Hi there, Kent,
On Saturday, October 12th, I was listening to Jeff Lawrence's countdown show on WMEX in Quincy – Boston, Massachusetts, and he was counting down The Top 25 songs from the survey of October 12, 1972. I was just drinking coffee and listening to the survey, when all of a sudden, the #20 song started playing, and it was Playground In My Mind by Clint Holmes, which is a song that I don't care for at all. I also consider this to be a bubblegum song, by the way.
But this must be one of those songs that came out at different times in different sections of the country. I generally think of that song as a May through July, 1973 song, and I was really surprised to see that it had charted so early on WMEX, way back in October of 1972. I had no idea that this song had charted that early. I can certainly understand Canadian songs charting much earlier up here than they did in the states, but this song really surprised me quite a bit. I wonder what other radio markets charted this song so early.
Sam Ward
Port Credit Ontario Canada
Definitely NOT one of MY favorites either … it’s an immediate button-pusher for me! (Although I DID recently hear it played on one of those old WLS / WCFL Rewound tapes … and the sad to happy moment transpired when the deejay followed up “Playground In My Mind” (a song I absolutely detest) with “Love Me For A Reason” by The Osmonds, a song that I absolutely LOVE and would NEVER turn off. So the overall experience was a positive one for me!
As for “Playground,” it shows first charting nationally here Stateside in February of 1973. Record World was on it first … it took both Billboard and Cash Box over a month to catch on. They both added the record in mid-to-late March.
Annoying as it was to listen to, the song definitely had legs, charting for 22-23 weeks in all three publications, where it ALSO peaked at #2 in all three of the major trades. (Not bad for a song we all seem to love to hate!!!)
Just for fun, I checked the Canadian Charts (where it did, in fact, go all the way to #1.) It charted up north of the border for 16 weeks, spending three of them holding down the top spot in their country. Even so, it didn’t premier there until mid-June, 1973, so that would have had absolutely no impact on what you heard on the WMEX vintage countdown.
Makes me think they made a mistake! You may want to check with the station or the DJ to see where they got their information … maybe he can send you a copy of the October WMEX Chart he was referencing on his program.
Or I can do a bit more digging … and just show you the WMEX Chart dated October 12, 1972, myself!
And lo and behold, there it is, right at #20, just like Jeff Lawrence said it was!!!
(My first thought was, without seeing this chart ... and being willing to give ol' Jeffrey the benefit of the doubt ... "I suppose they COULD have played it in 1972 as a “hot shot extra” / future hit … if they happened to feel that strongly about the record's potential … but the fact that you said they announced it as their #20 song of the week blows THAT theory!!!)
And yet there it was ... the #20 Song of the Week (and UP a notch from the week before to boot!!!)
So now, curiously obsessed, I had to check out the song’s chart performance on the WMEX chart in relation to what we now knew happened nationally.
I jumped ahead a year and found that “Playground In My Mind” premiered on WMEX’s chart AGAIN (obviously NOT for the very first time) on the survey dated April 26, 1973, some six months AFTER they aired it as part of their October, 1972, countdown.
(kk ... or would that be DETECTVE kk to you???)
UPDATE: A bit more info from the ALWAYS reliable Wikipedia …
(although this time around it actually DOES appear to explain a few things!!!)
"Playground In My Mind" was first recorded by Billy Lawrence (II) in 1971 as "Playground In My Mind (Mama, Je T'aime)" on Atlantic Records, but failed to chart. Holmes' better known version was released in the U.S. in June of 1972, but did not reach the Hot 100 chart until March 24, 1973, whereupon it rose to #2 on their June 16th, 1973 chart, behind “My Love” by Paul McCartney and Wings. The single stayed on the chart for 23 weeks and was granted gold disc status by the R.I.A.A. on July 3rd, 1973.
So while the recording WAS floating around in October of 1972, it wasn’t making any kind of an impression yet ... except for maybe on the WMEX charts of this era. (kk)
Gritting my teeth as I type this ... but ...
Here it is ...
Do with it what you will!!!
DIDJAKNOW?: Several years later Clint Holmes was named the #1 Act in Las Vegas ...
Never quite figured THAT one out either!!! (kk)
