Bubblegum! (1968-71)

Boy, do we have some links for you today! Be sure to click 'em all!

“Hey, Mike! Will you be highlighting any “Great BUBBLEGUM Songs of the '70s?” (...asked no one at any point during the past 11 months). :-)

Some of you may question whether ANY Bubblegum song could be considered “Great.”

Well, I say, “YES,” depending on how you look at it.

Bubblegum, of course, was a sub-genre of pop music that was quite popular from the late '60s into the early '70s. Music producers Jerry Kasenetzand Jeffry Katz came up with the term when describing the type of music they were creating –all specifically designed to appeal to young teen girls. They called it: “The Bubblegum Set.”

Studio Groups like The Ohio Express and The 1910 Fruitgum Company were cranking out catchy little tunes with repetitive titles like “Yummy, Yummy, Yummy,” “Chewy Chewy” and the #1 song of 1969: “Sugar Sugar” by The Archies.

In many cases, the singers and musicians were the same for each of these recordings—only the group names were changed on the record labels. Most of them were one-hit wonders, but notable exceptions included Tommy Roe, Bobby Sherman and The Partridge Family, all of whom had multiple hits.

Truth is, the charts were FULL of bubblegum songs from 1968 through 1971. But since this blog is called “Great Songs of the '70s,” I'm going to stick to the format, and highlight 3 songs from 1970.

Some of you may think these songs are goofy or cheesy...but deep down inside you have to admit they're pretty catchy.IMHO, I think “catchy” can easily translate into “Great!” Check 'em out!

“Lay a Little Lovin' On Me” by Robin McNamara. (#7 on the Hot 100)

“Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)” by Edison Lighthouse (#4 on the Hot 100)

“I Think I love You” by The Partridge Family (#1 on the Hot 100, and the biggest-selling song of the year!)

Bubblegum: It sticks in your ears!