Legion World Forums LEGION COMPANION The Anywhere Machine Top 40 Hits [Currently discussing 5/14/66]

Top 40 Hits, September 3, 1977

Local radio station KCMO (94.9) has been airing "classic" versions of American Top 40 on Sunday mornings. I caught the broadcast this past Sunday and dutifully transcribed it to my Facebook feed. I thought it worth sharing here, too.

The most popular songs in the country 38 years ago . . .

40. I FEEL LOVE, Donna Summer
39. THE GREATEST LOVE OF ALL, George Benson
38. JUNGLE LOVE, Steve Miller Band
37. YOU AND ME, Alice Cooper
36. DO YOU WANT TO MAKE LOVE, Peter McCann
35. WAY DOWN, Elvis Presley
34. HARD ROCK CAFE, Carole King
33. YOU MADE ME BELIEVE IN MAGIC, Bay City Rollers
32. SO YOU WIN AGAIN, Hot Chocolate
31. IT WAS ALMOST LIKE A SONG, Ronnie Milsap

30. BOOGIE NIGHTS, Heatwave
29. NOBODY DOES IT BETTER, Carly Simon
28. TELEPHONE MAN, Meri Wilson
27. STAR WARS THEME/CANTINA BAND, Meco
26. EDGE OF THE UNIVERSE, Bee Gees
25. CHRISTINE SIXTEEN, Kiss
24. DON'T WORRY BABY, B.J. Thomas
23. THAT'S ROCK 'N' ROLL, Shaun Cassidy
22. I'M IN YOU, Peter Frampton
21. KEEP IT COMIN' LOVE, KC & The Sunshine Band

20. (SLOW DANCIN') SWAYIN' TO THE MUSIC, Johnny Rivers
19. ON AND ON, Stephen Bishop
18. BLACK BETTY, Ram Jam
17. HOW MUCH LOVE, Leo Sayer
16. COLD AS ICE, Foreigner
15. GIVE A LITTLE BIT, Supertramp
14. WHATCHA GONNA DO?, Pablo Cruise
13. STAR WARS (MAIN TITLE), John Williams/London Symphony Orchestra
12. SMOKE FROM A DISTANT FIRE, Sanford/Townsend Band
11. BARRACUDA, Heart

10. TELEPHONE LINE, Electric Light Orchestra
9. STRAWBERRY LETTER 23, Brothers Johnson
8. DON'T STOP, Fleetwood Mac
7. JUST A SONG BEFORE I GO, Crosby Stills & Nash
6. FLOAT ON, The Floaters
5. HANDY MAN, James Taylor
4. EASY, The Commodores
3. (YOU'RE LOVE HAS LIFTED ME) HIGHER AND HIGHER, Rita Coolidge
2. I JUST WANT TO BE YOUR EVERYTHING, Andy Gibb
1. BEST OF MY LOVE, The Emotions

No love left for '77?

In the fall of '77, I started high school and my descent into hell began. In the eighth grade, some other kids discovered I was the kid to pick on, and this trend continued during my freshman year. It got so bad that I didn't finish the school year; I was tutored from home and switched schools the following year.

Music should have been one way to connect with my peers, but it wasn't. Some of the kids in music class carried around the first Foreigner album (including "Cold as Ice"), but these same kids picked on me mercilessly when they thought I was gay. Today we might call it verbal bullying; then, the teachers did absolutely nothing to help.

However, I have fond memories of most of the songs on this list. I wasn't yet at the age where I would discriminate between rock music and everything else, so I could groove out to "Best of My Love," appreciate the catchy refrain of "I Just Want to Be Your Everything," dig the bass line on "Higher and Higher," and get caught up in the oh-so-sincere lyrics of "Handy Man." I wasn't fully aware of who the artists were and didn't really care, though Shaun Cassidy was the teen idol of the day. (His older half-brother, David, had been Keith Partridge on "The Partridge Family," natch.)

Looking at the list now, it's interesting to watch some chart careers begin while others fade. Donna Summer and Heatwave have their first hits (Disco was on the rise), while B.J. Thomas and Johnny Rivers have their final Top 40 entries. ("Swayin' to the Music" was one of those irresistible, catchy tunes you couldn't ignore.) "Way Down" was the last single Elvis released before his death a mere three weeks earlier; it re-entered the chart after having had an earlier run.

Odd bits:
I have no memory of "Give a Little Bit" from this timeframe; my first knowing exposure to Supertramp was "The Logical Song" a year and a half later.

I always thought "Brick House" came before "Easy" in the Commodores' hit discography, but the charts prove otherwise. Apparently, I was just not aware of "Easy" until later.

1977 was certainly the year of Star Wars. The discofied Cantina Band theme was the biggest mover in the countdown (up 11 notches) and would go on to top the chart. The Main Title theme would reach No. 10.

Loved the Steve Miller Band! "Jungle Love" is an infectious rocker, just like all of Miller's other '70s hits.

Alice Cooper, once known for "I'm Eighteen" and "School's Out" wimped out in the late '70s with pop ballads such as "You and Me" and "How You Gonna See Me Now?" (1979). Yes, it's true, kids: Your daring rock rebels will "grow up" to become sedate balladeers.

Songs I have no memory of from this era: "Hard Rock Cafe," "The Greatest Love of All" (later a huge hit for Whitney Houston), "So You Win Again," and "It Was Almost Like a Song."

Weird stuff:
"Do You Want to Make Love" is a decent enough song, but if you've ever seen the video of Peter McCann singing it, you would wonder why anyone would want to even fool around with him! Think Elmer Fudd with a wife-beater mustache.

"Telephone Man," a novelty hit, got my vote for the most annoying song of the year. Hey-lolly-lolly indeed. Lolly-gag is more like it.

77, I would have been very deep into country music but there's a few I knew from the time and a few I knew from after.


40. I FEEL LOVE, Donna Summer --definitely discovered afterwards


35. WAY DOWN, Elvis Presley --Well-known, one of my favorite ELVIS songs! One of his last if tnot THE last, right?

31. IT WAS ALMOST LIKE A SONG, Ronnie Milsap --Totally gay for this one. Ronnie had a lot of hits but none quite like this one. He did mostly peppy stuff, this was pure man-diva.

30. BOOGIE NIGHTS, Heatwave --Knew later

29. NOBODY DOES IT BETTER, Carly Simon --Would guess I knew it later

21. KEEP IT COMIN' LOVE, KC & The Sunshine Band --KC hits were well-known even to little country kids

20. (SLOW DANCIN') SWAYIN' TO THE MUSIC, Johnny Rivers --Well-known and loved!


16. COLD AS ICE, Foreigner
15. GIVE A LITTLE BIT, Supertramp
-Both seemed I knew a little later.

11. BARRACUDA, Heart --Much later discover

8. DON'T STOP, Fleetwood Mac --Later

4. EASY, The Commodores --Oh I knew it at the time!

3. (YOU'RE LOVE HAS LIFTED ME) HIGHER AND HIGHER, Rita Coolidge --I know the aong, but was it her version? I'll have to check, probably was.

2. I JUST WANT TO BE YOUR EVERYTHING, Andy Gibb --Super well know then! Just loved him until the Victoria Principal thing (glares) Then he croaked.

1. BEST OF MY LOVE, The Emotions --Seems like a later discovery

Must do some YouTube research.

Heartily agree that TELEPHONE MAN was and still is ANNOYING AS SHIT.

Heard a bit of the same broadcast last weekend (obviously syndicated). On my drive form the trailer I got:

26. EDGE OF THE UNIVERSE, Bee Gees
25. CHRISTINE SIXTEEN, Kiss
24. DON'T WORRY BABY, B.J. Thomas
23. THAT'S ROCK 'N' ROLL, Shaun Cassidy


Now I'm pissed that I could have heard the Star Wars song if I'd left a little earlier. It was funny hearing Casey introduce the Bee Gees to people who'd never heard of them, and talk about Kiss's rise to prominence for people who didn't know much about them either.

Casey always respected the fact that his audience may not know much about the performers, even if the performers were "legends." Still, it is fun to note the perspective of the time:

The Bee Gees had been having hits since the late '60s, but their truly big hits (such as "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart," 1971, and "Jive Talkin'," 1975) were few and far between until the breakthrough success of Saturday Night Fever in late '77. In fact "Edge of the Universe," which peaked this week at No. 26, was their last hit right before the smash success of the soundtrack. Their next six songs would go straight to Number One.

Kiss, in spite of their legendary status and attention-getting make-up and costumes, had comparatively few hits--and only one Top 10 ("Beth," at No. 7). "Christine Sixteen" would also max out this week, at No. 25.

So, from a Top 40 perspective, neither band was all that much in September of '77.

At first glance I didn't think I'd know too many. But actually...

Two big favs on the chart
8. DON'T STOP, Fleetwood Mac
4. EASY, The Commodores

10. TELEPHONE LINE, Electric Light Orchestra - My dad really likes ELO, so I've quite a bit of a soft spot for them. Both my folks really like Fleetwood Mac and so I do too.


29. NOBODY DOES IT BETTER, Carly Simon
15. GIVE A LITTLE BIT, Supertramp
40. I FEEL LOVE, Donna Summer
32. SO YOU WIN AGAIN, Hot Chocolate

16. COLD AS ICE, Foreigner - not really a fav.
18. BLACK BETTY, Ram Jam - not a fav either.

17. HOW MUCH LOVE, Leo Sayer - I've probably heard quite a bit of him down the years, without ever looking out for him. Some were sampled for dance tracks. When I think of him, I think of early video effects, and this one is no different.

30. BOOGIE NIGHTS, Heatwave- I only heard this one a couple of years back, and Heatwave had a couple of really good songs.

36. DO YOU WANT TO MAKE LOVE, Peter McCann REALLY MUSIC CENSORS?
22. I'M IN YOU, Peter Frampton REALLY?!

I had to skip off to youtube for the others. A quick sampling tells me that quality was actually a lot higher then than now.

7. JUST A SONG BEFORE I GO, Crosby Stills & Nash
12. SMOKE FROM A DISTANT FIRE, Sanford/Townsend Band
38. JUNGLE LOVE, Steve Miller Band
31. IT WAS ALMOST LIKE A SONG, Ronnie Milsap

All good, and even the no. 1 isn't terrible.


27. STAR WARS THEME/CANTINA BAND, Meco - I had no idea

28. TELEPHONE MAN, Meri Wilson - Fun for the first time (mainly due to the thinly disguised innuendo.) - WHERE WERE YOU MUSIC CENSORS?! but I can't imagine the pain of hearing it and the Star Wars one in the charts.

So, it looks to be a pretty good chart with a decent mix of genres. Stunningly, even a couple with love in the title turn out to be decent. Well Mr Sayer and Ms Summer anyway.

You guys got me curious about TELEPHONE MAN.

Brand new to me. Awful. sounds like a backing track to a porn. Actually the ones I know had better vocals.

I was curious about there being a Telephone Man, Telephone Line and Handy Man in there. The top 40 utilities chart.

checking out the "Victoria Principal thing"...

She force-fed him cocaine til his heart popped. Very sad!!

But gosh Lash! the first vids I saw tell me that he already had loads of probs and that little Vicky left when there was nothing else to be done. Now I'm confussulated!

I was there!!

I always hate it when people my age or older say music was much better back in the day, but maybe there's something to it.

Vicky: Oh Andy!
Andy: Oh Vicky!
Lash!: Oh Vicky, just turn the page of this comic, and just keep doing that Andy.

Andy & Vicky knew that something had come between them. But what?!



I was actually thinking of the quality of the voices, but changed it just to avoid the "things were better in the old days," as that's a bit too broad a comment. So that went well.

Maybe it was a Fleetwoodian slip: Music really was better back in the day, voices and all!

Well, they aren't my old days, so it's a slightly unbiased opinion.

I've listened to some recent charts and not much made an impression. So, it was a pleasant surprise to find so many decent ones on this chart, showing that it wasn't always that way.

The Fleetwoodian slip I recall was Mick Fleetwood talking about his fling with Stevie Nicks, only for it to be painfully clear it meant an awful lot more to him than it did for her.

A completely different Alice Cooper

All a bit too early for me, but I've picked up on a lot of them in the (many) years since. What's notable to me is the bunch of songs from Big Name acts that either I've never heard (don't remember?) or rarely hear on the radio.

37. YOU AND ME, Alice Cooper
35. WAY DOWN, Elvis Presley
34. HARD ROCK CAFE, Carole King
26. EDGE OF THE UNIVERSE, Bee Gees
25. CHRISTINE SIXTEEN, Kiss

Yeah, I hadn't heard of any of those either.

Anyone who doesn't know Strawberry Letter 23 -- get thee to YouTube, right now.

I agree. The Brothers Johnson had one of the most irresistible and infectious songs of the year.

Tomorrow morning, by the way, will be another broadcast. I wonder what year they will go to next . . .

It was awful. Awful- LY HAWT

Top 40 Hits, September 18, 1976

To keep from starting so many Top 40 threads and eating up bandwidth, I'll add further '70s charts to this thread and update the title accordingly. (By all means, though, keep talking about the earlier charts!)

These were the most popular songs in the US 39 years ago. How many do you recognize?

40. SUNRISE, Eric Carmen
39. IT'S O.K., Beach Boys
38. GET THE FUNK OUT MA FACE, Brothers Johnson
37. (THE SYSTEM OF) DR. TARR AND PROFESSOR FETHER, Alan Parsons Project
36. SUPERSTAR, Paul Davis
35. I ONLY WANT TO BE WITH YOU, Bay City Rollers
34. KISS AND SAY GOODBYE, Manhattans
33. DON'T STOP BELIEVIN', Olivia Newton-John
32. I CAN'T HEAR YOU NO MORE, Helen Reddy
31. (DON'T FEAR) THE REAPER, Blue Oyster Cult

30. BABY, I LOVE YOUR WAY, Peter Frampton
29. THIS MASQUERADE, George Benson
28. ONE LOVE IN MY LIFETIME, Diana Ross
27. STREET SINGIN', Lady Flash
26. MAGIC MAN, Heart
25. HEAVEN MUST BE MISSING AN ANGEL, Tavares
24. LET 'EM IN, Paul McCartney & Wings
23. ROCK'N ME, Steve Miller Band
22. SHOWER THE PEOPLE, James Taylor
21. THAT'LL BE THE DAY, Linda Ronstadt

20. SHE'S GONE, Daryl Hall & John Oates
19. WHAM BAM (SHANG-A-LANG), Silver
18. WHO'D SHE COO?, Ohio Players
17. GETAWAY, Earth, Wind & Fire
16. STILL THE ONE, Orleans
15. A LITTLE BIT MORE, Dr. Hook
14. DON'T GO BREAKING MY HEART, Elton John/Kiki Dee
13. DISCO DUCK, Rick Dees
12. WITH YOUR LOVE, Jefferson Starship
11. SAY YOU LOVE ME, Fleetwood Mac

10. YOU SHOULD BE DANCING, Bee Gees
9. IF YOU LEAVE ME NOW, Chicago
8. SUMMER, War
7. DEVIL WOMAN, Cliff Richard
6. LOWDOWN, Boz Scaggs
5. YOU'LL NEVER FIND ANOTHER LOVE LIKE MINE, Lou Rawls
4. A FIFTH OF BEETHOVEN, Walter Murphy
3. I'D REALLY LOVE TO SEE YOU TONIGHT, England Dan & John Ford Coley
2. (SHAKE, SHAKE, SHAKE) SHAKE YOUR BOOTY, KC & the Sunshine Band
1. PLAY THAT FUNKY MUSIC, Wild Cherry