1970: December 26th – George Harrison becomes the first Beatle to top the pop charts with his #1 Single “My Sweet Lord.”(Of course by now he had already been #1 here in Chicago for the past three weeks!)
Five years later, a New York State Judge would find Harrison guilty of “subconscious plagiarism” and copyright infringement, stating that he found “My Sweet Lord” “too similar” to the 1963 Chiffons’ hit “He’s So Fine.”
The legal battle would continue until 1998, by which time George had paid $587,000 in royalties to the original publisher, Bright Music.He would later make light of the incident in his 1976 Hit “This Song.”
Interesting fact ...
Not only was George Harrison the first solo Beatle to have a #1 Hit ...
But he was also the LAST ...
When his rockin' version of "Got My Mind Set On You" topped Billboard's Hot 100 Pop Single Chart the week of January 16th, 1988.
Truth be told, I had some serious reservations about going with today's anniversary date.
Billboard Magazine has long been recognized as "The Music Bible" when it comes to chart information ... and thanks to books published by Joel Whitburn's Record Research, has been reiterated as the only source that matters. (Does the slogan "It ain't #1 'til it's #1 in Billboard" ring a bell?)
But there were, in fact, THREE major trade publications at the time tracking these things ... and although both Billboard and Cash Box showed "My Sweet Lord" hitting the top spot on December 26th, it actually ascended to #1 the week BEFORE in Record World Magazine. (Probably the least acknowledged source of the three.)
However, after Joel published "The Comparison Book" in 2015, showing the peak position in all three publications side-by-side for the very first time, Forgotten Hits has adopted the policy of quoting a record's peak performance OVERALL in our own chart recaps. (Billboard's Hot 100 will always be the standard and the benchmark ... but recently ignoring hits of the rock era PRIOR to that chart's official debut in August of 1958 ... and the convoluted way the charts are compiled today ... has cost them a bit of credibility in my book as well.)
Now factor in the reality that the Billboard Hot 100 that first showed George Harrison on top was for "The Week Ending December 26th," and you've got a whole NEW date to contend with.
If his #1 record was good for the week ENDING on December 26th, that means it actually became #1 on December 20th, which is when that chart would have first appeared to subscribers and retailers.
I think the key thing here is not so much the date (we went with December 26th because THAT'S the date you'll find posted on every other "On This Date In Rock History" report), but the fact that George was the first to accomplish it ... the first former Beatle to earn a #1 solo hit. (Ironically, RINGO would be the next the following year ... but only in Cash Box and Record World ... meaning that it doesn't really count, right??? Then how did TWO of the leading trade publications get it wrong? Don't get me started.)
As far as I'M concerned, the most definitive chart information out there is our own Super Charts, compiled by Randy Price, showing a week-by-week analysis based on information gathered from ALL THREE CHARTS ... the ONLY way to eliminate some of the gross discrepancies that we see in hindsight along the way.
I am happy to report that The Super Charts return to Forgotten Hits on January 2nd and 3rd ... and will continue every Sunday for 2021 ... as we remember the hits of 1971.
Please join us each and every week as we remember the biggest hits and events of 1971 ...
A
Very Merry Christmas to you and a Fantastic New Year with Forgotten Hits!!!
I liked
your Christmas song list by Chicago performers!
Check
out Dave Edmunds version of "Run Run Rudolph."Dave and his British Band are true rockers.
Carolyn
We can thank long time FH List Member Ken Voss for that
awesome list spotlighting Chicago talent.Stuff you just don’t hear all the time … and well deserving of an
occasional spin during the holiday season.(kk)
Speaking of which …
Hello Kent,
I really enjoyed this edition of Forgotten
Hits! It was so nice to see and hear those Christmas classics again.
I hope you and family have a very Merry
Christmas and a Happy New Year!
On my Facebook page or You Tube, please check
out "Have A Little Faith," a song I wrote and recorded for the Joy of
Christmas album. I re-recorded it in more of an unplugged format. I put it
there with a little message.
I hope you have a safe and Joyful Christmas!
Carl Giammarese
That’s always been one of my favorites of yours … glad to
share.
The very best of the holiday season to you and yours …
I’d say we’re all due for a much better year …
(Hopefully it’s right around the corner.)kk
Hi Kent -
I listened to your
Lonely Christmas. Wow!Actually
not bad!
Have you ever thought
about re-recording that with stronger production values?
Merry Christmas to you
and yours …
And I look forward to
another year of forgotten hits.
Sammy
That was the dream for many years … but that track is
already 45 years old now, the tape is not in the best of shape and I don’t
think I could sound anything like that anymore!!!(Otherwise, it’s a sure fire hit!)
Thanks, Sammy … have a happy and safe holiday.(kk)
Loved
archie comic books as a little kid ... all these great memories to ease the
stress we have all been dealing with ... thank you!
carol
ross
Mornin'
Kent!
Loved the " Boomers Play List" article ... man, that brought back a flood
of memories. Thanks for posting it.
You be well and safe, me Bucko
Bless ya -
Barry
We
lost Chad Stuart the other day (December 20th) –
I remember when he chose not to reteam with former partner Jeremy Clyde a couple of years
back (after a very successful string of concerts together) … and I believe
there was some talk of Chad suffering some health issues at the time …
But
this is still extremely sad news.
Chad
and Jeremy had seven Top 40 National Hits when The British Invasion first hit
our shores in 1964.“A Summer Song” was
their biggest (#6, 1964 … and always ranked near the of our All-Time Summer
Favorites Polls.)“Willow Weep For Me”
(#15, 1964), “If I Loved You” (#17, 1965) and “Before And After” (#15, 1965)
all made The U.S. Top 20 … and “Yesterday’s Gone” (#21, 1964) should have.“Distant Shores” became their final Top 40
Hit in 1966 when it reached #30 … and one of my all-time favorites by them … an
overlooked Forgotten Hits for sure … was “I Don’t Wanna Lose You Baby,” a song
that hit #33 in 1965 after they switched to the Columbia Records label.
Of
course, I’ll always remember them as The Red Coats on The Dick Van Dyke Show …
and both maintained excellent voices … and sense of humor … right up to the end
of their touring days.
He
died just ten days after his 79th birthday of pneumonia.
Here’s
a link to an old Goldmine Magazine piece done on the duo:
On
the plus side, we have been treated to a number of shows featuring Peter
(Asher) and Jeremy, allowing the new duo to perform hits from both their
catalogs.This is all real good, feel
good music … coupled with some VERY entertaining stories from back in the day …
and if they decide to tour again, seeing them is highly recommended.(kk)
Also
leaving us this past week was country singer / songwriter K.T. Oslin.
I
was a big fan of K.T.’s work.While she
was best known for her anthem “’80’s Ladies,” Oslin put together a couple of
very strong albums in the late ‘80’s and early ‘90’s that were always in my CD
player at the time.
She’s
kept a pretty low profile for a while now, but the memories are always
there.(Check out some of her stuff on
YouTube when you get a chance.)kk
And, you
can add Leslie West of Mountain to the list now, too.
Leslie
passed away yesterday, never recovering from a cardiac arrest he suffered on
Monday.His health has been compromised
for several years now … his lower right leg had to be amputated in 2011 due to
complications from diabetes.
Mountain’s
One Hit Wonder “Mississippi Queen” was on the charts fifty years ago, peaking
at #21 nationally.(It went to #7 here
in Chicago.)kk
Listening to McCartney III –
Love "Women And Wives" …
What a track!
Thanks,
David
“Women And Wives” and “The Kiss Of Venus” seem to be the
early fan favorites.(Personally, I can
take or leave either of them.)
The opening track, “Long Tailed Winter Bird” (virtually an
instrumental), is the one that first caught my attention … that’s the one I’ve
played the most so far … a bit repetitious but brilliant in its
simplicity.I heard Chris Carter play
this on Breakfast With The Beatles before the LP officially came out and liked
it immediately.“Find My Way” (a bit
reminiscent of “The World Tonight”) would probably come in second based on my
first three rounds of listening.It
looks like that’s the single.
It has been Amazon’s #1 Best Seller this past week so should
make a pretty impressive debut on Billboard’s Top 200 Albums Chart as
well.VERY nice to know that his fan
base is still out there … betcha most of these were preorders … it’ll be
interesting to see how much sales drop after Week 2!(lol)kk
Hi Kent,
I just listened to Beatle Paul’s new single …
Well, he sings OK for 78, but is that good enough?
I guess it is if people buy it.
Man, I hate to be hard on one of my biggest influences.
I guess I need to just be happy that he's alive and still
creating.
I really struggle with my idols getting older.
Also, regarding concerts being held during the Covid era …
I did 13 dates in November, all socially distanced and the
capacity allowed by regulations. I didn't want to do any of them, but I did and
wouldn't you know, even with all the precautions in place, I still got it.
To me there's no reason to either do or attend shows until the
vaccination programs are in place.
Bill Scherer
Yeah,
that’s the really sad part …
We
ALL miss going (and doing) concerts … but how do you risk it at this stage of
the game?This thing is NOT under
control yet … so why expose yourself to the risk?(I keep equating it to things in my mind that
existed before we really did or happened when we were growing up … polio
vaccines and booster shots and such that let us live longer and healthier
lives.)Much as we want to see live
music, it’s still too great a risk to do so.
And
I have to imagine, no matter how much they’re chomping at the bit to get back
out there and up on the stage in front of a live audience, many of the artists
feel the same way.They’re all of the
high risk age now … and think about not only their bandmates but their whole
touring crew and entourage and their families.How does anybody in good conscience go out there and think, even for a
minute, that “this won’t happen to me”???(kk)
As
for Paul’s new CD, I’ve gone thru it three times now … there are a couple of
catchy things on there (the more you listen) but nothing of any real substance
that’ll last.McCartney can still craft
an amazing pop song … he’s got a gift for melody … but some of these lyrics are
less sophisticated that the ones he was writing at 14-16 years old when he came
up with “I Saw Her Standing There” and “When I’m 64.”(One of the big tracks off his last album,
“Fuh You,” might have seemed funny and clever at age 13 … but I can’t imagine
for a second that John Lennon would have let THAT one slip into their
repertoire!)
It
almost feels like all of this just comes so easy to Paul at this point that
very little thought regarding craftsmanship comes into play anymore … and
that’s a shame … because a good melody deserves a better outcome.
As
for the current state of his voice, it’s been pretty rough for decades
now.Knowing the perfectionist he’s
always been, it’s tough sometimes to think that we’re hearing what he
considered to be the “best take.”
I’ve
tried to become a bit more acceptable of it … chalk it up to both age … and
experience … kind of a Johnny Cash thing where the older he got, the more
distinctive his voice became.McCartney
is now one of rock’s elder statesmen.Had
his music matured at the same pace, I might feel a little bit better about it
all … but sometimes it just feels like Paul feels he can lob anything out there
and as long as there’s a hook, his legacy will continue to grow.Taking nothing away from his talent and track
record, ‘cause I absolutely LOVE the guy and he’s been an idol of mine since
The Beatles first hit the scene, I just wish he’d set a higher standard for
himself sometimes.(kk)
Meanwhile,
Peter Jackson has released a new “montage” of footage from his new,
long-awaited Beatles film “Get Back” …
and, as promised, it shows a much more fun-loving, clowning around group than
the original “Let It Be” film portrayed.(And God, EVERYBODY looks SO young in these clips!!!)
Kent,
Elvis Was A Narc!
I’m sure others may send this in. Warner
Brothers' Pinkard and Bowden released a song about this Nixon / Elvis meeting
in the 80's that WLS' Larry Lujack played on his show occasionally. Larry
loved Elvis and he loved this song, too.
You know what song I have been going back too
of late?
"Strange Way" by Firefall ...
haunting for sure.
Seems they have a new album out … COMET ...
wonder what it sounds like?
Had to relay to you.
David Salidor
I found an acoustic album by them (actually called “Firefall
Acoustic”!) where they cover a lot of Beatles songs - pretty good actually – you
check it out on YouTube –
Here’s just one sample:
But yes, “Strange Way” (#11, 1978) is a GREAT track ... and absolutely one of their concert highlights, featuring a long, extended flute solo that will blow you away.
Another really good song by them is a song called “Always”
-
It pretty much tanked (#51, 1983), but should have been a
Top Ten Hit, at least on AC.(It reached
#24 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary Chart.)
I’ve seen them live several times and it is always a good
show -
Most of these were package shows where they outshined the
headliners!
Oddly enough, Frannie was just saying the other day how
she’d like to see Firefall again, once shows are happening again.(kk)
I looked at their bio and was amazed how
many hit singles they had ... boy, those were the days!
D
Ten that made The Top 50:“Livin’ Ain’t Livin’” (#41, 1976), “You Are
The Woman” (their biggest, #8, 1976), “Cinderella” (#30, 1977), “Just Remember
I Love You” (#9, 1977,, and #1 AC, their biggest hit on THAT chart), “So Long”
(#48, 1978), “Strange Way” (#11, 1978), “Goodbye, I Love You” (#40, 1979),
“Headed For A Fall” (#34, 1980), “Love That Got Away” (#50, 1980) and “Staying
With It” (#37, 1981) … and, of course, “Always” … which SHOULD have been!(lol)kk
HELPING OUT OUR
READERS:
I don't know how many of your readers
view or use iSpot, but that's the only other place I've seen this Google Nest
speaker ad, other than on NFL games.
I haven't ID'd the song, and wonder if
anyone else has.
