It's a VERY special Groundhog's Day today ... as all of the planets align to give us a date of 2-2-22. (In this case, it'll happen again in just under three weeks when we hit 2-22-22!)
Looking back over The Rock Era, I couldn't help but wonder what the biggest songs in the country were on similar dates throughout rock and roll history.
So let's take a look, shall we? Beginning with the chart dated 5-5-55 ...
Bill Haley and the Comets were still a couple of months away from topping the chart with their rock anthem "Rock Around The Clock" ... so this week's Top Ten had a decidedly "tamer" theme going on .
According to Joel Whitburn's book "Billboard Top Ten Singles Chart," no less than THREE versions of "The Ballad Of Davy Crockett" were in The Top Ten that week. Bill Hayes leads the pack at #2 (down from #1 the previous week), followed by Tennessee Ernie Ford at #7 and Fess Parker at #8.
Not having been privy to listening to "Pop Radio" at the time, I can only say in hindsight that this made for a pretty boring Top Ten selection. (At various times, the music trades listed ALL of the versions available at a "shared" chart position, allowing for more diversity within those top ten positions.)
Four other tracks were instrumentals (including two versions of "Unchained Melody") and the week's new #1 Song, "Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White" by Perez Prado. Other top ten hits included two by Georgia Gibbs ("whitebread versions of two R&B classics, "Dance With Me Henry" and "Tweedle Dee," both of which would later be recognized as part of the early roots of rock and roll by their original artists, LaVern Baker and Etta James) and a track by Nat "King" Cole (at #10), "Darling Je Vous Aime Beaucoup" / "The Sand And The Sea," a two-sided hit.
Sound boring? Well, this was pop radio as it existed BEFORE Bill Haley rocked us around the clock and Elvis Presley took us for a stroll down that lonely street to Heartbreak Hotel.
Things had livened up a bit by the time 6-6-66 rolled around.
While there's not an instrumental in sight, there IS still an "old-school" showing of Frank Sinatra at #10 this week (up 17 places!) with his future #1 Hit, "Strangers In the Night."
When one considers that this week's Top Ten includes tracks by Frank Sinatra, James Brown, Bob Dylan, Simon and Garfunkel and The Rolling Stones, one can gain a sense of just how diverse Top 40 Radio was back in the 1960's.
Sitting at #1 on 6-6-66 is Percy Sledge with his soulful classic "When A Man Loves A Woman."
While Disco had certainly come of age by 7-7-77, you'll find very little of it represented on this week's Top Ten chart.
"Gonna Fly Now," the theme from the first "Rocky" movie, sits at the top of the chart ... while Pop Hits Rule the majority of the rest of the list ... "Undercover Angel" by Alan O'Day (#2), "Da Doo Ron Ron" by Shaun Cassidy (#4), "Looks Like We Made It" by Barry Manilow (#5), "I Just Want To Be Your Everything" by Andy Gibb (sorta disco, I guess, at #7), "Angel In Your Arms" by Hot (#8), "Jet Airliner" by The Steve Miller Band (#9) and Jimmy Buffet's "Margaritaville" (#10) are all represented this week.
On 8-8-88, Steve Winwood (now already a 20-year veteran on the pop charts) sat at the top of the heap with "Roll With It" for the second of its four weeks at #1. (Hmm ... this one kinda harkens back to our 1955 chart ... only this time "Henry"'s not involved!)
Other familiar names in this week's Top Ten include Chicago, Elton John and Eric Carmen, now flying solo after his breakthrough hits with The Raspberries.
George Michael, Richard Marx and Def Leppard would all make names for themselves in the '80's, as did Gloria Estefan, with and without The Miami Sound Machine.
5-5-55:
# 1 - CHERRY PINK AND APPLE BLOSSOM WHITE - Perez Prado
# 2- THE BALLAD OF DAVY CROCKETT - Bill Hayes
# 3 - DANCE WITH ME HENRY - Georgia Gibbs
# 4 - THE CRAZY OTTO - Johnny Maddox and the Rhythmasters
# 5 - UNCHAINED MELODY - Les Baxter
# 6 - THE BALLAD OF DAVY CROCKET - Tennesse Ernie Ford
# 7 - THE BALLAD OF DAVY CROCKETT - Al Hibbler
# 8 - UNCHAINED MELODY - Al Hibbler
# 9 - TWEEDLE DEE - Georgia Gibbs
#10 - DARLING JE VOUS AIME BEAUCOUP / THE SAND AND THE SEA - Nat "King" Cole
6-6-66:
# 1 - WHEN A MAN LOVES A WOMAN - Percy Sledge
# 2 - A GROOVY KIND OF LOVE - The Mindbenders
# 3 - PAINT IT, BLACK - The Rolling Stones
# 4 - DID YOU EVER HAVE TO MAKE UP YUR MIND? - The Lovin' Spoonful
# 5 - I AM A ROCK - Simon and Garfunkel
# 6 - MONDAY, MONDAY - The Mamas and The Papas
# 7 - RAINY DAY WOMEN #12 and #35 - Bob Dylan
# 8 - IT'S A MAN'S, MAN'S, MAN'S WORLD - James Brown
# 9 - GREEN GRASS - Gary Lewis and the Playboys
#10 - STRANGES IN THE NIGHT - Frank Sinatra
7-7-77:
# 1 - GONNA FLY NOW - Bill Conti
# 2 - UNDERCOVER ANGEL - Alan O'Day
# 3 - GOT TO GIVE IT UP - Marvin Gaye
# 4 - DA DOO RON RON - Shaun Cassidy
# 5 - LOOKS LIKE WE MADE IT - Barry Manilow
# 6 - DREAMS - Fleetwood Mac
# 7 - I JUST WANT TO BE YOUR EVERYTHING - Andy Gibb
# 8 - ANGEL IN YOUR ARMS - Hot
# 9 - JET AIRLINER - Steve Miller Band
#10 - MARGARITAVILLE - Jimmy Buffett
8-8-88
# 1 - ROLL WITH IT - Steve Windoow
# 2 - HANDS TO HEAVEN - Breathe
# 3 - HOLD ON TO THE NIGHTS - Richard Marx
# 4 - MAKE ME LOSE CONTROL - Eric Carmen
# 5 - SIGN YOUR NAME - Terence Trent D'Arby
# 6 -1, 2, 3 - Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine
# 7 - I DON'T WANNT GO ON WITH YOU LIKE THAT - Elton John
# 8 - I DON'T WANNA LIVE WITHOUT YOUR LOVE - Chicago
# 9 - POUR SOME SUGAR ON ME - Def Leppard
#10 - MONKEY - George Michael
VERY SPECIAL PROPS ...
To Me-TV-FM ...
When my alarm went off at 5 am this morning, they announced it was Groundhog's Day ...
And then proceeded to play "I Got You Babe" by Sonny and Cher!
(Now if they do the exact same thing at 6, 7, 8 and 9 am this morning, THAT'S good radio!!!)
With much of the country waking up to a blanket of about two feet of snow this morning, I don't know that ol' Phil will see his shadow ...
Heck, I don't know if Phil'll come out at all!!! (Would you if you didn't have to???)
But congratulations to the team over at Me-TV-FM for making radio fun to listen to again! (kk)
