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It’s 44 years and 5 months before Sadie is born and 0 years and 11 months before Thomas is.

The Chart

The number one song this month was {number_one_song}.

• “50 Ways To Leave Your Lover” – Paul Simon
• [new] “Action” – Sweet
• “All By Myself” – Eric Carmen
• “Baby Face” – A Wing & A Prayer Fife & Drum Corps
• “Bohemian Rhapsody” – Queen
• [new] “Boogie Fever” – Sylvers
• “Breaking Up Is Hard To Do” – Neil Sedaka
• [new] “Can’t Hide Love” – Earth Wind & Fire
• [new] “Cupid” – Tony Orlando & Dawn
• “December 1963” – Four Seasons
• “Deep Purple” – Donny & Marie Osmond
• [new] “Disco Lady” – Johnnie Taylor
• [new] “Don’t Pull Your Love” – Glen Campbell
• [new] “Double Trouble” – Lynyrd Skynyrd
• “Dream On” – Aerosmith
• “Dream Weaver” – Gary Wright
• [new] “Eh Cumpari” – Gaylord & Holiday
• “Fanny” – Bee Gees
• [new] “Get Up And Boogie” – Silver Convention
• “Golden Years” – David Bowie
• [new] “Good Hearted Woman” – Waylon & Willie
• “Grow Some Funk Of Your Own” – Elton John
• [new] “Happy Music” – Blackbyrds
• [new] “Heavy Love” – David Ruffin
• [new] “Here There And Everywhere” – Emmylou Harris
• [new] “Hey Baby” – Ted Nugent
• [new] “Highfly” – John Miles
• [new] “Hurt” – Elvis Presley
• “I Write The Songs” – Barry Manilow
• [new] “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” – Terry Bradshaw
• [new] “I’ve Got A Feeling” – Al Wilson
• [new] “If Love Must Go” – Dobie Gray
• “Junk Food Junkie” – Larry Groce
• [new] “Just You And I” – Melissa Manchester
• [new] “Let Your Love Flow” – Bellamy Brothers
• “Lonely Night” – Captain & Tennille
• “Love Hurts” – Nazareth
• [new] “Love Is The Drug” – Roxy Music
• “Love Machine” – Miracles
• “Love To Love You Baby” – Donna Summer
• [new] “Mighty High” – Mighty Clouds Of Joy
• “Money Honey” – Bay City Rollers
• [new] “More More More” – Andrea True Connection
• [new] “New Orleans” – Staple Singers
• [new] “Once A Fool” – Kiki Dee
• [new] “Only Love Is Real” – Carole King
• “Only Sixteen” – Dr. Hook
• [new] “Ophelia” – The Band
• [new] “Queen Of Hearts” – K.C. & The Sunshine Band
• [new] “Right Back Where We Started” – Maxine Nightingale
• [new] “Sally” – Grand Funk Railroad
• [new] “Scotch On The Rocks” – Band Of The Black Watch
• [new] “Shout It Out Loud” – Kiss
• [new] “Show Me The Way” – Peter Frampton
• “Slow Ride” – Foghat
• [new] “Sweet Love” – Commodores
• “Sweet Thing” – Rufus
• [new] “Sweet Thing” – Rufus & Chaka Kahn
• “Take It To The Limit” – Eagles
• [new] “Tangerine” – Salsoul Orchestra
• [new] “The White Knight” – Cleddus Maggard
• “The White Knight” – Cleddus Maggard & The Citizen’s Band
• “Theme From S.W.A.T.” – Rhythm Heritage
• [new] “There Won’t Be No Country Music” – C.W. Mccall
• [new] “There’s A Kind Of Hush” – Carpenters
• “Wake Up Everybody” – Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes
• [new] “Welcome Back” – John Sebastian
• [new] “You Are Beautiful” – Stylistics
• “You Sexy Thing” – Hot Chocolate

[new] = New to the chart this week.

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

The Times

Some history

The Take

• “Action” – Sweet
• “Boogie Fever” – Sylvers
• “Can’t Hide Love” – Earth Wind & Fire
• “Cupid” – Tony Orlando & Dawn
• “Disco Lady” – Johnnie Taylor
• “Don’t Pull Your Love” – Glen Campbell
• “Double Trouble” – Lynyrd Skynyrd
• “Eh Cumpari” – Gaylord & Holiday
• “Get Up And Boogie” – Silver Convention
• “Good Hearted Woman” – Waylon & Willie
• “Happy Music” – Blackbyrds
• “Heavy Love” – David Ruffin
• “Here There And Everywhere” – Emmylou Harris
• “Hey Baby” – Ted Nugent
• “Highfly” – John Miles
• “Hurt” – Elvis Presley
• “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” – Terry Bradshaw
• “I’ve Got A Feeling” – Al Wilson
• “If Love Must Go” – Dobie Gray
• “Just You And I” – Melissa Manchester
• “Let Your Love Flow” – Bellamy Brothers
• “Love Is The Drug” – Roxy Music
• “Mighty High” – Mighty Clouds Of Joy
• “More More More” – Andrea True Connection
• “New Orleans” – Staple Singers
• “Once A Fool” – Kiki Dee
• “Only Love Is Real” – Carole King
• “Ophelia” – The Band
• “Queen Of Hearts” – K.C. & The Sunshine Band
• “Right Back Where We Started” – Maxine Nightingale
• “Sally” – Grand Funk Railroad
• “Scotch On The Rocks” – Band Of The Black Watch
• “Shout It Out Loud” – Kiss
• “Show Me The Way” – Peter Frampton
• “Sweet Love” – Commodores
• “Sweet Thing” – Rufus & Chaka Kahn
• “Tangerine” – Salsoul Orchestra
• “The White Knight” – Cleddus Maggard
• “There Won’t Be No Country Music” – C.W. Mccall
• “There’s A Kind Of Hush” – Carpenters
• “Welcome Back” – John Sebastian
• “You Are Beautiful” – Stylistics

here

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

It’s a mere 1 year before Thomas is born…but let’s hear from Sadie!

The Chart

Three weeks for “50 Ways To Leave Your Lover” by Paul Simon and then one for “Theme From S.W.A.T.” by Rhythm Heritage this month…

• “50 Ways To Leave Your Lover” – Paul Simon
• [new] “All By Myself” – Eric Carmen
• “All My Myself” – Eric Carmen
• “Baby Face” – A Wing & A Prayer Fife & Drum Corps
• [new] “Bohemian Rhapsody” – Queen
• “Breaking Up Is Hard To Do” – Neil Sedaka
• “Convoy” – C.W. Mccall
• [new] “December 1963” – Four Seasons
• [new] “Deep Purple” – Donny & Marie Osmond
• “Do You Know Where You’re Going To” – Diana Ross
• [new] “Dream On” – Aerosmith
• [new] “Dream Weaver” – Gary Wright
• “Evil Woman” – Electric Light Orchestra
• “Fanny” – Bee Gees
• “Golden Years” – David Bowie
• [new] “Grow Some Funk Of Your Own” – Elton John
• “I Love Music” – O’jays
• “I Write The Songs” – Barry Manilow
• [new] “Junk Food Junkie” – Larry Groce
• [new] “Lonely Night” – Captain & Tennille
• “Love Hurts” – Nazareth
• “Love Machine” – Miracles
• “Love Rollercoaster” – Ohio Players
• “Love To Love You Baby” – Donna Summer
• [new] “Money Honey” – Bay City Rollers
• [new] “Only Sixteen” – Dr. Hook
• “Sing A Song” – Earth Wind & Fire
• [new] “Slow Ride” – Foghat
• “Somewhere In The Night” – Helen Reddy
• “Squeeze Box” – Who
• [new] “Sweet Thing” – Rufus
• “Take It To The Limit” – Eagles
• [new] “The White Knight” – Cleddus Maggard & The Citizen’s Band
• “Theme From S.W.A.T.” – Rhythm Heritage
• “Time Of Your Life” – Paul Anka
• [new] “Tracks Of My Tears” – Linda Ronstadt
• “Wake Up Everybody” – Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes
• “Walk Away From Love” – David Ruffin
• [new] “White Knight” – Cleddus Maggard & The Citizen’s Band
• “You Sexy Thing” – Hot Chocolate

[new] = New to the chart this week.

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

The Times

On February 8, 1976, Martin Scorsese’s psychological neo-noir masterpiece Taxi Driver premiered in New York City. Starring Robert De Niro as the alienated, insomniac Vietnam veteran Travis Bickle, the film captured the grimy, morally decaying streets of mid-1970s Manhattan with raw intensity.

Written by Paul Schrader and featuring Bernard Herrmann’s final, haunting jazz score, the film went on to win the Palme d’Or at Cannes and earned four Academy Award nominations. Bickle’s improvised monologue (“You talkin’ to me?”) instantly entered the cultural lexicon as one of the most famous lines in cinema history.

On February 17, 1976, Asylum Records issued Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975) by the Eagles. Compiling ten tracks from their first four studio albums—including “Take It Easy,” “Desperado,” and “One of These Nights”—the release was the very first album to receive a Platinum certification from the RIAA (a designation newly created in 1976 to recognize 1 million copies sold).

The record spent five weeks at #1 on the Billboard 200 and would eventually become one of the two best-selling albums in U.S. history.

February 1976 was the month “Laverne & Shirley” exploded into an television phenomenon. The Happy Days spin-off starring Penny Marshall (Laverne DeFazio) and Cindy Williams (Shirley Feeney) followed two single female roommates working as bottle-cappers at Milwaukee’s Shotz Brewery in the late 1950s.

The Take

Eric Carmen’s classic “All By Myself” was belted out around the house this week. Apparently the verse is based on the second movement (Adagio sostenuto) of Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff’s 1900–01 Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Opus 18. While the chorus draws from the song “Let’s Pretend”, which Carmen had written and recorded with the Raspberries in 1972

And then we have the classic “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen, with its iconic music video. According to band member Brian May, the video was produced so that the band could avoid miming on “Top of the Pops”, since they would have looked off miming to such a complex song

Though some artists had made video clips to accompany songs (including Queen themselves; for example, their earlier singles “Keep Yourself Alive”, “Liar”, “Seven Seas of Rhye” and “Killer Queen” already had “pop promos”, as they were known at the time), it was only after the success of “Bohemian Rhapsody” that it became a regular practice for record companies to produce promotional videos for artists’ single releases.The Guardian stated it “ensured videos would henceforth be a mandatory tool in the marketing of music”.

On a technical level, all of the special effects were achieved during the recording (in camera), rather than editing. The visual effect of Mercury’s face cascading away (during the echoed lines “Magnifico” and “Let me go”) was accomplished by pointing the camera at a monitor, giving visual feedback, a glare analogous to audio feedback. The honeycomb illusion was created using a shaped lens. The video was edited within five hours because it was due to be broadcast the same week in which it was taped!

And then a couple of great live performances from quite different tunes of the week, with “Slow Ride” by Foghat…

and “Sweet Thing” by Rufus with Chaka Khan…

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

Here we are at the beginning of another year in our journey, and only one year before Thomas enters the picture. First of let’s hear from Sadie…

The Chart

It’s a mixed week at the top, with 5 songs taking number one just the once – first up its “Saturday Night” – Bay City Rollers then the “Convoy” rolls in for C.W. Mccall before “I Write The Songs” by Barry Manilow, “Do You Know Where You’re Going To” by Diana Ross and finally “Love Rollercoaster” by Ohio Players triumphs.

• [new] “50 Ways To Leave Your Lover” – Paul Simon
• [new] “All My Myself” – Eric Carmen
• [new] “Amazing Grace” – Amazing Rhythm Aces
• [new] “Baby Face” – A Wing & A Prayer Fife & Drum Corps
• [new] “Breaking Up Is Hard To Do” – Neil Sedaka
• [new] “Chain Gang Medley” – Jim Croce
• [new] “Close To You” – B.T. Express
• “Convoy” – C.W. Mccall
• “Country Boy” – Glen Campbell
• [new] “Disco Sax” – Houston Person
• “Do You Know Where You’re Going To” – Diana Ross
• “Evil Woman” – Electric Light Orchestra
• [new] “Fanny” – Bee Gees
• “Fly Away” – John Denver
• “Fly Robin Fly” – Silver Convention
• “For The Love Of You” – Isley Brothers
• “Fox On The Run” – Sweet
• [new] “Funky Weekend” – Stylistics
• [new] “Golden Years” – David Bowie
• [new] “Growin’ Up” – Dan Hill
• [new] “Hold Back The Night” – Trammps
• [new] “Honey I” – George Mccrae
• [new] “Hurricane” – Bob Dylan
• [new] “I Could Have Danced All Night” – Biddu Orchestra
• [new] “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” – Creedence Clearwater Revival
• “I Love Music” – O’jays
• “I Write The Songs” – Barry Manilow
• [new] “If I Only Knew” – Ozark Mountain Daredevils
• [new] “Lady Bump” – Penny Mclean
• [new] “Let It Shine” – Olivia Newton-John
• [new] “Let Your Love Flow” – Bellamy Brothers
• “Let’s Do It Again” – Staple Singers
• [new] “Love Hurts” – Nazareth
• “Love Machine” – Miracles
• “Love Rollercoaster” – Ohio Players
• “Love To Love You Baby” – Donna Summer
• [new] “Make Love To Your Mind” – Bill Withers
• “Nights On Broadway” – Bee Gees
• [new] “Once You Hit The Road” – Dionne Warwick
• “Over My Head” – Fleetwood Mac
• [new] “Quiet Storm” – Smokey Robinson
• [new] “Remember Me” – Willie Nelson
• “Rock And Roll All Night” – Kiss
• [new] “Sara Smile” – Hall & Oates
• “Saturday Night” – Bay City Rollers
• [new] “Since I Fell For You” – Charlie Rich
• “Sing A Song” – Earth Wind & Fire
• “Sky High” – Jigsaw
• [new] “Somewhere In The Night” – Helen Reddy
• [new] “Squeeze Box” – Who
• [new] “Take It To The Limit” – Eagles
• [new] “Tell It Like It Is” – Andy Williams
• [new] “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” – Bruce Springsteen
• “That’s The Way I Like It” – K.C. & The Sunshine Band
• [new] “That’s Why I Love You” – Andrew Gold
• [new] “Theme From S.W.A.T.” – Rhythm Heritage
• [new] “This Old Heart Of Mine” – Rod Stewart
• “Time Of Your Life” – Paul Anka
• [new] “Una Paloma Blanca” – George Baker Selection
• [new] “Venus ’76” – Frankie Avalon
• [new] “Wake Up Everybody” – Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes
• “Walk Away From Love” – David Ruffin
• [new] “What’s The Name Of This Funk” – Ramsey Lewis
• [new] “Winners And Losers” – “Hamilton Joe Frank & Reynolds”
• “You Sexy Thing” – Hot Chocolate
• [new] “You’re Fooling You” – Dramatics

[new] = New to the chart this week.

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

The Times

On January 14, 1976, ABC premiered “The Bionic Woman”, starring Lindsay Wagner as Jaime Sommers. Spun off from the massive hit “The Six Million Dollar Man”, the series followed a professional tennis player who, after surviving a catastrophic skydiving accident, is rebuilt with cybernetic parts and becomes an undercover government agent. The show was an instant ratings juggernaut, earning Wagner an Emmy Award and establishing Sommers as one of the first mainstream, independent action heroines on network television.

Then on January 21, 1976, supersonic passenger travel became a reality as the Concorde simultaneously took off on its first scheduled commercial flights: British Airways flying from London Heathrow to Bahrain, and Air France flying from Paris to Rio de Janeiro via Dakar. Flying at twice the speed of sound ($M = 2.04$), the needle-nosed jet cut transatlantic travel time in half. It instantly became the ultimate jet-set status symbol and an enduring pop culture icon of mid-70s futurism and luxury design.

And on January 23, 1976, David Bowie released his 10th studio album, “Station to Station”, introducing the world to his new persona: The Thin White Duke. Bridging the gap between the plastic soul of Young Americans and the experimental, synthesized landscapes of his upcoming Berlin Trilogy, the record fused American funk with German krautrock. Driven by standout tracks like “Golden Years” and the sprawling 10-minute title track, the album proved to be a massive critical and commercial success, reaching the top five on both US and UK charts and establishing one of the most influential sonic pivots of Bowie’s career.

The Take

Paul Simon’s “50 Ways To Leave Your Lover” became his sole number-one hit as a solo artist on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States.

Following his divorce from his first wife Peggy Harper, Simon opted to take a more humorous approach to document the event. He recorded the song at A&R Recording on 48th Street in New York City, a small studio “in the heart of Broadway’s theater district”, and built the song around percussion—”martial drums” in particular—in order to “avoid clutter”. Simon described the song as “just a fluke hit that I slipped into by accident”.

In addition in 2023, Simon appeared on The Howard Stern Show and stated that he wrote the chorus lyrics while teaching his son Harper how to rhyme.

Then we have “I Could Have Danced All Night” by Biddu Orchestra. The song was originally written by Frederick Loewe and Alan Jay Lerner for the 1956 Broadway musical My Fair Lady. Biddu gave the traditional show tune an upbeat, instrumental disco makeover in 1975 in what feels like an early “dance mix” occurence.

In a more rocky vein, but also a cover, we have “Love Hurts” by Nazareth. First recorded by The Everly Brothers in July 1960,
performed as a power ballad, the Nazareth version is the most popular version of the song and the only rendition of “Love Hurts” to become a hit single in the United States. Randomly, the Nazareth single was so successful in Norway that it charted for 61 weeks on the Norwegian charts, including 14 weeks at No. 1, making it the top single of all time in that country!

A real slice of 70s funk is Ramsey Lewis’ “What’s The Name Of This Funk (Spider Man)”, which makes more sense when you realise that the “Spider-Man” in the title refers to radio personality Spider Harrison, a friend of Lewis and Soul Train creator Don Cornelius.

The algorithm also served me a timely slice of 1976, with a Dolly Parton live performance with K.C. & The Sunshine Band of “That’s The Way I Like It”. RIP Dolly!

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

It’s the end of another year in our journey through musical history, yes it’s…

The Chart

It’s two weeks at number one for “Fly Robin Fly” by Silver Convention before uh huh, K.C. & The Sunshine Band land “That’s The Way I Like It” at the top for a week before Staple Singers do the same with “Let’s Do It Again”.

• [new] “Convoy” – C.W. Mccall
• [new] “Country Boy” – Glen Campbell
• [new] “Do You Know Where You’re Going To” – Diana Ross
• “Eighteen With A Bullet” – Pete Wingfield
• [new] “Evil Woman” – Electric Light Orchestra
• “Feelings” – Morris Albert
• [new] “Fly Away” – John Denver
• “Fly Robin Fly” – Silver Convention
• [new] “For The Love Of You” – Isley Brothers
• “Fox On The Run” – Sweet
• [new] “Full Of Fire” – Al Green
• [new] “Heat Wave” – Linda Ronstadt
• “I Love Music” – O’jays
• “I Only Have Eyes For You” – Art Garfunkel
• “I Want A Do Something Freaky To You” – Leon Haywood
• “I Write The Songs” – Barry Manilow
• “I’m On Fire” – 5000 Volts
• “Island Girl” – Elton John
• [new] “Last Game Of The Season” – David Geddes
• “Let’s Do It Again” – Staple Singers
• [new] “Love Machine” – Miracles
• “Love Rollercoaster” – Ohio Players
• [new] “Love To Love You Baby” – Donna Summer
• “Low Rider” – War
• “My Little Town” – Simon & Garfunkel
• “Nights On Broadway” – Bee Gees
• “Our Day Will Come” – Frankie Valli
• [new] “Over My Head” – Fleetwood Mac
• [new] “Part Time Love” – Gladys Knight & The Pips
• [new] “Rock And Roll All Night” – Kiss
• “Saturday Night” – Bay City Rollers
• “Secret Love” – Freddy Fender
• [new] “Sing A Song” – Earth Wind & Fire
• “Sky High” – Jigsaw
• “That’s The Way I Like It” – K.C. & The Sunshine Band
• “The Last Game Of The Season” – David Geddes
• “The Way I Want To Touch You” – Captain & Tennille
• “This Will Be” – Natalie Cole
• [new] “Time Of My Life” – Paul Anka
• “Venus And Mars Rock Show” – Paul Mccartney & Wings
• [new] “Walk Away From Love” – David Ruffin
• “Who Loves You” – Four Seasons
• [new] “Winners And Losers” – “Hamilton Joe Frank & Reynolds”
• [new] “You Sexy Thing” – Hot Chocolate

[new] = New to the chart this week.

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

The Times

On December 18, 1975, Stanley Kubrick premiered his visual tour de force, “Barry Lyndon”. Adapted from William Makepeace Thackeray’s 1844 novel and starring Ryan O’Neal alongside Marisa Berenson, the film follows the rise and tragic unraveling of an opportunistic 18th-century Irish rogue climbing the European social ladder.To recreate the authentic look of the pre-electrical age, Kubrick utilized ultra-fast Carl Zeiss f/0.7 lenses originally engineered for NASA’s Apollo Moon missions, allowing entire interior sequences to be illuminated purely by candlelight without artificial electric studio lighting. The film went on to win four Academy Awards, setting a new technical and aesthetic standard for cinematic period pieces.

In late December 1975, the BBC broadcast the opening episodes of the iconic Doctor Who serial “The Brain of Morbius”, starring Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor alongside Elisabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane Smith. Written under a pseudonym by legendary script editor Robert Holmes, the story took direct inspiration from classic Frankenstein gothic horror. It pushed the boundaries of Saturday-evening family television, drew fierce debate over TV violence, and cemented Baker’s scarf-wearing incarnation as the definitive Doctor of the 1970s.

On Christmas Eve 1975, Queen played a legendary, career-defining concert at London’s Hammersmith Odeon, broadcast live on BBC television. Riding high on the massive success of A Night at the Opera and the groundbreaking single “Bohemian Rhapsody” (which spent nine consecutive weeks at UK #1 over the holidays), Freddie Mercury took the stage in a white satin jumpsuit for an electrifying showcase. The broadcast proved that Queen’s intricate studio harmonies and grand theatricality could be delivered live, cementing them as global stadium legends. You can view it here.

The Take

Glen Campbell’s “Country Boy” is a belter, and his outfit has all the shades of brown and beige you expect from the 70’s…

Linda Ronstadt’s cover of “Heat Wave” is similarly a belter and…yes that’s a lot of brown again!

We’ve had this tune in our charts before, its a 1963 Mo Town song popularised by Martha and the Vandellas. Here’s a live performance of that for comparison.

Donna Summer’s “Love to Love You Baby” is a classic, much remixed, Disco groove, which has lasted the test of time but here’s some amusing, and harsh, commentary from the time,

“According to Peter Shapiro, a freelance British music journalist, the song was marked by [being] little more than Donna Summer simulating an orgasm over a background of blaxploitation cymbals, wah-wah guitars, a funky-butt clarinet riff, and some synth chimes.” He continued, “Love to Love You Baby” […] was extended into a seventeen-minute minisymphony at the behest of Casablanca Records chief Neil Bogart, who wanted a soundtrack for his sexual exploits… The Rolling Stone Record Guide called it “a novelty dance number. But it’s too slow for dancing and too long for the recorded multiple orgasms not to become self-parodying.”

Hot Chocolate’s “You Sexy Thing” is also new to us this week. Apparently the song was originally a B-side, “Not yet convinced that the song could be a hit, producer Mickie Most put it on the flip side of the Hot Chocolate single “Blue Night”. Some months later, Most released a re-recorded version of the song as an A-side on his RAK label.”

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

It might be just under 45 years before Sadie’s birth year in our journey through pop music history, but its also her Birthday week back here in 2026 – happy 6th birthday darling! Which also means this project is nearly 6 years in to…wow!

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

On November 19, 1975 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.

And then 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 play a huge role in 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… Which was news to me, as I had thought the Lynda Carter Wonder Woman was set in the ’70s…and in fact it was, for series 2 and 3. The whole story is fascinating and includes a 1974 attempt at making a TV series which is apparently why this was called the convoluted “The New Original…”. But the 40’s vs 70’s…

Despite good ratings for the series, ABC stalled on picking up the show for a second season. This was because Wonder Woman was a period piece, being set in the 1940s, which made the set, clothing, automobiles, etc. more expensive to produce. While ABC had not yet committed, the show’s production company Warner Bros. listened to an offer from rival network CBS. While ABC continued to make up its mind, CBS agreed to pick up the series on condition that the setting be changed from World War II (the 1940s) to the modern day (the 1970s). Changing the title to The New Adventures of Wonder Woman, the series was moved away from international intrigue to a more conventional police/detective action-type show that was more common in the 1970s.

The Take

Some great music videos and live performances for new tracks this month, let’s start with “Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain” by Willie Nelson.

Then there’s the Ohio Players with “Love Rollercoaster”.

And “Saturday Night” by Bay City Rollers.

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

It’s…

The Chart

It’s a week at the top this month for Bowie’s “Fame” before Neil Sedaka’s “Bad Blood” rules the roost for the next three.

• “Ain’t No Way To Treat A Lady” – Helen Reddy
• “At Seventeen” – Janis Ian
• “Bad Blood” – Neil Sedaka
• “Ballroom Blitz” – Sweet
• [new] “Born To Run” – Bruce Springsteen
• “Brazil” – Ritchie Family
• “Calypso / I’m Sorry” – John Denver
• [new] “Carolina In The Pines” – Michael Murphey
• “Could It Be Magic” – Barry Manilow
• “Dance With Me” – Orleans
• [new] “Do It Any Way You Wanna” – Peoples’ Choice
• “Fallin’ In Love” – “Hamilton Joe Frank & Reynolds”
• “Fame” – David Bowie
• “Feel Like Makin’ Love” – Bad Company
• “Feelings” – Morris Albert
• “Fight The Power” – Isley Brothers
• “Games People Play” – Spinners
• “Gone At Last” – Paul Simon & Phoebe Snow
• [new] “Heatwave” – Linda Ronstadt
• “How Long” – Pointer Sisters
• “I Believe There’s Nothing Stronger Than Our Love” – Paul Anka & Odia Coates
• [new] “I Only Have Eyes For You” – Art Garfunkel
• [new] “Island Girl” – Elton John
• “It Only Takes A Minute” – Tavares
• “Lady Blue” – Leon Russell
• [new] “Low Rider” – War
• [new] “Lyin’ Eyes” – Eagles
• “Miracles” – Jefferson Starship
• “Mr. Jaws” – Dickie Goodman
• [new] “Nights On Broadway” – Bee Gees
• “Rhinestone Cowboy” – Glen Campbell
• [new] “Rockin’ All Over The World” – John Fogerty
• “Rocky” – Austin Roberts
• “Run Joey Run” – David Geddes
• [new] “S.O.S.” – Abba
• [new] “Sky High” – Jigsaw
• [new] “Something Better To Do” – Olivia Newton-John
• [new] “Sos” – Abba
• “That’s The Way Of The World” – Earth Wind & Fire
• [new] “The Way I Want To Touch You” – Captain & Tennille
• [new] “This Will Be” – Natalie Cole
• “Wasted Days And Wasted Nights” – Freddy Fender
• [new] “What A Difference A Day Made” – Esther Phillips
• “Who Loves You” – Four Seasons
• [new] “You” – George Harrison

[new] = New to the chart this week.

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

The Times

On October 1, 1975, the sports world witnessed an epic, brutal showdown when Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier met in the Philippines for their legendary third and final heavyweight title bout, dubbed the “Thrilla in Manila.” Fought in sweltering heat, the relentless 14-round battle pushed both men to their absolute physical limits before Frazier’s trainer halted the fight prior to the final bell, granting Ali the TKO victory. Beyond its athletic legacy, the event marked a historic milestone for modern television: it was the first major sports broadcast beamed around the globe live via satellite, establishing HBO and pay-cable television as high-stakes forces in media entertainment.

Late-night television was then transformed on October 11, 1975, when NBC premiered a groundbreaking, live variety show titled NBC’s Saturday Night (later renamed Saturday Night Live). Hosted by comedian George Carlin and created by producer Lorne Michaels, the show introduced an irreverent ensemble cast of young comedic talent dubbed the “Not Ready for Prime Time Players”—including Chevy Chase, John Belushi, Gilda Radner, and Dan Aykroyd. Blending sharp political satire, unpredictable live sketch comedy, and avant-garde musical guests, the broadcast radically disrupted traditional TV formats and launched a multi-decade American comedy institution. This interview with the cast shortly before it went live is a great watch.

And live stadium spectacle hit a glamorous peak on October 25, 1975, when Elton John kicked off a pair of historic, sold-out concerts before 110,000 screaming fans at Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium. As the first musical act to headline the stadium since The Beatles nine years prior, Elton John delivered a high-octane performance at the absolute height of “Eltonmania.” Taking the stage in a custom, bedazzled sequined Dodgers baseball uniform designed by Bob Mackie, the shows were filmed and broadcast globally, capturing the definitive visual excess, theatrical flair, and massive scale of mid-70s stadium rock.

The Take

In late 1973, on the road in Tennessee, Bruce Springsteen awoke with the title “Born to Run”, which he wrote down. According to him, it was the first spark of the later song.

Written in the first person, the song is a love letter to a girl named Wendy, for whom the hot rod-riding protagonist seems to possess the passion to love, just not the patience. However, Springsteen has noted that it has a much simpler core: getting out of Freehold. U.S. Route 9, a highway passing through Freehold, is mentioned from the lyric “sprung from cages out on Highway 9”.

At the time of the single release, Billboard described “Born to Run” as “one of the best rock anthems to individual freedom ever created,” describing it as “a monster song with a piledriver arrangement” that could become Springsteen’s biggest hit yet. Cash Box said that “Springsteen sounds like a cross between Roger McGuinn (from his Byrds days) and nobody else we’ve ever heard.”

And then in other notable, and oft since-sampled songs, we have War’s “Low Ride”. AllMusic says of the song: “the lyric takes the cool, laidback image of the lowrider— the Chicano culture practice of hydraulically hot-rodding classic cars— and using innuendo, extends the image to a lifestyle”. Plus, there’s those sax riffs!

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