*#41] NO MORE MR. NICE GUY by Alice Cooper
LW #55 / 4 wks / 85-65-55-41 / 2nd Biggest Jump on the Hot 100 - TIE [2] - 14 positions / eighth Hot 100 single by the Rock band was poised to become their fifth Top 40 hit, following EIGHTEEN [#21 - 1 wk] in April ‘71; SCHOOL’S OUT [#7 - 2 wks] in July/Aug & ELECTED [#26 - 2 wks] in November ‘72; and HELLO HURRAY [#35 - 2 wks] in March ‘73
*#42] LET’S PRETEND by The Raspberries
LW #47 / 7 wks / 86-76-66-57-51-47-42 / the Cleveland band’s fourth single was about to be their third Top 40 hit, following GO ALL THE WAY [#5 - 2 wks / Gold] in early October ‘72 & I WANNA BE WITH YOU [#16 - 1 wk] in late January ‘73
*#43] SUPERFLY MEETS SHAFT by John & Ernest
LW #54 / 4 wks / 76-61-54-43 / 4th Biggest Jump on the Hot 100 - TIE [5] - 11 positions / first chart single for John Free & Ernest Smith
#44] ONE MAN BAND (Plays All Alone) by Ronnie Dyson
LW #28 / Peak - #28 [1 wk] / Top 40 - 4 wks / Hot 100 - 12th wk [of 13] / 89-81-71-62-58-51-44-37-32-29-28-44-58 / Dyson’s fourth Hot 100 single was his second & last Top 40 hit & followed the Top 10 (If You Let Me Make Love To You Then) WHY CAN’T I TOUCH YOU [#8 - 2 wks] in Aug/Sept ‘70 / the singer-actor would chart two more singles on the Hot 100 but neither got higher than #60 / born in Washington, D.C. & raised in Brooklyn, New York, Dyson grew up singing in church choirs & at the age of 18, he landed a leading role in the original Broadway production of HAIR, singing the opening lines of AQUARIUS [“When the moon is in the second house, and Jupiter aligns with Mars…”]; Dyson had a small role in Robert Downey, Sr.’s satirical comedy film PUTNEY SWOPE in ‘69 / Ronnie Dyson’s second album, also titled ONE MAN BAND [#142 Top 200 / #34 Soul], had four Philly Soul songs, including the title track, which were written by Thom Bell & Linda Creed and produced by Bell, who also produced the next single, JUST DON’T WANT TO BE LONELY; the remaining five songs were remixed versions of previously recorded material, including Dyson’s third single WHEN YOU GET RIGHT DOWN TO IT [#94 - 1 wk / #37 Soul / #34 UK] in ‘71 and a cover of George Harrison’s SOMETHING / ONE MAN BAND (Plays All Alone) peaked at #15 on Billboard’s Soul chart & #16 on the Easy Listening chart
*#45] TEDDY BEAR SONG by Barbara Fairchild
LW #51 / 11 wks / 99-95-90-88-84-75-70-65-56-51-45 / the Country singer’s first song on the Pop chart was still moving steadily up in week 11 as it closed in on the Top 40, averaging a gain of 5.4 positions per week since debuting at #99 on 2/24/73
*#46] HEARTS OF STONE by The Blue Ridge Rangers
LW #50 / 6 wks / 84-71-61-55-50-46 / second single by the “band” [aka John Fogerty], following the Top 20 showing of the Cajun-influenced JAMBALAYA (On The Bayou)
*#47] RIGHT PLACE, WRONG TIME by Dr. John
LW #58 / 4 wks / 82-73-58-47 / 4th Biggest Jump on the Hot 100 - TIE [5] - 11 positions / second single for the New Orleans musician, following IKO IKO [#71 - 1 wk] in April ‘72
*#48] DRINKING WINE SPO-DEE O’DEE by Jerry Lee Lewis
LW #53 / 5 wks / 81-70-58-53-48 / 18th & final single on the Hot 100 for one of the founding fathers of Rock & Roll; his first hit, WHOLE LOTTA SHAKIN’ GOING ON, debuted on the 6/24/57 chart [a month & a day before I was born]
*#49] I KNEW JESUS (Before He Was A Star) by Glen Campbell
LW #52 / 8 wks / 89-80-73-65-60-54-52-49 / the guitarist’s 23rd solo single on the Hot 100, dating to TURN AROUND, LOOK AT ME [#62 - 1 wk] in December ‘61
#50] WHO WAS IT? by Hurricane Smith
LW #49 / Peak - #49 [1 wk] / Hot 100 - 8th wk [of 9] / 87-78-64-58-55-50-49-50-60 / the recording engineer / record producer’s second & last single on the Hot 100 was written by Gilbert O’Sullivan and included on his second album, BACK TO FRONT, released in October ‘72 / the second US single from Smith’s self-titled debut album was a Top 40 hit in Australia [#30] & the UK [#23]
#51] KILLING ME SOFTLY WITH HIS SONG by Roberta Flack
LW #20 / Peak - #1 [5 wks] / Top 10 - 9 wks / Top 20 - 12 wks / Top 40 - 13 wks / Hot 100 - 15th wk [of 16] / 54-34-15-5-1-1-1-1-2-1-3-9-14-20-51-56 / written by Charles Fox [music] & Norman Gimbel [lyrics] and produced by Joel Dorn / from Flack’s fourth solo album on Atlantic Records, KILLING ME SOFTLY [#3 Top 200 / #2 Soul / 2x Platinum / #11 Australia / #13 Canada / Gold / #40 UK], released on the first day of August ‘73; the album was certified Gold on 8/27/73 & double Platinum on 1/30/06
I found it hard to believe that such a beautiful song could have so much ugliness associated with it, but read on…
19-year-old singer-songwriter Lori Lieberman saw Don McLean in concert in late ‘71 while AMERICAN PIE was on the rise, but it was another of his songs - EMPTY CHAIR - which touched her soul & fired her imagination and she was making notes on napkins while McLean was playing the song / Lieberman had previously signed a management agreement with Fox & Gimbel [for 20% of her earnings] and called Gimbel after the concert to tell him of her experience; she shared her ideas & phrases she had quickly jotted down with the man, who had become her lover, in spite of him being married & 24 years her senior / Gimbel in an interview in ‘73: "Her conversation fed me, inspired me, gave me some language and a choice of words." / Lieberman recorded the song in late ‘71 & it was released in early ‘72 but did not chart / she toured the US & Canada, telling audiences how the song had come to be, with Fox & Gimbel even writing out the origin story for her so that it wouldn’t vary / after several years, Lieberman’s relationship Gimbel [who had divorced his wife] ended and she wanted to move on from both it and her professional relationship with the songwriters - but they demanded $27,500 for past services & $250,000 of her future earnings [a total of $1.838 million in ‘23], which effectively ruined her budding career; her lawyer later commented that Fox & Gimbel could have been “nice guys” & released her from her management agreement, as other managers did with unsuccessful clients, but they chose the financially burdening option / Don McLean learned of being the song’s inspiration after hearing Flack’s recording & then Leiberman’s and years later included the story on his website / by the ‘90s, Fox & Gimbel were seeking to distance themselves from the song’s actual origins and Norman Gimbel sent an email to Don McLean, threatening legal action if he didn’t remove the story from the website; McLean’s attorney responded by sending him a copy of the New York Daily News article from ‘73 about the song with quotes from both Lieberman and Gimbel: Lieberman: “Don McLean ... I saw him at the Troubadour in LA last year. I had heard about him from some friends but up to then all I knew about him really was what others had told me. But I was moved by his performance, by the way he developed his numbers, he got right through to me.” … Gimbel: “Lori is only 20 and she really is a very private person ... She told us about this strong experience she had listening to McLean ... I had a notion this might make a good song so the three of us discussed it. We talked it over several times, just as we did with the rest of the numbers we wrote for the album, and we all felt it had possibilities.” … Lieberman: “Norman had a phrase he liked, 'killing me softly with his blues' ... But I didn't feel the word "blues" was quite what the effect was. It wasn't contemporary enough, somehow. We talked about it a while and finally decided on the word "song" instead. It seemed right then when we did it.” / by ‘97, Lieberman and Fox had reconnected & he attended one of her concerts - but he never spoke to her again after reading an article she did at the time in which she said Gimbel & Fox were "…very, very controlling. I felt like I was pushed on stage, and I was singing other people's material, although that material was based on my private diaries. I felt victimized for most of my early career." / Charles Fox published his memoir “Killing Me Softly, My Life in Music” in ‘10, which made no mention of Don McLean & downplayed Lieberman’s part in writing the most successful song of his career; when asked about the discrepancy by online website Songfacts, he responded, "I think it's called an urban legend. It really didn't happen that way." / Lieberman’s autobiographical song from ‘11, CUP OF GIRL, about life lessons learned from dealing with Gimbel & Fox, brought angry emails from Norman Gimbel but she deleted them & did not respond; Gimbel died in ‘18 / in a Washington Post article from January ‘20, Lieberman said she didn’t want money for the song or a songwriting credit - but she did want the truth about the origins of KILLING ME SOFTLY WITH HIS SONG to be known
CUP OF GIRL
Well, you take a cup of girl
Share a tablespoon of world
For some color don’t forget parental strife
Add an ounce of opportunity
And a touch of promiscuity
Let her simmer gently on an open fire
And watch her rise
Then you scrape away integrity
And you meddle with her sanity
When you bring her to a boil, lower the flame
Then you mix two parts dishonesty
With one part ingenuity
It’s a tried and trusted foolproof recipe
For a singer who can’t speak
So you take a cup of girl
Hide a tablespoon of world
Add a German car for long hot summer nights
Where you’ll wipe a little dirt off
And take her little shirt off
And you earn her trust up on Mulholland Drive
Then you'll rifle through her diary
Write some words about her family
Write a song about the times you made her cry
Then you mix two parts absurdity
With one part ambiguity
Give her fountain pens for legal stuff to sign
For a singer who won’t mind
KILLING ME SOFTLY WITH HIS SONG came to Roberta Flack’s attention listening to Lori Lieberman’s recording on an inflight audio program: "The title, of course, smacked me in the face. I immediately pulled out some scratch paper, made musical staves, played the song at least eight to ten times, jotting down the melody that I heard. When I landed, I immediately called Quincy [Jones] at his house and asked him how to meet Charles Fox. Two days later I had the music." / soon after that, she recorded the song but wasn’t happy with the backing vocals or various mixes / a record label executive told her the song was a hit no matter which mix was used but Flack wanted to get the song right, saying that she "wanted to be satisfied with that record more than anything else." / in September ‘72, Flack was the opening act for Quincy Jones at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles; after her encore, Jones told her to play another song; "I said 'Well, I have this new song I've been working on'... After I finished, the audience would not stop screaming. And Quincy said, Ro’, don't sing that daggone song no more until you record it.'" / Charles Fox noted that Flack’s version was “faster and she gave it a strong backbeat that wasn't in the original." / Roberta Flack on her arrangement of the song: "My classical background made it possible for me to try a number of things... I changed parts of the chord structure and chose to end on a major chord. [The song] wasn't written that way."
other cover versions of KILLING ME SOFTLY WITH HIS SONG: balladeers Johnny Mathis and Perry Como - both in ‘73, English Jazz-Pop singer Cleo Laine & Australian Classical guitarist John Williams in ‘76, Jamaican Soul singer Precious Wilson & Skytrain in ‘80, Soul singer Luther Vandross and Disco-Soul singer Amii Stewart - both in ‘94 / the most successful version besides Roberta Flack’s was by Hip Hop trio the Fugees with Lauryn Hill singing lead; their cover was an international hit in ‘96-‘97: #1 on Billboard's Mainstream Top 40 & Rhythmic charts [3x Platinum in the US], #1 in the UK on the Pop and Hip Hop/R&B charts [3x Platinum in the UK], and #1 in 20 other countries; the Fugees won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Recording by a Duo or Group with Vocal in ‘97 and the video [which featured Roberta Flack in a cameo] won the MTV Video Music Award for Best R&B Video; since the emergence of social media app Tik Tok in ‘20, the video has become very popular again; included on VH1’s 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop and on Rolling Stone magazine's revised list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time in ‘21
Roberta Flack’s KILLING ME SOFTLY WITH HIS SONG was #1 for three weeks on the Cashbox [sales only] chart from 3/10/73 to 3/24/73 and #2 on both Billboard’s Soul & Easy Listening charts; #1 in Australia and Canada - both the Top 100 [3 wks] & EL charts; #3 in the Netherlands, #4 in Norway, #10 in Ireland, #19 in Austria, #30 in West Germany & #32 in Switzerland / a “House” remix of Flack’s recording with additional vocals by Flack went to #1 on Billboard’s Dance Club Play chart in ‘96; Flack & the Fugees have since performed the song together / #82 on Billboard's Greatest Songs of All Time & #360 on Rolling Stone magazine’s original 500 Greatest Songs of All Time in ‘04 / KILLING ME SOFTLY WITH HIS SONG won Grammy Awards for Song of the Year for Fox & Gimbel and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance & Record of the Year for Roberta Flack in ‘74, giving her back-to-back Record of the Year awards, following her breakout #1 hit THE FIRST TIME EVER I SAW YOUR FACE, which won in ‘73
KILLING ME SOFTLY WITH HIS SONG
Strumming my pain with his fingers
Singing my life with his words
Killing me softly with his song
Killing me softly with his song
Telling my whole life with his words
Killing me softly
With his song
I heard he sang a good song
I heard he had a style
And so I came to see him, to listen for a while
And there he was, this young boy
A stranger to my eyes
Strumming my pain with his fingers
Singing my life with his words
Killing me softly with his song
Killing me softly with his song
Telling my whole life with his words
Killing me softly
With his song
I felt all flushed with fever
Embarrassed by the crowd
I felt he found my letters and read each one out loud
I prayed that he would finish
But he just kept right on
Strumming my pain with his fingers
Singing my life with his words
Killing me softly with his song
Killing me softly with his song
Telling my whole life with his words
Killing me softly
With his song
He sang as if he knew me
In all my dark despair
And then he looked right through me as if I wasn't there
And he just kept on singing
Singing clear and strong
Strumming my pain with his fingers
Singing my life with his words
Killing me softly with his song
Killing me softly with his song
Telling my whole life with his words
Killing me softly
With his song
Strumming my pain with his fingers
Singing my life with his words
Killing me softly with his song
Killing me softly with his song
Telling my whole life with his words
Killing me
He was strumming my pain
Yeah, he was singing my life
Killing me softly with his song
Killing me softly with his song
Telling my whole life with his words
Killing me softly with his song
*#52] AND I LOVE YOU SO by Perry Como
LW #65 / 4 wks / 88-78-65-52 / 3rd Biggest Jump on the Hot 100 - TIE [2] - 13 positions / the Easy Listening crooner’s 46th song on the charts in the Rock Era
#53] BREAK UP TO MAKE UP by The Stylistics
LW #23 / Peak - #5 [1 wk] / Top 10 - 4 wks / Top 20 - 7 wks / Top 40 - 9 wks / Hot 100 - 13th wk [of 14] / 88-53-42-22-18-11-9-6-5-8-16-23-53-73 / written by Thom Bell, Linda Creed & Kenny Gamble and produced by Bell / second of three singles from the Soul vocal group’s second album ROUND 2 [#32 Top 200 / #3 Soul / Gold / #26 UK]; five of the album’s ten songs were co-written by Bell & Creed, who wrote the first two singles with others - I’M STONE IN LOVE WITH YOU [#10 - 2 wks] in December ‘72 was co-written with Anthony Bell / the album also included Carole King’s ‘72 Record of the Year & Song of the Year, IT’S TOO LATE, written by King & Toni Stern, and the next single, Burt Bacharach & Hal David’s YOU’LL NEVER GET TO HEAVEN (If You Break My Heart) - a #34 Pop hit for Dionne Warwick in ‘64 / BREAK UP TO MAKE UP was included on The Stylistics’ first compilation album, THE BEST OF THE STYLISTICS [#41 Top 200 / #13 Soul / #40 Canada / #1 UK / Platinum], released on Avco Records in February ‘78 / BREAK UP TO MAKE UP also peaked at #5 on Billboard's Soul chart, #20 on the Easy Listening chart & #34 in the UK
BREAK UP TO MAKE UP
Tell me what's wrong with you now, tell me why I
Never seem to make you happy though heaven knows I try
What does it take to please you? Tell me just how
I can satisfy you woman, you're drivin' me wild
Break up to make up, that's all we do
First you love me then you hate me
That's a game for fools
Break up to make up that's all we do
First you love me then you hate me
That's a game for fools
When I come home from workin', you're on the phone
Talkin' about how bad I treat you, now tell me I'm wrong
You say it's me who argues, I'll say it's you
We have got to get together or baby, we're through
Break up to make up, that's all we do
First you love me then you hate me
That's a game for fools
Break up to make up, that's all we do
Yeah, first you love me then you hate me
That's a game for fools
*#54] CLOSE YOUR EYES by Edward Bear
LW #60 / 4 wks / 84-76- 60-54 / third chart single for the Toronto trio was the follow-up single to LAST SONG, their recent #3 hit from early March
#55] WILL IT GO ROUND IN CIRCLES by Billy Preston
LW #52 / 6 wks / 99-90-75-67-62-55 / the keyboardist’s seventh song on the Hot 100 & fourth on A&M Records
*#56] BACK WHEN MY HAIR WAS SHORT by Gunhill Road
LW #61 / 6 wks / 97-83-72-68-61-56 / first chart single for the Rock trio from Mount Vernon, New York - a suburb of New York City north of the Bronx
#57] OH LA DE DA by The Staple Singers
LW #33 / Peak - #33 [1 wk] / Top 40 - 3 wks / Hot 100 - 5th wk [of 9] / 80-69-57-50-44-40-34-33-57 / eighth Hot 100 single for Roebuck “Pop” Staples and his three daughters - Cleotha, Yvonne & Mavis, and their fourth straight Top 40 hit & fifth overall / their Top 40 Pop hits were all Top 10 Soul hits: HEAVY MAKES YOU HAPPY (Sha-Na-Boom Boom) [#27 - 2 wks / #6 Soul] in April & RESPECT YOURSELF [#12 - 1 wk / #2 Soul] in December ‘71, I’LL TAKE YOU THERE [#1 - 1 wk / #1 - 4 wks Soul] in June [May on the Soul chart] & THIS WORLD [#38 - 2 wks / #6 Soul] in September ‘72, and OH LA DE DA [#33 - 1 wk / #4 Soul] in April ‘73 / their current single was featured in the film WATTSTAX, documenting the August ‘72 concert, which commemorated the seventh anniversary of the Watts Riots in ‘65; the concert featured nearly all of the artists signed to Stax Records at the time of the concert; the double album, titled WATTSTAX: THE LIVING WORD, only included songs by The Staple Singers [4], The Bar-Kays [2], Eddie Floyd [2], Carla Thomas [3], Rufus Thomas [3], Albert King [3], The Soul Children [2] and Isaac Hayes [1] - but the concert included performances by 18 other artists / although included in the film, OH LA DE DA was a studio recording - not recorded live at the concert - which was overdubbed with audience reactions / OH LA DE DA [3:29], written by Phillip Mitchell & produced by Stax Records owner Al Bell, was recorded at Muscle Shoals Sound Studios; the B-side WE THE PEOPLE [3:50], written by Carl Smith & Marshall Jones and produced by Bell, was from BE ALTITUDE: RESPECT YOURSELF, their previous studio album / OH LA DE DA was one of ten tracks on BEST OF THE STAPLE SINGERS, released on Stax Records in ‘74; and one of 16 tracks on the expanded collection when it was reissued in ‘06
#58] IF WE TRY by Don McLean
LW #59 / Peak - #58 [1 wk] / Hot 100 - 6th wk [of 7] / 87-76-67-63-59-58-63 / the singer-songwriter’s fourth single was the follow-up to DREIDEL [#21 - 2 wks] in Feb/Mar; the second single from his third album, DON MCLEAN [#23 US / #15 Australia / #15 Canada], was his first not to reach the Pop Top 40; the album was produced by Ed Freeman, who also produced his breakthrough second album / McLean burst onto the charts with his personal history of Rock & Roll, AMERICAN PIE, in late ‘71, peaking at #1 for four weeks, beginning in mid-January ‘72; his second single VINCENT, about the life & death of troubled artist Vincent Van Gogh, peaked at #12 for a week in May ‘72 / IF WE TRY [3:30] b/w THE MORE YOU PAY (The More It’s Worth) [2:51] reached #12 on Billboard’s Easy Listening chart; both songs were written by McLean / included in two versions - United Artists [3:34] on disc one & EMI America [4:00] on disc two of the two-CD, 42-track compilation FAVORITES & RARITIES, released on EMI America in ‘93; also included on the 21-song LEGENDARY SONGS OF DON MCLEAN, released ten years later on Capitol Records / Perry Como’s cover of McLean’s AND I LOVE YOU SO - from his ‘70 debut album, TAPESTRY - leaped over IF WE TRY to #52 this week / Don McLean figures prominently in the background of Roberta Flack’s chart topping KILLING ME SOFTLY WITH HIS SONG, which was in its final week on the Hot 100 at #51
*#59] GIVE IT TO ME by J. Geils Band
LW #63 / 6 wks / 98-91-81-75-63-59 / second single on the Hot 100 for the band formed in Boston by guitarist Jerome Geils in ‘67
*#60] ONE OF A KIND (Love Affair) by The Spinners
LW #71 / 2 wks / 71-60 / 4th Biggest Jump on the Hot 100 - TIE [5] - 11 positions / the third Philly Soul single for the five-man vocal group followed the Top 5 Gold hits I’LL BE AROUND [#3 - 2 wks] in November ‘72 & COULD IT BE I’M FALLING IN LOVE [#4 - 2 wks] in March ‘73
*#61] LONG TRAIN RUNNING by The Doobie Brothers
LW #67 / 3 wks / 84-67-61 / third single by the Rock band from San Jose, California, followed the Top 40 hits LISTEN TO THE MUSIC [#11 - 2 wks] in November ‘72 & JESUS IS JUST ALRIGHT [#35 - 1 wk] in February ‘73
#62] STEP BY STEP by Joe Simon
LW #46 / Peak - #37 [1 wk] / Top 40 - 2 wks / Hot 100 - 12 wks / 86-76-69-60-52-47-43-42-38-37-46-62 / fifth song released from Simon’s eighth studio album, THE POWER OF JOE SIMON [#97 Top 200 / #15 Soul], on Spring Records in ‘73 / previous singles from the album: HELP ME MAKE IT THROUGH THE NIGHT [#69 - 2 wks / #13 Soul] in May/June ‘71, DROWNING IN THE SEA OF LOVE* [#11 - 1 wk / #3 Soul] in January, POWER OF LOVE [#11 - 2 wks / #1 - 2 wks Soul] in September & TROUBLE IN MY HOME [#50 - 1 wk / #6 Soul] in late December ‘72 / *[DROWNING IN THE SEA OF LOVE was previously the title song of Simon’s seventh album [#71 Top 200 / #11 Soul] in ‘72 but was also included to promote his eighth album] / STEP BY STEP was written & produced by Raeford Gerald, who produced & co-wrote three other songs on the album with Simon, including TROUBLE IN MY HOME / the two biggest hits from the album, DROWNING IN THE SEA OF LOVE and POWER OF LOVE, were written and produced by the architects of Philly Soul, Kenny Gamble & Leon Huff, and were both Gold records / STEP BY STEP was Simon’s 27th song to chart on the Hot 100 & sixth Top 40 hit and his 24th Top 40 & ninth Top 10 hit on Billboard's R&B/Soul chart, where it peaked at #6
#63] BAD, BAD LEROY BROWN by Jim Croce
LW #69 / 3 wks / 85-69-63 / fourth chart single for the singer-songwriter followed three Top 40 hits - YOU DON’T MESS AROUND WITH JIM [#8 - 2 wks] in September & OPERATOR (That’s Not The Way It Feels) [#17 - 1 wk] in December ‘72 and ONE LESS SET OF FOOTSTEPS [#37 - 1 wk] in late March ‘73
#64] ALWAYS by Luther Ingram
LW #66 / Peak - #64 [1 wk] / Hot 100 - 5 wks / 93-78-70-66-64 / the second follow-up single to Ingram’s biggest hit peaked 24 positions lower than the first & was his last to chart on the Hot 100 / born in Jackson, Tennessee, in November ‘37, Luther Ingram sang Gospel with his brothers after moving to southern Illinois, before going solo in the mid-‘60s & first recording for Smash Records in ‘65 / his recordings for the small Koko label, owned by Ingram’s manager/producer & connected to Stax Records in Memphis, began charting in early ‘70: MY HONEY AND ME [#55 - 1 wk] in February & AIN’T THAT LOVING YOU (For More Reasons Than One) [#45 - 1 wk] in July ‘70; BE GOOD TO ME BABY [#97 - 1 wk] in May ‘71; YOU WERE MADE FOR ME [#93 - 2 wks] in May & (If Loving You Is Wrong) I DON’T WANT TO BE RIGHT [#3 - 2 wks / Gold] in August ‘72; and I’LL BE YOUR SHELTER (In Time Of Storm) [#40 - 2 wks] in January ‘73
Luther Ingram was much more successful on Billboard’s Soul singles chart with 11 consecutive Top 40s, of which six were Top 20 hits with three reaching the Top 10: PITY FOR THE LONELY [#39], MY HONEY AND ME [#19], AIN’T THAT LOVING YOU (For More Reasons Than One) [#6], TO THE OTHER MAN [#22], BE GOOD TO ME BABY [#21], I’LL LOVE YOU UNTIL THE END [#39], YOU WERE MADE FOR ME [#18] b/w MISSING YOU [#26], (If Loving You Is Wrong) I DON’T WANT TO BE RIGHT [#1 - 4 wks], I’LL BE YOUR SHELTER (In Time Of Storm) [#9] and ALWAYS [#11] / Ingram - who co-wrote The Staple Singers’ Stax Records hit RESPECT YOURSELF [#12 Pop / #2 Soul] in December ‘71 - had nine more songs chart on the Billboard R&B/Soul chart through ‘87 with five more Top 40 hits; DO YOU LOVE SOMEBODY was his last Top 20 Soul single, reaching #13 in ‘78 / Ingram toured as the opening act for Isaac Hayes for a number of years, often using Hayes’ Movement band & backing singers for his own recordings / Luther Ingram continued performing until his health declined in the mid-’90s; he died of heart failure in March ‘07, after suffering from diabetes, kidney disease & partial blindness for a number of years
#65] DANCING TO YOUR MUSIC by Archie Bell & the Drells
LW #68 / Peak - #61 [1 wk] / Hot 100 - 8th wk [of 9] / 100-94-88-84-74-71-68-65-61 / 11th & final Hot 100 single to chart for the group which formed in a Houston, Texas, Junior High School / the vocal group burst onto the national scene in the Spring of ‘68 with TIGHTEN UP [#1 - 2 wks / Gold] in May, which was used for the AMERICAN BANDSTAND Dance Contest that summer / Archie Bell was in the Army at the time, so the group couldn’t fully capitalize on its breakthrough hit but had a second Top 10 hit with I CAN’T STOP DANCING [#9 - 3 wks] in Aug/Sept ‘68 / a third single, DO THE CHOO CHOO, failed to reach the Top 40, peaking at #44 - but THERE’S GONNA BE A SHOWDOWN was their last national Top 40 hit, peaking at #21 [2 wks] in Jan/Feb ‘69 / six more singles charted between March ‘69 and December ‘70 before their current “45” - but none got higher than #59 / by the late ‘80s, the four-man group - Archie Bell, James Wise, Lee Bell & Willie Parnell - was active in the Beach music scene
#66] CINDY INCIDENTALLY by Faces
LW #48 / Peak - #48 [2 wks] / Hot 100 - 9 wks / 83-75-68-60-54-51-48-48-66 / written by Ian McLagan, Rod Stewart & Ronnie Wood and produced by Glyn Johns / CINDY INCIDENTALLY was the third & final single by Faces to chart on the Hot 100, although OOH LA LA, the title track of the band’s fourth & final studio album was later released in the US / the band’s previous US chart singles were (I Know) I’M LOSING YOU [#24 - 1 wk] in December ‘71, listed as Rod Stewart with Faces, and STAY WITH ME [#17 - 2 wks] in February ‘72 / STAY WITH ME [#6] & CINDY INCIDENTALLY [#2] were Top 10 hits in the UK, along with POOL HALL RICHARD [#8], later in ‘73; and their final long-winded single, YOU CAN’T MAKE ME DANCE, SING OR ANYTHING (Even Take the Dog for a Walk, Mend a Fuse, Fold Away the Ironing Board, or Any Other Domestic Shortcomings), peaked at #12 in ‘74 / after merging three members of The Small Faces - Ronnie Lane [bass], Ian McLagan [keyboards] & Kenney Jones [drums] - with Rod Stewart [vocals] & Ronnie Wood [guitar], formerly of The Jeff Beck Group, the five members of new band Faces recorded four albums from ‘69 to ‘73: FIRST STEP [#119 US / #74 Canada / #45 UK] in ‘70, LONG PLAYER [#29 US / #18 Australia / #34 Canada / #31 UK] and A NOD IS AS GOOD AS A WINK… TO A BLIND HORSE [#6 US / Gold / #4 Australia / #5 Canada / #3 Netherlands / #10 Norway / #34 West Germany / #2 UK] in ‘71, and OOH LA LA [#21 US / #9 Australia / #23 Canada / #22 Norway / #1 UK] in March ‘73 / a live album from the band’s ‘73 tour, COAST TO COAST: OVERTURE AND BEGINNERS [#63 US / #38 Australia / #51 Canada / #3 UK] was released in ‘74 / numerous compilation albums & repackaging of albums have been released since the band’s breakup in late ‘75, with SNAKES AND LADDERS / BEST OF FACES coming out in ‘76; a four-disc box set, FIVE GUYS WALK INTO A BAR…, was released on Rhino Records in ‘00
since the band went their separate ways, Ronnie Lane recorded several albums with Pete Townshend in the ‘70s, but his ability to play diminished with the onset of multiple sclerosis & he died in ‘97; Kenney Jones joined The Who after the death of their drummer John Bonham, later forming the Jones Gang with a former lead singer of Bad Company; Ian McLagan was also asked to join The Who but had to decline because he had already committed to touring with The Rolling Stones and later formed Ian McLagan & the Bump Band after moving to the US; Ronnie Wood recorded several solo albums & worked with The Rolling Stones, joining the band full-time for the BLACK AND BLUE album in ‘76; and Rod Stewart went on to a very successful solo career / members of the band have reunited in various configurations since the late ‘80s: all five members took part in the finale of Rod Stewart’s Wembley Stadium concert in ‘86, but Ronnie Lane was in a wheelchair by then & sang but was unable to play bass; Jones, McLagan & Wood were joined by Bill Wyman [formerly of The Rolling Stones] on bass & Mick Hucknall [lead singer of Simply Red] on vocals for a performance at the Performing Rights Society's Music Members' Benevolent Fund concert at the Royal Albert Hall in September ‘09, which benefited musicians & their families, including Ronnie Lane’s wife; with former Sex Pistol Glen Matlock on bass & Hucknall on vocals, Faces played festival dates & other concerts in ‘10 & ‘11; Faces was set to perform with Rod Stewart at the induction of The Small Faces & Faces in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in ‘12 - but Stewart became ill & was replaced by Hucknall at the last minute; they intended on working together afterward but McLagan died in ‘14; since then, Stewart, Wood & Jones have played together at several private dates and performed STAY WITH ME as the finale of the Brit Awards in ‘20; in the summer of ‘21, it was announced that Kenney Jones, Ronnie Wood & Rod Stewart had reunited to record new music
*#67] YOU CAN’T ALWAYS GET WHAT YOU WANT by The Rolling Stones
LW #74 / 2 wks / 74-67 / the B-side of the band’s #1 hit in ‘69, HONKY TONK WOMEN, was charting on its own nearly four years later
*#68] NATURAL HIGH by Bloodstone
LW #88 / 3 wks / 92-88-68 / Biggest Jump on the Hot 100 - TIE [3] - 20 positions / first Hot 100 single for the five-man Soul group from Kansas City, Missouri, which had formed as The Sinceres 11 years earlier
#69] FENCEWALK by Mandrill
LW #73 / 4 wks / 97-81-73-69 / the second single by the Latin Jazz-Rock band from Brooklyn in NYC was already 25 positions higher than their first single’s Peak Position in June ‘71
#70] EVERYTHING’S BEEN CHANGED by The 5th Dimension
LW #72 / Peak - #70 [1 wk] / Hot 100 - 4 wks / 87-79-72-70 / the five-person vocal group’s 27th song on the Hot 100 was the lowest charting single of their career on the Pop chart / EVERYTHING’S BEEN CHANGED [3:47], written by Paul Anka, b/w THERE NEVER WAS A DAY [3:47], written by Randy McNeill, were both from their eighth studio album, LIVING TOGETHER, GROWING TOGETHER [#108 Top 200 / #25 Soul / #77 Canada], released on Bell Records in March ‘73 / EVERYTHING’S BEEN CHANGED was the group’s 17th Top 20 on Billboard’s Easy Listening chart, peaking at #18 - only their third EL Top 20 single which did not reach the Top 10, following ON THE BEACH (In The Summertime) in ‘70 and LIGHT SINGS in ‘71, which both peaked at #12
*#71] DADDY COULD SWEAR I DECLARE by Gladys Knight & the Pips
LW #78 / 2 wks / 78-71 / follow-up single to the Soul vocal group’s recent #2 hit, NEITHER ONE OF US (Wants To Be The First To Say Goodbye), was their 16th on Motown’s Soul label and 22nd overall
#72] I’VE BEEN WATCHING YOU by Southside Movement
LW #76 / 4 wks / 93-83-76-72 / first chart single for the group whose members were formerly the backup band of Chicago Soul duo Simtec & Wylie
#73] WHY ME by Kris Kristofferson
LW #79 / 5 wks / 100-99-91-79-73 / the fourth single to chart on the Hot 100 for the noted singer-songwriter was just beginning what would become a long, meandering journey up the chart
*#74] ONLY IN YOUR HEART by America
LW #81 / 2 wks / 81-74 / fifth single for the trio of singer-songwriters followed four Top 40 hits - A HORSE WITH NO NAME [#1 - 3 wks / Gold] in Mar/Apr, I NEED YOU [#9 - 2 wks] in July & VENTURA HIGHWAY [#8 - 2 wks] in December ‘72; and DON’T CROSS THE RIVER [#35 - 1 wk] in early March ‘73
#75] PEOPLE ARE CHANGING by Timmy Thomas
LW #75 / Peak - #75 [2 wks] / Hot 100 - 5 wks / 95-89-80-75-75 / the follow-up single to Thomas’ first hit, WHY CAN’T WE LIVE TOGETHER [#3 - 1 wk / Gold] in early February '73, hadn’t fared as well, only reaching #75 / PEOPLE ARE CHANGING [3:20] b/w RAINBOW POWER [3:05] on Glade Records were both written by Timmy Thomas and produced by Steve Alaimo & Thomas / Alaimo was born in Omaha, Nebraska, in December ‘39; he charted nine songs on the Hot 100 from March ‘62 to May ‘72 but only one got higher than #72; his second single, a cover of Arthur Alexander’s EVERY DAY I HAVE TO CRY, peaked at #46 [1 wk] in March ‘63; Steve Alaimo is best known for hosting & co-producing Dick Clark’s WHERE THE ACTION IS on ABC TV from ‘65 to ‘67
*#76] ISN’T IT ABOUT TIME by Stephen Stills & Manasass
LW #83 / 2 wks / 83-76 / second single by Stills with the band known as Manasass, following ROCK AND ROLL CRAZIES [#92 - 2 wks] in July ‘72
*#77] BEHIND CLOSED DOORS by Charlie Rich
LW #97 / 2 wks / 97-77 / Biggest Jump on the Hot 100 - TIE [3] - 20 positions / the Country singer’s fourth single on the Hot 100; he had previously charted with LONELY WEEKENDS [#22 - 1 wk] in May ‘60, MOHAIR SAM [#21 - 1 wk] in October ‘65 and most recently with JULY 12, 1939 [#85 - 1 wk] in April ‘70 / after five year intervals between his previous singles on the Pop chart, Rich was two years ahead of schedule with his latest
*#78] GIVE YOUR BABY A STANDING OVATION by The Dells
LW #91 / 3 wks / 96-91-78 / 3rd Biggest Jump on the Hot 100 - TIE [2] - 13 positions / 20th Pop single by the five-man vocal group, which formed in a Chicago area high school & first recorded as The El-Rays on Chess Records in ‘53
#79] AM I BLACK ENOUGH FOR YOU by Billy Paul
LW #82 / Peak - #79 [1 wk] / Hot 100 - 5 wks / 97-94-88-82-79 / the follow-up single to Paul’s recent #1 Pop & Soul hit, ME AND MRS. JONES, was not the song he wanted to release - but its writers & producers, Kenny Gamble & Leon Huff, insisted & effectively sabotaged Paul’s career with a song that mainstream record buyers & listeners weren’t ready for yet / Billy Paul in an interview in ‘77: “I think though that a lot of mistakes were made at the time. The biggest one was releasing 'Am I Black Enough For You' straight after 'Mrs. Jones'. People weren't ready for that kind of a song after the pop success of 'Mrs. Jones'. They were looking for a sequel or at least something that wasn't provocative. You'll remember at the time that I told you I was 100% against it and history has proven me right. But though it was a company mistake, I'm still satisfied with both CBS and Philadelphia International. However, if I had released a different track, I may have reached the heights of Michael Jackson.” / Paul felt it was more CBS Records head Clive Davis [CBS distributed Gamble & Huff’s label Philadelphia International] who wanted the single out more than Gamble; Davis has denied it was his choice, although he called the song an "All-time great record, all-time great performance." / several decades later, Billy Paul was more philosophical about his second chart single: “Well you know... For a long time, I was angry about it, I had a bit of a letdown. Now the song is ahead of its time. I feel as though I let the song down when I went into my darkness. I feel like I abandoned the song. And I'm still going to get to the bottom of 'Am I Black Enough'.” / AM I BLACK ENOUGH FOR YOU reached #29 on Billboard’s Soul chart
#80] FIRST CUT IS THE DEEPEST by Keith Hampshire
LW #85 / 3 wks / 100-85-80 / second US single to chart for the English-born Canadian singer
#81] WITHOUT YOU IN MY LIFE by Tyrone Davis
LW #84 / 3 wks / 90-84-81 / tenth single on the Hot 100 for the 35-year-old Soul singer born in Greenville, Mississippi; Davis scored a pair of Top 5 Gold hits with CAN I CHANGE MY MIND [#5 - 1 wk] in February ‘69 & TURN BACK THE HANDS OF TIME [#3 - 1 wk] in May ‘70
#82] I LIKE YOU by Donovan
LW #86 / 2 wks / 86-82 / 17th & final single to chart on the Hot 100 for the Scottish singer-songwriter, dating to CATCH THE WIND [#23 - 1 wk] in July ‘65
#83] I’M A STRANGER HERE by Five Man Electrical Band
LW #87 / 3 wks / 97-87-83 / fourth Hot 100 chart single for the Canadian band led by lead singer Les Emmerson, who had charted at #51 with his only US solo single, CONTROL OF ME, in early March
#85] ROLL OVER BEETHOVEN by Electric Light Orchestra
LW #90 / 2 wks / 90-85 / first chart single by the English band with Roy Wood, Bev Bevans & Jeff Lynne, which was formerly known as The Move
#86] ONLY LOVE by Bill Quateman
LW #89 / Peak - #86 [1 wk] / Hot 100 - 5 wks / 99-96-95-89-86 / only single on the Hot 100 by the 25-year-old Pop singer-songwriter-pianist-guitarist / Quateman released four albums in the ‘70s: BILL QUATEMAN [#206] on Columbia Records in ‘72, followed by three albums on RCA VICTOR - NIGHT AFTER NIGHT [#129] & SHOT IN THE DARK in ‘77 and JUST LIKE YOU in ‘79; over 20 years later he released his fifth album, THE ALMOST EVE OF EVERYTHING on Next of Kin Music in ‘00, followed by TRUST with session musician Buzz Feiten in ‘02
#87] IT’S HARD TO STOP (Doing Something When It’s Good To You) by Betty Wright
LW #92 / Peak - #72 [2 wks] / Hot 100 - 3rd wk [of 6] / 94-92-87-76-72-72 / Soul singer’s fourth “45” on the Pop chart was her lowest charting and followed GIRLS CAN’T DO WHAT THE GUYS DO [#33 - 2 wks] in September ‘68, CLEAN UP WOMAN [#6 - 1 wk / Gold] in late January & BABY SITTER [#46 - 2 wks] in December ‘72 / on Billboard’s R&B/Soul chart, Wright’s latest was her seventh Top 40 hit: GIRLS CAN’T DO WHAT THE GUYS DO [#15] in ‘68, PURE LOVE [#40] in ‘70, CLEAN UP WOMAN [#2] in ‘71, IF YOU LOVE ME LIKE YOU SAY YOU LOVE ME [#21], BABY SITTER [#6] & IS IT YOU, GIRL? [#18] in ‘72, and IT’S HARD TO STOP (Doing Something When It’s Good To You) [#11] in ‘73
*89] FREE ELECTRICAL BAND by Albert Hammond
LW #100 / 2 wks / 100-89 / 4th Biggest Jump on the Hot 100 - TIE [5] - 11 positions / the English singer-songwriter’s fourth song on the Hot 100 in the past nine months
#90] COSMIC SEA by The Mystic Moods
LW #95 / Peak - #83 [1 wk] / Hot 100 - 3rd wk [of 6] / 98-95-90-84-83-84 / first Hot 100 single for the Hollywood studio orchestra
#91] AVENGING ANNIE by Andy Pratt
LW #94 / 2 wks / 94-91 / only chart single for the 26-year-old Soft Rock singer-songwriter
#92] MUSIC EVERYWHERE by Tufano & Giammarese
LW #99 / 2 wks / 99-92 / only chart single for the two Chicago-born former members of The Buckinghams
#93] WHAT A SHAME by Foghat
LW #96 / 2 wks / 96-93 / second Hot 100 single for the British Rock quartet
#96] LET ME DOWN EASY by The Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose
LW #98 / Peak - #96 [1 wk] / Hot 100 - 2 wks / 98-96 / fifth & final Hot 100 single for the south Florida family group that began their Pop career with two Top 3 Gold singles; TREAT HER LIKE A LADY [#3 - 2 wks] in July ‘71 was followed by TOO LATE TO TURN BACK NOW [#2 - 2 wks] in July ‘72 and then the Top 40 singles DON’T EVER BE LONELY (A Poor Little Fool Like Me) [#23 - 1 wk] in October ‘72 and I’M NEVER GONNA BE ALONE ANYMORE [#37 - 1 wk] in February ‘73
DEBUTS ON THE HOT 100
*#84] WITH A CHILD’S HEART by Michael Jackson
*#88] HEY YOU! GET OFF MY MOUNTAIN by The Dramatics
#94] MONSTER MASH by Bobby “Boris” Pickett
#95] YOUR SIDE OF THE BED by Mac Davis
#97] SO VERY HARD TO GO by Tower of Power
#98] A LITTLE BIT LIKE MAGIC by King Harvest
Peak - #91 [1 wk] / Hot 100 - 4 wks / 98-94-92-91 / the second & last single for the Pop-Rock group on the Hot 100 followed their Top 20 hit, DANCING IN THE MOONLIGHT [#13 - 2 wks] in Feb/Mar ‘73, which spent five & half months on the Hot 100
#99] DUELING TUBAS by Martin Mull
Peak - #92 [1 wk] / Hot 100 - 3 wks / 99-92-99 / only chart single for the 29-year-old comedian-actor-artist-musician was a parody of the #2 hit DUELING BANJOS / Martin Mull would become more well known after appearing on the late-night satirical soap opera MARY HARTMAN, MARY HARTMAN [49 episodes in the dual roles of Garth Gimble & Barth Gimble] and its spinoff, the satirical talk show FERNWOOD 2 NIGHT [44 episodes as Barth Gimble] in ‘76 & ‘77 / Martin Mull has appeared in three dozen films, beginning with FM in ‘78, and including SERIAL - his one leading role - and MY BODYGUARD in ‘80, TAKE THIS JOB AND SHOVE IT in ‘81, MR. MOM in ‘83, as Colonel Mustard in CLUE in ‘85, MRS. DOUBTFIRE in ‘93, HOW THE WEST WAS FUN in ‘94, Disney’s live action remake of 101 DALMATIANS in ‘96 and A FUTILE AND STUPID GESTURE in ‘18 / he has appeared in four dozen TV shows with recurring roles in more than 20 series, including AMERICA 2-NIGHT [65 episodes as Barth Gimble] in ‘78, ROSEANNE [46 episodes as Leon Carp] from ‘91 to ‘97, SABRINA, THE TEENAGE WITCH [73 episodes as the principal] from ‘97 to ‘00, THE ELLEN SHOW [18 episodes as Ed Munn] in ‘01 - ‘02, as the voice of the main villain Vlad Plasmius/Vlad Masters in animated superhero TV show DANNY PHANTOM [16 episodes] from ‘04 to ‘07, ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT [4 episodes as private investigator Gene Parmesan] from ‘04 to ‘13, as the voice of Father Donovan in animated sitcom AMERICAN DAD! [10 episodes] from ‘05 to ‘11 and TWO AND A HALF MEN [6 episodes as humorous pharmacist Russell] from ‘08 to ‘13; Mull was one of the main characters in two TV shows - one of the fathers who moves in with his adult children & their families in DADS [19 episodes] in ‘13-‘14 and in THE COOL KIDS [22 episodes], co-starring with David Alan Grier, Vicki Lawrence & Leslie Jordan in ‘18-‘19; he was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his four episodes in VEEP in ‘16 / Martin Mull is also a painter, whose style often combines photorealism, pop art & collage; one of his paintings was used as the cover of a novel by Joyce Carol Oates and another, owned by Steve Martin, was the cover of an album by Martin & Edie Brickell / Martin Mull wrote the A BOY NAMED SUE parody “A Girl Named Johnny Cash”, which reached #61 Country for Jane Morgan in ‘70; his self-titled debut album in ‘72 included contributions from guest musicians Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Levon Helm [of The Band], Keith Spring [of NRBQ] and Libby Titus; Mull, who decorates his stages with thrift store finds, has been the opening act for a number of artists, including Frank Zappa, Billy Joel, Randy Newman and Folk singer Sandy Denny; he released nine more albums between ‘73 & ‘98 / Martin Mull has been divorced twice and has a daughter with his third wife, keyboardist-vocalist Wendy Haas, who was in the early ‘70s all-female Rock band, Fanny; Haas has recorded with Santana and Latin fusion ensemble Azteca, and performed and/or recorded with a number of artists, including Alice Cooper, Boz Scaggs, Melissa Manchester, Kenny Rankin, Kiki Dee, and Spencer Davis; their daughter Maggie was co-executive producer of animated sitcom FAMILY GUY, as of ‘21 / DUELING TUBAS reached #87 on Canada’s RPM Top 100 chart & #70 on the RPM EL chart
#100] WORKING CLASS HERO by Tommy Roe
the final two singles on the Hot 100 by the King of Bubblegum Pop were a change of direction for the ‘60s hitmaker & his latest was his first to appear on the Country singles chart / Roe charted 22 songs on the Hot 100 between late July ‘62 and May ‘73; half of them were Top 40 hits, with six reaching the Top 20; all six Top 20s were Top 10 hits and four were certified Gold Records / several of Roe’s singles that weren’t Top 40 hits in the US were Top 40 or Top 10 hits in other countries / Roe released seven more singles between ‘75 & ‘78 before landing his second single on Billboard’s Country chart; he charted seven Country “45”s from ‘79 to ‘87 - but only one, LET’S BE FOOLS LIKE THAT AGAIN [#38] reached the Top 40 / Tommy Roe recorded a dozen studio albums from ‘62 to ‘77 - but only five sold well enough to reach Billboard’s Top 200 album chart: SHEILA [#110] in ‘62, SWEET PEA [#94] in ‘66, IT’S NOW WINTER’S DAY [#159] in ‘67, DIZZY [#25] in ‘68 and WE CAN MAKE MUSIC [#134] in ‘70 / his most recent album, DEVIL’S SOUL PIE, came out in ‘12; Tommy Roe has released five compilation albums, beginning with 12 IN A ROE: A COLLECTION OF TOMMY ROE’S GREATEST HITS [#21] in ‘70, 16 GREATEST HITS in ‘72, THE BEST OF TOMMY ROE: YESTERDAY, TODAY AND TOMORROW in ‘90, TOMMY ROE’S GREATEST HITS in ‘93 and 20 GREATEST HITS in ‘98
SHEILA
Peak - #1 [2 wks] in early September ‘62 / Top 10 - 6 wks / Top 20 - 9 wks / Top 40 - 11 wks / Hot 100 - 14 wks / 73-43-24-12-5-1-1-2-3-5-11-16-38-59 / Gold
Tommy Roe’s 2nd Biggest Hit / originally written by Roe as “Frita” [the name of a girl in his High School], but the record label suggested a change, so the song was renamed for his Aunt Sheila, who was visiting at the time; first recorded by Roe with his backing group The Satins & female backing singers The Flamingos for Judd Records in ‘61 - but it did not chart / in the Felton Jarvis-produced version for ABC-Paramount Records, the song sounds similar to The Crickets’ PEGGY SUE with Roe’s vocals sounding like Buddy Holly / title track of Tommy Roe’s debut studio album, which reached #110 on Billboard’s Top 200 album chart / The Beatles performed the song in ‘62 & recorded a live version for BBC Radio in October but it did not air & the tape has since been lost; included on the double bootleg album LIVE! FROM THE STAR CLUB IN HAMBURG, GERMANY; 1962, recorded between Christmas & New Year’s Eve / French singer Annie Chancel launched her long & impressive career with the song in ‘62, reaching the Top 10 in both France [#9] & Belgium [Wallonia] [#7]; subsequently she recorded as Sheila and had a string of 52 Top 10 hits with 20 #1s; her last Top 10 hit charted 20 years after her first; Sheila scored nine #1 hits in a row on the French singles chart from ‘64 to ‘66, followed by a #2 and four more #1s through ‘68 / other cover versions: English band Status Quo in ‘68, teen singer Leif Garrett [#63 Australia] in ‘79, and the Greg Kihn Band on the album ROCKIHNROLL in ‘81 / a parody of Roe’s first hit was recorded by Portland, Oregon, radio station KKRZ in the fall of ‘84; “Shut Up Sheela” by Dan Clark & the Z100 Morning Zoo mocked Ma Anand Sheela, spokesperson for Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, who often used profanity in TV interviews; Rajneesh and his followers had set up camp in Wasco County, Oregon, and tried to take over the local government by bringing in homeless people to vote for their candidates; after the Rajneeshi’s failed in their election attempt, the homeless people were abandoned & the parody single raised funds to care for them; later, Sheela and others were arrested for their parts in a bioterror attack by introducing Salmonella into the salad bars of ten local restaurants, which resulted in over 750 cases of food poisoning; “Shut Up Sheela” lyrics: "Sweet little Sheela, Ma Anand Sheela, you're the Bhagwan's right-hand gal / Big-mouthed Sheela, Ma Anand Sheela, you should take a silence vow / Shut up Sheela, on the news we see ya, saying words you should not say / She's a red disaster, that is why we ask her to dry up and blow away / Me and Sheela go for a ride, oh oh oh oh feelin' funny inside / Then little Sheela screams in my ear, ow! ow! ow! ow! Shut up Sheela dear"
SHEILA
Sweet little Sheila, you'll know her if you see her
Blue eyes and a ponytail
Cheeks are rosy, she looks a little nosy
Man, this little girl is fine
Never knew a girl like a little Sheila
Her name drives me insane
Sweet little girl, that's my little Sheila
Man, this little girl is fine
Me and Sheila go for a ride
Oh-oh-oh-oh, I feel all funny inside
Then little Sheila whispers in my ear
Oh-oh-oh-oh, I love you Sheila dear
Sheila said she loved me, she said she'd never leave me
True love will never die
We're so doggone happy just bein' around together
Man, this little girl is fine
Never knew a girl like a little Sheila
Her name drives me insane
Sweet little girl, that's my little Sheila
Man, this little girl is fine
Me and Sheila go for a ride
Oh-oh-oh-oh, I feel all funny inside
Then little Sheila whispers in my ear
Oh-oh-oh-oh, I love you Sheila dear
Sheila said she loved me, she said she'd never leave me
True love will never die
We're so doggone happy just bein' around together
Man, this little girl is fine
Oh, this little girl is fine
Yeah, this little girl is fine
Oh, this little girl is fine
SUSIE DARLIN’
Peak - #35 [1 wk] in November ‘62 / Top 40 - 2 wks / Hot 100 - 8 wks / 81-61-51-47-36-35-46-58
written by Los Angeles-born singer Robin Luke, who was a high school student living in Honolulu, Hawaii, at the time / originally called “All Night Long,” the song was retitled SUSIE DARLIN’ for the songwriter’s five-year-old sister and recorded at the same time as his other song LIVING’S LOVING YOU / while still in high school, Luke had begun singing professionally on a Honolulu TV show, where he came to the attention of local record label owner Bobby Bertram; Robin Luke recorded the two songs in Bertram’s bedroom with the bathroom serving as an echo chamber and Bertram adding percussion [by hitting two sticks on a pen in his pocket] / SUSIE DARLIN’ b/w LIVING’S LOVING YOU, released on Bertram International Records, had fantastic airplay when released in Hawaii in May ‘58 and ten days later, it was the bestselling single in Honolulu; as fortune would have it, newly married distributors of Dot Records* from Cleveland, Ohio, heard the Hawaiian hit while on their honeymoon and Bertram arranged for the label to handle national distribution of the single / Robin Luke recorded ten more singles between ‘58 & ‘62 but none charted on the Hot 100 / Luke retired from the music business in ‘65, saying he never intended to make a career of it; he was later inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame and still performed occasionally / Robin Luke earned a degree in Business Administration & Marketing from the University of Missouri-Columbia and has been a professor at Old Dominion University [becoming Department Head], University of the Virgin Islands, and Missouri State University, where he started the Marketing Department; he retired in ‘11 at the age of 69 / SUSIE DARLIN’ peaked at #5 for Luke on Billboard’s Pop chart & reached #26 on the R&B chart; the song was a #1 hit on the CHUM** chart in Canada & peaked at #23 in the UK / **[Canada’s CHUM chart was considered the national Canadian Top 40 chart until the RPM chart was launched in ‘64; the chart was started by CHUM AM in Toronto as CHUM's Weekly Hit Parade, beginning on 5/27/57, and ended nearly 30 years later in ‘86] / other cover versions of Robin Luke’s lone hit: Tommy Kent - #4 in West Germany in ‘58, Mike Curb, as “Suzie Darling” with altered title & lyrics, in ‘65, and #7 in Australia by singer-actor-TV personality Barry Crocker in ‘73 [the #57 hit for the year] / Tommy Roe’s cover version was produced by Felton Jarvis; #13 in Australia, #21 in Canada & #37 in the UK
*[Dot Records was known for having white artists record versions of R&B hits, most notably Pat Boone, who had ten Pop hits with former R&B singles, including Fats Domino’s AIN’T THAT A SHAME [#1] in ‘55 and Little Richard’s TUTTI FRUTTI [#12] & LONG TALL SALLY [#8] in ‘56, before turning to more Pop-oriented material; Boone had 59 Hot 100 songs on Dot Records from ‘55 to ‘66 - 38 Top 40s, 25 Top 20s, and 18 Top 10s - with most of his biggest hits charting from ‘55 to ‘59; six of his Top 10 hits were #1s, beginning with his second single - the Fats Domino cover [2 wks] - which was followed by I ALMOST LOST MY MIND [4 wks] in ‘56 [a #1 R&B hit for Ivory Joe Hunter in ‘50]; DON’T FORBID ME [1 wk], LOVE LETTERS IN THE SAND [7 wks] & APRIL LOVE [6 wks] in ‘57; and MOODY RIVER [1 wk] in ‘61 / Dot also distributed records for Pop group The Hilltoppers, who had Top 10 hits with TRYING [#7] in ‘52 & P.S. I LOVE YOU [#4] in ‘53 and others / beginning in ‘54, Dot Records recorded both R&B artists [Ivory Joe Hunter, Brownie McGee, The Four Dots, Shorty Long & others] and Country artists [Jimmy “C.” Newman - CRY, CRY DARLING - #4 C&W in ‘54 and Mac Wiseman - THE BALLAD OF DAVY CROCKETT - #10 C&W in ‘55] / Warner Bros. actor & teen heartthrob Tab Hunter couldn’t sing a note until coached to sing YOUNG LOVE [#1 - 6 wks] in ‘57; Hunter’s huge hit on Dot Records angered the head of the movie studio so much that he formed Warner Bros. Records, so Hunter was under contract musically, as well - but he never had another major hit while recording for the new label]
THE FOLK SINGER
Peak - #84 [1 wk] in May ‘63 / Hot 100 - 3 wks / 87-84-93
while never rising above #84 in the US, Roe’s third US single was a Top 40 hit in Australia [#20] & Canada [#34] and a Top 5 hit in the UK, peaking at #4 / written by singer-songwriter Merle Kilgore & produced by Felton Jarvis; Kilgore was later the manager of Hank Williams, Jr. / not included on an album until SWEET PEA in ‘66
EVERYBODY
Peak - #3 [2 wks] in December ‘63 / Top 10 - 6 wks / Top 20 - 8 wks / Top 40 - 11 wks / Hot 100 - 14 wks / 68-53-30-22-14-9-7-7-3-3-9-17-25-41
Tommy Roe’s 3rd Biggest Hit / written by Tommy Roe & produced by Felton Jarvis; not included on an album until SWEET PEA in ‘66 / recorded at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama / cover versions: early ‘60s singer Ray Peterson, as a non-charting single in ‘65 - Peterson is best known for TELL LAURA I LOVE HER [#7] in August ‘60 & CORINNA, CORINNA [#9] in early January ‘61; German Rock band Asterix on its self-titled debut album in ‘70 - the group became Lucifer’s Friend on its next album & continued recording through ‘91, re-forming in ‘14; and by Spring [later known as American Spring] on its self-titled debut album in ‘72 - the two members of Spring, sisters Marilyn Wilson [married to Beach Boy Brian Wilson] & Diane Rovell, had previously been in The Honeys with their cousin Ginger Blake / Tommy Roe’s original recording peaked at #18 in Australia, #3 in Canada & #9 in the UK
EVERYBODY
Everybody, Everybody, Everybody's had a broken heart now
Everybody, Everybody, Everybody's had the blues
Everybody, Everybody, Everybody's blue when they're lonesome
Everybody, Everybody, Everybody's had the blues
One time or other everybody listen to me
You lose somebody you love
That's no reason for you to break down and cry
I said a hey Everybody, Everybody, Everybody's had a lonely moment
Everybody, Everybody, Everybody's had the blues
One time or other everybody listen to me
You lose somebody you love
That's no reason for you to break down and cry
I said a hey Everybody, Everybody, Everybody's had a broken heart now
Everybody, Everybody, Everybody's had the blues
Everybody, Everybody, Everybody's blue when they're lonesome
Everybody, Everybody, Everybody's had the blues
Everybody, Everybody, Everybody's had a broken heart now
Everybody, Everybody, Everybody's had the blues
COME ON
Peak - #36 [1 wk] in late February ‘64 / Top 40 - 4 wks / Hot 100 - 8 wks / 82-64-51-40-38-38-36-57
written by Rick Hall & Dan Penn and produced by Felton Jarvis; Hall was the owner of FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, & Penn was a session musician / #42 in Australia & #23 in Canada
CAROL
Peak - #61 [1 wk] in late May ‘64 / Hot 100 - 6 wks / 96-85-79-69-61-70
Tommy Roe’s cover of the Chuck Berry song [#18 in ‘58] only got as high as #61 in the US but was a Top 20 hit - #16 - in Australia / included on the compilation album 12 IN A ROE: A COLLECTION OF TOMMY ROE’S GREATEST HITS [#21] in ‘70
PARTY GIRL
Peak - #85 [1 wk] in December ‘64 / Hot 100 - 3 wks / 87-87-85
written by Buddy Buie & Billy Gilmore and b/w OH HOW I COULD LOVE YOU, written by Tommy Roe; produced by Felton Jarvis / included on the SWEET PEA album / a Top 10 hit in Australia, where it rose to #7
SWEET PEA
Peak - #8 [2 wks] in July/Aug ‘66 / Top 10 - 4 wks / Top 20 - 7 wks / Top 40 - 10 wks / Hot 100 - 14 wks / 90-81-58-37-24-15-10-8-8-10-12-19-35-43 / Gold
Tommy Roe’s 4th Biggest Hit / written by Tommy Roe & produced by Gary S. Paxton / Paxton was “Flip” of duo Skip & Flip [named for the pet poodles of the owner of Brent Records], who had a pair of #11 hits with IT WAS I in ‘59 & CHERRY PIE in ‘60; Paxton & his roommate Kim Fowley were responsible for the #1 hit ALLEY OOP as The Hollywood Argyles in ‘60; Paxton produced a second #1 novelty hit in ‘62 - MONSTER MASH [currently on the Hot 100 for a third time this week at #94] by Bobby “Boris” Pickett & was a member of backing band The Crypt-Kickers; during the time he began producing Tommy Roe, he was also working as an engineer for The Association on their first two hits, ALONG COMES MARY & CHERISH; Paxton received a Grammy Engineering nomination for the first song / SWEET PEA was the title song of Roe’s fifth album, which reached #94 on Billboard's Top 200 album chart / cover versions: The Ventures on the album WILD THINGS in ‘66; Easy Listening pianist Roger Williams as the B-side of LOVE ME FOREVER [#60 Pop / #3 EL - his 5th straight Top 10 EL hit] in ‘67; Friar Tuck as the B-side of ALLEY-OOP in ‘67; Manfred Mann - #36 in the UK in ‘67; released as a single in Quebec by French Canadian singer-actor Donald Lautrec in ‘67; “sampled” by Gang Starr on the track “Movin’ On” from the album NO MORE MR. NICE GUY in ‘89 & the drum break was “sampled” by Big Audio Dynamite on “Rush” in ‘91; recorded by Canadian Indie Pop band The Cubs in ‘93 & finally released when their debut album, BETTI-COLA, was re-released in ‘07 / featured in the acclaimed film JESUS’ SON, starring Billy Crudup, Samantha Morton, Holly Hunter & Dennis Hopper, in ‘99, and in the Hulu miniseries THE GIRL FROM PLAINVILLE in ‘22 / Tommy Roe’s third Top 10 US hit was an even bigger hit in other countries - #7 in Australia and #1 in both Canada & New Zealand
SWEET PEA
Oh Sweet Pea come on and dance with me
Come on, come on, come on and dance with me
Oh Sweet Pea won't you be my girl
Won't you, won't you, won't you be my girl
I went to a dance just the other night
I saw a girl there she was out of sight
I asked a friend of mine who she could be
He said that her friends just call her Sweet Pea
Oh Sweet Pea come on and dance with me
Come on, come on, come on and dance with me
Oh Sweet Pea won't you be my girl
Won't you, won't you, won't you be my girl
I walked on over and asked her to dance
Thinkin' maybe later we would make a romance
But every guy there was thinkin' like me
I had to stand in line to get a dance with Sweet Pea
Oh Sweet Pea come on and dance with me
Come on, come on, come on and dance with me
Oh Sweet Pea won't you be my girl
Won't you, won't you, won't you be my girl
I finally got to whisper sweet words in her ear
Suggest her that we outta get away from there
We took a little walk I held he close to me
And underneath the stars I said to Sweet Pea
Oh Sweet Pea I love you can't you see
Love you, love you, love you can't you see
Oh Sweet Pea won't you be my girl
HOORAY FOR HAZEL
Peak - #6 [1 wk] in early November ‘66 / Top 10 - 2 wks / Top 20 - 7 wks / Top 40 - 11 wks / Hot 100 - 13 wks / 75-59-39-23-16-11-8-6-14-15-19-21-40
Tommy Roe’s fourth Top 10 hit was written by Roe & produced by Steve Clark / backing vocals by singer-songwriter-guitarist Lee Mallory / on the SWEET PEA album, which also included cover versions of The Rolling Stones’ UNDER MY THUMB, The Troggs’ WILD THING & WHERE WERE YOU WHEN I NEEDED YOU by The Grass Roots, along with Roe’s earlier hits SHEILA, THE FOLK SINGER & EVERYBODY / covered by English Hong Kong band Terry Robin & the Playboys / #28 in Australia, #2 in Canada & #1 in New Zealand
IT’S NOW WINTER’S DAY
Peak - #23 [2 wks] in February ‘67 / Top 40 - 5 wks / Hot 100 - wks / 87-84-64-53-42-29-24-24-23-23-65
written by Tommy Roe & produced by Steve Clark / the serious song was b/w Roe’s KICK ME CHARLIE / title song of Roe’s seventh album - #159 on Billboard’s Top 200 album chart / #13 in Canada
SING ALONG WITH ME
Peak - #91 [1 wk] in early April ‘67 / 91 / Hot 100 - 1 wk
written by Tommy Roe and b/w NIGHTIME, written by Roe & R. Whitley, and produced by Steve Clark / from the album IT’S NOW WINTER’S DAY
LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
Peak - #99 [1 wk] in June ‘67 / 99 / Hot 100 - 1 wk
written by Tommy Roe and b/w his THE YOU I NEED and produced by Steve Clark / first single released from Roe’s sixth album PHANTASY
DIZZY
Peak - #1 [4 wks] in Mar/Apr ‘69 / Top 10 - 9 wks / Top 20 - 10 wks / Top 40 - 13 wks / Hot 100 - 15 wks / 86-44-39-25-10-4-1-1-1-1-3-5-9-11-22 / Gold
Tommy Roe’s Biggest Hit / co-written by Roe & Country artist Freddy Weller, who was lead guitarist of Paul Revere & the Raiders from ‘67 to ‘75, and produced by Steve Barri / covered by a wide variety of artists - from German-Caribbean Disco-Funk vocal group Boney M to English Rock-New Wave artist Wreckless Eric to “British Invasion” singer Billy J. Kramer / English comedian Vic Reeves and Alternative Rock band The Wonder Stuff also had a big hit with the song in ‘91 - #1 [2 wks] in the UK, #2 in Ireland, #3 in Australia, #6 on the Eurochart, #14 in Austria & #28 in New Zealand; “whirlpool” washers & microwaves behind the band served as amplifiers in the video / Roe’s biggest hit was also the title song of his highest charting US album, which reached #25 on Billboard’s album chart / the song was also a huge international hit for Roe - #1 in Canada & the UK, #2 in Australia & Ireland, and #4 in Norway & West Germany
DIZZY
Dizzy
I'm so dizzy, my head is spinning
Like a whirlpool, it never ends
And it's you, girl, making it spin
You're making me dizzy
First time that I saw you, girl, I knew that I just had to make you mine
But it's so hard to talk to you with fellas hanging round you all the time
I want you for my sweet pet
But you keep playing hard to get
I'm going around in circles all the time
Dizzy
I'm so dizzy, my head is spinning
Like a whirlpool, it never ends
And it's you, girl, making it spin
You're making me dizzy
I finally got to talk to you and I told you just exactly how I felt
Then I held you close to me and kissed you and my heart began to melt
Girl, you've got control of me
'Cause I'm so dizzy I can't see
I need to call a doctor for some help
Dizzy
I'm so dizzy, my head is spinning
Like a whirlpool, it never ends
And it's you, girl, making it spin
You're making me dizzy
My head is spinning
Like a whirlpool, it never ends
And it's you, girl, making it spin
You're making me dizzy
You're making me dizzy
HEATHER HONEY
Peak - #29 [1 wk] in late May ‘69 / Top 40 - 3 wks / Hot 100 - 8 wks / 87-62-51-40-32-29-44-55
written by Tommy Roe & produced by Steve Barri / DIZZY album track MONEY IS MY PAY, co-written by Weller & Roe, was the B-side / the follow-up single to DIZZY was also a Top 40 hit in West Germany [#23] & the UK [#24] - but a much bigger Top 10 hit in Australia [#9] & Canada [#6]
JACK AND JILL
Peak - #54 [1 wk] in August ‘69 / Hot 100 - 7 wks / 99-89-78-60-56-54-62
written by Weller & Roe b/w TIP TOE TINA, written by Roe, and produced by Steve Barri / included on 12 IN A ROE: A COLLECTION OF TOMMY ROE’S GREATEST HITS / #27 in Australia & #10 in Canada
JAM UP JELLY TIGHT
Peak - #8 [1 wk] in January ‘70 / Top 10 - 3 wks / Top 20 - 7 wks / Top 40 - 11 wks / Hot 100 - 14 wks / 88-69-43-37-31-23-20-13-10-8-9-15-17-38 / Gold
Tommy Roe’s 5th Biggest Hit / written by Roe & Freddie Weller b/w MOONTALK, written by Roe, and produced by Steve Barri / included on 12 IN A ROE: A COLLECTION OF TOMMY ROE’S GREATEST HITS in ‘70 / covered by Canadian Punk Rock band Teenage Head for their fourth album TROUBLE IN THE JUNGLE in ‘86 / “Jam up & jelly tight” was a southern phrase of Tommy Roe’s father’s, which he said when things were going well or when he saw a pretty girl / Tommy Roe’s sixth & final Top 10 US hit was even bigger in Australia & Canada, peaking at #5 in both countries
JAM UP JELLY TIGHT
Jam up and jelly tight
My, my, my, my baby
Now you're outta sight
Jam up and jelly tight
You look a little naughty
But you're so polite
Jam up and jelly tight
You won't say you will but
There's a chance that you might
I said the first day I met you
Someday I'm gonna catch you
Now you're here and baby I love it
So come on and give me some lovin
Jam up and jelly tight
My, my, my, my baby
Now you're outta sight
Jam up and jelly tight
You look a little naughty
But you're so polite
Jam up and jelly tight
You won't say you will but
There's a chance that you might
You've got a sweet disposition
So come on and give me permission
For one kiss and maybe another
You'll see we were meant for each other
Jam up and jelly tight
My, my, my, my baby
Now you're outta sight
Jam up and jelly tight
You look a little naughty
But you're so polite
Jam up and jelly tight
You won't say you will but
There's a chance that you might
STIR IT UP AND SERVE IT
Peak - #50 [1 wk] in late March ‘70 / Hot 100 - 6 wks / 83-70-59-52-50-61
written by Freddie Weller b/w FIREFLY, written by Tommy Roe & Allen McCollum, and produced by Steve Barri / first single from Roe’s ninth album WE CAN MAKE MUSIC [#134] / #69 in Australia
PEARL
Peak - #50 [2 wks] in early August ‘70 / Hot 100 - 9 wks / 91-81-73-61-58-53-50-50-55
written by Tommy Roe & Freddie Weller and produced by Steve Barri; b/w DOLLARS OF PENNIES, also written by Roe & Weller, from the DIZZY album / second single from WE CAN MAKE MUSIC / #60 in Australia & #17 in Canada
WE CAN MAKE MUSIC
Peak - #49 [2 wks] in October ‘70 / Hot 100 - 6 wks / 76-66-57-49-49-54
written by Lou T. Jozie b/w GOTTA KEEP ROLLING ALONG [from DIZZY], written by Tommy Roe, and produced by Steve Barri / title song & third single from Roe’s ninth album / #87 in Australia
STAGGER LEE
Peak - #25 [3 wks] in October ‘71 / Top 40 - 7 wks / Hot 100 - 12 wks / 74-66-60-52-45-37-34-31-25-25-25-38
credited to Lloyd Price & Harold Logan and produced by Steve Barri / only single released from Roe’s tenth album, BEGINNINGS / b/w BACK STREETS AND ALLEYS, written by Roe / STAGGER LEE is based on the murder of Billy Lyons by a pimp named “Stag” or “Stack” Lee Shelton in St. Louis, Missouri, at Christmas 1895; the song was first published in 1911 but was most likely first sung by field hands in the lower Mississippi River basin and was recorded as “Stack O’Lee” by Fred Waring & his Pennsylvanians in ‘23; “Skeeg-a-Lee Blues” by Lovie Austin was the first recording with lyrics in ‘24; Mississippi John Hurt’s recording from ‘28 is considered the definitive version; other pre-WWII versions: Duke Ellington in ‘27, Cab Calloway in ‘31 & Woody Guthrie in ‘41 / Lloyd Price’s version topped both the R&B and Pop charts in ‘58 & peaked at #7 in the UK / others who have recorded or performed STAGGER LEE cover a wide spectrum: James Brown, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, Fats Domino, Dr. John, Bob Dylan, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, The Grateful Dead, Huey Lewis & the News, Taj Mahal, Pacific Gas & Electric, Wilson Pickett, Ike & Tina Turner, The Righteous Brothers, Tom Rush, Neil Sedaka, Doc Watson, and The Youngbloods / Tommy Roe’s version reached #92 in Australia & #17 in Canada
MEAN LITTLE WOMAN, ROSALIE
Peak - #92 [2 wks] in Sept/Oct ‘72 / Hot 100 - 3 wks / 97-92-92
both sides of MEAN LITTLE WOMAN, ROSALIE b/w SKYLINE were written by London guitarist R.W. Laws and produced by Troupe One, Inc. / first Roe single to be released on Country label MGM South, after recording for ABC-Paramount from ‘62 to ‘66 and ABC Records from ‘66 to ‘71
WORKING CLASS HERO
Peak - #97 [1 wk] in May ‘73 / Hot 100 - 4 wks / 100-98-98-97
written by Tommy Roe and produced by Mike Curb & Don Costa / b/w SUN IN MY EYES, written by Roe & produced by Tommy / has the same name as the well known John Lennon song from his first solo album, released in ‘71 / the non-album single was Roe’s first to appear on the Billboard Country chart where it peaked at #73