4x Life

One month in pop history, every week.

It’s November, 1975

Written by

Thomas Scovell

in

It’s 44 years and 9 months before Sadie is born and 1 years and 3 months before Thomas is.

The Chart

Elton John’s “Island Girl” tops the charts for 3 weeks before “That’s The Way I Like It” by K.C. And The Sunshine Band, then “Fly Robin Fly” by Silver Convention each rule the roost for a week.

  • “Bad Blood” – Neil Sedaka
  • [new] “Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain” – Willie Nelson
  • “Born To Run” – Bruce Springsteen
  • “Brazil” – Ritchie Family
  • “Calypso / I’m Sorry” – John Denver
  • [new] “Calypso” – John Denver
  • “Dance With Me” – Orleans
  • “Do It Any Way You Wanna” – Peoples Choice
  • [new] “Eighteen With A Bullet” – Pete Wingfield
  • “Feelings” – Morris Albert
  • [new] “Fly Robin Fly” – Silver Convention
  • [new] “Fox On The Run” – Sweet
  • “Games People Play” – Spinners
  • “Heatwave / Love Is A Rose” – Linda Ronstadt
  • “Heatwave” – Linda Ronstadt
  • [new] “I Love Music” – O’jays
  • “I Only Have Eyes For You” – Art Garfunkel
  • [new] “I Want A Do Something Freaky To You” – Leon Haywood
  • [new] “I Write The Songs” – Barry Manilow
  • [new] “I’m On Fire” – 5000 Volts
  • “Island Girl” – Elton John
  • “It Only Takes A Minute” – Tavares
  • [new] “Just Too Many People” – Melissa Manchester
  • “Lady Blue” – Leon Russell
  • [new] “Let’s Do It Again” – Staple Singers
  • [new] “Love Rollercoaster” – Ohio Players
  • “Low Rider” – War
  • “Lyin’ Eyes” – Eagles
  • “Miracles” – Jefferson Starship
  • [new] “My Little Town” – Simon & Garfunkel
  • “Nights On Broadway” – Bee Gees
  • [new] “Operator” – Manhattan Transfer
  • [new] “Our Day Will Come” – Frankie Valli
  • “Rockin’ All Over The World” – John Fogerty
  • “S.O.S.” – Abba
  • [new] “Saturday Night” – Bay City Rollers
  • [new] “Secret Love” – Freddy Fender
  • “Sky High” – Jigsaw
  • “Something Better To Do” – Olivia Newton-John
  • [new] “That’s The Way I Like It” – K.C. And The Sunshine Band
  • [new] “The Last Game Of The Season” – David Geddes
  • “The Way I Want To Touch You” – Captain & Tennille
  • “This Will Be” – Natalie Cole
  • [new] “Venus And Mars Rock Show” – Paul Mccartney & Wings
  • “What A Difference A Day Made” – Esther Phillips
  • [new] “What A Difference A Day Makes” – Esther Phillips
  • “Who Loves You” – Four Seasons
  • “You” – George Harrison

[new] = New to the chart this week.

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

The Times

Some history

On November 19, 1975, cinema history was made when Miloš Forman’s psychological drama One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest premiered in New York and Los Angeles. Adapted from Ken Kesey’s acclaimed 1962 novel and starring Jack Nicholson as the rebellious Randle P. McMurphy alongside Louise Fletcher as the chillingly authoritarian Nurse Ratched, the film explored rebellion, institutional power, and individuality within an Oregon psychiatric ward. The film captivated both critics and audiences, becoming a box office sensation and sweeping the “Big Five” Academy Awards—Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Screenplay—a monumental sweep that had not occurred in Hollywood for over four decades.


British musical counterculture was ignited on November 6, 1975, when the Sex Pistols played their very first public gig at London’s Saint Martin’s School of Art, supporting pub-rock band Bazooka Joe. Fronted by John Lydon (performing as Johnny Rotten) alongside Steve Jones, Glen Matlock, and Paul Cook, the band tore through an anarchic, chaotic 20-minute set before their amplifiers were unplugged by the headlining act. The abrasive, high-energy performance sent shockwaves through the UK underground scene, introducing the raw visual and sonic ethos of punk rock to London and setting off a disruptive youth movement that would dominate late-70s youth culture.


On November 7, 1975, superhero television received a landmark transformation when ABC premiered The New Original Wonder Woman starring Lynda Carter as the Amazonian princess Diana Prince. Ditching previous campy or modernized attempts, the 90-minute TV movie paid direct homage to the original 1940s DC Comics source material, setting the action during World War II with period-accurate aesthetics and Carter’s signature bullet-deflecting bracelets and golden lasso. The pilot’s massive ratings success spawned a beloved multi-season series, establishing Carter as an enduring feminist pop icon and paving the way for female-led superhero media on mainstream television.

The Take

  • “Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain” – Willie Nelson
  • “Calypso” – John Denver
  • “Eighteen With A Bullet” – Pete Wingfield
  • “Fly Robin Fly” – Silver Convention
  • “Fox On The Run” – Sweet
  • “I Love Music” – O’jays
  • “I Want A Do Something Freaky To You” – Leon Haywood
  • “I Write The Songs” – Barry Manilow
  • “I’m On Fire” – 5000 Volts
  • “Just Too Many People” – Melissa Manchester
  • “Let’s Do It Again” – Staple Singers
  • “Love Rollercoaster” – Ohio Players
  • “My Little Town” – Simon & Garfunkel
  • “Operator” – Manhattan Transfer
  • “Our Day Will Come” – Frankie Valli
  • “Saturday Night” – Bay City Rollers
  • “Secret Love” – Freddy Fender
  • “That’s The Way I Like It” – K.C. & The Sunshine Band
  • “The Last Game Of The Season” – David Geddes
  • “Venus And Mars Rock Show” – Paul Mccartney & Wings
  • “What A Difference A Day Makes” – Esther Phillips

here

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

More posts