Rhinestone Cowboy (1975) 2/24/20

During the summer of 1975, a former Beach Boy dominated the charts--but not with anything close to a "surf" or "summer" song.

For those too young to know or remember, Glen Campbell had started out as a guitarist with the famous "Wrecking Crew" group of studio musicians, and then became part of the Beach Boys' touring band for a year or so before going solo in the late '60s with great success on both the US Pop and Country charts.

But 1975's "Rhinestone Cowboy" was a monster hit worldwide! It was #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 for two weeks, as well as #1 on the Pop Charts in Canada, Ireland, and Yugoslavia(!) It was Top 5 in 7 other countries.

And that's only half the chart story. Back in North America, it also hit #1 on Canada's Country Chart...and on the US Country Chart, it pulled off a rarity: 2 weeks at #1, then a week at #2, followed by a jump back to #1 for one final week.

And finally, when Campbell died in 2017, the song shot up to #12 on the Country Digital Song Chart.

The song itself is about a veteran artist who's aware that he's more than paid his dues, but is still hoping for success... something Glen had gone through himself.

Glen Campbell reached GREAT success--with this "Great Song of the '70s," (and many others, before and after).