4x Life

One month in pop history, every week.

It’s March, 1973

Written by

Thomas Scovell

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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.

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