*#21] LEAVING ME by The Independents
LW #23 / Peak - #21 [1 wk] / Top 40 - 9 wks / Hot 100 - 9th wk [of 13] / 87-66-45-40-35-30-26-23-21-28-22-26-41 / Gold / second Hot 100 single and first & only Top 40 Pop hit for the Chicago foursome of Chuck Jackson [half-brother of Rev. Jesse Jackson], Helen Curry, Eric Thomas & Maurice Jackson / LEAVING ME, written & produced by Chuck Jackson & Marvin Yancy, was their biggest hit on Billboard’s Soul chart, where it reached #1 on the 5/19/73 chart / the Soul vocal quartet had previously charted with JUST AS LONG AS YOU NEED ME, Part 1 [#84 Pop / #8 Soul] and I JUST WANT TO BE THERE [#113 Bubbling Under the Hot 100 / #38 Soul] in ‘72; they would have three more singles on the Hot 100 & five more on the Soul chart [all Top 10/Top 20 hits] through ‘74 / Chuck Jackson & Marvin Yancy were writers & producers for Natalie Cole in the early years of her career, beginning in ‘75, and Yancy & Cole were married for several years; they also worked with Soul-R&B singers Phyllis Hyman and Ronnie Dyson / The Independents recorded two studio albums for the Wand label - THE FIRST TIME WE MET [#127 Top 200 / #18 Soul] in ‘72 and CHUCK, HELEN, ERIC & MAURICE [Did Not Chart] in ‘73 / three compilation albums have been released - DISCS OF GOLD [#42 Soul] on Wand in ‘74, LEAVING ME: THEIR GOLDEN CLASSICS on Collectables in ‘91 and JUST AS LONG: THE COMPLETE WAND RECORDINGS 1972-74 on Kent Soul in ‘16
LEAVING ME
Oh, darling
After all this time
You seem to me, girl
To be changing your mind
We don't talk no more
Like we used to do
What in the world
Has come over you
oh, baby
(Can't be) tell me
(What you're telling me)
I wanna know (baby)
I heard somebody say
(Leaving me can't be)
You want your clothes back
(What you're telling me)
I want you to know (baby)
Lately, I felt that you
Avoided my conversations
You would turn on the TV
Didn't need the aggravation
I just don't know
I just don't know
What I've done to you
But whatever it is, child
I hope one thing can be true
And that is
ah
(What you're telling me)
(Can't be)
Sometimes I moan
(Leaving me can't be)
You don't know
(What you're telling me)
Don't know what
You're doing to me, baby
(Can't be) oh, lord
Girl, if you only knew what
Was going through my mind
You'd stop fooling around
And give me all your time
The best years I've had
I spent em all with you
If you left me one day
I'd be through
I'm sick, baby
(Can't be) somebody, somebody
(What you're telling me)
Somebody know what I'm
Talking about out there (baby)
I know it's gonna be like
(What you're telling me)
(Baby) I'm gonna be here
I'm gonna be here
With the neighbors
And you know how
The neighbors talk
Old Tom over there
He want you to
Leave me the house
And old Mary down there
She don't know what
She's talking about
She think I'm cutting
Up on you, baby
*#22] LONG TRAIN RUNNING by The Doobie Brothers
LW #30 / 7 wks / 84-67-61-54-43-30-22 / 2nd Biggest Jump Inside the Top 40 - 8 positions / third single & third Top 40 hit in eight months for the San Jose Rock band - LISTEN TO THE MUSIC reached the Top 40 on the 9/23/72 chart & their current hit leapt into the Top 40 last week on the 5/26/73 chart
#23] THE NIGHT THE LIGHTS WENT OUT IN GEORGIA by Vicki Lawrence
LW #16 / Peak - #1 [2 wks] / Top 10 - 7 wks / Top 20 - 10 wks / Top 40 - 14 wks / Hot 100 - 17th wk [of 20] / 100-90-80-59-47-30-16-10-1-1-2-4-5-8-12-16-23-23-26-41 / Gold / the first chart single for the CAROL BURNETT SHOW cast member was a smash hit / written by Lawrence’s husband at the time, Bobby Russell, who had written previous hits for Brian Hyland [THE JOKER WENT WILD - #20] in ‘66 and Bobby Goldsboro [HONEY - #1 Pop / #1 Country / #1 EL / #1 in four countries] in ‘68, and LITTLE GREEN APPLES, which won Russell a Grammy Award for Song of the Year and was a hit for three different artists - O.C. Smith [#2 Pop / #2 Soul / #4 EL], Patti Page [#12 EL] and Roger Miller [#6 Country / #5 EL / #39 Pop / #19 UK] / Russell didn’t like THE NIGHT THE LIGHTS WENT OUT IN GEORGIA after he wrote it & wouldn’t record a demo of the song; Lawrence thought the song was a hit & did record a demo for it / Liza Minelli was an early choice to pitch the song to, but it’s unclear if she ever heard it; the song was offered to Cher - but Sonny Bono turned it down, fearing it might offend Cher’s southern fans / instead, Cher’s producer, Snuff Garrett, recorded the song with Vicki Lawrence & the Wrecking Crew on the backing track / released as a single in November ‘72, it debuted at #100 on 2/10/73, and after a relatively slow start, the Southern Gothic tale of infidelity and murder began surging higher, topping the chart for the first of two weeks on 4/7/73 / also the title song of Lawrence’s first album [#51 Top 200] on Bell Records, which included cover versions of LITTLE GREEN APPLES, Cher’s GYPSIES, TRAMPS & THIEVES & Roberta Flack’s KILLING ME SOFTLY WITH HIS SONG and the second single, HE DID WITH ME / also recorded by Tanya Tucker in ‘81 for the film THE NIGHT THE LIGHTS WENT OUT IN GEORGIA, starring Kristy McNichol, Dennis Quaid, Mark Hammill & Don Stroud; Tucker’s version has an altered lyric & timeline to dovetail with the film’s script / recorded again a decade later by Reba McIntyre for her album FOR MY BROKEN HEART & released as a single; Reba’s cover reached #12 on the Country chart - but snapped her string of 24 straight Top 10 hits [but was a #7 Country hit in Canada]; Vicki Lawrence & Reba McIntyre performed the song together on Lawrence’s talk show VICKI!, which she hosted from ‘92 to ‘94 / in the ‘92 film, RESERVOIR DOGS, character “Nice Guy Eddie,” played by Chris Penn, comments, "...this is the first time I ever realized that the girl singin' the song is the one who shot Andy." / Pete Schofield & the Canadian’s cover version was “sampled” in the song THE TIME IS NOW, which Pro wrestler John Cena uses as his entrance music / #1 on the Cashbox [sales only] chart for 4/21/73 and #6 on Billboard’s Easy Listening chart & #36 on Billboard’s Country chart; in Canada on the RPM charts - #1 Top 100 [1 wk], #2 EL & #25 Country; #18 in New Zealand & #20 in Australia / on March 24, 1973, the final episode of the sixth season of THE CAROL BURNETT SHOW, Carol Burnett surprised Vicki Lawrence by presenting her with a Gold Record for her #1 hit
THE NIGHT THE LIGHTS WENT OUT IN GEORGIA
He was on his way home from Candletop
Been two weeks gone, and he'd thought he'd stop
At Web's and have him a drink 'fore he went home to her
Andy Warlord said, "Hello"
He said, "Hi, what's doin'?"
Wo said, "Sit down, I got some bad news and it's gonna hurt"
He said, "I'm your best friend, and you know that's right
But your young bride ain't home tonight
Since you been gone, she's been seeing that Amos boy, Seth"
Well he got mad, and he saw red
Andy said, "Boy, don't you lose your head
'Cause to tell you the truth, I've been with her myself"
That's the night that the lights went out in Georgia
That's the night that they hung an innocent man
Well, don't trust your soul to no backwoods, southern lawyer
'Cause the judge in the town's got blood stains on his hands
Well Andy got scared, and left the bar
Walkin' on home, 'cause he didn't live far
See, Andy didn't have many friends
And he just lost him one
Brother thought his wife musta left town
So he went home and finally found
The only thing Papa had left him, and that was a gun
And he went off to Andy's house
And slippin' through the back woods quiet as a mouse
Came upon some tracks too small for Andy to make
He looked through the screen at the back porch door
And he saw Andy lyin' on the floor
In a puddle of blood, and he started to shake
Well, the Georgia patrol was making their rounds
So he fired a shot just to flag 'em down
And a big-bellied sherriff grabbed
His gun and said, "Why'd you do it?"
And the judge said "guilty" in a make-believe trial
Slapped the sherriff on the back with a smile
Said, "Supper's waitin' at home, and I gotta get to it"
That's the night that the lights went out in Georgia
That's the night that they hung an innocent man
Well, don't trust your soul to no backwoods, southern lawyer
'Cause the judge in the town's got blood stains on his hands
Well, they hung my brother before I could say
The tracks he saw while on his way
To Andy's house and back that night were mine
And his cheatin' wife had never left town
And that's one body that'll never be found
See, little sister don't miss when she aims her gun
That's the night that the lights went out in Georgia
Oh, oh, oh
That's the night that they hung an innocent man
Uh, huh
Well, don't trust your soul to no backwoods, southern lawyer
'Cause the judge in the town's got blood stains on his hands
*#24] ONE OF A KIND (Love Affair) by The Spinners
LW #29 / 6 wks / 71-60-50-35-29-24 / third straight Top 40 Philly Soul hit in the past seven months for the vocal group that went five years between Top 40 hits while recording for Motown and its V.I.P. label - I’LL ALWAYS LOVE YOU [#35 - 1 wk] in August ‘65 and IT’S A SHAME [#14 - 1 wk] in October ‘70
#25] NO MORE MR. NICE GUY by Alice Cooper
LW #26 / Peak - #25 [1 wk] / Top 40 - 8 wks / Hot 100 - 8th wk [of 12] / 85-65-55-41-30-29-26-25-31-27-34-38 / eighth Hot 100 single & fifth Top 40 hit for the Rock band / third single from the band’s sixth studio album & only #1 [US & UK], BILLION DOLLAR BABIES / written by Michael Bruce & Alice Cooper and produced by Bob Ezrin / the song’s lyrics are Cooper’s response to his mother’s church group’s reaction to his stage shows - essentially saying, he could be doing worse things & he was tired of their criticism / featured in a paddling scene of the film DAZED AND CONFUSED in ‘93, which was parodied in Season 4 of FAMILY GUY in ‘05; also used in TV show ASH VS. THE EVIL DEAD, in Season 22 episode “Love Is A Many Strangled Thing” of THE SIMPSONS in ‘11, in Season 12 episode “Mom’s The Word” of FAMILY GUY in ‘14, and in Season 7 episode “Out of the Past” of THE AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. in ‘20 / re-recorded and used in video game GUITAR HERO: WARRIORS OF ROCK in ‘10 / Alice Cooper has a cameo playing the song in director Tim Burton’s film adaptation of DARK SHADOWS, starring his Hollywood Vampires* bandmate Johnny Depp, in ‘12 / *[The Hollywood Vampires was a band formed by Alice Cooper, actor-guitarist Johnny Depp & Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry in ‘12] / cover versions: Thrash Metal band Megadeth for the Wes Craven film SHOCKER in ‘89 - their version charted in three countries [#7 - Ireland, #12 - Finland, #13 - UK] & reached #32 on the Eurochart Top 100; IN A METAL MOOD: NO MORE MR. NICE GUY - Hard Rock & Heavy Metal songs performed in a Jazz/Big Band style by Pat Boone in ‘97; and on the Alice Cooper tribute album HUMANARY STEW: A TRIBUTE TO ALICE COOPER in ‘99, the song was recorded by Roger Daltrey [The Who], Slash [Guns ‘N Roses], Bob Kulick [Kiss / Alice Cooper / Meatloaf], Mike Inez [Alice in Chains], Carmine Appice [Vanilla Fudge / Cactus / Rod Stewart] and David Glen Eisley [actor / lead singer of ‘80s band Giuffria] / NO MORE MR. NICE GUY has been an Alice Cooper concert staple since ‘73 and has been included on concert albums & DVDs: A FISTFUL OF ALICE in ‘97, ALICE COOPER: BRUTALLY LIVE in ‘00 & LIVE AT MONTREAUX in ‘05; and on numerous compilation albums, including ALICE COOPER’S GREATEAST HITS in ‘74, live album CLASSICKS in ‘95, the 4-CD box set THE LIFE AND CRIMES OF ALICE COOPER in ‘99, THE ESSENTIALS: ALICE COOPER on Rhino Records in ‘02 and SCHOOLS OUT AND OTHER HITS in ‘04 / the song peaked at #26 for the week of 6/9/73 on the Cashbox [sales only] chart / NO MORE MR. NICE GUY was a bigger hit in other countries - #6 in the Netherlands, #10 in West Germany & the UK, #14 in Austria & #18 in Ireland - but only #38 in Canada
NO MORE MR. NICE GUY
I used to be such a sweet, sweet thing
'Til they got a hold of me.
I opened doors for little old ladies,
I helped the blind to see.
I got no friends 'cause they read the papers.
They can't be seen with me and I'm gettin' real shot down
And I'm feeling mean.
No more Mister Nice Guy,
No more Mister Clean,
No more Mister Nice Guy,
They say he's sick, he's obscene.
I got no friends 'cause they read the papers.
They can't be seen with me and I'm feelin' real shot down
And I'm gettin' mean.
No more Mister Nice Guy,
No more Mister Clean,
No more Mister Nice Guy,
They say he's sick, he's obscene.
My dog bit me on the leg today.
My cat clawed my eyes.
Ma's been thrown out of the social circle,
And dad has to hide.
I went to church incognito.
When everybody rose, the Reverend Smith,
He recognized me,
And punched me in the nose, he said.
No more Mister Nice Guy,
No more Mister Clean,
No more Mister Nice Guy,
He said you're sick, you're obscene.
No more Mister Nice Guy,
No more Mister Clean,
No more Mister Nice Guy,
He said you're sick, you're obscene.
#26] THE RIGHT THING TO DO by Carly Simon
LW #17 / Peak - #17 [1 wk] / Top 20 - 2 wks / Top 40 - 9 wks / Hot 100 - 10th wk [of 13 ] / 70-60-43-38-30-25-21-18-17-26-25-37-56 / second single from Simon’s NO SECRETS album, which topped album charts in the US [Platinum], Australia & Canada and was a #3 hit in Japan & the UK [Gold] and #6 in Norway / the single was b/w the song which gave the album its name, WE HAVE NO SECRETS [about honesty in a relationship versus not really wanting to know some things about a lover’s past] / both the A-side & B-side were written by Simon and produced by Richard Perry / THE RIGHT THING TO DO was written about Simon’s relationship with James Taylor, "It was actually one of my absolutely undisputed songs about James, written three months into our relationship."; Taylor reportedly didn’t like the third verse, so Simon changed it / the line "loving you is the right thing to do" is from the ‘71 coming of age drama THE LAST PICTURE SHOW, starring Timothy Bottoms, Jeff Bridges, Ellen Burstyn, Ben Johnson, Cloris Leachman, and Cybill Shepherd, and directed by Peter Bogdanovitch; Johnson & Leachman won Supporting Actor & Actress Oscars for their roles; the film was selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress in ‘98
THE RIGHT THING TO DO has also been recorded by The Ray Conniff Singers on the album YOU ARE THE SUNSHINE OF MY LIFE in ‘72 and by Jazz singer Karrin Allyson for her album WILD FOR YOU in ‘04 / Simon sang the song in a duet with Megan Mullaly [Karen Walker] on the WILL & GRACE soundtrack album LET THE MUSIC OUT! in ‘04, which also featured songs by Britney Spears [OOPS!…I DID IT AGAIN], Tom Jones [IT’S NOT UNUSUAL], Cheryl Lynn [GOT TO BE REAL], The Bacon Brothers [FOOTLOOSE], Dido [WHITE FLAG], Cher [GYPSIES, TRAMPS & THIEVES], Sara MacLachlan [WORLD ON FIRE], Gloria Gaynor [I WILL SURVIVE], Queen [YOU’RE MY BEST FRIEND], Elton John [THE BITCH IS BACK] and Will, Grace, Karen & Jack [HE’S HOT] / previously, Simon had performed the song in ‘86 at the wedding of Caroline Kennedy & Edwin Schlossberg / both THE RIGHT THING TO DO and WE HAVE NO SECRETS have been included on a number of Carly Simon’s compilation albums, including THE BEST OF CARLY SIMON on Elektra Records in ‘75, the 3-disc box set CLOUDS IN MY COFFEE on Arista Records in ‘95, THE VERY BEST OF CARLY SIMON: NOBODY DOES IT BETTER on Global TV/WSM in ‘98, the 2-disc ANTHOLOGY on Elektra/Rhino in ‘02, and the 3-disc CARLY SIMON COLLECTOR’S EDITION on Madacy [French Canadian label] in ‘09 / THE RIGHT THING TO DO was one of 11 songs on GREATEST HITS LIVE, recorded live at Gay Head, Martha’s Vineyard, in June ‘87 and released on Arista Records in early August ‘88 / THE RIGHT THING TO DO reached #10 on the Cashbox [sales only] chart for 5/28/73 & #4 on Billboard’s Easy Listening chart; #13 in New Zealand, #17 in the UK, and #20 in Canada [#9 on the RPM EL chart]
THE RIGHT THING TO DO
There's nothin' you can do to turn me away
Nothin' anyone can say
You're with me now and as long as you stay
Lovin' you's the right thing to do
Lovin' you's the right thing
I know you've had some bad luck with ladies before
They drove you or you drove them crazy
But more important is I know you're the one and I'm sure
Lovin' you's the right thing to do
Lovin' you's the right thing
And it used to be for a while
That the river flowed right to my door
Making me just a little too free
But now the river doesn't seem to stop here anymore
Hold me in your hands like a bunch of flowers
Set me movin' to your sweetest song
And I know what I think I've known all along
Lovin' you's the right thing to do
Lovin' you's the right thing
Lovin' you's the right thing to do
Is the right thing
Nothing you could ever do would turn me away from you
I love you now and I love you now
Even though you're ten thousand miles away
I'll love you tomorrow as I love you today
I'm in love babe
I'm in love with you babe
#27] FUNKY WORM by The Ohio Players
LW #15 / Peak - #15 [1 wk] / Top 20 - 3 wks / Top 40 - 9 wks / Hot 100 - 15th wk [of 19] / 94-92-79-70-66-59-47-39-26-24-21-19-16-15-27-29-47-60-71 / Gold / written & produced by Ohio Players / the song about an adventurous worm was from their third studio album, PLEASURE [#63 Top 200 / #4 Soul], released on Westbound Records in December ‘72 / previous singles from the album - PLEASURE [DNC* Pop / #45 Soul] and VAREE IS LOVE [DNC] / *[Did Not Chart] / FUNKY WORM is noted for its ARP synthesizer solos by Junie Morrison and parts of the solos were “sampled” on numerous R&B and Hip Hop songs in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s by MC Breed, Too $hort, Dr. Dre, Xzibit, the Game, N.W.A. [two songs - DOPE MAN from N.W.A. & POSSE in ‘87 and GANGSTA GANSTA from STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON in ‘88], De La Soul on breakthrough hit ME, MYSELF AND I [#34 Pop / #1 R&B/Hip Hop / #1 Rap / #1 Dance / Gold / #1 Netherlands / #7 Belgium [Flanders] / #16 Germany / #22 UK] in ‘89, Kriss Kross on JUMP [#1 Hot 100 / #2 R&B/Hip Hop / #2 Dance / 2x Platinum / #1 in six countries & on the Eurochart Top 100 & Dance charts / #2 UK & UK Dance / Silver / #2 in six other countries / Top 10 in five countries] in ‘92, former N.W.A. member Ice Cube [two songs, including WICKED - #1 Rap / Gold] in ‘92-‘93, Tim Dog featuring Smooth B [SKIP TO MY LOOT] in ‘93, and DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince on BOOM! SHAKE THE ROOM [#13 Pop / #21 R&B/Hip Hop / #6 Dance / Gold / #1 UK Pop & Dance / Silver / #1 in three other countries / Top 10 in four countries & Eurochart - #7 Top 100 & #4 Dance] in ‘93 / FUNKY WORM is featured in the video games GRAND THEFT AUTO: SAN ANDREAS in ‘04 and ROCKET LEAGUE in ‘22; “sampled” for the entrance theme of pro wrestling stable L.A.X. [Latin American Xchange] / FUNKY WORM peaked at #13 on the Cashbox [sales only] chart for 6/2/73 and #1 on Billboard’s Soul chart for the week of 5/12/73 [between PILLOW TALK & LEAVING ME]; the Funk-R&B group’s US single breakthrough only reached #50 in Canada
FUNKY WORM
She's here, Mr. Johnson
Okay, thank you very much
Granny, they're expecting you
You're a little late
So come here this way
Right here
What? Say it now
Oh, say it now, say it now, ahem
Me and the Ohio Players
Are gonna tell you about a worm
He's the funkiest worm in the world
Okay, sing it, Clarence
There's a worm in the ground, yes there is
(That's right, that's right)
He's six feet down
(Six feet down)
He only comes around
When he wants to get down
But when he comes out of his hole
He sounds something like this
Oh, that's funky, that's funky
Like nine cans of shaving powder, that's funky
Come on wit' it again, fellas
Come on wit' it
All through all the land, yeah yeah
Sing it
He plays in a band
Plays in a band
Plays guitar without any hands
Pretty good, I might add
Yeah
When he grabs his guitar and starts to pluck
Everybody wants to get up and dance
Ah, get it baby
I'm his manager, heh, yeah
Gonna make a million dollars
I get it all too, he can't spend it
Don't stop now honey, get down
That's it, that's it
Don't, don't,
Don't fight the feeling
Don't fight it
OK, that's enough, get out of here
Here we go
People listen to this
Gettin' really funky
Get out of here
Goin' back in his hole
Just the same way he came out
Do we get paid for this?
Yes, of course
I just wanted to make sure, we do, okay
OK, you're welcome
*#28] KODACHROME by Paul Simon
LW #57 / 3 wks / 82-57-28 / Highest Debut in the Top 40 / Biggest Jump on the Hot 100 & Biggest Jump Into the Top 40 - 29 positions / fourth solo single on the Hot 100 was Simon’s third Top 40 hit, following MOTHER AND CHILD REUNION [#4 - 1 wk] in early April and ME AND JULIO DOWN BY THE SCHOOLYARD [#22 - 2 wks] in May/June ‘72
*#29] AND I LOVE YOU SO by Perry Como
LW #32 / 8 wks / 88-78-65-52-46-37-32-29 / the 46th single in the Rock Era for the ‘40s & ‘50s Pop crooner was his 29th & final Top 40 hit; most of Como’s Top 40 hits had charted between ‘55 and ‘65 - but IT’S IMPOSSIBLE, his 11th Top 10 hit but first since ‘58, had reached #10 in January ‘71
#30] IT SURE TOOK A LONG, LONG TIME by Lobo
LW #27 / Peak - #27 [1 wk] / Top 40 - 5 wks / Hot 100 - 9th wk [of 11] / 85-64-53-45-36-29-28-27-30-56-60 / first single from Lobo’s third studio album, CALUMET [#128 Top 200], released on Big Tree Records in ‘73 / written by Kent Lavoie [aka Lobo] and produced by Phil Gernhard / IT SURE TOOK A LONG, LONG TIME peaked at #3 on Billboard’s Easy Listening chart and was his fourth Top 3 hit on that chart & third straight, following the #1 hits ME AND YOU AND A DOG NAMED BOO [2 wks] in May ‘71, I’D LOVE YOU TO WANT ME [1 wk] in early December ‘72 and DON’T EXPECT ME TO BE YOUR FRIEND [2 wks] in early February ‘72 / included on numerous compilation albums: one of 12 songs on THE BEST OF LOBO on Big Tree Records in ‘75, THE VERY BEST OF LOBO [21 tracks] on WEA International in ‘04, and one of 15 songs on GREATEST HITS on Lobo Records in ‘07, which included bonus tracks FAITHFUL and four songs from the ‘96 album SOMETIMES / #27 on the Cashbox [sales only] chart for 6/2/73; #14 in New Zealand & #49 in Australia
IT SURE TOOK A LONG, LONG TIME
I'm sure it might have grown old
Like most young things usually do
and dangling a line to try and find your mind
For that I can't blame you
Now I'm not questioning your motives
For all the silly things you've done
Now you're coming round putting yourself down
Telling me I always was the one
It sure took a long time to miss me
A long time for you to come around
A long time to find what was wrong
It sure took a long, long time
The magic that we had together
Seems so much stronger than before
What did I learn to make the love return
O girl I've got to learn some more
*#31] BAD, BAD LEROY BROWN by Jim Croce
LW #44 / 7 wks / 85-69-63-55-47-44-31 / 2nd Highest Debut in the Top 40 / 3rd Biggest Jump Into the Top 40 & 7th Biggest Jump on the Hot 100 - TIE [2] - 13 positions / the fourth single on the Hot 100 for the singer-songwriter-guitarist was now his fourth Top 40 hit; two of his previous singles reached the Top 20 & his first, YOU DON’T MESS AROUND WITH JIM, was a Top 10 hit in the fall of ‘72
#32] THE TEDDY BEAR SONG by Barbara Fairchild
LW #33 / Peak - #32 [1 wk] / Top 40 - 5 wks / Hot 100 - 15th wk [off 19] / 99-95-90-88-84-75-70-65-56-51-45-37-34-33-32-37-48-68-85 / Fairchild released ten singles from ‘70 to ‘72 with five charting between #25 & #40 on Billboard’s Country chart and the others charting below the Top 40 / THE TEDDY BEAR SONG was the third single released from her third album, A SWEETER LOVE [#17 Country] - her first to reach the Top 20 on the Country album chart / the 22-year-old singer’s breakthrough hit - wishing she were a Teddy Bear after an emotional breakup with a lover - was written by Don Earl & Nick Nixon and produced by Jerry Crutchfield / #32 for two weeks on the Cashbox [sales only] chart for 6/9/73 & 6/16]73 and #1 on Billboard’s Country chart [2 wks in March] / #28 in Australia & on Canada’s RPM charts - #42 Top 100, #1 Country [2 wks in March] & #24 EL
THE TEDDY BEAR SONG
I wish I had button eyes and a red felt nose
A shaggy cotton skin and just one set of clothes
Sittin' on the shelf in the local department store
With no dreams to dream and nothing to be sorry for
I wish I was a teddy bear
Not livin' or lovin' or goin' nowhere
I wish I was a teddy bear
And I'm wishin' that I hadn't fallen in love with you
I wish I had a wooden heart and a sawdust mind
Then your mem'ry wouldn't come around hurtin' all the time
I'd have a sewed-on smile and a painted twinkle in my eye
And I never would've ever had to learn how to cry
I wish I was a teddy bear
Not livin' or lovin' or goin' nowhere
I wish I was a teddy bear
And I'm wishin' that I hadn't fallen in love with you
I wish I had a string you could pull to make me say
Hi, I'm Teddy ain't it a lovely day?
Then I'd know every time I spoke the words were right
And no one would know the mess I made in my life
I wish I was a teddy bear
Not livin' or lovin' or goin' nowhere
I wish I was a teddy bear
And I'm wishin' that I hadn't fallen in love with you
And I'm wishin' I hadn't fallen in love with you
#33] THE CISCO KID by War
LW #24 / Peak - #2 [2 wks] / Top 10 - 6 wks / Top 20 - 7 wks / Top 40 - 12 wks / Hot 100 - 14th wk [off 15] / 79-69-45-26-21-10-6-4-2-2-4-15-24-33-32 / Gold / written by War - Thomas Allen, Harold Brown, Morris "BB" Dickerson, Charles Miller, Howard Scott, Lee Oskar & Lonnie Jordan - and produced by Jerry Goldstein / from their fifth studio album, THE WORLD IS A GHETTO, released on United Artists Records in November ‘72 - which reached #1 on both the Top 200 & Soul album charts and was their second album to be certified Gold / included on Side one of the double album WAR LIVE, recorded at the High Chapparal in Chicago, Illinois, in late November ‘72 & released on United Artists Records in February ‘74 / the song follows the adventures of Pancho & Cisco from the ‘50s TV show THE CISCO KID* and uses some dialogue from the show / the song became the band’s biggest hit & one of their signature songs, which guitarist & lead vocalist Howard Scott said was their “most fun” song to play / included on many compilation albums: one of ten songs on GREATEST HITS [#12 Top 200 / #6 Soul / Platinum] on United Artist Records in ‘76, one of 25 tracks on the double CD ANTHOLOGY [1970-1994], released on Avenue Records in ‘96, one of 25 tracks on the double CD THE VERY BEST OF WAR on Avenue Records in ‘03, and one of 20 songs performed on the DVD GREATEST HITS LIVE on Avenue Records in ‘08 / #2 on the Cashbox [sales only] chart for 5/12/73 & #5 on Billboard’s Soul chart; held out of #1 on the Hot 100 by TIE A YELLOW RIBBON ROUND THE OLD OAK TREE by Dawn / although it was stopped at #2 in the US, THE CISCO KID reached #1 in Canada on the 5/19/73 RPM chart
*[THE CISCO KID was a syndicated half hour Western TV series, which aired on 78 stations with 26 episodes each season from ‘50 to ‘56 / the first TV series to be filmed in color [although most Americans didn’t have color TV sets until the ‘60s] starred ladies’ man Duncan Renaldo as “The Cisco Kid” [dressed in embroidered black pants & jacket] & riding his horse Diabolo and Leo Carrillo as his sidekick “Poncho,” riding Lobo / the pair were technically outlaws but the show was popular with children because they acted as border Robin Hoods who helped the poor & downtrodden when they had difficulties with corrupt or uncaring law officers / the majority of the 156 episodes were filmed in Pioneertown, California, with Renaldo performing many of his own stints, which led to injuries [he broke two vertebrae in one episode & was paralyzed for two months] / although the show was a Western, there was little gunplay - Cisco often shot the bad guy’s gun out of his hand, while Pancho used his bullwhip to disarm villains / Duncan Renaldo on his co-star Leo Carillo: “His accent was so exaggerated that when we finished a picture, no one in the cast or crew could talk normal English anymore.” / in ‘56, THE CISCO KID was dubbed into other languages & distributed to 20 countries, including France, Italy, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Belgium, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Argentina & the Dominican Republic]
THE CISCO KID
The Cisco Kid was a friend of mine
The Cisco Kid was a friend of mine
He drink whiskey, Poncho drink the wine
He drink whiskey, Poncho drink the wine
We met down on the fort of Rio Grande
We met down on the fort of Rio Grande
Eat the salted peanuts out of can
Eat the salted peanuts out the can
The outlaws had us pinned down at the fort
The outlaws had us pinned down at the fort
Cisco came in blastin', drinkin' port
Cisco came in blastin', drinkin' port
They rode the sunset, horse was made of steel
They rode the sunset, horse was made of steel
Chased a gringo last night through a field
Chased a gringo last night through a field
The Cisco Kid was a friend of mine
The Cisco Kid he was a friend of mine
The Cisco Kid was a friend of mine
The Cisco Kid was a friend of mine
*#34] GIVE IT TO ME by The J. Geils Band
LW #39 / 10 wks / 98-91-81-75-63-59-52-42-39-34 / second Hot 100 single & second Top 40 hit for the Boston Rock band, following LOOKING FOR A LOVE [#39 - 2 wks] in January ‘72
*#35] LET’S PRETEND by Raspberries
LW #38 / Peak Position / 11 wks / 86-76-66-57-51-47-42-40-39-38-35 / fourth chart single for the Ohio Pop-Rock band & their third straight Top 40 hit, following GO ALL THE WAY [#5 - 2 wks / Gold] in October ‘72 and I WANNA BE WITH YOU [#16 - 1 wk] in late January ‘73
*#36] SHAMBALA by Three Dog Night
LW #55 / 3 wks / 71-55-36 / 3rd Debut in the Top 40 / 2nd Biggest Jump Into the Top 40 & 3rd Biggest Jump on the Hot 100 - 19 positions / the hitmaking Pop-Rock band’s latest single was their 16th on the Hot 100; all of their singles were Top 40 hits & only one of their previous “45”s [their first] did not reach the Top 20
*#37] CLOSE YOUR EYES by Edward Bear
LW #40 / Peak - #37 [1 wk] / Top 40 - 2 wks / Hot 100 - 8th wk [of 12] / 84-76-60-54-48-44-40-37-41-43-42-57 / third Hot 100 single and second & last US Top 40 hit for the Toronto-based Canadian band, following the #3 Gold hit LAST SONG from early March ‘73 / title song of the band’s fourth & final studio album [#183 US / #76 Canada] / written by Larry Evoy, as a sequel to LAST SONG, & produced by Gene Martynec / included oncompilation albums THE BEST OF THE BEAR in ‘86 and THE EDWARD BEAR COLLECTION in ‘91 / although the band would have three more Top 40 hits in Canada - WALKING ON BACK [#33] in ‘73 and SAME OLD FEELING [#36] & FREEDOM FOR THE STALLION [#20] in ‘74 - CLOSE YOUR EYES was their fourth and final Top 10 hit and third Top 3 hit in their native country, following YOU, ME AND MEXICO [#3] in ‘70, MASQUERADE [#7] in ‘72, and LAST SONG [#1 - 2 wks] in early February ‘73 / CLOSE YOUR EYES has been used as the sign-off song for syndicated radio personality Delilah / the song peaked at #24 on the Cashbox [sales only] chart for 6/23/73 & #11 on Billboard’s Easy Listening chart; #3 [2 wks] on the RPM Top 100 & #4 on the RPM EL chart; and #73 in Australia
CLOSE YOUR EYES
I dreamed she came back home last night
Asked her where she'd been
She said I've been around the world and
It almost did me in
She said I hope you didn't wait too long
I have no sense of time
I see you've written one Last Song
And I realized it's mine
Think of all the times we talked
Sing a nursery rhyme
Close your eyes
I'm right beside you
Run for miles you know I'll find you
Cause it's all the same
Change your lovers
Change your name
If you need a friend
Close your eyes
I'm back again
She really came back home last night
Seemed as if she'd changed
Said that she go back to school
And try things once again
But you know it didn't take too long
Till she lost her way
And all the reason in the world could see
She couldn't stay
As I helped her pack her things
It didn't hurt to say
Close your eyes
I'm right beside you
Run for miles you know I'll find you
Cause it's all the same
Change your lovers
Change your name
If you need a friend
Close your eyes
I'm back again
Cause it's all the same
Change your lovers
Change your name
If you need a friend
Close your eyes
I'm back again
*#38] DADDY COULD SWEAR I DECLARE by Gladys Knight & the Pips
LW #42 / 6 wks / 78-71-59-50-42-38 / 4th Debut in the Top 40 / 22nd chart single for the R&B-Soul singers & their 16th single to reach the Pop Top 40; their first single, EVERY BEAT OF MY HEART [#6 - 1 wk] in early July ‘61, was their first Top 40 hit
#39] SUPERLY MEETS SHAFT by John & Ernest
LW #31 / Peak - #31 [1 wk] / Top 40 - 4 wks / Hot 100 - 8th wk [of 11] / 76-61-54-43-35-33-31-39-51-52-70 / the latest “break-in” record was the brainchild of co-writers & co-producers Dickie Goodman & Sal Passantino and attributed to John & Ernest [Jean Free & Ernest Smith] / the “break-in” records of the early ‘70s “sampled” lines of songs to tell a humorous story / SUPERFLY MEETS SHAFT “sampled" three parts of Billy Paul’s ME AND MRS. JONES, as well as lines from 14 other recent R&B and Soul hits: S.O.S. (Stop Her On Sight) by Winfield Parker, I GOTCHA by Joe Tex, PAPA WAS A ROLLING STONE by The Temptations, KEEPER OF THE CASTLE by The Four Tops, I’LL BE AROUND by The Spinners, I GOT ANTS IN MY PANTS by James Brown, THEME FROM SHAFT by Isaac Hayes, BACK STABBERS by The O’Jays, COULD IT BE I’M FALLING IN LOVE by The Spinners, LOVE TRAIN by The O’Jays, FREDDIE’S DEAD by Curtis Mayfield, DADDY’S HOME by Jermaine Jackson and SUPERFLY by Curtis Mayfield / SUPERFLY MEETS SHAFT peaked at #43 on the Cashbox [sales only] chart for 5/26/73 / John & Ernest released three other singles, none of which charted - SOUL PRESIDENT NUMBER ONE, CROSSOVER and PROBLEMS
*#40] BACK WHEN MY HAIR WAS SHORT by Gunhill Road
LW #43 / 10 wks / 97-83-72-68-61-56-51-46-43-40 / 5th Debut in the Top 40 / first [and only] chart single for the Rock trio of Glen Leopolo, Gil Roman & Steve Goldrich from Mt. Vernon, New York, in Westchester County, was now a Top 40 hit after ten weeks on the Hot 100