A trip through the 1970s, one hit song at a time!

It's Impossible/The Way of Love - Perry Como (1970)/Cher (1972) 3/18/22

Mar 18, 20222 min read

It's Impossible/The Way of Love - Perry Como (1970)/Cher (1972) 3/18/22

To me, one of the most interesting things about early '70s music is its diversity of style. On any good Top 40 radio station, you'd hear...

An American Dream - The Dirt Band/Linda Ronstadt (1979) 3/17/22

Michael Cook

Mar 16, 20222 min read

An American Dream - The Dirt Band/Linda Ronstadt (1979) 3/17/22

Today's "Great Song of 1979" sounds like something Jimmy Buffet might have written and recorded...but in reality, country...

We've Got Tonight - Bob Seger (1978) 3/16/22

Michael Cook

Mar 15, 20222 min read

We've Got Tonight - Bob Seger (1978) 3/16/22

Bob Seger was watching "The Sting," starring Robert Redford and Paul Newman, when inspiration struck. It was during the scene where...

Keep It Comin' Love - KC & The Sunshine Band (1977) 3/15/22

Michael Cook

Mar 14, 20221 min read

Keep It Comin' Love - KC & The Sunshine Band (1977) 3/15/22

In late 1976, Harry Wayne Casey and Rick Finch of KC and the Sunshine released the band's 4th album "Part 3." It's obvious they had a...

Get Closer - Seals & Crofts (1976) 3/14/22

Michael Cook

Mar 13, 20221 min read

Get Closer - Seals & Crofts (1976) 3/14/22

Seals and Crofts released a number of "Great Songs" during the '70s, but even though they had several top 10 hits, they never reached...

Someone Saved My Life Tonight - Elton John (1975) 3/13/22

Michael Cook

Mar 12, 20222 min read

Someone Saved My Life Tonight - Elton John (1975) 3/13/22

Elton John's 1975 album, "Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy" was 100% autobiographical...which means the last cut on side one...

Roll On Down the Highway - BTO (1974) 3/12/22

Michael Cook

Mar 12, 20221 min read

Roll On Down the Highway - BTO (1974) 3/12/22

Sometimes advertising agencies screw up. Maybe it's because a client is too demanding...or just doesn't know what they want. Sometimes...

Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do) - Aretha Franklin (1973) 3/11/22

Michael Cook

Mar 10, 20222 min read

Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do) - Aretha Franklin (1973) 3/11/22

Recently, my sister Lori and I were talking about her days as a supermarket manager in an affluent area of Detroit. (No, that's not an...

Brandy (You're a Fine Girl) - Looking Glass (1972) 3/10/22

Michael Cook

Mar 10, 20222 min read

Brandy (You're a Fine Girl) - Looking Glass (1972) 3/10/22

So how did a rock & roll band from Rutgers University become a two-hit wonder with songs that were more POP than anything else? Well,...

You Are Everything - The Stylistics (1971) 3/9/22

Michael Cook

Mar 8, 20221 min read

You Are Everything - The Stylistics (1971) 3/9/22

The songwriting team of Thom Bell and Linda Creed were major architects of the smooth Philadelphia sound that became incredibly popular...

Michael Cook

Mar 7, 20221 min read

Truckin' - Grateful Dead (1970) 3/8/22

"What a long, strange trip it's been." Over the past 50 years, that lyric, taken from today's "Great Song of 1970," has become a part of...

Half the Way -Crystal Gayle (1979) 3/7/22

Michael Cook

Mar 6, 20221 min read

Half the Way -Crystal Gayle (1979) 3/7/22

For Loretta Lynn's little sister, Crystal Gayle, the '70s were a very busy and productive decade. She charted 19 times on the Country...

Greased Lightnin' - John Travolta (1978) 3/6/22

Michael Cook

Mar 5, 20222 min read

Greased Lightnin' - John Travolta (1978) 3/6/22

It's been almost a year since we've highlighted a "Great Song" from the 1978 film version of "Grease," so it's about time we revisited...

Michael Cook

Mar 4, 20221 min read

Handy Man -James Taylor (1977) 3/5/22

In December of 1959, Jimmy Jones released a song that he and songwriter Otis Blackwell had written called "Handy Man." It was rather...

Blinded by the Light - Manfred Mann's Earth Band (1976-77) 3/4/22

Michael Cook

Mar 3, 20222 min read

Blinded by the Light - Manfred Mann's Earth Band (1976-77) 3/4/22

Deuce. The word in question is "deuce." It's a slang term for a1932 Ford hot rod. Now that we've got that out of the way, let's dig a...

Michael Cook

Mar 2, 20221 min read

Emma - Hot Chocolate (1975) 3/3/22

Sometimes a "downer" can reach the "upper reaches" of the charts. For example: Today's "Great Song of 1975" is the story of boy and a...

You Won't See Me - Anne Murray(1974) 3/2/22

Michael Cook

Mar 1, 20222 min read

You Won't See Me - Anne Murray(1974) 3/2/22

You may be surprised to learn that Anne Murray is a HUGE Beatles fan. On the other hand, you might have guessed it from the fact that she...

Get Down - Gilbert O'Sullivan (1973) 3/1/22

Michael Cook

Feb 28, 20221 min read

Get Down - Gilbert O'Sullivan (1973) 3/1/22

In 1973, Gilbert O'Sullivan released "Get Down, "his final "Great Song of the '70s," and the lyrical misinterpretation immediately began....

Michael Cook

Feb 27, 20221 min read

Suavacito - Malo (1973) 2/28/22

Every so often, I'll highlight a "Great Song" that nobody remembers but me. In this particular case, I definitely remember playing it as...

Tired of Being Alone - Al Green (1972) 2/27/22

Michael Cook

Feb 26, 20221 min read

Tired of Being Alone - Al Green (1972) 2/27/22

In the early days of his career...before he started releasing "Great Songs" (and before he became an ordained minister), The Rev. Al...

Great Songs of the '70s!

With Mike Cook

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