Pop Shots – A Look At The Charts … From 43 Years Ago
Welcome to your weekly dose of pop world musings. Covering all things pop culture, this week I’m hopping into my time machine again, this time setting the coordinates for 43 years ago this week.
Stepping out of my time machine I see … man the ‘70s were strange! The decade gave us some great music, though, as evidenced by the Billboard Hot 100 from this week back in 1975, which featured quite a few timeless artists, and songs we still listen to today.
So let’s get into this exploration in chart history! Of course, since this is Pop Shots, you know everything is seasoned with a little bit of attitude.
If you were to pick up a pen and pad and list all the people cooler than David Bowie all you’d have is a blank piece of paper. Bowie was the man in so many ways, and “Fame” was the first song of his to reach #1. It’s a bit ironic that a song about the perils of fame would launch him to a new level of superstardom, but Bowie being Bowie, he seemed to take it all in stride.
Oh, and some guy named John Lennon co-wrote the song, and sang backup vocals. Maybe you’ve heard of him. He had a little band of his own back in the day.
Although I can’t prove it, I’m absolutely sure there’s a unspoken rule that “Feel Like Makin’ Love” is required to be played every hour on every classic rock station in America. You know what? That rule is fine by me!
The build up to the chorus, and the killer guitar riff, are things of beauty, and the fact that everyone, no matter their age, cranks this one up, shows the timeless quality of the song (and perhaps the fact that we all “Feel Like Makin’ Love”).
Another song from this chart that’s become a mainstay on classic rock stations, the story behind Sweet’s “Ballroom Blitz” is pretty interesting. The song was inspired by an incident at a concert of theirs in Scotland in January of 1973 when the band was driven offstage by fans throwing bottles at them. The fact that the band turned such an incident into a hit song that still rocks over 40 years later is a real “when life hand you lemons, make lemonade” story.
The first single of Bruce Springsteen’s career that could be considered a hit, “Born To Run” peaked at #23 on the Billboard Hot 100, and helped sell six million copies of the album of the same name – the third album of Springsteen’s career.
I think it’s safe to say The Boss ran with the success of the song, as over four decades later he still sells out stadiums, and has earned his status an all-time great. Plus, he ended up getting to dance with Courteney Cox. I’m still waiting for my chance to do that!
Perhaps because of its inclusion in the classic Cheech & Chong film Up In Smoke, I’ve always felt like “Low Rider” was the audible equivalent of being high. You can’t help but feel chilled out while listening to it. Then there’s the vocals … how freakin’ great are those vocals!
“Low Rider” was one of many hits for War, who also gave us “Spill the Wine,” “The Cisco Kid,” and “Why Can’t We Be Friends?” Now if you’ll excuse me, after listening to it again I’m feeling totally laid back, and ready for a snack.
And with that, my time is up for the week, but I'll be back next week with more shots on all things pop.
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