This is an alphabetical artist list of every song to make the top 40 during
any given week during this year and its peak highest position reached on the
national charts in USA
What are your favorite songs on this list?
My personal favorites are listed at the very bottom :
hoknes@hotmail.com
Abba Fernando 1976 13
Abba I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do 1976 15
Abba Mamma Mia 1976 32
Aerosmith Dream On 1976 06
Aerosmith Last Child 1976 21
Al Wilson I've Got a Feeling (We'll Be Seeing Each Other Again) 1976 29
Alan Parsons Project (The System of) Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether 1976 37
America Today's the Day 1976 23
Andrea True Connection More, More, More (Part 1) 1976 04
Aretha Franklin Something He Can Feel 1976 28
Art Garfunkel Break Away 1976 39
Average White Band Queen of My Soul 1976 40
Bachman-Turner Overdrive Take It Like A Man 1976 33
Bad Company Young Blood 1976 20
Barry DeVorzon & Perry Botkin, Jr. Nadia's Theme (The Young & The Restless) 1976
08
Barry Manilow I Write the Songs 1976 01
Barry Manilow This One's For You 1976 29
Barry Manilow Tryin' To Get the Feeling Again 1976 10
Barry White Let The Music Play 1976 32
Bay City Rollers I Only Want to Be With You 1976 12
Bay City Rollers Money Honey 1976 09
Bay City Rollers Rock and Roll Love Letter 1976 28
Bay City Rollers Saturday Night 1976 01
Beach Boys It's O.K. 1976 29
Beach Boys Rock and Roll Music 1976 05
Beatles Got to Get You Into My Life 1976 07
Bee Gees Fanny (Be Tender With Your Love) 1976 12
Bee Gees Love So Right 1976 03
Bee Gees You Should Be Dancing 1976 01
Bellamy Brothers Let Your Love Flow 1976 01
Billy Ocean Love Really Hurts Without You 1976 22
Blackbyrds Happy Music 1976 19
Blue Oyster Cult (Don't Fear) the Reaper 1976 12
Bob Dylan Hurricane (Part 1) 1976 33
Boston More Than a Feeling 1976 05
Boz Scaggs It's Over 1976 38
Boz Scaggs Lowdown 1976 03
Brass Construction Movin' 1976 14
Brotherhood of Man Save Your Kisses for Me 1976 27
Brothers Johnson Get the Funk Out Ma Face 1976 30
Brothers Johnson I'll Be Good to You 1976 03
Candi Staton Young Hearts Run Free 1976 20
Captain & Tennille Lonely Night (Angel Face) 1976 03
Captain & Tennille Muskrat Love 1976 04
Captain & Tennille Shop Around 1976 04
Carole King Only Love Is Real 1976 28
Carpenters I Need To Be In Love 1976 25
Carpenters There's A Kind Of Hush (All Over the World) 1976 12
Cate Brothers Union Man 1976 24
Chicago Another Rainy Day in New York City 1976 32
Chicago If You Leave Me Now 1976 01
Cledus Maggard White Knight 1976 19
Cliff Richard Devil Woman 1976 06
Commodores Just to Be Close to You 1976 07
Commodores Sweet Love 1976 05
CW McCall Convoy 1976 01
Cyndi Grecco Making Our Dreams Come True 1976 25
Daryl Hall & John Oates Do What You Want, Be What You Are 1976 39
Daryl Hall & John Oates Sara Smile 1976 04
Daryl Hall & John Oates She's Gone 1976 07
David Bowie Golden Years 1976 10
David Ruffin Walk Away From Love 1976 09
Diana Ross Love Hangover 1976 01
Diana Ross One Love in My Lifetime 1976 25
Diana Ross Theme from "Mahogany" (Do You Know Where You're Going To 1976 01
Donna Summer Love To Love You Baby 1976 02
Donny & Marie Osmond Deep Purple 1976 14
Donny Osmond C'mon Marianne 1976 38
Doobie Brothers Takin' It to the Streets 1976 13
Dorothy Moore Misty Blue 1976 03
Dr. Hook A Little Bit More 1976 11
Dr. Hook Only Sixteen 1976 06
Eagles Take It To the Limit 1976 04
Earth, Wind & Fire Can't Hide Love 1976 39
Earth, Wind & Fire Getaway 1976 12
Earth, Wind & Fire Sing a Song 1976 05
Eddie Kendricks He's A Friend 1976 36
Electric Light Orchestra Evil Woman 1976 10
Electric Light Orchestra Strange Magic 1976 14
Elton John Grow Some Funk of Your Own/I Feel Like a Bullet (In the Gun of Robert
Ford) 1976 14
Elton John Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word 1976 06
Elton John & Kiki Dee Don't Go Breaking My Heart 1976 01
Elvin Bishop Fooled Around and Fell in Love 1976 03
Elvis Presley Hurt 1976 28
England Dan & John Ford Coley I'd Really Love To See You Tonight 1976 02
England Dan & John Ford Coley Nights Are Forever Without You 1976 10
Eric Carmen All By Myself 1976 02
Eric Carmen Never Gonna Fall in Love Again 1976 11
Eric Carmen Sunrise 1976 34
Eric Clapton Hello Old Friend 1976 24
Firefall You Are the Woman 1976 09
Flash Cadillac & The Continental Kids Did You Boogie (with Your Baby) 1976 29
Fleetwood Mac Over My Head 1976 20
Fleetwood Mac Rhiannon (Will You Ever Win) 1976 11
Fleetwood Mac Say You Love Me 1976 11
Foghat Slow Ride 1976 20
Four Seasons December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night) 1976 01
Four Seasons Silver Star 1976 38
Frankie Valli Fallen Angel 1976 36
Freddy Fender You'll Lose A Good Thing 1976 32
Gary Wright Dream Weaver 1976 02
Gary Wright Love Is Alive 1976 02
George Baker Selection Paloma Blanca 1976 26
George Benson This Masquerade 1976 10
Glen Campbell Country Boy (You Got Your Feet in L.A.) 1976 11
Glen Campbell Don't Pull Your Love / Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye 1976 27
Gordon Lightfoot The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald 1976 02
Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds Winners and Losers 1976 21
Harold Melvin & The Bluenotes Wake Up Everybody 1976 12
Heart Crazy on You 1976 35
Heart Magic Man 1976 09
Helen Reddy Somewhere In The Night 1976 19
Helen Reddy I Can't Hear You No More 1976 29
Henry Gross Shannon 1976 06
Henry Gross Springtime Mama 1976 37
Hot Chocolate You Sexy Thing 1976 03
James Taylor Shower the People 1976 22
Jefferson Starship With Your Love 1976 12
Jigsaw Love Fire 1976 30
Jimmy Dean I.O.U. 1976 35
John Denver Fly Away 1976 13
John Denver Like a Sad Song 1976 36
John Denver Looking for Space 1976 29
John Sebastian Welcome Back 1976 01
John Travolta Let Her In 1976 10
John Travolta Whenever I'm Away from You 1976 38
John Valenti Anything You Want 1976 37
Johnnie Taylor Disco Lady 1976 01
Johnnie Taylor Somebody's Gettin' It 1976 33
Johnny Cash & The Tennessee Three One Piece At a Time 1976 29
KC & The Sunshine Band (Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty 1976 01
Keith Carradine I'm Easy 1976 17
Kiss Rock And Roll All Nite 1976 12
KISS Beth 1976 07
KISS Shout It Out Loud 1976 31
L.T.D. Love Ballad 1976 20
Lady Flash Street Singin' 1976 27
Larry Groce Junk Food Junkie 1976 09
Larry Santos We Can't Hide It Anymore 1976 36
Linda Ronstadt That'll Be the Day 1976 11
Linda Ronstadt Tracks of My Tears 1976 25
Little River Band It's a Long Way There 1976 28
Lou Rawls You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine 1976 02
Manhattans Kiss and Say Goodbye 1976 01
Marvin Gaye I Want You 1976 15
Maxine Nightingale Right Back Where We Started From 1976 02
Melissa Manchester Just You and I 1976 27
Michael Martin Murphey Renegade 1976 39
Miracles Love Machine 1976 01
Natalie Cole Inseparable 1976 32
Natalie Cole Sophisticated Lady (She's a Different Lady) 1976 25
Nazareth Love Hurts 1976 08
Neil Diamond If You Know What I Mean 1976 11
Neil Sedaka Breaking Up Is Hard to Do 1976 08
Neil Sedaka Love in the Shadows 1976 16
Neil Sedaka Steppin' Out 1976 36
Norman Connors You Are My Starship 1976 27
Ohio Players Love Rollercoaster 1976 01
Ohio Players Fopp 1976 30
Ohio Players Who'd She Coo? 1976 18
O'Jays I Love Music 1976 05
O'Jays Livin' for the Weekend 1976 20
Olivia Newton-John Come On Over 1976 23
Olivia Newton-John Don't Stop Believin' 1976 33
Olivia Newton-John Let It Shine/He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother 1976 30
Orleans Still the One 1976 05
Parliament Tear the Roof off the Sucker (Give Up the Funk) 1976 15
Paul Anka Anytime (I'll Be There) 1976 33
Paul Anka Times Of Your Life 1976 07
Paul Davis Superstar 1976 35
Paul McCartney & Wings Let 'Em In 1976 03
Paul McCartney & Wings Silly Love Songs 1976 01
Paul Simon 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover 1976 01
Paul Simon Still Crazy After All These Years 1976 40
Peter Frampton Baby, I Love Your Way 1976 12
Peter Frampton Do You Feel Like We Do 1976 10
Peter Frampton Show Me the Way 1976 06
Pratt & McClain Happy Days 1976 05
Queen Bohemian Rhapsody 1976 09
Queen You're My Best Friend 1976 16
Red Sovine Teddy Bear 1976 40
Rhythm Heritage Theme From SWAT 1976 01
Rhythm Heritage Baretta's Theme (Keep Your Eye on the Sparrow) 1976 20
Rick Dees & His Cast of Idiots Disco Duck (Part 1) 1976 01
Ringo Starr A Dose of Rock 'N' Roll 1976 26
Ritchie Family The Best Disco in Town 1976 17
Road Apples Let's Live Together 1976 35
Rod Stewart Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright) 1976 01
Rolling Stones Fool to Cry 1976 10
Roxy Music Love Is The Drug 1976 30
Rufus featuring Chaka Khan Dance wit' Me 1976 39
Rufus featuring Chaka Khan Sweet Thing 1976 05
Salsoul Orchestra Nice & Nasty 1976 30
Salsoul Orchestra Tangerine 1976 18
Seals & Crofts Get Closer 1976 06
Silver Wham Bam Shang-A-Lang 1976 16
Silver Convention Get Up and Boogie (That's Right) 1976 02
Spinners Love Or Leave 1976 36
Spinners The Rubberband Man 1976 02
Stampeders Hit the Road Jack 1976 40
Starbuck Moonlight Feels Right 1976 03
Starland Vocal Band Afternoon Delight 1976 01
Steve Miller Band Rock'n Me 1976 01
Steve Miller Band Take the Money and Run 1976 11
Styx Lorelei 1976 27
Styx Mademoiselle 1976 36
Supremes I'm Gonna Let My Heart Do the Walking 1976 40
Sweet Fox On The Run 1976 05
Sweet Action 1976 20
Sylvers Boogie Fever 1976 01
Tavares Don't Take Away the Music 1976 34
Tavares Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel (Part 1) 1976 15
Thin Lizzy The Boys Are Back in Town 1976 12
Todd Rundgren Good Vibrations 1976 34
Tony Orlando & Dawn Cupid 1976 22
Trammps Hold Back The Night 1976 35
Trammps That's Where the Happy People Go 1976 27
Tyrone Davis Give It Up (Turn It Loose) 1976 38
Vicki Sue Robinson Turn the Beat Around 1976 10
Walter Murphy & The Big Apple Band A Fifth of Beethoven 1976 01
War Summer 1976 07
Waylon Jennings & Willie Nelson Good Hearted Woman 1976 25
Who Squeeze Box 1976 16
Wild Cherry Play That Funky Music 1976 01
Wing & A Prayer Fife & Drum Corps Baby Face 1976 14
Yvonne Elliman Love Me 1976 14
BOSTON - MORE THAN A FEELING (1976)
Album: Boston (1976)
My all my time favorite male lead vocalist Brad Delp of Boston
singing. Such a rocking catchy song with big harmonies and big guitars.
I saw them live in 1988 at SaskPlace in Saskatoon and it was the
greatest concert I had ever been to and that record held for 14 years.
Tom Scholz created this big perfect studio clean production of big
distorted guitars with big harmonies that is possibly my favorite
"sound".
March 22nd 1987 - my #1 favorite daily song for 8 days at age 16 in
Grade 11. I got this song on a various artists music cassette.
Slow Ride" is the title of a song composed by
Dave Peverett and recorded by the British
rock band
Foghat, appearing on their fifth album
Fool for the City (1975). This was Foghat's top
single, peaking at number 20. It also appears on
Foghat Live (1977), which was their best selling
album at over two million copies. In 2009, it was named the
45th "Best Hard Rock" song of all time by
VH1.
There are 5 versions of this song on the market. The
original LP version from Fool For the City lasts 8
minutes and 14 seconds. The single version, found in several
compilations was truncated to 3:56 with a fade-out ending.
The 1977 live version is 8:21, the
King Biscuit Flower Hour Foghat version is 10:37 and
the 2007 live version is 9:44.
Foghat are a British
rock band that had their peak success in the mid- to late-1970s.
Their style can be described as "blues-rock",
or boogie-rock, dominated by electric and
electric slide guitar. The band has achieved 8
gold records, one platinum and one double platinum records. The
group remained popular during the
disco era,
but their popularity waned in the early 1980s
The song features drummer Gerry
Polci on lead vocals, with usual lead Frankie Valli singing
the bridge sections and backing vocals.
The song was originally about the repeal of
Prohibition with the title of "December 5th, 1933," but
the lyrics were changed at the urgings of
Frankie Valli and lyricist Parker. The song became a
nostalgic remembrance of a young man's
"first time" with a woman. In the
Broadway play
Jersey Boys, the song accompanied the Bob Gaudio
character being set up with a prostitute by the record
label, in order to lose his virginity.
The song is an up-tempo, piano-led dance song with a
distinct and easily recognisable opening piano riff, it is
written in
4/4 and in the key of
D-flat major
The single was released in December of 1975 and hit
number one on the
UK Singles Chart on February 21, 1976. It repeated the
feat on the U.S.
Billboard Hot 100 on March 13, 1976, remaining in
the top spot for three weeks and one week on
Cash Box. On April 10th of the same year, it topped
the
RPM National Top Singles Chart in
Canada. New drummer
Gerry Polci and bassist Don Ciccone shared lead vocals
with long-time frontman
Frankie Valli.
In both 1988 and 1993, the song was remixed by Dutch
deejay and producer
Ben Liebrand and rereleased as a single. The 1993
rerelease spent 27 weeks on the Hot 100 (matching the chart
life of the original 1975 single). The peak position of the
1993 remix version was #14. Adding together the two 27-week
chart runs for the 1975 original single and the 1993 remix
version (for a combined total of 54 weeks, two more weeks
than a full year) gives the song the longest tenure ever on
the Billboard Hot 100 music chart until this time.
The song has now been surpassed by several other songs for
this title. A music video was produced to accompany
the original 1975 release
ELTON JOHN - SORRY SEEMS TO BE THE HARDEST WORD (1976) hit #6
Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" is a
song written by
Elton John and
Bernie Taupin. It was recorded by Elton John and
released in 1976, both as a single and as part of the
Blue Moves album. It was his second single on
Rocket Records. The song is a mournful ballad about a
romantic relationship which is falling apart. The song is in
the
key of G
melodic minor.
The song was a Top 20 hit, reaching No.
11 in the United Kingdom and No. 6 in the United States. In
addition, the song went to No. 1 on the
Easy Listening chart. In the US, it was certified Gold
on 25 January 1977 by the RIAA.
The song is also featured prominently in the 1977 movie
Slap Shot.
Sir Elton Hercules John,
CBE (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on
25 March 1947) is an English rock
singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and
occasional actor. He has worked with lyricist
Bernie Taupin as his songwriter partner
since 1967; they have collaborated on more than
30 albums to date.
STARLAND VOCAL BAND - AFTERNOON DELIGHT (1976) hit #1
Afternoon Delight" is a song recorded by
Starland Vocal Band, featuring
close harmony and sexually suggestive wordplay. It was
written by
Bill Danoff, one of the members of the band. It became a
number-one U.S.
Billboard Hot 100 single on July 10, 1976. The song also
reached number-one in Canada and peaked at number 5 in New
Zealand.
Danoff's fellow bandmember and then-wife Kathy
"Taffy" Nivert told at least one audience that the title
came from a spicy menu item of the same name at
Clyde's restaurant in
Georgetown. Danoff enjoyed writing the song and
downplayed the somewhat controversial lyrics, saying, "I
didn't want to write an all-out sex song ... I just wanted
to write something that was fun and hinted at sex."
The band consisted of Bill, Jon Carroll, Margot Chapman &
Taffy Danoff. Concurrent to the Starland Vocal
Band's version, country singer
Johnny Carver had a Top 10 cover of his own on the
Billboard
Hot Country Singles chart. In 1983, the
Circle Jerks also covered this song as one of the six
cover versions on "Golden Shower of Hits (Jerks on 45)",
which appears on their
third album with the same title. British experimental
folk music band
Current 93 used an industrial-style cover version as an
introduction to their performances of their 2009 album.
Claude François sang it in French as "Dimanche après-midi".
At the
19th Grammy Awards ceremony in 1977, "Afternoon Delight"
received three nominations. It won the
Grammy Award for Best Arrangement for Voices and was
also nominated for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group
with Vocals and
Record of the Year. In 2010 Billboard named
"Afternoon Delight" the 20th sexiest song of all time.
Also in 2010, Matthew Wilkening of
AOL Radio ranked the song at #26 on the list of the 100
Worst Songs Ever, stating, "If [Danoff] can sing this cheesy
song, and still somehow get some in the middle of the
workday, we bow to him
THE BAY CITY ROLLERS - I ONLY WANT TO BE WITH YOU (1976) hit #12
I Only Want to Be with You" is a
rock-and-roll song by Mike Hawker and
Ivor Raymonde. It was the first solo single released by British
singer
Dusty Springfield under her long-time producer
Johnny Franz. It has since been recorded by many artists and has
charted several times
The Bay City Rollers were a
Scottishpop
band whose popularity was highest in the 1970s. The
British Hit Singles & Albums noted that they were "tartan
teen sensations from
Edinburgh", and were "the first of many acts heralded as the
'Biggest Group since The Beatles' and one of the most screamed-at
teeny-bopper acts of the 1970s". For a relatively brief but fervent
period (nicknamed "Rollermania"), they were worldwide
teen
idols. The group's line-up featured numerous changes over the years,
but the classic line-up during its heyday included guitarists
Eric Faulkner and
Stuart Wood, singer
Les McKeown, bassist
Alan Longmuir, and drummer
Derek Longmuir
By early 1976, the strain of success (and the
discomfort of being a man in his late 20s in a teen band) had taken its
toll on bassist Alan Longmuir, who decided to leave the group. He was
replaced for seven months by 17-year-old
Ian Mitchell – the first band member born outside Edinburgh,
Scotland. (He was from
Northern Ireland.) With Mitchell, the group released an album titled
Dedication, and hit the charts with a
cover version of the
Dusty Springfield song "I
Only Want to Be with You", which reached US No. 12, as well as
"Yesterday's Hero" (featuring live material from a 1976 personal
appearance in
Toronto's
Nathan Phillips Square), and "Dedication
THE ANDREA TRUE CONNECTION - MORE MORE MORE (1976) hit #4
More, More, More" is a song written by
Gregg Diamond and recorded by American disco artist
Andrea True, who performed under the name "The Andrea
True Connection". It was released in February 1976, and
became her signature track and one of the most popular songs
of the disco era.
The song was originally recorded in
Jamaica where True, a
porn star, had been appearing in a
television commercial. An attempted coup prevented her
from leaving the country with her wages from the commercial.
Resourcefully, True called on
Gregg Diamond to come down to Jamaica to write and
record the song with her.
Buddah Records originally released the song only to
discos in the winter of 1975. The popularity of "More,
More, More" was immense. Widespread listener interest
convinced Buddha to release the single commercially in the
spring. The song rose to number four on the
Billboard Hot 100 and number twenty three on the soul
singles chart. The single was a successful disco hit peaking
at number two. Overseas, the song peaked at number five on
the
UK Singles Chart.
KISS - SHOUT IT OUT LOUD (1976) hit #31
Shout It Out Loud" is a song by the
American
hard rock group
Kiss originally released on their
1976 album,
Destroyer. It was released as the lead single off
the album, and it proved to be successful, breaking the
Top-40, the second Kiss single to achieve that. Also, it
is the band's first single to top the charts, as it was
number 1 hit in
Canada on May 22, 1976. The song was performed on almost
every tour, and is one of the most played songs in the Kiss
catalog.
The title of the song was taken from
The Hollies' song "We Want to Shout It Out Loud", which
Wicked Lester(pre-Kiss) recorded for the unreleased
album. The song was several times edited for singles and
compilation albums. The single version of the song is 12
seconds shorter than the studio due to the last "Shout it,
shout it, shout it out loud" line being excluded. The
Alive II single, which was described by the
Billboard magazine as a "raucous rocker" that "catches
the excitement and energy of the live show," is 23 seconds
shorter than the album song due to the removal of audience
chant "We want Kiss". The
Killers version is the shortest with the duration of
2:35 as a result of the fade-out of the song starting during
the first repetition of the "Shout it, shout it, shout it
out loud" lyric following
Gene Simmons' "Oh yeah". The version found on
Smashes, Thrashes & Hits is 16 seconds longer, as the
chorus repeats and the song ends with "Shout it!".
Released as a single in 1976, the band and their record
company,
Casablanca Records, were trying to cash in on the
success of their previous single, the live version of "Rock
and Roll All Nite", by releasing another anthem. While
the song would break into the American
Billboard Top 40, peaking at #31, it would prove to
not be as successful as its predecessor was but would remain
in the band's concert set lists for almost every tour from
that point on. In Canada, the single was far more
successful, reaching #1 on the RPM national singles
chart on May 22, 1976. The song is also one of few to be
sung by both
Gene Simmons and
Paul Stanley. A music video was made for the live
version of the song from the 1996 concert on
Tiger Stadium, from the
Alive/Worldwide Tour. It was directed by
Wayne Isham.
It is also the title of a
compilation album released by Columbia Records (Columbia
38590) in 1983.
The single topped the US charts on October 23, 1976, and
stayed there for two weeks, making it the first number one
hit for the group as well as hitting number one on the
Easy Listening charts. It also reached number one in the
UK on November 13, 1976, maintaining the position for three
weeks.
Chicago is an American
rock band formed in 1967 in
Chicago,
Illinois. The self-described "rock and roll band with
horns" began as a politically charged, sometimes
experimental, rock band and later moved to a predominantly
softer sound, generating several hit ballads. They had a
steady stream of hits throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Second
only to
The Beach Boys in
Billboard singles and albums chart success among
American bands, Chicago is one of the longest-running and
most successful rock groups in history.
According to
Billboard, Chicago was the leading US singles
charting group during the 1970s. They have sold over 38
million units in the US, with 22
gold, 18 platinum, and 8 multi-platinum albums. Over the
course of their career they have had five number-one albums
and 21 top-ten singles.
AEROSMITH - DREAM ON (1976) hit #3
Dream On" is the first
single by
Aerosmith from their 1973 debut album,
Aerosmith.[3]
Written by lead singer
Steven Tyler, this
blues-influenced
power ballad became their first major hit and
classic rock radio staple. Released in June 1973, it
peaked at number 59 nationally but hit big in the band's
native Boston, where it was the number 1 single of the year
on the less commercial top 40 station, WBZ-FM, number 5 for
the year on highly rated Top 40
WRKO-AM and number 16 on heritage Top 40 WMEX-AM.
The
album version of "Dream On" (4:28, as opposed to the 3:25
1973
45rpm edit), was re-issued early in 1976, debuting at
number 81 On January 10th, breaking into the Top 40 on
February 14th and peaking at number 6 on the
Billboard Hot 100 national chart, April 10th.
Columbia chose to service Top 40 radio stations with a
re-issue of the 3:25 edited version, thus, many 1976 Pop
Radio listeners were exposed to the group's first Top 10
effort through the 45 edit.
Dream On was first played live in
Willimantic,
Connecticut at the Shaboo Inn. In a 2011 interview,
Steven Tyler reminisced about his father, a
Juilliard-trained musician, and recalled "lying beneath
his dad's piano as a three-year-old, listening to him play
classical music. That's where I got that Dream On
chordage," he said. The song is noted for its guitar work as
well as Tyler's high screams.
The song is composed in the key of F minor.
Aerosmith is an American
rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from
Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band." Their
style, which is rooted in
blues-based
hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of
pop,
heavy metal, and
rhythm and blues, and has inspired many subsequent rock
artists. The band was formed in Boston, Massachusetts in
1970. Guitarist
Joe Perry and bassist
Tom Hamilton, originally in a band together called the
Jam Band, met up with singer
Steven Tyler, drummer
Joey Kramer, and guitarist
Ray Tabano, and formed Aerosmith. In 1971, Tabano was
replaced by
Brad Whitford, and the band began developing a following
in Boston
Recorded with a full orchestral
accompaniment, "Theme from Mahogany" became one of
the most recognizable elements of the film, receiving praise
from many critics. Later released as a
single, "Theme from Mahogany" became a number-one
hit on both the U.S.
Billboard Hot 100, and the
Easy Listening charts. The song was nominated for the
Academy Award for
Best Song. Ross performed the song live at the Academy
Awards ceremony via
satellite from the
Netherlands
In 1976,
Billboard magazine named her the "Female
Entertainer of the Century." In 1993, the
Guinness Book of World Records declared
Diana Ross the most successful female music
artist in history due to her success in the
United States and
United Kingdom for having more hits than any
female artist in the charts with a career total
of 18 number one records in the United States.
Diana Ross has sold more than 100 million
records worldwide
KISS - BETH (1976) hit #7
Beth" is a song by
Kiss, originally released on their
1976 album,
Destroyer. To date, it is their highest-charting
single in the
US, reaching #7 on
Billboard's
Hot 100 chart. It is one of only two Gold selling
singles for the band (the other being 1979's "I
Was Made for Lovin' You"), and their first of two Top
Ten singles (along with 1990's "Forever",
#8) in the US. Beth was named #3 in Vh1's 25 Greatest Power
Ballads.
Kiss's
drummer
Peter Criss sings the song, which he co-wrote with Stan
Penridge. The song was written before Criss had joined Kiss,
while he was still a member of
Chelsea. Criss came up with the melody for the song
while on a train to New York City from New Jersey where the
band practiced. He and Chelsea guitarist Stan Penridge wrote
the song together.
When released as a single, however, "Beth" was initially
the
B-side of "Detroit
Rock City". But radio stations, particularly one in
Atlanta,
Georgia, began playing it more than "Detroit Rock City"
and it quickly became a highly-requested selection. Kiss and
Casablanca Records reissued "Beth" as an
A-side with "Detroit Rock City" as the B-side, and it
was far more successful. The single went
Gold in the United States (the first Kiss single to do
so) on January 5, 1977 and in
Canada on December 1, 1976.
In 1977, Kiss received a
People's Choice Award for "Beth", one of the few
industry awards the band ever won. "Beth"
is also credited as invigorating sluggish sales of the
Destroyer album, which many fans initially saw as a
misstep. It is also the only Kiss song that features no
instrumental performances by any member of the band. Criss
is backed by a
piano and a string orchestra, a stark departure from the
hard rock-oriented band.
SWEET - FOX ON THE RUN (1976)
Fox on the Run" is a popular glam rock song by the
British band
Sweet, first recorded in 1974. It was their 14th single
and in 1975 reached number 2 on the British single list, 5
in the
US, 1 in
Australia, 1 in
Germany, 2 in the
Netherlands and 2 in
Norway. The lyrics of the song are about
groupies and use the typical slang of the time, in which
sexy women were known as 'foxes'.
Two versions were
recorded by Sweet. The original version was produced by Mike
Chapman in association with Nicky Chinn on the 1974 album
Desolation Boulevard. There was also a more
pop-oriented and totally re-recorded version self-produced
by the band and released as a 7" single in 1975. The 1975
single version was included on the American release of
Desolation Boulevard in 1975.
Sweet were formed in 1968 and
achieved their first hit "Funny Funny" in 1971
after teaming up with songwriters
Nicky Chinn and
Mike Chapman and record producer
Phil Wainman. During 1971 and 1972, their
musical style followed a marked progression from
the
Archies-like
bubblegum style of "Funny Funny" to a
Who-influenced hard rock style supplemented
by a striking use of high-pitched backing vocals
"Mamma Mia" was written at the home of
Agnetha Fältskog and
Björn Ulvaeus, and was the last track recorded for the
album
ABBA. The song was one of the four songs from the
album to have a music video made to promote the album. The
song, however, was never intended for release as a single.
Around this time, many artists were recording ABBA songs
(such as "Honey,
Honey" and "Bang
a Boomerang").
When "I
Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do" topped the Australian charts
for 3 weeks, the Australian public was hungry for more ABBA
– the beginnings of ABBAmania. It was the promo clip
for Mamma Mia that was proving the most popular after
repeat screenings on Australian television, notably
Molly Meldrum's
Countdown. ABBA’s Australian record company, RCA,
asked that Mamma Mia be released as a single but
Polar Music refused. However, in the end
Stig Anderson agreed & "Mamma Mia" was released in
Australia in August 1975 where it spent 10 weeks at number
one.
After this success in Australia,
Epic Records in the United Kingdom took notice of ABBA
for the first time since
Eurovision and "Waterloo".
From then on, Epic began to heavily promote ABBA's singles
with the immediate result of "S.O.S."
reaching the Top 10 in the important British market, their
1st hit since "Waterloo".
"Mamma Mia" soon followed reaching number one on the British
charts in early 1976, the second of ABBA's 18 consecutive
Top 10 singles.
In the
UK Singles Chart of January 1976, "Mamma Mia" replaced
Queen's song "Bohemian
Rhapsody" at the number 1 position, which itself
coincidentally contains the lyrical phrase "Mama Mia".
THE BEE GEES - YOU SHOULD BE DANCING (1976) hit #1
You Should Be Dancing" is a single by the
Bee Gees, from the album,
Children of the World, in 1976. The single hit
number one for one week on the American
Billboard Hot 100, number one for seven weeks on the US
Hot Dance Club Play chart, and in July the same year,
reached number five on the
UK Singles Chart.
The song also peaked at number four on the Billboard
R&B chart. It was this song that first launched the Bee Gees
into disco stardom, although rock-oriented drums and guitars
can be heard in the background. It was also the only track
from the group to top the dance chart.
The song was their
third Billboard Hot 100 number-one and their sixth
number-one in Canada. It ended up the year as the #31 song
of the year on the Hot 100.
In the 70's some of the Bee Gees' songs were deemed too
uptempo for
AC/Easy Listening Radio which led to "You Should Be
Dancing" only reaching number 25 on that chart.[3]
It also hit number four in Ireland. In Australia, where the
brothers spent a number of years in their youth, it managed
only to nick the top 20.
"You Should Be Dancing" is known today as the first
chart-topper in which
Barry Gibb uses his now-trademark
falsetto (he had previously used it on the top-10 "Nights
on Broadway" and on "Fanny (Be Tender With My Love)").
Earlier songs, such as
Jive Talkin', had Gibb use a melodic
blue-eyed soul vocal style.
The song was prominently featured in the movie
Saturday Night Fever and appears on its soundtrack
album. Live performances of "You Should Be Dancing" during
the 1979
Spirits Having Flown tour featured the Bee Gees'
younger sibling,
Andy Gibb, on backing vocals. The
Boston Celtics also play this song when they are about
to win a basketball game accompanied by the ever popular
"Dancing Gino" video from the television show
American Bandstand. Recently, the
Tampa Bay Rays have started playing the song at home
games between innings.
GARY WRIGHT - THE DREAM WEAVER (1976) hit #2
Dream Weaver" is a
song by
Gary Wright that was a hit single in the US, reaching #2
in the
Billboard charts while it reached #1 in the
Cash Box charts (Australia, Canada and Europe) in
1976. Taken from the album
The Dream Weaver released the previous year, it
features Wright on vocals and keyboards, and
Jim Keltner on drums. In 1992, Gary Wright re-recorded a
longer version of "Dream Weaver" for the
Wayne's World movie
soundtrack.
According to Gary Wright, the song was
inspired by
Autobiography of a Yogi, which was given to him by
George Harrison.
Paramhansa Yogananda's poem, God! God! God! made
reference to "the idea of the mind weaving dreams." The
expression "Dream Weaver" was popularized by
John Lennon in 1970 in his song "God,"
taken from his solo album
John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band. This song depicts
Lennon's declaration that he was the dream weaver of the
sixties, breaking away from the influences and dogmas that
influenced his life.
"Dream Weaver" was featured in the
Fox television series
That '70s Show in the episode "The First Time".
Portions of "Dream Weaver" were first
sampled in a short film appearing in the 1990
Wayne's World episode of
Saturday Night Live, in which guest star
Wayne Gretzky appears, and Wayne is picturing that song
playing as he imagines himself defeating Gretzky in
street hockey and then winning his wife,
Janet Jones. The song would later be re-recorded for the
soundtrack of the 1992 film Wayne's World.
Squeeze Box" is a song by
The Who. It peaked at #10 on the UK charts and #16 in
the US. The song was also a #1 hit in Australia and Canada
and reached #2 on the Irish charts. "Squeezebox" is a slang
term for
accordions and related instruments. The song's lyrics
consist exclusively of sexual innuendo ("She goes in and out
and in and out", as an example). Written by
Pete Townshend, the song was originally intended for a
Who television special planned in 1974.
The song was first
performed live at the New Bingley Hall in Stafford on 3
October 1975 and remained in the set for the rest of the
1975-1976
tour until drummer Keith Moon's final North American concert
at the Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto on 21 October 1976. Townshend himself played
the banjo on the track, as well as the accordion
The Who are an
English
rock band formed in 1964 by
Roger Daltrey (lead vocals, harmonica and
guitar),
Pete Townshend (guitar, keyboards and
vocals),
John Entwistle (bass guitar, brass and
vocals) and
Keith Moon (drums and percussion). They
became known for energetic live performances
which often included
instrument destruction. The Who have sold
about 100 million records, and have charted
27 top forty singles in the United Kingdom
and United States, as well as
17 top ten albums, with 18 Gold, 12 Platinum
and 5 Multi-Platinum album awards in the United
States alone.
Like many of Elton John's singles from
the 1970s, it was never included on an original album
(though it was recorded during the same sessions that
produced
Blue Moves).
"Don't Go Breaking My Heart" was the first No. 1 single
in the UK for both Elton John and Kiki Dee, topping the
chart for six weeks in mid 1976. John would not enjoy a solo
British chart-topper until "Sacrifice"
in 1990. It also became his sixth No. 1 single in the US,
topping the
Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks. In the U.S. it was
certified Gold
Recording Industry Association of America.
You're My Best Friend" is a song by British
rock band
Queen, written by their
bassist
John Deacon. It was originally included on the
A Night at the Opera album in 1975, and later
released as a single. The song also appeared on the
Live Killers (1979) live album and on the
compilation album
Greatest Hits (1981). Deacon wrote
the song for his wife, Veronica, to whom he remains married
to this day. In this song, he plays a
Wurlitzer electric piano in addition to bass guitar. The
characteristic "bark" of the Wurlitzer's bass notes plays a
prominent role in the song. During live performances, the
band used a grand piano rather than an electric, and it
would be played by
Freddie Mercury, while Deacon played the bass guitar.
The music video, directed by
Bruce Gowers, shows the band in a huge ballroom
surrounded by over one thousand candles, including a huge
chandelier hung from the ceiling. The video was filmed
in April 1976. (May later mentioned that the video was shot
in the middle of a very unpleasant
heatwave and the ballroom in which they were filming did
not have air conditioning.) Also, Deacon is seen playing a
grand piano, even though he plays a regular electric on the
recording.
The Supernaturals covered the song in 1998 as the B-side
to their single "Everest".
Straight No Chaser, a US a capella group, also covered
the song for their 2010 album With a Twist, a
collection of cover songs.
The song was used in promos for
FX's
Wilfred, as well as in a Carnival Cruise commercial.
The song was composed by
John Deacon, with a
meter of 4/4 (12/8), with one bar in 6/4 during the
chorus, and a
key of C-major (a-minor). The album
A Night at the Opera features songs of numerous
styles including this three-minute ballad
pop song
PAUL McCARTNEY & WINGS - SILLY LOVE SONGS (1976) hit #1
Album:
Wings At The Speed Of Sound (1976)
My mother bought a cassette tape of this album in 1976 when I was 5.
It is very likely that I started listening to it in 1981 at age 10 when
I became a Beatles fan making it likely that McCartney II and this one
being the first McCartney albums I ever heard.
McCartney had often been teased
by
music critics as well as former
Beatle and friend,
John Lennon, for writing lightweight songs and he wrote
this number in response.
Not unlike "Goodnight
Tonight", another of McCartney's singles from the era,
the instrumentation in Silly Love Songs features a
distinct disco flavour. Both "Silly Love Songs" and
"Goodnight Tonight" appear again on McCartney's second
greatest hits compilation,
All the Best!.
In 2005, the song was sampled in Jenn Cuneta's Come
Rain, Come Shine.
In 2008, the song was listed at #31 on Billboard's
Greatest Songs of All Time, commemorating the 50th
anniversary of the Billboard Hot 100 chart
PAUL McCARTNEY & WINGS - LET EM IN (1976) hit #3
Album:
Wings At The Speed Of Sound (1976)
My mother bought a cassette tape of this album in 1976 when I was 5.
It is very likely that I started listening to it in 1981 at age 10 when
I became a Beatles fan making it likely that McCartney II and this one
being the first McCartney albums I ever heard.
Let 'Em In" is a song by
Wings from their 1976 album
Wings at the Speed of Sound. It was written and sung
by
Paul McCartney and reached the top 3 in both the United
States and the United Kingdom: It was a #2 hit in the UK,
and in the US it was a #3 pop hit and #1
easy listening hit In Canada, the song was #3 for three weeks on the
pop chart and #1 for three weeks on the MOR chart of
RPM Magazine. The single was certified Gold by the
Recording Industry Association of America for sales of
over one million copies. It can also be found on McCartney's
1987 compilation album,
All the Best!.
The lyrics include references to
some of McCartney's family and friends: sister Suzy,
supposedly a reference to Linda, who was "Suzy" in
Suzy and the Red Stripes, brother John, Linda's brother
John Eastman, Phil and Don, the
Everly Brothers, brother Michael, McCartney's brother
also known as
Mike McGear, and Auntie Gin, McCartney's aunt. In the
second verse, "brother Michael" is replaced by "Uncle Ernie"
Keith Moon, who played the role of Uncle Ernie in the
movie of
The Who's
Tommy and in the third, "Auntie Gin" is replaced by
"Uncle Ian
QUEEN - BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY (1976) hit #9
Album: A Night At
The Opera (1976)
Bohemian Rhapsody" is a song by the British rock band
Queen. It was written by
Freddie Mercury for the band's 1975 album
A Night at the Opera. The song has no
chorus, instead consisting of three main parts: a
ballad segment ending with a
guitar solo, an operatic passage, and a
hard rock section. At the time, it was the most
expensive single ever made and remains one of the most
elaborate recordings in popular music history.
When it was
released as a single, "Bohemian Rhapsody" became a
commercial success, staying at the top of the
UK Singles Chart for nine weeks and selling more than a
million copies by the end of January 1976. It reached number
one again in 1991 for five weeks following Mercury's death,
eventually becoming the UK's third best selling single of
all time. It topped the charts in several other markets as
well, including Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and
The Netherlands, later becoming one of the
best-selling singles of all time. In the United States
the song originally peaked at number nine in 1976; however,
it returned to the chart at number two in 1992 following its
appearance in the film
Wayne's World which revived its American popularity.
Although critical reaction was initially mixed, "Bohemian
Rhapsody" remains one of Queen's most popular songs.
Rolling Stone ranked it as number 163 on their list
of "The
500 Greatest Songs of All Time". "Bohemian Rhapsody"
topped the list on an ITV nationwide poll to find 'The
Nation's Favourite Number One' over 60 years of music, with
the TV programme airing on 15 July 2012. The poll was voted
for by the British public and beat records such as
Michael Jackson's "Billie
Jean" (No.2),
Adele's, "Someone
like You" (No.3) and
Oasis', "Don't
Look Back in Anger" (No.4). The single was accompanied
by a promotional video, which many scholars consider
ground-breaking.
ERIC CARMEN - SUNRISE (1976) hit #34
Eric Carmen is
an album by
rock and roll musician
Eric Carmen. It is also his first of two self-titled albums, the
other released in 1984. It peaked at #21 on the
Billboard album chart on its release in 1975 (see
1975) and generated the #2 pop single "All
by Myself" in the same year. The song reached #1 on the
Cashbox and
Record World charts. The album also included two follow-up Top 40
hits, "Never
Gonna Fall in Love Again" (#11), and "Sunrise" (#34), both of which
charted in 1976.
Eric Carmen is
an album by
rock and roll musician
Eric Carmen. It is also his first of two self-titled albums, the
other released in 1984. It peaked at #21 on the
Billboard album chart on its release in 1975 (see
1975) and generated the #2 pop single "All
by Myself" in the same year. The song reached #1 on the
Cashbox and
Record World charts. The album also included two follow-up Top 40
hits, "Never
Gonna Fall in Love Again" (#11), and "Sunrise" (#34), both of which
charted in 1976.
ERIC CARMEN - NEVER GONNA FALL IN LOVE AGAIN (1976) hit #11
Eric Carmen is
an album by
rock and roll musician
Eric Carmen. It is also his first of two self-titled albums, the
other released in 1984. It peaked at #21 on the
Billboard album chart on its release in 1975 and generated the #2 pop single "All
by Myself" in the same year. The song reached #1 on the
Cashbox and
Record World charts. The album also included two follow-up Top 40
hits, "Never
Gonna Fall in Love Again" (#11), and "Sunrise" (#34), both of which
charted in 1976.
Drummer
John Hartman arrived in
California in 1969 determined to meet
Skip Spence of
Moby Grape and join an aborted Grape reunion. Spence
introduced Hartman to singer,
guitarist and songwriter
Tom Johnston and the two proceeded to form the nucleus
of what would become The Doobie Brothers. Johnston and
Hartman called their fledgling group "Pud" and experimented
with lineups (occasionally including Spence) and styles as
they performed in and around
San Jose. They were mostly a
power trio (along with bassist
Greg Murphy) but briefly worked with a horn section.
In 1970 they teamed up with bass player Dave Shogren and
singer, guitarist and songwriter
Patrick Simmons. Simmons, who had belonged to several
area groups (among them "Scratch", an acoustic trio with
future Doobies bassist
Tiran Porter) and also performed as a solo artist, was
already an accomplished
fingerstyle player whose approach to the instrument
complemented Johnston's rhythmic
R&B strumming.
The Doobie Brothers improved their playing by performing
live all over
Northern California in 1970. They attracted a
particularly strong following among local chapters of the
Hells Angels and got a recurring gig at one of the
bikers' favorite venues, the Chateau Liberté in the
Santa Cruz Mountains, and they continued playing the
Chateau through the summer of 1975 (although these concerts
did not include all band members, and they were unannounced
and of a completely impromptu nature).