Don’s Top 10 For June 3, 1971
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Wayyyy back in time this time in “The Time Machine”, to Thursday, June 3, 1971. Hear the songs starting just after midnight on New Jersey 101.5.
“Sweet & Innocent” by Donny Osmond
(#11 last week) I'm a bubblegum freak. I loved most of the Osmonds hits, but I disliked all of Donny's solo stuff, except for this one, his first solo hit, a remake (like all his songs were) of a Roy Orbison tune from the 50s that did not chart. Maybe I like it because it's uptempo.
“Mr. Big Stuff” by Jean Knight
(Debuts this week) Ohhh, the hair, the hair! LOL. Good God, that hair was huge! So was the voice. What a killer track. In 2007, New Orleans native Knight (real last name: Baptiste) was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall Of Fame.
“Stay Awhile” by The Bells
(#8 last week) New Jersey 101.5's Brand Manager Eric Johnson remembers this song as the type that legendary DJ Dan Ingram used to have great fun with. True, but it's also damn sexy. Whisper, baby….”I guess I'm gonna stay”…..pure dynamite for a 14 year old like me!
“Bridge Over Troubled Water” by Aretha Franklin
(#9 last week) Just a bit over one year after Simon & Garfunkel's original topped the charts & won a boatload of Grammys, the Queen Of Soul puts her own stamp on “Bridge…”, giving it a gospel-like feel (& winning more Grammys). Hundreds of artists have recorded it since, but none can top these two versions.
“Put Your Hand In The Hand” by Ocean
(#3 last week) God & religion were very important on the pop charts in 1971, & people looked inward for answers to all the social strife of the previous 4 or 5 years. Ocean joins The Bells as artists from Canada in the top 10 at the same time. Neither would have another American hit.
“Never Can Say Goodbye” by The Jackson 5
(last week #7) Make it six straight million-selling singles for the brothers from Indiana. A cover version by Isaac Hayes also made the top 40 just a few weeks later. Then in 1974, Gloria Gaynor took it back to the top 10. Written by Clifton Davis of “That's My Mama” fame.
“Chick-A-Boom (Don't Ya Jes' Love It)” by Daddy Dewdrop
(#4 last week) Oh how I wish there was a video made of this song, or at least a TV appearance by Mr. Dewdrop! Real name: Richard Monda. He wrote this for the TV cartoon series “Sabrina & The Groovy Ghoulies”. This guy had quite a background: he was a child star in Hollywood, playing the young eddie Canor in “The Eddie Cantor Story”. And he wrote a great obscure 60s classic, “Soul Drippin” by The Mauds.
“Brown Sugar” by The Rolling Stones
(#5 last week) Hmmm……interesting. Watching this “Top Of The Pops” appearance, it sounds like the Stones weren't above using a backing track, even this late into their careers. This was recorded way back in December, 1969, in Muscle Shoals, Alabama but not released until 1971 due to legal problems. #5 on Rolling Stone's list of “Greatest Guitar Songs Of All Time”.
“Want Ads” by The Honey Cone
Dig the hot pants! They were the last gasp for leg-baring fashions for almost a decade. We went from one extreme to another, as women decided to dress “unisex” style for awhile. Honey Cone member Carolyn Willis (formerly in Bob B. Soxx & The Blue Jeans) is the female voice on the 1976 hit by Seals & Crofts, “Get Closer”. In 1985 member Shelley Clark (a former Ikette) married Earth, Wind & Fire bassist Verdine White. Lead singer Edna Wright is the sister of Darlene Love.
“Joy To The World” by Three Dog Night
(#1 last week; 7th week at #1) The biggest hit of the year! And the biggest hit these guys ever had. They had a lot: from 1969 to 1974, everything they released became a hit. What a hot streak. Hoyt Axton wrote this; his mama Mae Axton wrote “Heartbreak Hotel” for Elvis.
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