_JPG.jpg)
Recently, I've been reading some in-depth analyses of '70s music, and how the Top 40 radio mix early in the decade was incredibly diverse to say the least.
For every rock song on the chart, there was a ballad. For every ballad, there was a country song. For every country song, there was a soul song. For every soul song, there was a reggae song, folk song, bubblegum song, or instrumental...
For example: At almost any Top 40 station, you could you hear the likes of Led Zepplin, Perry Como, Charlie Rich, The Temptations and Donny Osmond all within the same half hour, with maybe a novelty song by Jim Stafford tossed in for good measure.
I graduated from high school in 1972, and my classmates and I heard some "Great Songs" on the radio...but we also heard some "Great Songs" that had to be geared to a different demographic--but still incredibly popular overall.
I became a "Good Guy" at WOHO in Toledo later in '72, and if it was a hit, we played it--regardless of the demographic. That was standard programming procedure back in those days.
And that brings me to today's song: 1972's "Daddy Don't You Walk So Fast" by Wayne Newton.
That's right. Wayne Newton.
Now maybe you like the song, and/or Mr. Newton ...and maybe you don't, but here are some startling facts:
The song went to #1 in Canada and Australia, #3 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary Chart and #4 on The Hot 100. It sold well over a million copies, and at the end of 1972, Billboard ranked it as the #10 song of the YEAR!
Those are some serious numbers for a song that's so "schmaltzy," (for lack of a better word), but even though it was a HUGE hit, I have never thought of it as a "GREAT" song. But perhaps I'm wrong.
You can certainly let me know what YOU think in the comments. I'm truly curious.
So give it a listen and let's see how it all shakes down.
Daddy Don't You Walk So Fast" by Wayne Newton: Was it a Great Song of 1972? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5EESSLuzqA
Tomorrow: Jethro in 5/4 time. Coming Soon: Great Songs of the '80s.
Comments