18 with a Bullet - Pete Wingfield 1975 (1/25/23

One of the best things about popular music in the '70s was the variety. Your never knew when something just a little bit "different" would appear on the charts--especially in the first half of the decade. The day before yesterday, we highlighted 1973's "Sweet Gypsy Rose," one of Tony Orlando & Dawn's incredibly popular nods to early 20th century ragtime. Today, we're looking at 1975, and a song by Pete Wingfield that brought 1950's style Doo-Wop back to the charts. "18 with a Bullet" had that classic Doo-Wop "sound," but it also had some pretty clever lyrics that centered around music charts and record company lingo, and how it could apply to romance. Prime example: "18 with a bullet" means a song is at #18 on the charts, and still moving up...like a new relationship growing stronger! At one point, Billboard Magazine actually had the song at #18 with a bullet on their Hot 100. The following week, it peaked at #15, WITHOUT a bullet. From there, it slowly fell of the charts. Relationship over! :) At the time, some people thought Billboard was pulling some sort of a gimmick, but it was all legit...and a whole lot of fun, especially for those in the record and radio business. Of course, a song doesn't reach #15 without being embraced by radio listeners and record buyers as well, and it certainly was! "18 With a Bullet" by Pete Wingfield was a truly a "Great Doo-Wop Song of 1975," and there aren't many songs that can make that claim! ;-) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZQTjSuB4ww