A Bear-ican Top 40:

March 14, 1972

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So I turn 51 today.

That is, assuming you read this on March 14. I may have just bailed again on this article and it got posted in November.

Nah. You know from deadlines. Never had a doubt.

Birthdays are either a magical time, just another day in the life, or a Burma Shave sign on your assigned Bataan Death March of the mind.

Depending on how you feel, reminiscing is either a good idea, or verbal flagellation about age. I still like my birthday, however, and as a result:

I have a new task here at the mt-named A Bear-ican Top 40.

And that is to look back and review…well…

Let’s go the whole eight and a half yards, and peep the Top 51 songs on the Billboard Chart for March 14, 1972.

The first 11 are just free. The next 50, well, that’s gonna cost you.

On with the countdown (where all songs are rated at the end):

51:

Frank Mills
Love Me, Love Me, Love
Peaked at #46

The Music Box Dancer guy could sing, actually.

And he was a member of The Bells just before they had their Top 10 hit Stay Awhile in 1971. Unfortunately, the story-song here drags a bit. 5.

50:

War
Slippin’ Into Darkness

Peaked at #16

Downcast blues about the tenuous grip on reality we all possess, and the possibility of losing it.

If you can instantly hear Bob Marley’s Get Up, Stand Up in the melody, you get a gold star for learning the source of that reggae classic. 7.

49:

Elvis Presley
Until It’s Time For You To Go
Peaked at #40

A Buffy Sainte-Marie classic taking into the charts by singers ranging from Neil Diamond to Barbra Streisand, the song about loving someone you can’t have was about to have its big pop-crossover moment. Col. Parker reportedly may have tried to steal a composing credit for Elvis from Buffy, who wisely avoided the con. 6.

48:

James Brown
King Heroin
Peaked at #40

Based on a poem by Manny Rosen, it’s an anti-drug song from the point of view of heroin. So, it’s really, really dark, and set to a slow, brooding, bluesy beat. As such, it’s potent. 8.

47:

Denise LaSalle
Now Run And Tell That
Peaked at #46

A real potent soul song, telling some four-flusher man where to get off after trying to play her.

This Memphis soul bit is going to come up many times here, but the straightforward plain talk cuts to the quick with some wonderful grit. 9

46:

Rod Stewart
Handbags And Gladrags 
Peaked at #42

Written by Mike d’Abo, lead singer of Manfred Mann, it’s a warning to young girls that there’s more to life than just trendy, pretty things. Relevant today, but this version recorded in 1969, released after the success of Maggie May, is still pretty raw Rod, though the bit of oboe almost steers it into twee. 7.

45:

Honey Cone
The Day I Found Myself
Peaked at #23

I’ll let you know when that happens.

Until then, it’s what happens when you drop the zero to get with the hero. Definite Martha Reeves vibes here, which suits a band founded and signed by ex-Motown songwriter Brian Holland, and singed to Holland-Dozier-Holland’s post-Motown Record label Hot Wax. 7.

44:

Detroit Emeralds 
You Want It, You Got It 

Peaked at #36

Another Detroit soul number, though Westbound Records was no Motown.

Definite O’Jays vibes from this vocal group on their first Top 40 pop hit, though. 6

43:

Isaac Hayes
Do Your Thing
Peaked at #30

It’s actually the lesser-known single from the movie Shaft.

The single released after the Oscar-winning theme, and it’s a simple nod to you. Whatever you want to do, just do it. Right on, no explanations necessary. It’s so easygoing that you feel the vibe all the way down. Write on, bear. 8.

42:

Roberta Flack
The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face
Peaked at # 1

When it came up on The Number Ones over at Stereogum, I know Tom Breihan was pleased when he called it a “blissed-out daydream.”

Some folks in the TNOCS family over there were approving, but there were a few stragglers who weren’t buying in. I wrote there that it was “one of the more erotic songs to reach #1”, and I hold firm to that, because the very sparse, very low-key empty spaces within the music are enough to get your motor running. And what’s being sung, what she’s forcing you to listen closely to, is full of romantic desire in a most gloriously ethereal fashion. A classic all over again. 10.

41:

David Cassidy
Could It Be Forever
Peaked at #37

Yeah, there’s an element of forever here, but likely not the one Wes Farrell and Bell Records were hoping for.

The second single from David’s album Cherish was a follow-up to the title track, a similarly drone-like cover of The Association’s ballad, and all the intentions they had of offering Keith Partridge mature material away from the TV music he sang fell away like Alice down a rabbit hole. 4.

40:

The Temptations
Take a Look Around
Peaked at #30

Without Eddie Kendricks or David Ruffin, both of whom having left the group in a cloud of bitterness, the group’s vocal blend was left in limbo. I

t didn’t help that producer Norman Whitfield seemed to give the group more psychedelic soul or social commentary songs, to the group’s dismay. This one is about looking around and seeing what’s going on, but the five 1972 Temptations don’t equal one Marvin Gaye. 5.

39:

Bobby Vinton
Every Day of My Life
Peaked at #24

Bobby Vinton will be 88 next month.

In 1972 he was still widely popular enough to keep appearing in the Top 40, although his material was almost restricted to covers of older, creakier ballads, like this version of a 1957 hit for the McGuire Sisters. Even if they all basically sounded the same by now, audiences were very forgiving. He would be a couple years away from the radical turn that gave his career a large boost. Singing in Polish will do that. 5

38:

Motown was a towering figure on this Top 40, and Donnie Elbert got his only two Top 40 hits in 1971 and 1972, with covers of songs by The Supremes The Four Tops. These hits sparked a bit of nostalgia, but even these soulful stomps couldn’t dispel a feeling of repetition, in a way the Motown classics never did. 5.

37:

Santana
No One to Depend On
Peaked at #36

Latin rock with the signature Santana sound, and a classic-rock staple on the radio.

And yet it’s the interpolation in 1990 I remember better: the first bilingual rap song to hit the Top 40, Mellow Man Ace’s #14 hit Mentirosa. That one, about a lying girlfriend, used a bunch of Santana samples…that were never cleared nor royalties paid, which got him into hot water. It’s not a better song, but it’s a little more fun, and less heavy. 6.

36:

Dennis Coffey and the Detroit Guitar Band
Taurus
Peaked at #18

Another rap song with a 1989-1990 connection, Young MC’s Bust A Move, lifted the break from Dennis Coffey’s 1971 #6 hit Scorpio (peaked at #6; it’s a 9) and broke a logjam of creative sampling into the 1990s. Taurus, though, is a different animal: less immediate, a little more thoughtful. And no one of note has sampled it. C’est la vie6.

35:

The Grass Roots
Glory Bound 
Peaked at #34

The penultimate Top 40 hit for the pop-rockers, it has the shiny, full production of their older hits, but it also feels a bit more like 1969 than 1972, like the style has aged a bit. I can’t find anything necessarily odious, but I also probably won’t remember it in 29 minutes, either. 6.

34:

The English Congregation
Softly Whispering I Love You
Peaked at #29

Sweeping dreamy pop in the vein of the Mike Curb Congregation, but only better.

They were The Congregation in the UK, but added “English” to avoid conflict with that other group in the US. They were created by the formidable songwriting duo of Roger Cook and Roger Greenaway, which contrasted a traditional English choir with rock sounds, all against that sweeping arrangement. It actually works a little better in a Muzak setting. 6.

33:

Michael Jackson
Rockin’ Robin
Peaked at #2

As this chart goes on, you’re going to spot a few instances of really bad songs.

There is a cover that might be the worst thing put to vinyl since Hailey Bieber tried on a vinyl micro-mini last month for Vogue. I wanna unload on this so bad, but covering Bobby Day’s #2 hit from 1958, isn’t a bad idea for MJ, considering he was 13 at the time and teen-pop was the ultimate goal for him at Motown. It’s not the kid; it’s the production, which kinda overdoses on kitsch and sugar and it leaves you on a sugar crash. 5.

32:

The Bee Gees
My World
Peaked at #16

Depending on the ears, some songs are an artist’s “lost songs”, a hidden gem of a record that you likely haven’t heard because other songs in the catalog were much more popular. Until I started collecting American Top 40 shows as MP3’s to listen to frequently, I hadn’t heard much beyond the Top 40’s surface.

This is one of those songs, a gentle ballad where the cowboy rides away without the girl, basically. It has a verse, a chorus, a bridge, and that’s all, though it’s sung twice, once by Robin Gibb, and once by Barry Gibb. Robin’s parts kinda take some girding of the loins to get through, but Barry, as usual for him, is pretty sublime. And though it’s limited in scope, it’s still a pretty darn good lost song. 8

31:

Melanie
Ring the Living Bell
Peaked at #31

If you can find a way past the obtuse lyrics, it’s a bit enjoyable slice of 1970s folk-pop. The trouble is the lyrics are obtuse, and outside of the feeling that it’s about a spiritual journey of some kind, it seems like a little too much trouble to go through five minutes of repetition. There is nothing wrong with being direct, y’know. 6.

30:

The Stylistics
Betcha by Golly, Wow
Peaked at #3

When Prince covered this in 1996, he assumed he was covering a Stylistics original.

But he wasn’t. The first person to have a hit with this was actress Connie Stevens, all the way back in 1970, under the name Keep Growing Strong. The song was rearranged into a slower, grander, more easily-flowing track by the Stylistics, and released as the follow-up to You Are Everything. It’s another stone classic soul track, from a group that made it all look too easy. 9.

29:

J.J. Cale
Crazy Mama
Peaked at #22

First thing I think of when I think about this is Angie Dickinson in Big Bad Mama:

A 1974 exploitation crime film by Roger Corman (and, curiously, NOT the 1975 film produced by Corman with Cloris Leachman). This has nothing to do with all that, though, as Cale’s Tulsa sound, a mix of low-key rock, blues and a little country, is the antithesis of “action”. That’s to his benefit, as the guy who wrote After MidnightCocaine and Call Me The Breezedidn’t require big sound to put this vibe over. 8.

28:

Yes
Roundabout
Peaked at #13

Some songs require an edit for their best listen. This isn’t one of them.

As an ex-DJ in the classic-rock format, I’m perhaps biased by my need for a bathroom break. Still, the eight-and-a-half-minute version contains a lot of prog on guitar and organ that makes for a great experience. Inspired by the many roundabouts on the road between Aberdeen and Glasgow, the song’s really meant for groovin’, not explainin’. Bonus point for the final breakdown of harmonies in the final moments, really Crosby, Stills and Nash-worthy. 9.

27:

James Brown
Talking’ Loud And Saying Nothing
Peaked at #27

Oh, good, the theme of this series is called out.

In actuality, though, it went ham on hypocrites, and let’s face it, in 1972 there were ones on every corner. James was speaking out to politicians who usually promised the moon with an empty hand, but he also put some of the militant elements of the civil rights movements on blast, all for loud rhetoric and invisible promises. The album cut runs some 14 minutes, the single version just 3, and curiously enough, the song hasn’t been used as frequently in hip-hop sampling as others in James’s catalog. 7

26:

The Addrisi Brothers
We’ve Got to Get It On Again
Peaked at #25

These brothers knew from strong pop songs, as they wrote “Never My Love” for The Association.

I always assumed there was a connection with R&B for these guys, who look on the single sleeve like future Playgirl models from the late-1970s, but it just turns out they knew their way around steamy soft-rock sounds. That’s, I guess, good enough. 6.

Coming up next time:

  • Some baffling covers
  • A trilogy of torch songs
  • And maybe one of the more convincing rockers from Utah.

Also: leftover ice cream cake if you want some.

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cstolliver
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March 14, 2023 4:24 am

Happy birthday, youngster! (This year will end in a 0 for me …)

Nice job on this set — many of which I heard for the first time in a guest AT40 by Dick Clark that they played on the Premiere show shortly after his death. In particular, I found myself enjoying the Honey Cone song, which I didn’t know.

I like Rockin’ Robin’ — for the reasons you cite — although I find it a bit twee (or is it tweet?)

And the only place where I think your score is substantially higher than mine is “My World.” Talk about a song that won’t stop. Or maybe it’s just the chorus, a Mobius strip on vinyl.

Looking forward to the second half, buddy.

Zeusaphone
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March 14, 2023 8:55 am

Point of Order! “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)” is a Four Tops cover, not a Supremes cover.

cappiethedog
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March 14, 2023 7:28 pm
Reply to  Zeusaphone

Orange Juice’s frontman Edwyn Collins invented twee soul. He not only covered “L.O.V.E.(Love)”, but wrote the second best Motown tribute song called “I Can’t Help Myself”.

Phylum of Alexandria
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March 14, 2023 8:57 am

誕生日おめでとう!

This geriatric millennial is trying really hard to rein in his boomer-friendly impulses to complain about the state of popular music today.

But…the 1972 charts look so much richer by comparison! It’s not all great, but there’s at least plenty of variation.

Funk, blues, soul, folk, schmaltz, prog, latin-tinged acid rock, you name it. Some of it loud, some of it soft. Some of it bright and sugary, some of it dark and bitter.

Also, TIL where The Germs got their guitar intro to “No God.” I don’t know if I’ll ever fully get into Yes, but I appreciate them a lot more now than I used to. The first three minutes of “Close to the Edge” are just absolute perfection in music. It’s like Captain Beefheart’s Magic Band playing simultaneously against Wall of Voodoo. Absolute bliss.

mt58
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March 14, 2023 9:59 am

Like just about anything: when a trend becomes very popular, there is a dilution of the original vibe.

(I don’t even know what that previous sentence meant. Sorry, I’m a little punchy. I pulled an all nighter formatting a certain time-critical article.)

Anyway: here’s a pure and honest “reaction video” that has the rare quality of making you want to watch the entire thing.

https://youtu.be/vRw3QlUuuSc

LinkCrawford
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March 14, 2023 7:24 pm
Reply to  irishbeartx

Ain’t that the truth!

Virgindog
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March 14, 2023 1:46 pm

But…the 1972 charts look so much richer by comparison! It’s not all great, but there’s at least plenty of variation.

This is exactly right. I probably listened to American Top 40 this week in 1972, because I probably listened to American Top 40 every week in 1972. The great thing was it didn’t matter if you didn’t like a song, the next one was going to be completely different.

I don’t think that happens anymore.

Last edited 1 year ago by Bill Bois
cappiethedog
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March 14, 2023 6:26 pm

I bought the cube. I thought it would help me appreciate The Mars Volta. Aren’t most prog fans musicians? I get Rush.

JJ Live At Leeds
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March 14, 2023 10:26 am

Happy birthday Irish!

Things I learned today: Burma shave. I had to take a quick online detour to get the reference before continuing with the music. More trivia gratefully accepted.

There’s a lot of roundabouts between Glasgow and Aberdeen. This is not something I was aware of, my excursions into Scotland haven’t taken me on this road. I’ll be wary should I travel that way in future.

Likewise there’s a good proportion of the songs that I don’t recognise and in the case of Rocking Robin wish that I didn’t know it. A 5 is very generous.

King Heroin got as high as #40!? Seems an unlikely top 40 hit but I’m impressed it made it that high.

Final thought / question – that JJ Cale cover is err…unexpected. Any particular reason for the fly looking raccoon?!

Last edited 1 year ago by JJ Live At Leeds
Phylum of Alexandria
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March 14, 2023 10:41 am

Am I the only person who loves “Rockin Robin?” I’ll take young Michael’s sugary chirping over Avril Lavigne’s schtick any day.

dutchg8r
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March 14, 2023 4:51 pm

Most of Rockin Robin does not strike my ears as sugary chirping on Michael’s part, rather its a lot of ‘Dear God, who told him to go for those notes at his age, no, just – No!!!’

I feel compelled to mention this every time “Rockin Robin” is mentioned – ever since childhood, the overriding earworm for that song is a Philadelphia Jewelry store’s ad jingle set to that beat. Rockin’ Robins, Robins 8th and Walnut…..look for the guy with the diamond in his beard.

Phylum of Alexandria
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March 14, 2023 5:56 pm
Reply to  dutchg8r

As a kid, I heard it on the radio as “Robins ate the walnut.”  😀 

dutchg8r
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March 15, 2023 12:02 am

Love it! 😂

Edith G
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Edith G
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March 14, 2023 10:47 am

Happy birthday Irish!, good compilation and analysis. I send you a virtual hug.

Pauly Steyreen
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March 14, 2023 10:55 am

I love the JJ Cale sound from 1972’s Naturally and 1976’s Troubadour. So mellow and world-weary. For my money, Clapton slaughtered JJ’s songs; the originals are much better!

Check out “Don’t Go to Strangers” from the same album that spawned “Crazy Mama”… it’s sparse, economical, and leaves an impression. This is musical genius.

https://youtu.be/kknUQUdvYnc

LinkCrawford
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March 14, 2023 12:08 pm

Happy Birthday! I am only about 500 days older than you. Pocket change at our ages.

These early 70s countdowns are hard for me. I am always amazed at how much soul music was popular at this time. Some of which I like and some not so much. But a lot of it I just don’t know. I would prefer a top 40 from the mid 60s or mid 70s to the 1969-72 stretch. Still, it’s all fascinating.

One thing of note…my Dad bought most Elvis singles that came out during this time. I have a fair number of those semi-obscure releases, but I don’t recognize the one featured here.

Always a great day to see you here, Irishbear!

LinkCrawford
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March 14, 2023 7:22 pm
Reply to  LinkCrawford

Oops…500 + 365 days older than you. (sigh)

cappiethedog
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March 14, 2023 3:03 pm

Thanks for posting J.J. Cale’s “Crazy Mama”. I have a better understanding of the racoon in Everything, Everywhere All at Once. The racoon under the chef’s hat is a Beatles reference. It’s a Chopsocky Racoon.

Can Richard Clayderman sing?

HB, irishbeartx.

dutchg8r
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March 14, 2023 4:44 pm

Happy birthday, irish!!! Thank you for giving US your birthday present. 🙃

lovethisconcept
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March 14, 2023 6:26 pm

Happy, happy birthday! Can’t wait for the next installment.

Aaron3000
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March 14, 2023 8:28 pm

Stuff got in the way so I’m about a week behind in my TNOCS reading, but I did want to get this posted before midnight:

https://youtu.be/_Qw-h_yZ1ZQ

blu_cheez
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March 15, 2023 4:00 pm

Happy birthday – another great write-up, young man (I am a full 101 days older than you)! Looking forward to the next chapter.

blu_cheez
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March 17, 2023 1:06 pm
Reply to  irishbeartx

Let me check w/ Ms. Cheez

Ozmoe
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March 18, 2023 8:21 am

Happy belated birthday, irishbeartx! And I loved, loved, LOVED this column! Classic AT40 from the 1970s is right in my wheelhouse, and like many have said, the chart in that decade seems a lot more varied and adventurous than what’s on the current scene. But maybe that’s an old man speaking, since I’m 7 years older than you. (I’m not going to do the math and figure how many days older that makes me over you, by the way!)

One question: You left out your rating for number 49 (Until It’s Time for You to Go, by Elvis Presley). Can you share what you meant to put there?

mt58
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March 19, 2023 10:54 am
Reply to  Ozmoe

I-bear had it right, this was an editing omission error on my part- the rating is restored.

Ozmoe
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March 19, 2023 11:14 am
Reply to  mt58

Gracias, señor!

cstolliver
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March 25, 2023 8:51 am

Late to the party on this one, but … just noticed the names of these Hot 100’s. (I’m so used to the magazine’s typography that I didn’t realize they didn’t say “Billboard.”) mt, it’s these little nuggets that make this site such a delight. Way to go!

mt58
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March 25, 2023 12:39 pm
Reply to  cstolliver

Thank you- Good eyes, Chuck!

washingtonknight
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April 10, 2023 8:41 pm

At this point in my life, I was finishing 8th grade and listening to a lot more R&B than pop. So I was definitely grooving to War, Stylistics, Honey Cone, Denise LaSalle, and Isaac Hayes. James Brown was a given. I didn’t discover the actual Billboard magazine for another 4 years – but I was already into Casey Kamen and American Top 40.

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