By Frank “Smokin” Truat
Music is timeless, and recently I started highlighting the song that hit #1 each week in 1974 on Rock-O-Lections, my Monday evening show that airs from 6-8pm on WTBQ, 93.5 FM (and on WGHT 98.3 FM). The show is about the music of the 1970’s, a decade that featured a variety of musical genres by artists that came from many diverse backgrounds. To think that these number one hits are 50 years old is nothing short of astounding. They say that time does fly by, and that age is just a number, but it seems not all that long ago that we were listening to these brand-new songs and buying them in our record stores. So far this year the songs that I highlighted started with “Time in a Bottle,” the Jim Croce song, number one on January 5th, 1974. “The Joker” by the Steve Miller Band replaced Jim Croce the next week. Other songs that hit that 50-year anniversary included “You’re Sixteen” by Ringo Starr, “The Way We Were” from Barbra Streisand and “Seasons in the Sun” by Terry Jacks. For those old enough to remember hearing them they debuted on the radio, it’s hard to believe that our youth and a half-century has passed us by. Songs that achieved the number one status were chosen based on popular radio play and single purchases. The Billboard Hot 100 was introduced in 1958, and today includes online streaming in its calculations. Back in 1974, songs moved more slowly up the charts, got played on the radio, then shortly thereafter were taken off radio playlists and played only occasionally. Any song that became number one back in the 1970s became very familiar to the radio listener. Elton John’s “Benny and the Jets” became 50 years old in April as did “The Streak” by Ray Stevens. Could it be 50 years ago that streaking was the latest craze? “Band on the Run” hit number one in June and “Billy Don’t Be a Hero” was number one for two weeks, also in June. Remember “Rock the Boat?” That song is also 50 years old as of July 6th. In 1974, a full 25 acts would earn their first number one song, and later that year John Lennon, as a solo artist, would achieve his first number one! So, buckle up, and get ready for a new number one song by an artist that already had a number one in March of 1974, John Denver. “Annie’s Song” officially hits that 50-year-old mark this week! The song was written by John while skiing down Aspen Mountain, taking in the beauty and thinking about his wife, Annie. By the way, they divorced eight years later in 1982, with John passing away in 1997. Many of these number one songs still get played on radio today, a lasting tribute to the artists that recorded them 50 years ago. Did I say 50 years ago? I still can’t wrap my brain around that!
