4x Life

One month in pop history, every week.

It’s November, 1974

Written by

Thomas Scovell

in

The fine autumn weather continues in Auckland of 2026. As Winter comes our way, let’s turn our ears back to November of 1974…

Songs of the month

  • [new] “After The Gold Rush” – Prelude
  • [new] “Ain’t Too Proud To Beg” – Rolling Stones
  • [new] “Angie Baby” – Helen Reddy
  • “Back Home Again” – John Denver
  • “Can’t Get Enough” – Bad Company
  • “Carefree Highway” – Gordon Lightfoot
  • [new] “Cat’s In The Cradle” – Harry Chapin
  • [new] “Distant Lover” – Marvin Gaye
  • “Do It Baby” – Miracles
  • “Do It” – B.T. Express
  • “Everlasting Love” – Carl Carlton
  • [new] “Fairytale” – Pointer Sisters
  • [new] “Fire Baby I’m On Fire” – Andy Kim
  • “Honey Honey” – Abba
  • [new] “I Can Help” – Billy Swan
  • [new] “I Feel A Song” – Gladys Knight And The Pips
  • “I’ve Got The Music In Me” – Kiki Dee
  • “Jazzman” – Carole King
  • [new] “Kung Fu Fighting” – Carl Douglas
  • [new] “La La Peace Song” – Al Wilson
  • [new] “Laughter In The Rain” – Neil Sedaka
  • “Life Is A Rock” – Reunion
  • “Longfellow Serenade” – Neil Diamond
  • [new] “Love Don’t Love Nobody” – Spinners
  • “Love Me For A Reason” – Osmonds
  • [new] “Must Of Got Lost” – J. Geils Band
  • “My Melody Of Love” – Bobby Vinton
  • “Overnight Sensation” – Raspberries
  • [new] “People Gotta Move” – Gino Vanelli
  • [new] “Promised Land” – Elvis Presley
  • [new] “Rockin’ Soul” – Hues Corporation
  • [new] “Sha-La-La” – Al Green
  • [new] “So You Are A Star” – Hudson Brothers
  • “Steppin’ Out” – Tony Orlando And Dawn
  • “Stop And Smell The Roses” – Mac Davis
  • “Sweet Home Alabama” – Lynyrd Skynyrd
  • “The Bitch Is Back” – Elton John
  • “The Need To Be” – Jim Weatherly
  • “Then Came You” – Dionne Warwick And The Spinners
  • “Tin Man” – America
  • [new] “Touch Me” – Fancy
  • “Whatever Gets You Thru The Night” – John Lennon
  • [new] “When Will I See You Again” – Three Degrees
  • [new] “Wishing You Were Here” – Chicago
  • [new] “Woman To Woman” – Shirley Brown
  • “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet” – Bachman-Turner Overdrive
  • [new] “You Got The Love” – Rufus Ft Chaka Khan
  • “You Haven’t Done Nothin’” – 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

In a moment that went down in rock and roll history, John Lennon joined Elton John on stage at a sold-out Madison Square Garden on Thanksgiving night in 1974. The appearance was the result of a bet: Lennon had agreed that if their collaboration “Whatever Gets You thru the Night” hit #1 on the charts (which it did earlier that month), he would perform live with Elton. The crowd erupted into a legendary ten-minute standing ovation as they ran through three tracks, including “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.” Tragically, this surprise performance would mark the final time John Lennon ever performed on a major concert stage.

On November 20, 1974, Francis Ford Coppola achieved the near-impossible when The Godfather Part II premiered in Hollywood. Serving as both a sequel and a prequel to the 1972 original, the film masterfully contrasted the rise of a young Vito Corleone (Robert De Niro) with the moral descent of his son Michael (Al Pacino). It became a critical and commercial triumph, eventually making history as the first sequel to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. It fundamentally redefined what a cinematic sequel could achieve and remains a benchmark of American cinema.

While the pilot movie had aired earlier in the year, the official weekly series of “Little House on the Prairie” became a fixture of global television in late 1974. Starring Michael Landon as Charles Ingalls, the wholesome, family-centric drama based on Laura Ingalls Wilder’s books provided a massive contrast to the gritty, cynical news of the post-Watergate era. The show became an instant ratings powerhouse and a staple of family viewing, defining an entire era of wholesome 1970s television storytelling.

What’d Sadie think?

First Steve Wonder tells us, “You Haven’t Done Nothin’” before Bachman-Turner Overdrive tells us, “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet”. But we must have seen something as John Lennon sings, “Whatever Gets You Thru The Night” and Billy Swan insists, “I Can Help” for the last two weeks of the month.

Loved ’em

  • “You’re The First The Last My Everything”” – Barry White
  • “Ain’t Too Proud To Beg” – Rolling Stones
  • “Cat’s In The Cradle” – Harry Chapin
  • “Kung Fu Fighting” – Carl Douglas
  • “Sha-La-La” – Al Green
  • “When Will I See You Again” – Three Degrees
  • “Woman To Woman” – Shirley Brown
  • “You Got The Love” – Rufus Ft Chaka Khan

Liked ’em

  • “After The Goldrush” – Prelude
  • “Angie Baby” – Helen Reddy
  • “Distant Lover” – Marvin Gaye
  • “Fairytale” – Pointer Sisters
  • “Fire Baby I’m On Fire” – Andy Kim
  • “I Can Help” – Billy Swan
  • “I Feel A Song” – Gladys Knight And The Pips
  • “La La Peace Song” – Al Wilson
  • “Laughter In The Rain” – Neil Sedaka
  • “Love Don’t Love Nobody” – Spinners
  • “Must Of Got Lost” – J. Geils Band
  • “People Gotta Move” – Gino Vanelli
  • “Promised Land” – Elvis Presley
  • “Rockin’ Soul” – Hues Corporation
  • “So You Are A Star” – Hudson Brothers
  • Touch Me” – Fancy
  • “Wishing You Were Here” – Chicago

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

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