Yes, it is hot outside.
It is about 90 degrees every day in my neck of the woods.
It is also humid, which makes things that much worse.
But it is summer … would I rather that there be a foot of snow on the ground at zero degrees?
No, I wouldn’t.
I just remember the summers of my youth, and somehow, I guess I could take the heat better than I can now.
I just went outside to the park, played ball, went to camp, did all the things you do in summer camp, and I looked forward to lunch, where I had my Hi-C.
Do they even make Hi-C in small cans anymore … or Hi-C at all?
In camp, we would go to the beaches and pools—beaches like Jones Beach and Rye Beach—and pools like Walcliff and Casino.
And the music was always going strong. You would hear the top hits of the time on transistor radios, coming out of jukeboxes, and in cars and buses.
Since it is so hot outside, let’s take a look at the top 10 songs of the week of August 28, 1971 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and review what we were listening to 50 years ago.
Donny Osmond was one of the top teen idols of this period, and one of his biggest solo hits was a remake of the classic “Go Away Little Girl,” which came in at No. 10 this week. The original was done by Steve Lawrence and this newer version would eventually hit the top of the Hot 100..
At No. 9 was Aretha Franklin’s “Spanish Harlem.” This was another remake, as Ben E. King’s version came to the fore in 1960.
The Undisputed Truth followed the Temptations into the world of psychedelic soul with “Smiling Faces Sometimes,” which hit No. 8 this week. The Motown act had a few other charted songs in the 1970s, but this was their most successful record of all of them.
One of the most successful acts of the 1970s was Three Dog Night, and their “Liar” single hit No. 7 on the chart. They would go on to have numerous other hits through the decade.
Likewise, Creedence Clearwater Revival was as hot as could be at this moment in time 50 years ago, and “Sweet Hitch-Hiker” was at the No. 6 spot on this week’s chart. Soon, John Fogerty would leave the band, and CCR would crumble without him.
Jean Knight’s “Mr. Big Stuff” came in at No. 5 on this week’s chart. Although better known for its use in commercials, the song was the singer’s biggest hit.
Motown not only produced psychedelic soul at this time, but also socially-conscious songs from their cadre of artists. No other song typified this genre better than “Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)” by Marvin Gaye, which hit No. 4 this week.
Canada’s Five Man Electrical Band held the No. 3 spot with the since often-covered protest song “Signs.” The song was released on the very small Lionel Records label.
John Denver became a national phenomenon with “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” which hit the No. 2 spot on the chart this week. The singer/songwriter eventually became one of the top stars of the era.
And at No. 1 this week, was one of this long-standing act's biggest hits …
“How Can You Mend a Broken Heart” by the Bee Gees.
This song crossed all musical categories and genres way back when, and stood atop the Billboard Hot 100 chart for four weeks, this being the final week of that run.
The Highest Debut on the singles chart this week was “Make It Funky (Part 1)” by James Brown, which came into the chart at No. 65. Brown was literally releasing a single a month during this period, and perhaps the oversaturation of his music only got this song as high as No. 22 on the chart.
The Biggest Mover on the chart—the song that moved up the most places from the previous week’s listing to this week’s placement—was “Trapped By a Thing Called Love” by Denise LaSalle. It barely got into the Hot 100 the prior week at No. 99, but moved up 22 places to No. 77 this week. It eventually pushed all the way up to No. 13 a few weeks later.
So that was what the general public was listening to around this time 50 years ago.
I hope it brought back some memories for you, and maybe even got you to search through some of those old records on the shelf to listen to these songs again.
Have a great weekend, and I will speak to you again on Monday.
It is about 90 degrees every day in my neck of the woods.
It is also humid, which makes things that much worse.
But it is summer … would I rather that there be a foot of snow on the ground at zero degrees?
No, I wouldn’t.
I just remember the summers of my youth, and somehow, I guess I could take the heat better than I can now.
I just went outside to the park, played ball, went to camp, did all the things you do in summer camp, and I looked forward to lunch, where I had my Hi-C.
Do they even make Hi-C in small cans anymore … or Hi-C at all?
In camp, we would go to the beaches and pools—beaches like Jones Beach and Rye Beach—and pools like Walcliff and Casino.
And the music was always going strong. You would hear the top hits of the time on transistor radios, coming out of jukeboxes, and in cars and buses.
Since it is so hot outside, let’s take a look at the top 10 songs of the week of August 28, 1971 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and review what we were listening to 50 years ago.
Donny Osmond was one of the top teen idols of this period, and one of his biggest solo hits was a remake of the classic “Go Away Little Girl,” which came in at No. 10 this week. The original was done by Steve Lawrence and this newer version would eventually hit the top of the Hot 100..
At No. 9 was Aretha Franklin’s “Spanish Harlem.” This was another remake, as Ben E. King’s version came to the fore in 1960.
The Undisputed Truth followed the Temptations into the world of psychedelic soul with “Smiling Faces Sometimes,” which hit No. 8 this week. The Motown act had a few other charted songs in the 1970s, but this was their most successful record of all of them.
One of the most successful acts of the 1970s was Three Dog Night, and their “Liar” single hit No. 7 on the chart. They would go on to have numerous other hits through the decade.
Likewise, Creedence Clearwater Revival was as hot as could be at this moment in time 50 years ago, and “Sweet Hitch-Hiker” was at the No. 6 spot on this week’s chart. Soon, John Fogerty would leave the band, and CCR would crumble without him.
Jean Knight’s “Mr. Big Stuff” came in at No. 5 on this week’s chart. Although better known for its use in commercials, the song was the singer’s biggest hit.
Motown not only produced psychedelic soul at this time, but also socially-conscious songs from their cadre of artists. No other song typified this genre better than “Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)” by Marvin Gaye, which hit No. 4 this week.
Canada’s Five Man Electrical Band held the No. 3 spot with the since often-covered protest song “Signs.” The song was released on the very small Lionel Records label.
John Denver became a national phenomenon with “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” which hit the No. 2 spot on the chart this week. The singer/songwriter eventually became one of the top stars of the era.
And at No. 1 this week, was one of this long-standing act's biggest hits …
“How Can You Mend a Broken Heart” by the Bee Gees.
This song crossed all musical categories and genres way back when, and stood atop the Billboard Hot 100 chart for four weeks, this being the final week of that run.
The Highest Debut on the singles chart this week was “Make It Funky (Part 1)” by James Brown, which came into the chart at No. 65. Brown was literally releasing a single a month during this period, and perhaps the oversaturation of his music only got this song as high as No. 22 on the chart.
The Biggest Mover on the chart—the song that moved up the most places from the previous week’s listing to this week’s placement—was “Trapped By a Thing Called Love” by Denise LaSalle. It barely got into the Hot 100 the prior week at No. 99, but moved up 22 places to No. 77 this week. It eventually pushed all the way up to No. 13 a few weeks later.
So that was what the general public was listening to around this time 50 years ago.
I hope it brought back some memories for you, and maybe even got you to search through some of those old records on the shelf to listen to these songs again.
Have a great weekend, and I will speak to you again on Monday.
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