knight And The Pips
• “Daniel” – Elton John
• [new] “Diamond Girl” – Seals And Crofts
• [new] “Doin’ It To Death” – Fred Wesley And The Jb’s
• “Drift Away” – Dobie Gray
• “Frankenstein” – Edgar Winter Group
• “Funky Worm” – Ohio Players
• [new] “Give It To Me” – J. Geils Band
• [new] “Give Me Love Give Me Peace On Earth” – George Harrison
• “Hocus Pocus” – Focus
• “I’m Doin’ Fine Now” – New York City
• “I’m Gonna Love You Just A Little More Baby” – Barry White
• “It Sure Took A Long Long Time” – Lobo
• [new] “Kodachrome” – Paul Simon
• “Leaving Me” – Independents
• “Little Willy” – Sweet
• “Long Train Runnin’” – Doobie Brothers
• [new] “Long Train Running” – Doobie Brothers
• [new] “Money” – Pink Floyd
• “My Love” – Paul Mccartney And Wings
• [new] “Natural High” – Bloodstone
• “No More Mr. Nice Guy” – Alice Cooper
• “One Of A Kind” – Spinners
• [new] “One Of A Time” – Spinners
• “Pillow Talk” – Sylvia
• “Playground In My Mind” – Clint Holmes
• “Reeling In The Years” – Steely Dan
• “Right Place Wrong Time” – Dr. John
• [new] “Shambala” – Three Dog Night
• [new] “Smoke On The Water” – Deep Purple
• [new] “So Very Hard To Go” – Tower Of Power
• “Steamroller Blues” – Elvis Presley
• “Stuck In The Middle With You” – Stealers Wheel
• “The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia” – Vicki Lawrence
• “The Right Thing To Do” – Carly Simon
• “Thinking Of You” – Loggins And Messina
• “Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Ole Oak Tree” – Dawn
• “Wildflower” – Skylark
• “Will It Go Round In Circles” – Billy Preston
• [new] “Yesterday Once More” – Carpenters
• “You Are The Sunshine Of My Life” – Stevie Wonder
• [new] “You’ll Never Get To Heaven” – Stylistics

[new] = New to the chart this week.

You can listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.
A more usually boisterous intro from Sadie this week!

This month in history

On the 13th U.S. President Richard Nixon ordered a 60-day freeze on prices for all groceries and for gasoline, to be increased to no more than the price they were on June 8. The measures were the last under “Phase III” of his price control measures authorized under the Economic Stabilization Act of 1970. Prices were allowed to rise again at 12:01 a.m. on August 13 with the beginning of “Phase IV”. And we thought we had inflation issues in today’s world…

Then on the 19th “The Rocky Horror Show”, premièred at the Royal Court Theatre in London for the first of 2,960 performances. It would be adapted to a cult film, “The Rocky Horror Picture Show”, in 1975.

And on the 24th Leonid Brezhnev became the first Soviet leader to address the American people on television. Brezhnev’s 47-minute speech was pre-recorded the afternoon before at President Nixon’s estate, and then broadcast the next evening at 6:00 p.m. in each of the U.S. time zones. Among other things, he declared that “Mankind has outgrown the rigid ‘cold war’ armor which it was once forced to wear. It wants to breathe freely and peacefully.” And…it still does!

What’d Sadie think?

Loved ’em

• “Bad Bad Leroy Brown” – Jim Croce
• “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” – Bette Midler
• “Daddy Could Swear I Declare” – Gladys Knight And The Pips
• “Long Train Running” – Doobie Brothers
• “Money” – Pink Floyd
• “Smoke On The Water” – Deep Purple
• “Yesterday Once More” – Carpenters

Liked ’em

• “And I Love You So” – Perry Como
• “Behind Closed Doors” – Charlie Rich
• “Diamond Girl” – Seals And Crofts
• “Give It To Me” – J. Geils Band
• “Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)” – George Harrison
• “Kodachrome” – Paul Simon
• “Natural High” – Bloodstone
• “One Of A Time” – Spinners
• “So Very Hard To Go” – Tower Of Power
• “You’ll Never Get To Heaven” – Stylistics

Leave ’em

• “Doin’ It To Death” – Fred Wesley And The Jb’s
• “Shambala” – Three Dog Night

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

And we’re back to our regularly scheduled programming! I’m planning on trying to get these out every Monday to start the week, as we normally listen to the playlist over the weekend. Let’s see how it goes as we turn our ears back to April, 1973…

Songs of the month

• “Ain’t No Woman” – Four Tops
• “Also Sprach Zarathustra” – Deodato
• [new] “Always” – Luther Ingram
• [new] “Am I Black Enough For You” – Billy Paul
• [new] “And I Love You So” – Perry Como
• “Aubrey” – Bread
• [new] “Bad Bad Leroy Brown” – Jim Croce
• “Break Up To Make Up” – Stylistics
• “Call Me” – Al Green
• “Could It Be I’m Falling In Love” – Spinners
• “Cover Of Rolling Stone” – Dr. Hook And The Medicine Show
• [new] “Daddy Could Swear – I Declare” – Gladys Knight And The Pips
• [new] “Daisy A Day” – Jud Strunk
• [new] “Dancing To Your Music” – Archie Bell And The Drells
• “Danny’s Song” – Anne Murray
• “Dead Skunk” – Loudon Wainwright Iii
• [new] “Drift Away” – Dobie Gray
• “Duelling Banjos” – Eric Weissberg And Steve Mandell
• [new] “Everything’s Been Changed” – 5Th Dimension
• [new] “Fencewalk” – Mandrill
• [new] “Frankenstein” – Edgar Winter Group
• [new] “Funky Worm” – Ohio Players
• [new] “Give Your Baby A Standing Ovation” – Dells
• “Hummingbird” – Seals And Crofts
• [new] “I Like You” – Donovan
• [new] “I’m A Stranger Here” – Five Man Electrical Band
• [new] “I’ve Been Watchin’ You” – South Side Movement
• [new] “Isn’t It About Time” – Stephen Stills And Manassas
• [new] “It’s Hard To Stop” – Betty Wright
• “Killing Me Softly With His Song” – Roberta Flack
• “Last Song” – Edward Bear
• [new] “Last Tango In Paris” – Herb Alpert And The Tijuana Brass
• “Little Willy” – Sweet
• [new] “Long Train Runnin’” – Doobie Brothers
• “Love Train” – O’jays
• “Masterpiece” – Temptations
• [new] “Natural High” – Bloodstone
• “Neither One Of Us” – Gladys Knight And The Pips
• [new] “Nobody Wins” – Brenda Lee
• [new] “One Man Band” – Ronnie Dyson
• [new] “One Of A Kind” – Spinners
• [new] “Only In Your Heart” – America
• [new] “Only Love” – Bill Quateman
• [new] “Out Of The Question” – Gilbert O’sullivan
• “Peaceful” – Helen Reddy
• [new] “People Are Changin’” – Timmy Thomas
• [new] “Pillow Talk” – Sylvia
• [new] “Reeling In The Years” – Steely Dan
• [new] “Roll Over Beethoven” – Electric Light Orchestra
• “Sing” – Carpenters
• “Space Oddity” – David Bowie
• “Stir It Up” – Johnny Nash
• [new] “Stuck In The Middle With You” – Stealers Wheel
• “The Cisco Kid” – War
• [new] “The First Cut Is The Deepest” – Keith Hampshire
• [new] “The Lord Knows I’m Drinking” – Cal Smith
• [new] “The Night The Lights Went Our In Georgia” – Vicki Lawrence
• “The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia” – Vicki Lawrence
• “The Twelfth Of Never” – Donny Osmond
• “Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Ole Oak Tree” – Dawn
• [new] “Walk On The Wild Side” – Lou Reed
• [new] “Why Me” – Kris Kristofferson
• [new] “Wildflower” – Skylark
• [new] “Without You In My Life” – Tyrone Davis
• [new] “Woman From Tokyo” – Deep Purple
• “You Are The Sunshine Of My Life” – Stevie Wonder
• [new] “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” – Rolling Stones

[new] = New to the chart this week.

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

This month in history

On the 3rd the first handheld cellular phone call was made by Martin Cooper in New York City, at a press conference held by the Motorola company to unveil its new “DYNA T-A-C radio-telephone” and announce its commitment to spend up to five million dollars to install transmission towers throughout the city. Cooper’s call was made possible by the installation of temporary towers on two buildings on Fifth Avenue.

And on the 8th Pablo Picasso, renowned as “the greatest artist of his time and a giant in the history of painting” died of heart failure at his home in France at Mougins in the Alpes-Maritimes département. Picasso and his wife Jacqueline Roque Picasso had been entertaining friends for dinner the previous night, and the artist went to his in-home studio to work on another painting before retiring in the early morning hours for sleep.

On the 18th the science fiction film Soylent Green, set in the then-future year of 2022, premiered in the United States. Starring Charlton Heston, Leigh Taylor-Young, Chuck Connors and (in his final film role) Edward G. Robinson, the dystopian detective film was set in an overpopulated world, where the city of New York by itself had population of 40 million people and food, energy and housing were in short supply. Critics were unfavorable, with one saying “You still don’t have much of a movie,” and “As usual [Director Richard Fleischer] proves himself adept at subverting potentially meaningful material by shamelessly exploiting it”, while another wrote “The script is starved for lack of wit or intelligence.” Despite this, the film would cement itself in pop-culture history

What’d Sadie think?

It’s two weeks at the top for “The Night The Lights Went Our In Georgia” by Vicki Lawrence and then the same for “Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Ole Oak Tree” by Dawn – showing an appetite for long song names!

A lot of classics hit the chart this week. Not the most well know, but a really influential pioneer is the Funky Worm. The ARP Pro-solist, early synthesizer, used it in was a major sound in ’90s Hiphop in particular. Whosampled.com lists no fewer than 300 songs sampling the tune alone!

Loved ’em

A great crop of songs this week. Most notably Lou Reed’s “Walk on the Wild Side” which is notable for its fairly clear, queer themes, for its time. On release, RCA provided radio stations with a version of the song in which the reference to oral sex was omitted and the line “colored girls” was changed to “and the girls”. However, most radio stations continued to play the original, uncensored version.

• “Walk On The Wild Side” – Lou Reed
• “Drift Away” – Dobie Gray
• “Long Train Runnin’” – Doobie Brothers
• “Reeling In The Years” – Steely Dan
• “Stuck In The Middle With You” – Stealers Wheel
• “The First Cut Is The Deepest” – Keith Hampshire
• “Why Me” – Kris Kristofferson
• “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” – Rolling Stones

Liked ’em

• “Always” – Luther Ingram
• “Am I Black Enough For You” – Billy Paul
• “Bad Bad Leroy Brown” – Jim Croce
• “Daddy Could Swear – I Declare” – Gladys Knight And The Pips
• “Daisy A Day” – Jud Strunk
• “Dancing To Your Music” – Archie Bell And The Drells
• “Everything’s Been Changed” – 5Th Dimension
• “Fencewalk” – Mandrill
• “Frankenstein” – Edgar Winter Group
• “Give Your Baby A Standing Ovation” – Dells
• “I’ve Been Watchin’ You” – South Side Movement
• “Isn’t It About Time” – Stephen Stills And Manassas
• “It’s Hard To Stop” – Betty Wright
• “Last Tango In Paris” – Herb Alpert And The Tijuana Brass
• “Natural High” – Bloodstone
• “Nobody Wins” – Brenda Lee
• “One Man Band” – Ronnie Dyson
• “One Of A Kind” – Spinners
• “Only In Your Heart” – America
• “Only Love” – Bill Quateman
• “Out Of The Question” – Gilbert O’sullivan
• “People Are Changin’” – Timmy Thomas
• “Pillow Talk” – Sylvia
• “Roll Over Beethoven” – Electric Light Orchestra
• “Wildflower” – Skylark
• “Without You In My Life” – Tyrone Davis
• “Woman From Tokyo” – Deep Purple

Leave ’em

• “And I Love You So” – Perry Como
• “I Like You” – Donovan
• “The Lord Knows I’m Drinking” – Cal Smith

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

The year has barely begun in 2026, as we rock into the sounds of May of 1973…

Wait, but why have me introduce it when we can have Sadie?!

Thanks Sadie! Albeit the shyest we’ve heard her lately, she’s very boisterous most of the time.

The plan was/is to get her to to do intros to the playlist and perhaps some of the song, by recording pieces to add to the playlist. A slight technical issue currently is that Youtube music only plays songs marked as “music”, so if you’re listening on that app it’ll skip her intro.

But if you listen on Youtube it’ll be fine – also it appears as if it may now give the playlist a thumbnail – as I had to make the intro a video to upload it. Feedback welcome, as ever!

Songs of the month

• “Ain’t No Woman” – Four Tops
• [new] “Armed And Extremely Dangerous” – First Choice
• [new] “Cisco Kid” – War
• “Daisy A Day” – Jud Strunk
• [new] “Daniel” – Elton John
• “Drift Away” – Dobie Gray
• “Frankenstein” – Edgar Winter Group
• “Funky Worm” – Ohio Players
• [new] “Hallelujah Day” – Jackson 5
• [new] “Hocus Pocus” – Focus
• [new] “I’m Doin’ Fine Now” – New York City
• [new] “I’m Gonna Love You Just A Little More Baby” – Barry White
• [new] “It Sure Took A Long Long Time” – Lobo
• [new] “Leaving Me” – Independents
• “Little Willy” – Sweet
• “Long Train Runnin’” – Doobie Brothers
• “Masterpiece” – Temptations
• [new] “My Love” – Paul Mccartney And Wings
• “Neither One Of Us” – Gladys Knight And The Pips
• [new] “No More Mr. Nice Guy” – Alice Cooper
• “One Of A Kind” – Spinners
• “Out Of The Question” – Gilbert O’sullivan
• “Peaceful” – Helen Reddy
• “Pillow Talk” – Sylvia
• [new] “Pinball Wizard – See Me Feel Me” – New Seekers
• [new] “Playground In My Mind” – Clint Holmes
• “Reeling In The Years” – Steely Dan
• [new] “Right Place Wrong Time” – Dr. John
• “Sing” – Carpenters
• [new] “Steamroller Blues” – Elvis Presley
• “Stir It Up” – Johnny Nash
• “Stuck In The Middle With You” – Stealers Wheel
• “The Cisco Kid” – War
• “The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia” – Vicki Lawrence
• [new] “The Right Thing To Do” – Carly Simon
• “The Twelfth Of Never” – Donny Osmond
• [new] “Thinking Of You” – Loggins And Messina
• “Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Ole Oak Tree” – Dawn
• “Walk On The Wild Side” – Lou Reed
• “Wildflower” – Skylark
• [new] “Will It Go Round In Circles” – Billy Preston
• “You Are The Sunshine Of My Life” – Stevie Wonder

[new] = New to the chart this week.

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

This month in history

On the 14th of the month, Skylab, the first space station of the United States, was launched but was seriously damaged during liftoff. NASA officials said that 63 seconds after an almost perfect launch, “an accidental signal” from ground control at Cape Kennedy loosened a protective micrometeorite shield and caused a malfunction in two of Skylab’s four solar panels, removing half of its electrical power. The scheduled May 15 liftoff of the Skylab crew was postponed.

On the 25th “The Hireling”, by Alan Bridges, and “Scarecrow”, by Jerry Schatzberg, tied for the Grand Prix at the 1973 Cannes Film Festival. The verdict was controversial and the president of the jury, Ingrid Bergman, was accused of favoritism for the American productions.

Also on the 25th Mike Oldfield’s classic album “Tubular Bells” became the first release on Richard Branson’s newly launched Virgin label.

What’d Sadie think?

Two weeks at the top for “Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Ole Oak Tree” by Dawn before Stevie Wonder’s “You Are The Sunshine Of My Life” and then Edgar Winter Group’s “Frankenstein” each get a week.

Loved ’em

• “Daniel” – Elton John
• “Hocus Pocus” – Focus
• “I’m Gonna Love You Just A Little More Baby” – Barry White
• “Steamroller Blues” – Elvis Presley

I forget the song, but at one point this week Sadie dismissed a song as boring and asked why they couldn’t be more like Sweet’s
“Little Willy”…which now has its own ‘dance’ moves… The sooner that moves off the charts the better, sorry Sadie!

Liked ’em

• “Armed And Extremely Dangerous” – First Choice
• “Cisco Kid” – War
• “Hallelujah Day” – Jackson 5
• “I’m Doin’ Fine Now” – New York City
• “Leaving Me” – Independents
• “My Love” – Paul Mccartney And Wings
• “No More Mr. Nice Guy” – Alice Cooper
• “Pinball Wizard – See Me Feel Me” – New Seekers
• “Playground In My Mind” – Clint Holmes
• “Right Place Wrong Time” – Dr. John
• “The Right Thing To Do” – Carly Simon
• “Thinking Of You” – Loggins And Messina
• “Will It Go Round In Circles” – Billy Preston

Leave ’em

• “It Sure Took A Long Long Time” – Lobo

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

It’s a new year, 2026, and we’re playing holiday catch-up. For the songs of February 1973 click here, before coming back to listen to what March sounded like…

Songs of the month

• [new] “Ain’t No Woman” – Four Tops
• “Also Sprach Zarathustra” – Deodato
• “Aubrey” – Bread
• “Big City Miss Ruth Ann” – Gallery
• [new] “Break Up To Make Up” – Stylistics
• [new] “Call Me” – Al Green
• “Could It Be I’m Falling In Love” – Spinners
• “Cover Of Rolling Stone” – Dr. Hook And The Medicine Show
• “Crocodile Rock” – Elton John
• “Daddy’s Home” – Jermaine Jackson
• [new] “Daddy’s Song” – Anne Murray
• “Dancing In The Moonlight” – King Harvest
• “Danny’s Song” – Anne Murray
• [new] “Dead Skunk” – Loudon Wainwright Iii
• “Do It Again” – Steely Dan
• “Do You Want To Dance” – Bette Midler
• “Don’t Expect Me To Be Your Friend” – Lobo
• [new] “Don’t Expect To Be Your Friend” – Lobo
• “Dreidel” – Don Mclean
• “Duelling Banjos” – Eric Weissberg And Steve Mandell
• [new] “Hummingbird” – Seals And Crofts
• “I Got Ants In My Pants” – James Brown
• “I’m Just A Singer (In A Rock And Roll Band)” – Moody Blues
• “Jambalaya” – Blue Ridge Rangers
• “Killing Me Softly With His Song” – Roberta Flack
• “Last Song” – Edward Bear
• [new] “Little Willy” – Sweet
• “Love Train” – O’jays
• [new] “Masterpiece” – Temptations
• [new] “Neither One Of Us” – Gladys Knight And The Pips
• “Oh Babe What Would You Say” – Hurricane Smith
• “Peaceful Easy Feeling” – Eagles
• [new] “Peaceful” – Helen Reddy
• “Rocky Mountain High” – John Denver
• [new] “Sing” – Carpenters
• [new] “Space Oddity” – David Bowie
• [new] “Stir It Up” – Johnny Nash
• “Superstition” – Stevie Wonder
• [new] “The Cisco Kid” – War
• [new] “The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia” – Vicki Lawrence
• [new] “The Twelfth Of Never” – Donny Osmond
• [new] “Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Ole Oak Tree” – Dawn
• “Why Can’t We Live Together” – Timmy Thomas
• [new] “You Are The Sunshine Of My Life” – Stevie Wonder
• “You’re So Vain” – Carly Simon

[new] = New to the chart this week.

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

This month in history

The Xerox Alto, the first computer with a graphical operating system (a vertical monitor that displayed keyboard choices of operation to the user) and a mouse (with three buttons), became available for sale or lease on the 1st. It’s best known for being the “inspiration” for Steve Job’s Lisa and Mac computers, rather than its own commercial success.

Then on the 21st pieces of Moon rock samples from the Apollo 17 mission were sent by U.S. President Nixon to all 50 of the United States and to all the nations of the world, displayed on wooden plaques. In each case, a letter accompanied the presentation of samples from the last crewed mission to the Moon with a letter that said, in part, “In the deepest sense our exploration of the moon was truly an international effort. It is for this reason that, on behalf of the people of the United States I present this flag, which was carried to the moon, to the State, and its fragment of the moon obtained during the final lunar mission of the Apollo program. If people of many nations can act together to achieve the dreams of humanity in space, then surely we can act together to accomplish humanity’s dream of peace here on earth.”

Which…spoiler alert for 2026, hasn’t turned out as imagined.

And on the 25th the pilot episode of the sitcom “Open All Hours” (a childhood favourite, which would later be voted 8th-best in the Britain’s Best Sitcom poll), was broadcast on BBC2.

What’d Sadie think?

“Killing Me Softly With His Song” by Roberta Flack continues a number 1 run, with 4 weeks at the top this month, interrupted by the O’jays with “Love Train” for a week.

Loved ’em

Space Oddity re-enters the charts 3 years after being released, courtesy of a US re-issue and early “music video”. Originally it was launched in 1969 ahead of the first moon landing, and the reissue came just as NASA was doing its final manned moon mission.

• “Ain’t No Woman” – Four Tops
• “Space Oddity” – David Bowie
• “You Are The Sunshine Of My Life” – Stevie Wonder

A special shout out to the sunshine of _my_ life, Emily – here’s to our tenth wedding anniversary and our wonderful little 5-year old Sadie.

Liked ’em

• “Break Up To Make Up” – Stylistics
• “Call Me” – Al Green
• “Don’t Expect To Be Your Friend” – Lobo
• “Hummingbird” – Seals And Crofts
• “Little Willy” – Sweet
• “Masterpiece” – Temptations
• “Neither One Of Us” – Gladys Knight And The Pips
• “Peaceful” – Helen Reddy
• “Sing” – Carpenters
• “Stir It Up” – Johnny Nash
• “The Cisco Kid” – War
• “The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia” – Vicki Lawrence
• “The Twelfth Of Never” – Donny Osmond
• “Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Ole Oak Tree” – Dawn

Leave ’em

• “Dead Skunk” – Loudon Wainwright Iii

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

It’s 47 years and 6 months before Sadie is born and a round 4 years before Thomas is…let’s listen to the sounds of February, 1973!

Songs of the month

• [new] “Also Sprach Zarathustra” – Deodato
• “Always On My Mind” – Elvis Presley
• [new] “Aubrey” – Bread
• [new] “Big City Miss Ruth Ann” – Gallery
• “Clair” – Gilbert O’sullivan
• “Could It Be I’m Falling In Love” – Spinners
• [new] “Cover Of Rolling Stone” – Dr. Hook And The Medicine Show
• “Crocodile Rock” – Elton John
• “Daddy’s Home” – Jermaine Jackson
• “Dancing In The Moonlight” – King Harvest
• [new] “Danny’s Song” – Anne Murray
• “Do It Again” – Steely Dan
• [new] “Do You Want To Dance” – Bette Midler
• “Don’t Expect Me To Be Your Friend” – Lobo
• “Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight” – James Taylor
• “Dreidel” – Don Mclean
• [new] “Duelling Banjos” – Eric Weissberg And Steve Mandell
• “Funny Face” – Donna Fargo
• “Hi Hi Hi” – Wings
• [new] “I Got Ants In My Pants” – James Brown
• [new] “I’m Just A Singer (In A Rock And Roll Band)” – Moody Blues
• “Jambalaya” – Blue Ridge Rangers
• [new] “Killing Me Softly With His Song” – Roberta Flack
• [new] “Last Song” – Edward Bear
• “Love Jones” – Brighter Side Of Darkness
• [new] “Love Train” – O’jays
• “Me And Mrs. Jones” – Billy Paul
• [new] “Oh Babe What Whould You Say” – Hurricane Smith
• “Oh Babe What Would You Say” – Hurricane Smith
• [new] “Peaceful Easy Feeling” – Eagles
• [new] “Reelin’ And Rockin’” – Chuck Berry
• “Rockin’ Pneumonia And The Boogie Woogie Flu” – Johnny Rivers
• “Rocky Mountain High” – John Denver
• “Superfly” – Curtis Mayfield
• “Superstition” – Stevie Wonder
• [new] “The Cover Of Rolling Stone” – Dr. Hook And The Medicine Show
• “The World Is A Ghetto” – War
• “Trouble Man” – Marvin Gaye
• “Why Can’t We Live Together” – Timmy Thomas
• “You Turn Me On I’m A Radio” – Joni Mitchell
• “You’re So Vain” – Carly Simon
• “Your Mama Don’t Dance” – Kenny Loggins And Jim Messina

[new] = New to the chart this week.

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

This month in history

In the UK on the 7th, the RTV31 Tracked Hovercraft high-speed train was successfully tested for the first time. The project was canceled a week later…

And on the 10th ABBA, entered as “Björn and Benny, Agnetha and Anni-Frid” performed the song “Ring Ring” in Melodifestivalen 1973, the contest to select the Swedish entry for the forthcoming Eurovision Song Contest, but finished in third place behind second place Ann-Kristin Hedmark and the winner, the pop duo Malta (band). The third place finishers would create the name from their band a year later, taking the initial letters of their first names (B & B, A & A) and rearranging them, going on to win the 1974 Eurovision contest and becoming successful worldwide.

Then on the 25th “A Little Night Music,” a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, premiered on Broadway and would run for 601 performances, winning the 1973 Tony Award for Best Musical.

What’d Sadie think?

3 weeks at the top for Crocodile Rock, before Robert Flack’s”Killing Me Softly With His Song” takes the top spot for a week.

Loved ’em

• “Aubrey” – Bread
• “Danny’s Song” – Anne Murray
• “I Got Ants In My Pants” – James Brown
• “Killing Me Softly With His Song” – Roberta Flack
• “Love Train” – O’jays
• “Peaceful Easy Feeling” – Eagles

Liked ’em

• “Also Sprach Zarathustra” – Deodato
• “Big City Miss Ruth Ann” – Gallery
• “Cover Of Rolling Stone” – Dr. Hook And The Medicine Show
• “Do You Want To Dance” – Bette Midler
• “Duelling Banjos” – Eric Weissberg And Steve Mandell
• “I’m Just A Singer (In A Rock And Roll Band)” – Moody Blues
• “Last Song” – Edward Bear
• “Reelin’ And Rockin’” – Chuck Berry

Leave ’em

• “Oh Babe What Would You Say” – Hurricane Smith

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