Step into my time machine, week ten

Before we step in, two things. Last night's walk we spotted yet another deer, and Monday on the way into work saw another in the same spot. Also, a garter snake on this morning's walk.

Second, The big sighting on this morning's walk was the car sitting upside down just down the street. The driver was a young black man in cornrows, and he apparently had another couple of young men, one white, one black, with him. He had to have sped around the curve in front of our house, blew off the curve following it, bashed the tree on the passenger side corner and flipped- I assume the curb put him airborne before he hit the tree. He allegedly told first responders he "just looked up and saw the tree". I saw no evidence that said tree lept in front of him. After the wrecker finally got him tipped upright, the cops cuffed him and took him downtown, I didn't hear the charge. He didn't look intoxicated, just not real bright.

OK, on to the countdown. Kind of a ho-hum week, with only three of the 12 new debuts making a dent in my mind despite debuts by such acts as the Temptations, 3 Dog Night, and the Stylistics, and only three top 40 debuts. However, out of that three top 100 newbies is one who comes in in the top 40. The other two new chart hits that I knew were Neil Sedaka's That's When The Music Takes Me at 77 and Earth Wind and Fire's second chart hit, That's The Way Of The World at 69. Also, our big jumpers and droppers were in the nether reaches as well. James Taylor hops up 24 with How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) at 68, and Chicago's Old Days has gotten old enough to drop 47 spots to 74.

The top 40 newbies start out with Everytime You Touch Me (I Get High) by Charlie Rich at 40, then comes Ringo Starr with It's All Down To Goodnight Vienna at 37. In the interests of drumming up a little suspense, we'll cut in here with the almost but not quite salute. This week, Seals and Crofts hold at 35 with I'll Play For You, a song that really has grown on me over the years. This was not a song that I was able to find a ton of interesting tidbits on, but I did learn that among the musicians on the song were the future nucleus of Toto, David Paich and Mike Porcaro. Interestingly, the Billboard chart (which adds airplay to sales) had this song peaking at 18 this week. This can only mean that Seals and Crofts fans are cheap bastards, or else that Jim and Dash's Baha'i faith led a lot of their fans to share. Or not.

Now we come to that high debut, making its first appearance all the way up at 33. That would be Elton John with Someone Saved My Life Tonight. We have 2 top 10 debuts, so 2 drop out. That would be thank God I'm A Country Boy dropping to 21 and Alice Cooper's Only Women, which peeked in last week and now falls to 20.

Let's do our tour of other years before hitting the top ten; this week we hit the 3's. Seeings as I never know any of the 90's top hits, I'm going to add the top song on the Modern Rock Charts, which at least I have a chance of knowing. Janet Jackson was top on pop this week in 1993 with That's the Way Love Goes; Porno for Pyros held the top spot on MR with Pets. In '83, Irene Cara was ending a 6-week run with Flashdance (What A Feeling); in '73 it was George Harrison with Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth); in 1963, Kyu Sakamoto was ending a 4 week run with Ue O Muite Arukō, a Japanese language song much better known by its nickname of Sukiyaki; and in 1953, my man Percy Faith and his Orchestra were ending a nine week run at the top with the Theme to Moulin Rouge (Where Is Your Heart)-which makes the fifth song I've mentioned this week with a subtitle. What is this? Anyhow, this was another beautiful instrumental by the man that brought us to " A Summer Place" and this time I did recognize it.

Now, the top ten. Jumping 8 big notches to roost at the leadoff spot are the Eagles with One Of These Nights. Linda Ronstadt tumbles 5 to 9 with former top dog When Will I Be Loved. Number 8 is the debut for Olivia Newton-John's Please Mister Please, up 5 from 13. Batting cleanup is the falling Jessie Coulter with I'm Not Lisa; Pilot flies to 6 with Magic, up 3. Major Harris drops 2 to 5 with Love Won't Let Me Wait; Van McCoy Hustles up 3 to #4 with The Hustle; Michael Murphy finds it crowded at the top and falls to 3, down one, with Wildfire. McCartney and Wings soar 4 notches to 2 with Listen To What the Man Says. And believe it or not, we finally have our second multi-week top dog, Love Will Keep Us Together by the Captain and Tennille. See you next week and have a happy and SAFE 4th of July.