*#1] CROCODILE ROCK by Elton John
LW #3 / 9 wks / 73-46-30-20|-13-9-4-3-1 / British pianist-composer-singer Elton John’s fourth Top Ten single [“doin’ a thing called the Crocodile Rock”] was his first #1 hit in the US; preceding it in the Top 10 were YOUR SONG [#8 - 4 wks] in Jan/Feb ‘71 and ROCKET MAN [#6 - 1 wk] in July & HONKY CAT [#8 - 1 wk] in September ‘72
#2] YOU’RE SO VAIN by Carly Simon
LW #2 / 10 wks / 99-60-37-9-4|-1-1-1-2-2 / Gold / Simon’s second Top 10 hit was a huge hit & cultural touchstone, topping the Hot 100 for the first three weeks of January ‘73; YOU’RE SO VAIN was awarded a Gold Record by the RIAA in the 1/20/73 chart, when it was at #1 for a third week in its eighth week on the chart / THAT’S THE WAY I’VE ALWAYS HEARD IT SHOULD BE, her first single, peaked at #10 for two weeks in mid-July ‘71
#3] SUPERSTITION by Stevie Wonder
LW #1 / 12 wks / 82-71-43-32-27-22-16|-4-2-2-1-3 / ironically, Wonder’s song about superstitions was his 13th Top 10 Pop hit - a “lucky 13” for him, as it was his second “45” to reach #1, topping the Hot 100 on the 1/27/72 chart - his first #1 Pop hit since FINGERTIPS, Part 2 spent three weeks atop the chart nearly ten years earlier in August ‘63
#4] WHY CAN’T WE LIVE TOGETHER by Timmy Thomas
LW #5 / 11 wks / 94-82-62-45-32-24|-19-13-9-5-4 / first chart single for the 28-year-old Soul singer-songwriter-keyboardist, born into a family of 12 children in Evansville, Indiana, in November ‘44 / Thomas first accompanied Jazz-R&B trumpeter Donald Byrd & Jazz saxophonist Cannonball Adderly before moving on to work as a session musician in Memphis, Tennessee
#5] YOUR MAMA DON’T DANCE by Ken Loggins & Jim Messina
LW #4 / Peak - #4 [1 wk] / Top 10 - 6 wks / Top 20 - 8 wks / Top 40 - 13 wks / Hot 100 - 13th wk [of 16] / 89-68-55-34-29-24-14-10|-8-6-5-4-5-13-21-30 / after peaking at #4 last week, Loggins & Messina’s first Top 10 hit slipped back to #5 for its sixth & final week in the Top 10; it would spend three more weeks on the Hot 100 - all in the Top 40 / Kenny Loggins was signed to ABC-Dunhill as a staff songwriter and Jim Messina was a producer & former member of both Buffalo Springfield & Poco, who began working with him in ‘70; on the strength of demos of Loggins’ songs recorded in Messina’s living room, Loggins was signed to a six-album contract with Columbia Records; Messina became more involved in the recording of the first album than most producers, contributing songs, arrangements, instrumentation & vocals; the result was an “accidental duo” with an album titled SITTIN’ IN [#70 / Platinum], released in November ‘71 by Kenny Loggins with Jim Messina / two singles were released & both spent time on the Hot 100 - Loggins’ VAHEVALA [#84 -2 wks] in May - a Top 3 hit in Chicago - and Messina’s NOBODY BUT YOU [#86 - 1 wk] in June ‘72 / the album also included three songs which would become hits for other artists: HOUSE AT POOH CORNER [#53 - 2 wks / #38 Cashbox / #30 Canada] in June/July ‘71 by The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, from their fourth album UNCLE CHARLIE & HIS DOG TEDDY [#66 US / #31 Australia / #56 Canada], was the follow-up single to their Top 10 hit MR. BOJANGLES; Loggins wrote the song about loss of innocence & a longing for simpler days when he was 17; LISTEN TO A COUNTRY SONG, written by Al Garth & Jim Messina, was the title song of Country singer Lynn Anderson’s second album [#160 Top 200 / #3 Country] and would be her second #4 Country single from the album; and DANNY’S SONG, written by Kenny Loggins for his brother Danny on the birth of his first child in ‘66, while the songwriter was still a senior in high school, became the title song of Anne Murray’s seventh album [#39 Top 200 / #4 Country]; the single had not yet entered the Pop Top 40 this week, but would soon become her second Top 40 & Top 10 Pop hit in the US and would go to #1 on four charts in the US & Canada / both artist, Loggins, & producer, Messina, intended for their pairing to be for just one album; Messina hoped having his name associated with the project would get the attention of fans of his former bands; but the president of the record company looked at their collaboration with the long view in mind; Jim Messina in ‘05: "When our first album, ‘Sittin' In,’ came out, we started receiving a lot of excitement about the music and good sales. We had a choice. It was either I now go on and continue to produce him, and we do the solo career, or we stay together and let this work. For me, I did not desire to go back out on the road. I had had enough of that, and I wanted to produce records. But Clive Davis intervened and said, 'You know, I think you'd be making a mistake if you guys didn't take this opportunity. Things like this only happen once in a lifetime. It may merit you sleeping on it overnight and making a decision that will be in your best interest.' He was absolutely correct. Kenny made the decision, as well. It delayed his solo career, but it gave him an opportunity, I think, to have one."
YOUR MAMA DON’T DANCE, written & produced by Kenny Loggins & Jim Messina, was the first single released from their second album LOGGINS & MESSINA [#16 US / Platinum / #61 Australia], and was their first Top 40 hit / the song has been included on both live & compilation albums by the duo: the next-to-last song on the two-disc, 18 track ON STAGE [#5 US / Platinum / #97 Australia], recorded in April ‘72 at Winterland in San Francisco and March ‘73 at the Orpheum in Boston & Carnegie Hall in New York City, and released in April ‘74; the 10-song THE BEST OF FRIENDS [#61 / 2x Platinum], released in November ‘76; and two releases celebrating Loggins & Messina’s 35th Anniversary - the 18-song compilation album THE BEST: SITTIN’ IN AGAIN, released in May ‘05; and LIVE: SITTIN’ IN AGAIN AT THE SANTA BARBARA BOWL, which included both a CD [13 songs] & a DVD [21 songs], recorded in early July ‘05 & released in November ‘05; the DVD also included a special six-song bonus recorded on TV show THE MIDNIGHT SPECIAL in ‘73: MY MUSIC, DANNY’S SONG, YOUR MAMA DON’T DANCE, YOU NEED A MAN, COMING TO YOU and SAILIN’ THE WIND / cover versions of YOUR MAMA DON’T DANCE: Elvis Presley in a six-song Rock & Roll medley* [LONG TALL SALLY / WHOLE LOTTA SHAKIN’ GOIN ON / YOUR MAMA DON’T DANCE / FLIP FLOP AND FLY / JAILHOUSE ROCK / HOUND DOG] on ELVIS RECORDED LIVE ON STAGE IN MEMPHIS, recorded in March ‘74 & released in July ‘74 and certified Gold on 7/15/99; Heavy Metal band Y&T on the album DOWN FOR THE COUNT [#91 Top 200] in ‘85; and Glam Metal band Poison on their second album OPEN UP AND SAY…AHH! [#2 US / 5x Platinum / #7 Australia / 3x Platinum / #1 New Zealand / Platinum / #10 Canada / 4x Platinum / #18 UK / Gold], released in ‘89; YOUR MAMA DON’T DANCE was the fourth song released from the Poison album and was a Top 10 US hit & a Top 25 hit in four countries [#10 - 1 wk / #39 Mainstream Rock / #21 Australia / #3 New Zealand / #17 Canada / #13 UK] / the song has been included on two live & three compilation albums by Poison, as well as the 20th Anniversary edition of their second album / *[YOUR MAMA DON'T DANCE was the only song in the Elvis Rock & Roll medley not from the ‘50s] / Loggins & Messina’s original single of YOUR MAMA DON’T DANCE peaked at #5 for the last two weeks of January on the Cashbox [sales only] Top 100 & reached #19 on Billboard's Easy Listening chart; internationally, it was a #5 hit in Canada [#31 EL], a Top 20 hit in New Zealand [#11] & the Netherlands [#20], and a Top 40 hit in Belgium [#27] & Australia [#30]
#6] OH BABE, WHAT WOULD YOU SAY by Hurricane Smith
LW #7 / 10 wks / 74-59-48-37-30|-25-15-10-7-6 / first US chart single for the session musician & recording engineer, who produced several of Pink Floyd’s late ‘60s albums, was an unexpected Top 10 hit for the 49-year-old
#7] TROUBLE MAN by Marvin Gaye
LW #8 / Peak Position / 8 wks / 81-50-33|-26-17-13-8-7 / the Tamla Motown R&B/Soul singer’s 29th solo single was his 11th Top 10 Pop hit in 11 years of charting on the Hot 100 / title song of the blaxploitation crime thriller, directed by Ivan Dixon & starring Robert Hooks as the private detective “Mr. T.,” known for taking justice into his own hands
*#8] THE WORLD IS A GHETTO by War
LW #10 / 12 wks / 93-92-81-71-62-41-35|-30-21-15-10-8 / the fifth chart single by the R&B band formed in Long Beach, California, was their fourth Top 40 single, third Top 20 & second Top 10 hit on the Pop chart - but their first Top 10 hit since the departure of lead singer Eric Burdon, formerly the frontman of ‘60s British Invasion group The Animals
*#9] DO IT AGAIN by Steely Dan
LW #13 / 12 wks / 98-87-79-74-64-44-37|-31-23-18-13-9 / Highest Debut in the Top 10 / Biggest Jump Into the Top 10 & 2nd Biggest Jump Inside the Top 20 - 4 positions / first single for the Pop-Jazz group led by Donald Fagen & Walter Becker was finally a Top 10 hit, after a climb that began nearly at the bottom of the Hot 100 at #98 on the 11/18/72 chart
#10] HI HI HI by Wings
LW #11 / 2nd Debut in the Top 10 / Peak - #10 [1 wk] / Top 10 - 1 wk / Top 20 - 5 wks / Top 40 - 9 wks / Hot 100 - 8th wk [of 11] / 100-42-27|-22-18-12-11-10-17-24-38 / HI HI HI, credited to Paul McCartney & Linda McCartney, was the third non-album single released by McCartney’s new band; preceding it were GIVE IRELAND BACK TO THE IRISH [#21 - 2 wks] in April & MARY HAD A LITTLE LAMB // LITTLE WOMAN LOVE [#28 - 1 wk] in July ‘72 / HI HI HI [3:10] was recorded in September ‘72 at Abbey Road Studios in London at about the same time as the B-side C MOON [4:36], during sessions for the album RED ROSE SPEEDWAY / Cashbox magazine’s review: "…good old rock 'n roll as only the McCartney's can perform it, but with lyrics that more than suggest." / in the UK, the song was banned for its sexual & drug references, mishearing the abstract line "get you ready for my polygon" as "get you ready for my body gun"; McCartney commented, "The BBC got some of the words wrong. But I suppose it is a bit of a dirty song if sex is dirty and naughty. I was in a sensuous mood in Spain when I wrote it." / Wings musicians on the single: Paul McCartney - vocals, rhythm guitar & bass guitar, Linda McCartney - organ & backing vocals, Denny Laine - rhythm guitar & backing vocals, Henry McCullough - lead guitar & Denny Seiwell - drums & cowbell / HI HI HI peaked at #6 [1 wk] on 1/3/73 on the Cashbox [sales only] chart; internationally, it was also a Top 10 hit: #4 - Norway, #5 - Canada & UK [in spite of being banned by the BBC - or possibly because of it], #6 - Netherlands; Top 20: #16 - West Germany & #20 - New Zealand; and Top 40: #26 - Japan & #29 - Australia
included on the re-issue of the ‘73 album RED ROSE SPEEDWAY in ‘93 & the 3-disc deluxe edition in ‘18 / next-to-last song on the triple live album WINGS OVER AMERICA [#1 US / Platinum / #2 Australia / #1 Canada / Platinum / #8 UK / Gold], released in December ‘76 / HI HI HI was a staple of Wings live concerts in the ‘70s, with McCartney commenting, "Yeah, well, the great laugh is when we go live, it makes a great announcement. You can say ‘This one was banned!’ and everyone goes ‘Hooray!’ The audience love it, you know. ‘This next one was banned,’ and then you get raving, because everyone likes to. Everyone’s a bit anti-all-that-banning, all that censorship. Our crew, our generation, really doesn't dig that stuff, as I'm sure you know." / on WINGS GREATEST [#29 US / Platinum / #8 Australia / #25 Canada / Platinum / #5 UK / Platinum], released in November ‘78, along with three other non-album singles - ANOTHER DAY, JUNIOR’S FARM & MULL OF KINTYRE; on disc one of the two-disc WINGSPAN: HITS AND HISTORY [#2 US / 2x Platinum / #14 Australia / Gold / #4 Canada / #5 UK / Gold], released in May ‘01 / one of 80 seven-inch vinyl singles included in THE 7” SINGLES BOX, contained in a wooden crate, celebrating Paul McCartney’s post-Beatles career - from ‘71 to ‘22; only 3000 units were made available worldwide and sold out quickly after being announced in December ‘22; the singles collection was also available for download / the year of 2022 was an eventful one for McCartney with the “Got Back” tour - 16 US + 2 UK shows - from April to June, which was intended to coincide with Peter Jackson’s GET BACK documentary in ‘21 but postponed due to the Covid pandemic; McCartney’s 80th birthday on 18 June preceded headlining the Glastonbury Music Festival a week later; and in August, McCartney released a box set - McCARTNEY I II III - which brought together all three of his solo albums; Rolling Stone magazine editor Rob Sheffield wrote about the singles collection, included in the set & published on McCartney's website with the preface: "‘The 7" Singles Box’ tells McCartney’s life story in 80 vinyl singles, right after his 80th birthday. It starts with "Another Day" from 1971, his first 45 after the Beatles. It carries through his one-of-a-kind career, from Wings up to McCartney III. These singles add up to a sprawling saga—an epic, really. It's no ordinary way to tell the story of a life, but then, this is no ordinary life.”
#11] ME AND MRS. JONES by Billy Paul
LW #6 / Peak - #1 [3 wks] / Top 10 - 8 wks / Top 20 - 11 wks / Top 40 - 14 wks / Hot 100 - 14th wk [of 16] / 74-48-39-23-13-6-1-1-1|-3-3-3-6-11-20-31 / Gold / born Paul Williams in Philadelphia in December ‘34, Billy Paul began singing from an early age, influenced by the records in his mother’s record collection - female singers Dinah Washington, Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone & especially Billie Holiday, along with Johnny Mathis, Jessie Blevin [known as “Mr. Easy”] & Sam Cooke; “They all had a style, a silkiness about them.... I wanted to sing silky, like butter – mellow” - but he noted, “Female vocalists just did more with their voices, and that's why I paid more attention to them." / he sang on a local radio station when he was 11 and, in a few years, began performing in clubs / “When I was 16, I played the Club Harlem in Philly, and I was on the same bill as Charlie Parker. He died later that year. I was there with him for a week, and I learned what it would normally take two years to pick up. Bird told me if I kept struggling, I'd go a long way, and I've never forgotten his words.” / during the same time, he gained his stage name from his manager: “I warmed up the Apollo for six weeks and that’s where he gave me the name Billy Paul. I didn't question it." / Paul recorded several singles for New York-based Jubilee Records when he was 18 in ‘52 - but in spite of favorable reviews, neither charted / he was drafted into the Army & stationed in Germany in ‘57 on the same base as Elvis Presley & Gary Crosby - Bing’s son; Paul & Crosby formed the Jazz Blues Symphony Band and toured Germany with other musicians on base; “Elvis didn’t wanna join us. I used to see him every day, but he drove the jeep for the Colonel. He didn’t want to join our band. He wanted to get away from music for a while, while he was in the service you know.” / after his discharge, Paul formed a Jazz trio and recorded singles on the New Dawn & Finch labels; he filled in briefly for one of the Blue Notes [“Well, I didn’t want to dance so Harold Melvin fired me.”] and had a six-month stint with The Flamingos; while with the Blue Notes, he met Marvin Gaye, who was in the Moonglows; “We were such good friends. We never did a record together and that would have been one of my dreams.”
Billy Paul met Kenny Gamble while he was recording & co-producing his first album with his manager-wife, Blanche; “I was singing in a jazz club called the Sahara. He had a record shop on South Street & Philly – right ‘round the corner, and I was singing with a trio at the Sahara club on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. He came over and said, 'I am starting a record company, and I would like to sign you.'” / FEELIN’ GOOD AT THE CADILLAC CLUB, his studio album of Jazz cover songs with a “live atmosphere,” was recorded in just three & a half hours and was the first album released on the fledgling Gamble label in ‘68 / EBONY WOMAN, his second album, combining Jazz with Soul, was produced by Gamble & Huff and released on their Neptune label in ‘70; his first album hadn’t charted but his second reached both the Top 200 [#183] & Soul [#12] album charts / after Neptune folded, Gamble & Huff formed Philadelphia International Records, signing a distribution deal with CBS Records head Clive Davis, and Billy Paul was one of the first signings / his first Philly International album, GOING EAST, released in ‘71, was recorded with the house studio band MFSB at Sigma Sound Studios as Gamble & Huff refined their blend of Jazz & funky Soul; Paul’s third album also charted on the Top 200 [#197] & Soul [#42] charts and his cover of Steppenwolf's MAGIC CARPET RIDE almost reached the singles charts / asked about the “Philly Sound,” Paul said, “It's very, very important to me. I was born here and so many great and influential artists come from here as well. It’s a city of its own and has its own sound. I think what makes it different is the drama; you know how they say everyone marches to their own beat? Well, I think Philly has its own beat as well, and it's distinctive. It sounds easy, but it's hard to play.”
Paul’s fourth album, 360 DEGREES OF BILLY PAUL [#17 Top 200 / #1 - 2 wks Soul] - with musical influences coming from all directions, proved to be his breakthrough, featuring the silky-smooth single ME AND MRS. JONES / the album’s eight tracks were again produced by Gamble & Huff, and also included BROWN BABY and AM I BLACK ENOUGH FOR YOU - both Gamble & Huff songs, three cover songs - Carole King’s IT’S TOO LATE, Al Green’s LET’S STAY TOGETHER and Elton John’s YOUR SONG, and the eight-minute track I’M JUST A PRISONER, co-written by Gamble & multi-instrumentalist-singer Bunny Sigler / in ME AND MRS. JONES, the couple meets "every day at the same cafe" and is addicted to their relationship "We got a thing going on / we both know that it's wrong / but it's much too strong / to let it go now" / at 4:45, the single version was a few seconds shorter than the album version - but the radio edit was shorter, eliminating the second verse; the hit single’s B-side was YOUR SONG / ME AND MRS. JONES, written by Gamble & Huff and Cary Gilbert, featured seven notes played on the saxophone on both the song’s intro & outro; the notes came from the beginning of Doris Day’s SECRET LOVE, her #1 hit from the film CALAMITY JANE, in which she starred in the title role in ‘53; the song’s writers had not requested use of the seven notes and the writers of SECRET LOVE, Sammy Fain & Paul Francis Webster, sued Gamble & Huff and Gilbert for copyright infringement and won a settlement giving them half of the writing profits from Paul’s hit single / cover versions of ME AND MRS. JONES, include The Dramatics [#47 Pop / #4 Soul] in ‘74, Freddie Jackson [#32 R&B] in ‘92, Daryl Hall & John Oates on LIVE IN CONCERT in ‘03, and Michael Bublé on his SIMPLY IRRESISTIBLE album with his girlfriend at the time, actress Emily Blunt, in ‘07 / in TV & film: BEAUTIFUL GIRLS & its soundtrack album in ‘96; in the cold-opening of the 25th Anniversary episode of SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE in ‘99, Bill Murray, as “Nick the Lounge Singer,” sings the chorus to Catherine Zeta-Jones as he wanders the audience greeting celebrity guests; BRIDGET JONES DIARY, starring Renée Zellweger, Colin Firth & Hugh Grant, in ‘01; in Season one episode “My Bad” of sitcom SCRUBS in the fall of ‘01, Turk learns the song & sings it to Carla; in the North West England Granada TV production of a movie titled ME AND MRS. JONES in ‘02, co-star Robson Green sings the song over the opening credits, with one reviewer writing that it was "simply a crime to do this to the song." / ME AND MRS. JONES topped Billboard’s Soul chart for the last four weeks of December ‘72; it also reached #1 on the Cashbox [sales only] chart for the last two weeks of December ‘72 & peaked at #10 on Billboard's Easy Listening chart / in the US, Billy Paul’s chart topper sold over one million copies; in the UK, downloads from 15.11.04 to 01.01.21 have earned the song Silver status [200,000 downloads]; internationally, Paul’s only Top 10 Pop hit was also a Top 10 hit in New Zealand [#5] & Australia [#9], and a Top 20 hit in the UK [#12] & Canada [#14]
*#12] DON’T EXPECT ME TO BE YOUR FRIEND by Lobo
LW #20 / 6 wks / 81|-54-33-26-20-12 / Biggest Jump Inside the Top 20 & 3rd Biggest Jump Inside the Top 40 - TIE [2] - 8 positions / Soft Rock singer-songwriter-guitarist’s seventh single & third Top 40 hit; Lobo’s previous two Top 40 singles were both Top 5 hits
*#13] COULD IT BE I’M FALLING IN LOVE by The Spinners
LW #23 / 6 wks / 79|-61-41-31-23-13 / Highest New Entry in the Top 20 / 2nd Biggest Jump Into the Top 20, Biggest Jump Inside the Top 40 - TIE [2] & 9th Biggest Jump on the Hot 100 - TIE [4] - 10 positions / the longstanding 5-man R&B/Soul vocal group had their second straight Top 20 Pop single for the first time - but had been charting sporadically on the Hot 100 since June ‘61
*#14] ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH by John Denver
LW #22 / 11 wks / 81-72-61-53-46-41|-35-29-25-22-14 / 2nd Highest New Entry in the Top 20 / 3rd Biggest Jump Into the Top 20 & 3rd Biggest Jump Inside the Top 40 - TIE [2] - 8 positions / Denver’s fifth chart single was his second Top 40/Top 20 hit; his first was the Gold single TAKE ME HOME, COUNTRY ROAD, which went all the way to #2 on Billboard’s 8/28/71 Hot 100 chart
*#15] DANCING IN THE MOONLIGHT by King Harvest
LW #17 / 15 wks / 90-81-77-71-67-63-58-54-47-43|-34-30-22-17-15 / the Pop Rock group’s first single was getting close to the Top 10, after a steady 15-week climb up the Hot 100, which began with its debut at #90 the last week of October ‘72; it finally entered the Top 40 in its 11th week in the first issue of Billboard in the new year
*#16] LOVE JONES by Brighter Side of Darkness
LW #18 / 9 wks / 80-77-52-46|-32-25-19-18-16 / two singles in this week’s Top 20 were “jonesing”; a “jones” was the Black slang term for having an addiction - Billy Paul’s was cleverly disguised as the married woman “Mrs. Jones,” while the singer of the hit at #16 had a “jones” for love; [Cheech & Chong would chart later in the year with a “jones” for basketball]
#17] SUPER FLY by Curtis Mayfield
LW #12 / Peak - #8 [2 wks] / Top 10 - 4 wks / Top 20 - 8 wks / Top 40 - 13 wks / Hot 100 - 12th wk [of 15] / 83-40-31-22-15-12-9|-9-8-8-12-17-23-39-58 / Gold / the title track of the blaxploitation film soundtrack was written & produced by Curtis Mayfield and released on his Curtom Records label / the song entered the Hot 100 at #83 on the 11/18/72 chart, the same week that the lead single, FREDDIE’S DEAD, dropped to #7 after peaking at #4 for two weeks / in the early 70s, songs and albums about poverty, crime, drug addiction & drug dealers and other difficult societal issues of the day were not the norm; Mayfield’s SUPER FLY soundtrack and Marvin Gaye’s WHAT’S GOING ON album from ‘71 changed that; and just as significantly, both albums, which had been seen as commercial failures by music industry executives before their release, became huge hits; the SUPER FLY soundtrack album made twice as much money as the film, changing the music industry in the process / album reviews from ‘72 - Rolling Stone magazine: "…not only a superior, imaginative soundtrack, but fine funky music as well and the best of Curtis Mayfield's four albums made since he left the Impressions."; Robert Christgau in The Village Voice: "…these songs speak for (and to) the ghetto's victims rather than its achievers, transmitting bleak lyrics through uncompromisingly vivacious music. Message: both candor and rhythm are essential to our survival."; a Rolling Stone magazine review in ‘04 called the album Mayfield’s "creative breakthrough," giving it “5 out of 5 stars”; on the AllMusic website, reviewer John Bush praised the substance of the lyrics & the complexity of its sound, and concluded by commenting on the album’s significance in its time period: “‘Super Fly’ ignited an entire genre of music, the blaxploitation soundtrack, and influenced everyone from soul singers to television-music composers for decades to come. It stands alongside ‘Saturday Night Fever’ and ‘Never Mind the Bollocks Here's the Sex Pistols’ as one of the most vivid touchstones of '70s pop music.” / the album was ranked #63 on VH1’s Greatest Albums of All Time in ‘03, and #69 on Rolling Stone magazine’s original 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, also in ‘03; selected to the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" in ‘19
portions of SUPER FLY have been “sampled” by the “break-in” hit SUPER FLY MEETS SHAFT [#31 - 1 wk] by John & Ernest in May ‘73, The Beastie Boys, The Notorious B.I.G., Nellie, Outkast, and Curtis Mayfield himself on SUPERFLY 1990 with Ice-T / in film: Tyler Perry’s comedic drama parody MADEA GOES TO JAIL in ‘09, Tim Burton’s dark fantasy, DARK SHADOWS, based on the gothic ‘70s TV soap opera, starring Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer & Helena Bonham Carter, in ‘12, and horror film THE CURSE OF LA LLORONA in ‘19 / SUPER FLY has appeared on numerous compilation albums & boxed sets by Curtis Mayfield; albums - disc two of the 40-track CURTIS MAYFIELD & THE IMPRESSIONS: THE ANTHOLOGY 1961—1977, released on Curtom Records in December ‘92, & THE VERY BEST OF CURTIS MAYFIELD [16 songs], released on Curtom / Rhino in ‘97; boxed sets - the 51 tracks on the three-disc PEOPLE GET READY — THE CURTIS MAYFIELD STORY, released on Curtom in February ‘96, are arranged in chronological order, while the 77 tracks on the four-disc SOUL LEGACY, released on Curtom in July ‘01, are arranged by theme: disc one - “Inspirational Themes” [19 songs], disc two - “Love Songs” [21 songs], disc three - “Cautionary Tales” [19 songs], disc four - “Film & Dance” [18 songs] / a deluxe two-disc 25th anniversary edition of the soundtrack album was released by Rhino Records in ‘97; the original nine songs on disc one were joined by the two edited singles [FREDDIE’S DEAD - 5:27 > 3:20 // SUPER FLY - 3:55 > 3:08] and disc two included demos, full length versions, alternate mixes, instrumental versions & a seven minute interview with Mayfield on the film & songwriting / FREDDIE’S DEAD and SUPER FLY and the soundtrack album on which they appeared were Curtis Mayfield’s commercial peak; both singles & the album were awarded Gold Records and the album went to #1 on both Billboard’s Top 200 [4 wks] & Soul [6 wks] album charts / Mayfield would have four more top-selling albums on the Soul chart with one going Gold & three more Top 10 Soul singles - but none would impact the Pop charts like his current project / Mayfield’s theme song, which played over the film’s closing credits, rose to #5 on Billboard's Soul chart & peaked at #6 on the Cashbox [sales only] chart / SUPER FLY was included in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s 500 Songs That Shaped Rock & Roll
*#18] DUELING BANJOS by Deliverance
LW #41 / 4 wks / 80-64-41-18 / Highest Debut in the Top 40 / 3rd New Entry in the Top 20 / Biggest Jump Into the Top 20, Biggest Jump Into the Top 40 & 2nd Biggest Jump on the Hot 100 - 23 positions / featured in the film DELIVERANCE, starring Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds, Ned Beatty & Ronny Cox / the artist listed as “Deliverance” on the Hot 100 was actually session musicians Eric Weissberg & Steve Mandell, who had both worked with Judy Collins and John Denver
#19] ROCKIN’ PNEUMONIA—BOOGIE WOOGIE FLU by Johnny Rivers
LW #9 / Peak - #6 [1 wk] / Top 10 - 6 wks / Top 20 - 10 wks / Top 40 - 14 wks / Hot 100 - 18th wk [of 19] / 80-75-55-49-44-38-32-26-19-15-11-10-8|-7-7-6-9-19-32 / Gold / Johnny Rivers’ 24th single on the Hot 100, dating to his first in May ‘64, was his eighth Top 10 hit - but his first since early July ‘67; after SUMMER RAIN peaked at #14 the first week of January in ‘68, Rivers had nine songs chart on the Top 100 - but no Top 40 hits for more than four & a half years, although MUDDY RIVER did almost make it, peaking at #41 [1 wk] in August ‘69 / his previous Top 10 hits: MEMPHIS [#2 - 2 wks] in July & MOUNTAIN OF LOVE [#9 - 1 wk] in December ‘64; SEVENTH SON [#7 - 3 wks] in July ‘65; SECRET AGENT MAN [#3 - 1 wk] in April & POOR SIDE OF TOWN [#1 - 1 wk] in November ‘66; and BABY I NEED YOUR LOVIN’ [#3 - 2 wks] in March & THE TRACKS OF MY TEARS [#10 - 1 wk] in July ‘67 / ROCKIN’ PNEUMONIA—BOOGIE WOOGIE FLU was Rivers’ first single to be a certified Gold Record by the RIAA
written by Johnny Vincent & Huey Smith, the song’s title is a play on “walking” pneumonia & the Asian flu, which was prevalent in the US at the time the song was written in ‘57 / first recorded by Huey “Piano” Smith & His Clowns in ‘57, it only got to #52 for a week in September on the Pop chart but was a Top 10 hit on Billboard’s R&B chart, peaking at #5; singing on the million-selling Ace Records “45” were Sidney Rayfield [Huey’s barber] & 18-year-old “Scarface” John Williams* / *[New Orleans singer Aaron Neville: "I was close with Scarface when we were teens. He sang with Huey "Piano" Smith and the Clowns in the early 1950s and then with the Tick Tocks—significant R&B groups in New Orleans. Scarface and I hung out a lot at the Dew Drop Inn on LaSalle Street. One night in March 1972, he was stabbed trying to stop a fight in front of a club on Dryades Street. His death was a big blow…” / Williams’ nickname came from a scar that ran from his eye to his chin, which he got from being hit by a car when he was a young boy; Huey “Piano” Smith told a story of the scar proving useful one night when a promoter tried shorting the band its money - but Williams’ scar got them the full amount, with the promoter saying, "I'm go' pay you now, because see, first of all my boys are scared of y'all boys, especially the one with the scar on his face!" ] / Huey “Piano” Smith’s playing style combined Boogie-Woogie, Jazz and Rhythm & Blues and was a big influence on early Rock & Roll / Smith’s biggest hit on the Pop chart came with DON’T YOU JUST KNOW IT [#9 - 1 wk] in April ‘58, which hit #4 on the R&B chart and was his second million seller / Smith was cheated out of another big hit when his label Ace Records removed his vocals without his knowledge from his backing track of SEA CRUISE & released it as a single by white singer Frankie Ford [#14 - 2 wks] in ‘59; Smith’s original version was never released & music historians consider the move to be a prime example of racial injustice in the Pop music industry of the 1950s / [Johnny Rivers released his cover of SEA CRUISE two songs before his comeback hit - but it only got to #84] / a second single by Ford, originally recorded by Smith & the Clowns was given the same treatment by Ace, but ALIMONY didn’t fare as well, only reaching #97 / Huey “Piano” Smith & His Clowns’ DON’T YOU KNOW YOCKOMO - his last single with the Clowns to chart - peaked at #56 on the Pop chart in January ‘59; a cover version by New Zealand singer Dinah Lee was her first hit and went to #1 in New Zealand & #17 in Australia [hitting #1 in both Brisbane & Melbourne] in ‘64
Johnny Rivers’ cover of the Huey “Piano” Smith classic ROCKIN’ PNEUMONIA—BOOGIE WOOGIE FLU had The Wrecking Crew playing the backing track & featured Larry Knechtel, who had played piano on several of Rivers’ ‘60s hits, on the rollicking piano / Johnny Rivers was no stranger to covering songs which were first hits by other artists & having [often more successful] hits with them himself - Chuck Berry’s MEMPHIS & MAYBELLENE, Harold Dorman’s MOUNTAIN OF LOVE, The Kingston Trio’s WHERE HAVE ALL THE FLOWERS GONE, The Four Tops’ BABY I NEED YOUR LOVIN’ and The Miracles’ THE TRACKS OF MY TEARS preceded his latest cover hit; all but Rivers’ remakes of MAYBELLENE & the Kingston Trio song were bigger hits than the original versions / ROCKIN’ PNEUMONIA—BOOGIE WOOGIE FLU peaked at #5 for the first two weeks of January 73 on the Cashbox [sales only] chart and was a Top 40 hit “down under” - #11 in New Zealand & #27 in Australia / Johnny Rivers was an even bigger hitmaker north of the border with 17 Top 40 hits [14 in the US] & ten Top 10 hits [eight in the US] in Canada; many of his US “45”s were even bigger hits in Canada’s RPM Top 10: MEMPHIS - #1 [#2 US], MAYBELLENE - #9 [#12 US], MOUNTAIN OF LOVE - #4 [#9 US], SEVENTH SON - #1 [#7 US], WHERE HAVE ALL THE FLOWERS GONE - #9 [#26 US], UNDER YOUR SPELL AGAIN - #2 [#35 US], SECRET AGENT MAN - #4 [#3 US], POOR SIDE OF TOWN - #1 [#1 US], SUMMER RAIN - #10 [#14 US] and ROCKIN’ PNEUMONIA—BOOGIE WOOGIE - #3 [#6 US]; only SECRET AGENT MAN peaked higher - by one position - in the US than in Canada
#20] SEPARATE WAYS by Elvis Presley
LW #21 / 4th New Entry in the Top 20 / Peak - #20 [1 wk] / Top 20 - 1 wk / Top 40 - 8 wks / Hot 100 - 10th wk [of 12] / 71-53-47-39-34|-28-26-23-21-20-24-44 / Presley’s 130th song on the Pop charts was his 93rd Top 40 hit and his 63rd to reach the Top 20 - all remarkable records set by the “King of Rock & Roll,” beginning in ‘56 / on Billboard’s Country chart, ALWAYS ON MY MIND b/w SEPARATE WAYS peaked at #16 - his 31st Top 40 hit on that chart / on Billboard’s Easy Listening chart, SEPARATE WAYS was a Top 10 hit, peaking at #3 - his 21st Top 10 & 17th Top 5 hit on that chart / from the album, also titled SEPARATE WAYS, which recycled earlier recordings from the late ‘50s & early ‘60s, including three songs from the soundtrack of his movie WILD IN THE COUNTRY, released in ‘61; the album reached #46 on Billboard’s Top 200 album chart & #12 on the Country album chart; released on 10/31/72, it was awarded a Gold disc more than 19 years later on 3/27/92; it reached Platinum status on 1/6/04 and has sold over three million copies worldwide / the only new material on the album was SEPARATE WAYS [2:36], written by Richard Mainegra & Red West, & the B-side, ALWAYS ON MY MIND [3:37], written by Wayne Carson, Mark James & Johnny Christopher; the A-side was recorded on March 27, 1972 & the B-side was cut two days later / ten months after it was recorded, SEPARATE WAYS reached #15 for the week of 1/27/73 on the Cashbox [sales only] chart and was a Top 10 Pop hit in Australia [#8] & the UK [#3] - but ALWAYS ON MY MIND was the A-side in the UK
Richard Mainegra, a songwriter new to the business side of music in the early ‘70s, reflected on SEPARATE WAYS, the first big hit he co-wrote: "It's a big understatement to say getting an Elvis cut was the highlight of my career. At the time, I was only 22 and right out of Slidell into the music business. I was very excited to be doing what I'd always wanted to do. I'd only had about three songs cut so far --- the Yellow Pages, Gary Puckett, and Pat Boone. I had stars in my eyes, but I wasn't prepared for what was about to happen.
“Red West, who co-wrote the song, was one of the 'Memphis Mafia' – Elvis' bodyguards and buddies. At the time, he was heading the publishing company I happened to stumble into a year earlier. One day I had a melody going that Red really liked, so he began writing lyrics to it. Before long, he had a look of real excitement in his eyes as if he knew we had something special going. We started leaning the story line toward Elvis' break-up with Priscilla and how it affected their daughter. He told me when it was finished Elvis was going to cut the song. I let that go in one ear and out the other. I thought, 'No way!' First of all, why would Elvis want to sing about his personal life that was already being dragged through the media every day? And, secondly, there was no way little ole 'small town, green me' was going to get a song cut by the one artist every songwriter in the world wanted to sing their song!
“Red telephoned me one night a few months later and played a rough cut of the recording – I was actually listening to ELVIS PRESLEY singing the song that I had co-written! I've never been higher in my life than at that moment! We eventually got word that our song would definitely be on an album. Sometimes you get a song cut, but it never makes the final 10 or 12 songs that actually go on an album. A few months later, after we all had moved to Nashville, we got word that it was going to be the flip side of the single “Always on My Mind.” How cool that was!!! A few weeks later, we were informed “Separate Ways” was going to be released as a pop single. I've had cuts by some pretty major artists since then, but nothing has ever matched the feeling I had when I first heard 'The King' sing a song of which I was lucky to be a part!"