Times are rough today!
We are going through a pandemic, our elected officials are continuing to be exposed as skirt chasers—of you want to believe everything you read—and the world just seems to be upside down.
Sure, we haven’t had a pandemic in 100 years, but even that pandemic could not possibly have been as poorly handled as the one we are going through now, one which has become a political football that never ends.
And if you think the sexual peccadilloes of our elected officials is anything new, let me tell you that it isn’t. Heck, nearly 50 years ago, there was a most major such scandal that we were reminded of this week when infamous stripper Fanne Fox passed away. She had a dalliance with Arkansas legislator Wilbur Mills that makes the current allegations against our elected officials look like nothing.
Not only could she take off her clothes, but she could swim really well, and because of this, mills might have been ruined as a legislator, but at least he didn’t have his own Chappaquiddick on this sordid resume.
But at least 50 years ago, we had music to calm our soul, not like today where music is nothing but sound bytes and MP3 files.
Let’s look back on what were the top songs that we were listening to back in February 1971, nearly 50 years to the day on the Billboard Hot 100 chart that came out on February 27.
At number 10 was Janis Joplin’s farewell single after her death from a drug overdose, “Me and Bobby McGee.” The song was written by Kris Kristofferson, and would eventually reach the top spot on the chart in a few weeks; time.
At number nine was “Mr. Bojangles” by the NItty Gritty Dirt Band. This was the biggest hit of the long career of these country folk rockers.
Country crossover was big in 1971, and Jerry Reed had one of the biggest hits of that genre with “Amos Moses,” which hit at number eight this week. Reed was a very popular actor during this period, too, appearing in a number of Burt Reynolds’ films.
Wadsworth Mansion had their only hit with “Sweet Mary,” which was at number seven on the Hot 100 this week. People bought this single because it was not only a good song, but its drug leanings were pretty obvious.
British rocker Dave Edmunds was pretty much introduced to America with his cover of the rock classic “I Hear You Knocking,” which came in at number six this week. Later a major player in the new wave genre, Edmunds had been around for years in his native England in a popular band called Love Sculpture.
“If You Cou8ld Read My Mind” by Gordon Lightfoot was at number five for the week. Lightfoot became a major hitmaker during the 1970s, culminating with “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.”
Another major country crossover held down the fourth spot on the chart. Lynn Anderson’s “Rose Garden” signified that country crossovers were not just a male exercise.
Bubblegum was still hot back in 1971, and the top three singles on the charts all kind of added life into that genre. At number three on the chart was “Knock Three Times” by Dawn. This song had topped the chart for three weeks earlier in the year.
At number two was “Mama’s Pear” by the Jackson 5. While the song never hit the top spot, it stands as one of the family act’s best songs.
And at number one for the week, a song that would hold onto that spot for five weeks—
“One Bad Apple” by the Osmonds, a song that was reportedly rejected by the Jackson 5 and which fell into their laps as the biggest song of their career.
The highest debuting single was a true classic, “What Is Life” by George Harrison, which came on the chart at number 66 and would steadily rise to the number 10 spot in a few weeks’ time.
The biggest mover—the song that moved up the most places on the Hot 100 from one week to another—was “You’re All I Need To Get By” by Aretha Franklin, which moved up to number 46 on the chart from the previous week, when it was number 91. The song rose to number 19 on the chart.
So that is it. Bubblegum was still king on the Hot 100 back then, giving us all a lot to chew on as things unfolded 50 years ago.
Maybe we need some bubblegum today to let us chew, and think, at the same time.
Have a great weekend, and I will speak to you again on Monday.
We are going through a pandemic, our elected officials are continuing to be exposed as skirt chasers—of you want to believe everything you read—and the world just seems to be upside down.
Sure, we haven’t had a pandemic in 100 years, but even that pandemic could not possibly have been as poorly handled as the one we are going through now, one which has become a political football that never ends.
And if you think the sexual peccadilloes of our elected officials is anything new, let me tell you that it isn’t. Heck, nearly 50 years ago, there was a most major such scandal that we were reminded of this week when infamous stripper Fanne Fox passed away. She had a dalliance with Arkansas legislator Wilbur Mills that makes the current allegations against our elected officials look like nothing.
Not only could she take off her clothes, but she could swim really well, and because of this, mills might have been ruined as a legislator, but at least he didn’t have his own Chappaquiddick on this sordid resume.
But at least 50 years ago, we had music to calm our soul, not like today where music is nothing but sound bytes and MP3 files.
Let’s look back on what were the top songs that we were listening to back in February 1971, nearly 50 years to the day on the Billboard Hot 100 chart that came out on February 27.
At number 10 was Janis Joplin’s farewell single after her death from a drug overdose, “Me and Bobby McGee.” The song was written by Kris Kristofferson, and would eventually reach the top spot on the chart in a few weeks; time.
At number nine was “Mr. Bojangles” by the NItty Gritty Dirt Band. This was the biggest hit of the long career of these country folk rockers.
Country crossover was big in 1971, and Jerry Reed had one of the biggest hits of that genre with “Amos Moses,” which hit at number eight this week. Reed was a very popular actor during this period, too, appearing in a number of Burt Reynolds’ films.
Wadsworth Mansion had their only hit with “Sweet Mary,” which was at number seven on the Hot 100 this week. People bought this single because it was not only a good song, but its drug leanings were pretty obvious.
British rocker Dave Edmunds was pretty much introduced to America with his cover of the rock classic “I Hear You Knocking,” which came in at number six this week. Later a major player in the new wave genre, Edmunds had been around for years in his native England in a popular band called Love Sculpture.
“If You Cou8ld Read My Mind” by Gordon Lightfoot was at number five for the week. Lightfoot became a major hitmaker during the 1970s, culminating with “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.”
Another major country crossover held down the fourth spot on the chart. Lynn Anderson’s “Rose Garden” signified that country crossovers were not just a male exercise.
Bubblegum was still hot back in 1971, and the top three singles on the charts all kind of added life into that genre. At number three on the chart was “Knock Three Times” by Dawn. This song had topped the chart for three weeks earlier in the year.
At number two was “Mama’s Pear” by the Jackson 5. While the song never hit the top spot, it stands as one of the family act’s best songs.
And at number one for the week, a song that would hold onto that spot for five weeks—
“One Bad Apple” by the Osmonds, a song that was reportedly rejected by the Jackson 5 and which fell into their laps as the biggest song of their career.
The highest debuting single was a true classic, “What Is Life” by George Harrison, which came on the chart at number 66 and would steadily rise to the number 10 spot in a few weeks’ time.
The biggest mover—the song that moved up the most places on the Hot 100 from one week to another—was “You’re All I Need To Get By” by Aretha Franklin, which moved up to number 46 on the chart from the previous week, when it was number 91. The song rose to number 19 on the chart.
So that is it. Bubblegum was still king on the Hot 100 back then, giving us all a lot to chew on as things unfolded 50 years ago.
Maybe we need some bubblegum today to let us chew, and think, at the same time.
Have a great weekend, and I will speak to you again on Monday.
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