Time Machine week 17

It's August 15th, 1972.  Deep Purple tonight starts the first of the three-day series of concerts that would make up their live Made In Japan lp, from which came the definitive Smoke On The Water.  And unless you're from India (who began their version of the postal zip code) or a big Ben Affleck fan (born this date), not much else happened.

Sorry, I'm just not that into you.

Welcome to Time Machine for the week that Elton John's Honky Cat and Rick Nelson's Garden Party first hit the charts.  This time, we continue rolling out the Top Top Ten with the best set from 1968; the top selling hits of all time with the next five from that list; yet another new feature (which is gonna kinda nuzzle a pre-existing feature out of the way); a new #1; and a couple of questions about this post I'd like you all to answer (if it is at all in your interest frame).  Climb aboard, and we'll start right out with-

THE NEW FEATURE

I have struggled at times with posting a video for the "song I didn't know until TM".  So what I found in thinking up something else is a new angle.  Way back in late May of last year, I did a one-shot on one hit wonders- songs that were the act's only top forty.  You can see that here.  Well, I got thinking, why were they one hit wonders?  Some just got unfairly airplayed, some totally changed styles, some did novelties... and some just weren't very good.

Well, what I did on this occasion is looked at the next-highest charting hit for the Martin-Era one-hit-wonders that made top ten.  I made me a list, checked it twice, bent my own rules a time or two, because it is all in fun.  So what we have at the end of the day is, I'm going to play 15 videos- one a week.  They will be a bottom-up top 15 of the best songs I found on this journey IMHO.  Hopefully you will enjoy a brief listen at a song you may never have heard before, from an act you MAY have heard from.  I'll also be letting you know the hit that was the "one hit".  Mind you, this is taken off the Wiki list of one hit wonders, which has some accuracy issues- glaringly, the Knack's My Sharona, when the Knack not only had 2 other top 40s, but one of them (Good Girls Don't) was a top ten!  So if my list is a bit sloppy, at least I didn't screw THAT up!

Nice to know SOMEONE remembers us!

So this week I start with the #15 song on my list.  The "one hit" for this lady was one of the Bee Gee era songs I never have got sick of.  With a heapin' helpin' of Barry Gibb vocals, Samantha Sang took Emotion to #3 in 1978.  This one, however, peaked at #56 later in the year:




That leads me to question #1 I'd like to ask.  Do YOU have a one-hit-wonder you'd like to hear about- or the "next highest" that came with it?  Put it in the comments, and I will do my best to do it justice.  Just one of the many services we at TM provide without charge for you!  Now, onto this week's top 40.


Five songs hit the top 40 for the first time this week.  First is Mac Davis with Baby Dont' Get Hooked On Me, climbing 8 to #40.

Chris, why do you only put pictures of hot chicks on your blog?  Well, duh.  But this week you get Ben and Mac.  Don't expect it every week.

Up 7 to #39 are The Who with Join Together.  The Tower Of Power comes in with a pretty melody called You're Still A Young Man, up 7 to 38.  The Isley Brothers move up 7 to #37 with Pop That Thang.  And we've mentioned the song that comes in at 34 (up 8) a few times in the recent past- mainly in regards to it's charting overseas.  It hit #1 for 10 weeks in April-June in South Africa, for 5 weeks in May and June in Germany, 2 weeks in New Zealand in June (where he hit with HIS version of last week's top dog, Daddy Don't You Walk So Fast, earlier in the year), and will hit the top next week in Norway.  Oh, the song?  Daniel Boone's Beautiful Sunday.


Some gotta climb, some gotta fall, part one.  The biggest climber in the countdown logs a meager 13 spots from 61 to 48- Three Dog Night's Black And White.


Now, the Top Top Ten for 1968!  The penultimate year of the sixties finds it's best top ten on the very last week of the year, and starts with:

10- Cloud Nine, The Temptations.  Amazing how good a straight soul group was at doing psychedelic.

9- I'm Gonna Make You Love Me, Supremes/Temptations.  Each group has it's own song in this list, plus they share this one.

8- Both Sides Now, Judy Collins.  I remember how much I loved this as a wee one.  It's charm has faded just a hair over time, but still my favorite from Judy Blue-Eyes.

7- For Once In My Life, Righteous Brothers.  Not my favorite from them, but a bad Righteous Bros. song beats most anything else.

6- Love Child, Supremes.  One of my sixties top ten.

5- I Love How You Love Me, Bobby Vinton.  He sings this as if an audio dream.

4- Abraham, Martin, And John, Dion.  And here we have a top 5 sixties for me.  Cannot make it through without a tear.

3- Wichita Lineman, Glen Campbell.  And a top 15 of the sixties for me.

2- Stormy, Classics IV.  "Yesterday's gone, just like a warm summer breeze..."

ANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNND the top song for this top ten:

I Heard It Through The Grapevine, Marvin Gaye.  Hey, it's Marvin!


Some gotta climb, some gotta fall, part two.  The You Peaked gang this week have the Stories' I'm Coming Home, making it to 26 before dropping;  Derek and the Dominoes stop at 14 with Layla last week; and Grass Roots' The Runway taxied to 29 before sailing back down the chart.  And, with one new top ten, one will drop out.  That one is Too Late To Turn Back Now, from 5 to 12.


Before we hit the top ten, it's time for the next five on the biggest hits of all time.  If you missed last week, there are 32 singles that sold over 10 million physical records.  We're featuring five a week, and this is week two.  the first two are in the ten million range, the last three in the 11 million category.

Elvis Presley, Hound Dog, 1956.  As I've featured various other parts of the Hound Dog story in the past, here's another part I found interesting:

While Presley was performing "Hound Dog" on television and his record was scaling the charts, (Mike) Stoller (one of the original writers), who had been on vacation in Europe, was returning on the ill-fated final voyage of the Andrea Doria. On July 26, 1956, (Jerry) Leiber (the other) met the just-rescued Stoller on the docks and told him, "We got a smash hit on Hound Dog," Stoller said, "Big Mama's record?" And Leiber replied: '"No. Some white guy named Elvis Presley." Stoller added: "And I heard the record and I was disappointed. It just sounded terribly nervous, too fast, too white. But you know, after it sold seven or eight million records it started to sound better."

Britney Spears, Baby One More Time, 1998.  Seriously?  Yes, it hit #1 in every one of the seventeen nations it charted in, which I suspect is also some sort of record.


Roger Whitaker, The Last Farewell, 1975. This was a very unlikely hit, and not for it's classical sound.  Whitaker ran a radio show, and one year he asked listeners to send in original poems to the show, and he would turn the best into songs he would sing on the show.  Out of a MILLION responses, he chose 26-one a week for a year- and The Last Farewell was one of them, written by Ron Webster.  An album of the songs was recorded, and the story might have ended there, in 1971.  But the wife of a program manager heard the song, got her hubby to play it in 1974, and by 1975 it hit #19 in the US of A.  It would go on to hit #1 in 11 nations.

The Mills Brothers, Paper Doll, 1943.  The Mills' career had slowed a bit from their beginning of 12 top 5's from 1931-37- they'd had none from 1937 to 1943.  But Paper Doll hit the top for 12 weeks in '43, and they were back in the swing.  After listening to the tune, about a guy who's considering getting a paper doll to love since other guys kept stealing his real girlfriends, it might only make the charts now in Weird Al changed the title to "Blow Up Doll".

(Prepare to cringe...)

Los Del Rios, Macarena, 1996.  The famous Bayside Boys remix is actually one of SIX versions of the tune Los Del Rios recorded, including a rumba and a samba.  The Andalusian band hit #1 in 12 countries.


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And, before the top ten, a second question.  As much as I've struggled with the videos, I've struggled even more mightily on the lead in news stories.  I am considering a new format, and want to know your opinions, please.  I'm thinking about finding the BEST Martin Era news story for the date, and using THAT year for that week's top forty.  I realize there are bugs to this (such as having to go to the SECOND best news story the next year), and I'd really, REALLY like some input.


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And now, this week's top ten:

The Godspell crew slips a spot to 10 with Day By Day.

The latest "Let's Stay Together clone" from Al Green, I'm Still In Love With You, climbs a pair to enter the top ten at #9.

The Hollies move up a pair to #8 with Long Cool Woman.

Then we have a pair of tunes that are stalled in their spot this week.  The first Is Where Is The Love, holding at 7 for Roberta and Donnie.

The second is Alice Cooper with School's Out at 6.

Mouth And MacNeil climb 3 to #5 with How Do You Do?

Wayne Newton slips from the top, landing at #4 with Daddy Don't You Walk So Fast.

Luther Ingram keeps chugging along, up another spot to #3 with If Loving You Is Wrong, etc.

Looking Glass sails up one more to #2 with Brandy (You're A Fine Girl).

And the #1 song this week....

...Gilbert O'Sullivan with Alone Again Naturally!!!!!!!


Be sure to comment with your answers, and we'll see you next week!