Author: Thomas Scovell

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.

Merry Xmas from 4xlife and the Scovells! Nicely timed with the end of the year, here’s the sounds of the start of 1973…

Songs of the month

• [new] “Always On My Mind” – Elvis Presley
• “Been To Canaan” – Carole King
• “Clair” – Gilbert O’sullivan
• [new] “Could It Be I’m Falling In Love” – Spinners
• “Crocodile Rock” – Elton John
• “Daddy’s Home” – Jermaine Jackson
• [new] “Dancing In The Moonlight” – King Harvest
• [new] “Do It Again” – Steely Dan
• [new] “Don’t Expect Me To Be Your Friend” – Lobo
• “Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight” – James Taylor
• “Dreidel” – Don Mclean
• “Funny Face” – Donna Fargo
• “Hi Hi Hi” – Wings
• “I Am Woman” – Helen Reddy
• “I Wanna Be With You” – Raspberries
• “It Never Rains In Southern California” – Albert Hammond
• [new] “Jambalaya” – Blue Ridge Rangers
• “Keeper Of The Castle” – Four Tops
• “Living In The Past” – Jethro Tull
• [new] “Love Jones” – Brighter Side Of Darkness
• “Me And Mrs. Jones” – Billy Paul
• [new] “Oh Babe What Would You Say” – Hurricane Smith
• “Papa Was A Rollin’ Stone” – Temptations
• “Pieces Of April” – Three Dog Night
• “Rockin’ Pneumonia And The Boogie Woogie Flu” – Johnny Rivers
• [new] “Rocky Mountain High” – John Denver
• “Sitting” – Cat Stevens
• [new] “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes” – Blue Haze
• “Something’s Wrong With Me” – Austin Roberts
• “Superfly” – Curtis Mayfield
• “Superstition” – Stevie Wonder
• “Sweet Surrender” – Bread
• [new] “The World Is A Ghetto” – War
• [new] “Trouble Man” – Marvin Gaye
• “Walk On Water” – Neil Diamond
• “Why Can’t We Live Together” – Timmy Thomas
• “You Ought To Be With Me” – Al Green
• [new] “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

On January the 4th the pilot episode of the longest-running TV comedy series in the world (and a personal childhood favourite), Last of the Summer Wine, was broadcast in the United Kingdom as an episode of BBC’s Comedy Playhouse. Picked up as a series, Last of the Summer Wine would debut on November 12 and would continue to run for 295 episodes over 37 years, until August 29, 2010.

And across the Atlantic on the 11th “An American Family”, arguably the first “reality show” on television, was launched as a 12-episode series on PBS. The show was the edited product of seven months of a production crew following around a Santa Monica, California husband and wife and their five teenage children, and filming their private lives. From May 30 until December 31, 1971, 300 hours of film was made of business executive Bill Loud, his wife Pat, and their three sons and two daughters, then editing it to twelve 50-minute shows

Then on the 14th of January, in a marvel of modern technology, Elvis Presley’s “Aloha from Hawaii via Satellite” concert was performed in Honolulu at 12:30 in the morning local time, to be seen live in Australia, the Philippines, Japan, South Korea, South Vietnam and Hong Kong, and on tape delay everywhere else in the world.

What’d Sadie think?

It is three weeks at the top for “You’re So Vain” by Carly Simon before Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition” tops the chart for the last week of January.

Loved ’em

• “Always On My Mind” – Elvis Presley
• “Could It Be I’m Falling In Love” – Spinners
• “You Turn Me On I’m A Radio” – Joni Mitchell

Apparently Joni Mitchell originally wrote the latter song in response to her record label’s desire for her to write a hit song… some layers there!  The song was recorded in preparation for Mitchell’s then-upcoming fifth studio album. Although Graham Nash, David Crosby, and Neil Young all contributed to the recording session for the song, only the harmonica piece performed by Graham Nash was included on the official release.

Liked ’em

• “Dancing In The Moonlight” – King Harvest
• “Do It Again” – Steely Dan
• “Jambalaya” – Blue Ridge Rangers
• “Love Jones” – Brighter Side Of Darkness
• “Rocky Mountain High” – John Denver
• “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes” – Blue Haze
• “The World Is A Ghetto” – War
• “Trouble Man” – Marvin Gaye

Leave ’em

• “Don’t Expect Me To Be Your Friend” – Lobo
• “Oh Babe What Would You Say” – Hurricane Smith

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

And here we are at the end of another year in pop music history, December, 1972!

Songs of the month

• [new] “And You And I” – Yes
• [new] “Angel” – Rod Stewart
• [new] “Anthem” – Wayne Newton
• [new] “Been To Canaan” – Carole King
• [new] “Big City Miss Ruth Ann” – Gallery
• “Clair” – Gilbert O’sullivan
• “Convention ’72” – Delegates
• “Corner Of The Sky” – Jackson 5
• [new] “Cover Of Rolling Stone” – Dr. Hook And The Medicine Show
• “Crazy Horses” – Osmonds
• [new] “Crocodile Rock” – Elton John
• [new] “Daddy’s Home” – Jermaine Jackson
• [new] “Daytime Night Time” – Keith Hampshire
• “Dialogue” – Chicago
• [new] “Do You Want To Dance” – Bette Midler
• [new] “Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight” – James Taylor
• [new] “Dreidel” – Don Mclean
• [new] “Everybody Loves A Love Song” – Mac Davis
• “Freddie’s Dead” – Curtis Mayfield
• “Funny Face” – Donna Fargo
• “Garden Party” – Rick Nelson
• [new] “Good Times Sally” – Rare Earth
• [new] “Hi Hi Hi” – Wings
• “I Am Woman” – Helen Reddy
• “I Can See Clearly Now” – Johnny Nash
• [new] “I Can’t Stand To See You Cry” – Smokey Robinson And The Miracles
• [new] “I Just Want To Make Love To You” – Foghat
• [new] “I Wanna Be With You” – Raspberries
• “I’d Love You To Want Me” – Lobo
• “I’ll Be Around” – Spinners
• [new] “I’ll Be Your Shelter” – Luther Ingram
• [new] “I’m Never Gonna Be Alone Anymore” – Cornelius Brothers And Sister Rose
• “I’m Stone In Love With You” – Stylistics
• “If I Could Reach You” – 5Th Dimension
• “If You Don’t Know Me By Now” – Harold Melvin And The Blue Notes
• [new] “Ing In Love” – Spinners
• “It Never Rains In Southern California” – Albert Hammond
• [new] “Jesus Is Just Alright” – Doobie Brothers
• [new] “Jesus Was A Capricorn” – Kris Kristofferson
• [new] “Keeper Of The Castle” – Four Tops
• [new] “Knock Knock Who’s There” – Mary Hopkin
• [new] “Last Song” – Edward Bear
• [new] “Lies” – J.J. Cale
• [new] “Living In The Past” – Jethro Tull
• [new] “Long Dark Road” – Hollies
• [new] “Looking Through The Eyes Of Love” – Partridge Family
• [new] “Lucky Man” – “Emerson Lake & Palmer”
• [new] “Mama Weer All Crazee Now” – Slade
• “Me And Mrs. Jones” – Billy Paul
• [new] “Me And My Baby Got A Good Thing Going” – Lyn Collins
• [new] “Mr And Mrs. Jones” – Billy Paul
• “Nights In White Satin” – Moody Blues
• [new] “Oh No Not My Baby” – Merry Clayton
• [new] “One Last Time” – Glen Campbell
• [new] “One Way Out” – Allman Brothers Band
• “Operator” – Jim Croce
• “Papa Was A Rollin’ Stone” – Temptations
• [new] “Peaceful Easy Feeling” – Eagles
• [new] “Pieces Of April” – Three Dog Night
• [new] “Remember” – Nilsson
• “Rock N Roll Soul” – Grand Funk Railroad
• “Rockin’ Pneumonia And The Boogie Woogie Flu” – Johnny Rivers
• [new] “Silly Wasn’t I” – Valerie Simpson
• [new] “Sitting” – Cat Stevens
• “Something’s Wrong With Me” – Austin Roberts
• [new] “Songman” – Cashman And West
• “Summer Breeze” – Seals And Crofts
• [new] “Superfly” – Curtis Mayfield
• [new] “Superstition” – Stevie Wonder
• “Sweet Surrender” – Bread
• [new] “The Jean Genie” – David Bowie
• [new] “To Be Your Friend” – Lobo
• “Ventura Highway” – America
• [new] “Walk On Water” – Neil Diamond
• [new] “What My Baby Needs Now Is A Little More Lovin’” – James Brown-Lyn Collins
• [new] “Why Can’t We Live Together” – Timmy Thomas
• “Witchy Woman” – Eagles
• [new] “You Can Do Magic” – Limmie & Family Cookin’
• “You Ought To Be With Me” – Al Green
• [new] “You’re A Lady” – Dawn Ft Tony Orlando
• [new] “You’re So Vain” – Carly Simon
• [new] “You’ve Got To Take It” – Main Ingredient
• [new] “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

On December 15, American astronaut Eugene Cernan climbed into the lunar module Challenger becoming the last person to have set foot on the Moon to date.

On the 30th The “Christmas Bombing” of North Vietnam was halted by order of U.S. President Nixon, after the North Vietnamese agreed to resume negotiations with Henry Kissinger beginning on January 8.  A total of 20,370 tons of bombs were dropped on North Vietnam over eleven days. We’ve largely avoided a decade of stories on the war, because…well it’s depressing. But hoorah, it’s over.

And on the last day of the year, another leap second (23:59:60) was added, making 1972 the only year to have two leap seconds, and thus the longest year in human history.

What’d Sadie think?

It’s a week for “Papa Was A Rollin’ Stone” by the Temptations then for “I Am Woman” by Helen Reddy before Billy Paul’s “Mr And Mrs. Jones” rides high for 3 weeks.

It’s one of those months where I must have scraped the top 30 not the top 20 for each week so we have a huge list of new tunes!

We’ll stick to those we really loved…

• “Crocodile Rock” – Elton John
• “Do You Want To Dance” – Bette Midler
• “Mama Weer All Crazee Now” – Slade
• “Me And My Baby Got A Good Thing Going” – Lyn Collins
• “Mr And Mrs. Jones” – Billy Paul
• “Peaceful Easy Feeling” – Eagles
• “Superfly” – Curtis Mayfield
• “Superstition” – Stevie Wonder
• “The Jean Genie” – David Bowie
• “You’re So Vain” – Carly Simon

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

It’s 47 years and 9 months before Sadie is born and 4 years and 3 months before Thomas is.

Songs of the month

• [new] “American City Suite” – Cashman And West
• “Ben” – Michael Jackson
• “Burning Love” – Elvis Presley
• [new] “Clair” – Gilbert O’sullivan
• [new] “Convention ’72” – Delegates
• [new] “Corner Of The Sky” – Jackson 5
• [new] “Crazy Horses” – Osmonds
• [new] “Dialogue” – Chicago
• [new] “Elected” – Alice Cooper
• “Everybody Plays The Fool” – Main Ingredient
• “Freddie’s Dead” – Curtis Mayfield
• [new] “Funny Face” – Donna Fargo
• “Garden Party” – Rick Nelson
• “Good Time Charlie’s Got The Blues” – Danny O’keefe
• “I Am Woman” – Helen Reddy
• “I Believe In Music” – Gallery
• “I Can See Clearly Now” – Johnny Nash
• “I’d Love You To Want Me” – Lobo
• “I’ll Be Around” – Spinners
• [new] “I’m Stone In Love With You” – Stylistics
• “If I Could Reach You” – 5Th Dimension
• [new] “If You Don’t Know Me By Now” – Harold Melvin And The Blue Notes
• [new] “It Never Rains In Southern California” – Albert Hammond
• “Listen To The Music” – Doobie Brothers
• “Loving You Just Crossed My Mind” – Sam Neely
• [new] “Me And Mrs. Jones” – Billy Paul
• “My Ding-A-Ling” – Chuck Berry
• “Nights In White Satin” – Moody Blues
• [new] “Operator” – Jim Croce
• [new] “Papa Was A Rollin’ Stone” – Temptations
• [new] “Rock N Roll Soul” – Grand Funk Railroad
• [new] “Rockin’ Pneumonia And The Boogie Woogie Flu” – Johnny Rivers
• [new] “Something’s Wrong With Me” – Austin Roberts
• “Space Man” – Nilsson
• “Starting All Over Again” – Mel And Tim
• “Summer Breeze” – Seals And Crofts
• [new] “Sweet Surrender” – Bread
• “The City Of New Orleans” – Arlo Guthrie
• “Thunder And Lightning” – Chi Coltrane
• “Tight Rope” – Leon Russell
• “Use Me” – Bill Withers
• [new] “Ventura Highway” – America
• “Why” – Donny Osmond
• “Witchy Woman” – Eagles
• [new] “You Ought To Be With Me” – Al Green

[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 1st the groundbreaking, made-for-television film, “That Certain Summer” appeared as the ABC Wednesday Night Movie. Actors Hal Holbrook and Martin Sheen addressed the, then very, controversial topic, portraying an adult gay couple in the Golden Globe winning movie.

On the 8th HBO (Home Box Office), the first “pay cable” television channel, was launched in the United States. The first evening of programming was a National Hockey League (NHL) game between the New York Rangers and the Vancouver Canucks from Madison Square Garden (part of a long-term agreement to broadcast sports events based at the Manhattan arena), followed by the film “Sometimes a Great Notion”, and was broadcast to a massive 365 subscribers in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Each household paid an additional $6.00 per month to Service Electric Cable TV for the service.

And on the 29th Atari, Inc. released the seminal arcade version of Pong, the first such game to achieve commercial success.

What’d Sadie think?

It’s a month dominated by a single song, Johnny Nash’s, “I Can See Clearly Now”.

• “American City Suite” – Cashman And West
• “Clair” – Gilbert O’sullivan
• “Convention ’72” – Delegates
• “Corner Of The Sky” – Jackson 5
• “Crazy Horses” – Osmonds
• “Dialogue” – Chicago
• “Elected” – Alice Cooper
• “Funny Face” – Donna Fargo
• “I’m Stone In Love With You” – Stylistics
• “If You Don’t Know Me By Now” – Harold Melvin And The Blue Notes
• “It Never Rains In Southern California” – Albert Hammond
• “Me And Mrs. Jones” – Billy Paul
• “Operator” – Jim Croce
• “Papa Was A Rollin’ Stone” – Temptations
• “Rock N Roll Soul” – Grand Funk Railroad
• “Rockin’ Pneumonia And The Boogie Woogie Flu” – Johnny Rivers
• “Something’s Wrong With Me” – Austin Roberts
• “Sweet Surrender” – Bread
• “Ventura Highway” – America
• “You Ought To Be With Me” – Al Green

Loved ’em

here

Liked ’em

here

Leave ’em

here

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