#TBT - Mel's Top 100 Hits of 1968

 

THE BEATLES TOP MY 1968 TOP 100 HITS CHART

Unlike the Billboard Top 100 Hits of 1968, my chart differs in that a lot of songs listed there are not listed here. As a long time Beatles fan, this chart contains several Beatles tracks that are acknowledged as part of their greatest hits ever. The Billboard year end chart lists only three songs. This chart expands on that, and features several other rock tracks that The Beatles recorded that did not make the official year end chart for various reasons. On this chart, The Beatles have placed seven tracks.

1968 was also a big year for instrumentals, with 5 of them listed on the chart.

The Rolling Stones managed to put two tracks on this chart, as did The Doors. Aretha Franklin bested them with three as did The Rascals. One of their tracks, "My Hawaii" is an album only track that was a huge hit in the 50th state in 1968. The song has endured over the decades, especially for "Baby Boomers".

The entire Top 100 list appears below and you can listen to the whole thing on my new Spotify Playlist "Top 100 Hits of 1968." Subscribe and enjoy!

TOP 100 HITS OF 1968

Rank	Title	Artist
1	Hey Jude / Revolution	The Beatles
2	Jumpin' Jack Flash	The Rolling Stones
3	Revolution	The Beatles
4	Born to Be Wild	Steppenwolf
5	Hurdy Gurdy Man	Donovan
6	People Got to Be Free	The Rascals
7	While My Guitar Gently Weeps	The Beatles
8	(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay	Otis Redding
9	Hello, I Love You / Love Street	The Doors
10	Love Child	The Supremes
11	Magic Carpet Ride	Steppenwolf
12	Lady Madonna	The Beatles
13	I Love You	People
14	Back in the U.S.S.R.	The Beatles
15	Those Were the Days	Mary Hopkin
16	Tuesday Afternoon	The Moody Blues
17	Birthday	The Beatles
18	Mrs. Robinson	Simon & Garfunkel
19	The Good, the Bad and the Ugly	Hugo Montenegro
20	My Hawaii	The Rascals
21	Young Girl	Gary Puckett & The Union Gap
22	A Beautiful Morning	The Rascals
23	Angel of the Morning	Merrilee Rush
24	I've Gotta Get a Message to You	The Bee Gees
25	I Wish It Would Rain	The Temptations
26	Midnight Confessions	The Grass Roots
27	Tighten Up	Archie Bell & the Drells
28	Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing	Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
29	Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da	The Beatles
30	Do It Again	The Beach Boys
31	A Hazy Shade of Winter	Simon & Garfunkel
32	Sky Pilot	The Animals
33	Time Has Come Today	The Chambers Brothers
34	Mony Mony	Tommy James and the Shondells
35	Cry Like a Baby	The Box Tops
36	Street Fighting Man	The Rolling Stones
37	White Room	Cream
38	Harper Valley PTA	Jeannie C. Riley
39	Spooky	Classics IV
40	MacArthur Park	Richard Harris
41	Jennifer Eccles	The Hollies
42	Dance to the Music	Sly and the Family Stone
43	All Along The Watchtower	Jimi Hendrix
44	Grazing in the Grass	Hugh Masekela
45	Do You Know the Way to San Jose	Dionne Warwick
46	Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)	John Fred & His Playboy Band
47	Lady Willpower	Gary Puckett & The Union Gap
48	Think	Aretha Franklin
49	Piece of My Heart	Big Brother and the Holding Company
50	Valleri	The Monkees
51	Fire	The Crazy World of Arthur Brown
52	The Mighty Quinn	Manfred Mann
53	Woman, Woman	Gary Puckett & The Union Gap
54	You're All I Need to Get By	Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
55	La-La (Means I Love You)	The Delfonics
56	For Once in My Life	Stevie Wonder
57	I Say a Little Prayer	Aretha Franklin
58	The Horse	Cliff Nobles
59	Simon Says	1910 Fruitgum Company
60	Reach Out of the Darkness	Friend & Lover
61	Elenore	The Turtles
62	Bend Me, Shape Me	The American Breed
63	This Guy's in Love with You	Herb Alpert
64	Green Tambourine	The Lemon Pipers
65	Sunshine of Your Love	Cream
66	I Thank You	Sam & Dave
67	Girl Watcher	The O'Kaysions
68	It's Wonderful	The Rascals
69	Pictures of Matchstick Men	Status Quo
70	Suzie Q.	Creedence Clearwater Revival
71	Love is Blue	Paul Mauriat
72	Jennifer Juniper	Donovan
73	Hold Me Tight	Johnny Nash
74	Master Jack	Four Jacks & A Jill
75	Honey	Bobby Goldsboro
76	You Keep Me Hangin' On	Vanilla Fudge
77	Love Is All Around	The Troggs
78	I Wonder What She's Doing Tonight	Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart
79	The Fool on the Hill	Sérgio Mendes
80	Classical Gas	Mason Williams
81	Sweet Inspiration	The Sweet Inspirations
82	Send Me A Postcard	The Shocking Blue
83	Stoned Soul Picnic	The 5th Dimension
84	Light My Fire	José Feliciano
85	Yummy Yummy Yummy	Ohio Express
86	Indian Lake	The Cowsills
87	Little Green Apples	O. C. Smith
88	(Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You've Been Gone	Aretha Franklin
89	If I Were A Carpenter	The Four Tops
90	Slip Away	Clarence Carter
91	Nobody but Me	The Human Beinz
92	The Look of Love	Sérgio Mendes
93	The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde	Georgie Fame
94	Sealed with a Kiss	Gary Lewis & the Playboys
95	The Unicorn	The Irish Rovers
96	Bottle of Wine	The Fireballs
97	Delilah	Tom Jones
98	The Unknown Soldier	The Doors
99	Summertime Blues	Blue Cheer
100	In A Gadda Da Vida	Iron Butterfly

* "Revolution" by The Beatles is listed twice, once as a double sided single with "Hey Jude" and again as a standalone. Same song, two different rankings. It's my chart.

 Songs listed with a / indicate a double sided single with the B side listed after the slash.

#TBT - Mel's Top 100 Hits of 1991

 

1991: A Year of Transition

In 1991, I shifted from mainstream top 40 music to more alternative rock music. This was the year that pop music transitioned to more rap and hip hop songs, hence the transition to alternative rock. 

The songs on my Top 100 Hits of 1991 were all popular for different reasons. 

Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was a cultural phenomenon that helped define the grunge movement and  generation. It turned out to be the band's first and only #1 hit and became their signature song.

"Valerie Loves Me" by Material Issue was a catchy power pop song that started the band's foray into titles named after women. R.E.M.'s "Losing My Religion" was a more thoughtful and introspective song that resonated with many people in 1991. 

Prince and the New Power Generation's "Cream" was a danceable and funky rock track that was perfect for parties. "Caribbean Blue" by Enya was a beautiful and ethereal ballad that transported listeners to another world. 

Seal's "Crazy" was a soulful and passionate love song that was sure to stir emotions, while EMF's "Unbelievable" was a quirky and experimental track that was ahead of its time. 

"Justified and Ancient" by The KLF and Tammy Wynette was a strange and unexpected collaboration that merged dance, funk and country into an unexpected but memorable hit. 

Sting's "All This Time" was a moving and heartfelt ballad about love and loss.

Yes, 1991 was a year of great musical transition. The rise of grunge and alternative rock challenged the dominance of synth-pop and hair metal, while hip hop and R&B continued to evolve. Meanwhile, genres like electronica and world music were also gaining ground.

THE TOP 100 HITS OF 1991

No.	Title	Artist(s)
1	Smells Like Teen Spirit	Nirvana
2	Valerie Loves Me	Material Issue
3	Losing My Religion	R.E.M.
4	Crazy	Seal
5	Wicked Game	Chris Isaak
6	Caribbean Blue	Enya
7	Unbelievable	EMF
8	I've Been Thinking About You	Londonbeat
9	Cream	Prince and The New Power Generation
10	Justified And Ancient	The KLF with Tammy Wynette
11	Groove Is in the Heart	Deee-Lite
12	Alice Everyday	Book of Love
13	Shiny Happy People	R.E.M.
14	Tom's Diner	DNA featuring Suzanne Vega
15	Nothing Else Matters	Metallica
16	Something to Talk About	Bonnie Raitt
17	Silent Lucidity	Queensrÿche
18	Sadeness (Part I)	Enigma
19	Kiss Them For Me	Siouxsie & The Banshees
20	All This Time	Sting
21	Justify My Love	Madonna
22	Right Here, Right Now	Jesus Jones
23	Give It Away	Red Hot Chili Peppers
24	Quiver	Book of Love
25	So You Think I'm in Love	Robyn Hitchcok & The Egyptians
26	Joyride	Roxette
27	Diane	Material Issue
28	You Could Be Mine	Guns N' Roses
29	Enter Sandman	Metallica
30	Here I Am (Come and Take Me)	UB40
31	Breaking the Girl	Red Hot Chili Peppers
32	I Touch Myself	Divinyls
33	Mysterious Ways	U2
34	Baby Baby	Amy Grant
35	There She Goes	The La's
36	I Wanna Sex You Up	Color Me Badd
37	Show Me the Way	Styx
38	Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance...)	C+C Music Factory
39	Black or White	Michael Jackson
40	Near Wild Heaven	R.E.M.
41	Don't Let The Sun Go Down on Me (live)	Elton John with George Michael
42	The Way You Do the Things You Do	UB40
43	Everybody Plays the Fool	Aaron Neville
44	Learning to Fly	Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
45	The Unforgiven	Metallica
46	More Than Words	Extreme
47	Girlfriend	Matthew Sweet
48	Rush	Big Audio Dynamite II
49	Motownphilly	Boyz II Men
50	She Lives (In A Time of Her Own)	The Judybats
51	The Promise of a New Day	Paula Abdul
52	Don't Drop The Baby	The Judybats
53	Signs	Tesla
54	Wind of Change	Scorpions
55	Disappear	INXS
56	Summer Kisses Winter Tears	Julee Cruise
57	Rush Rush	Paula Abdul
58	Sunny Day	Book of Love
59	Right Now	Van Halen
60	Under The Bridge	Red Hot Chili Peppers
61	Bitter Tears	INXS
62	Until The End of the World	U2
63	Alive	Pearl Jam
64	Real Real Real	Jesus Jones
65	I Can't Dance	Genesis
66	Emotions	Mariah Carey
67	Hole Hearted	Extreme
68	Good Vibrations	Marky Mark And The Funky Bunch
69	Live and Let Die	Guns N Roses
70	High Enough	Damn Yankees
71	Kinky Afro	Happy Mondays
72	The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)	Cher
73	(Everything I Do) I Do It for You	Bryan Adams
74	I'm Your Baby Tonight	Whitney Houston
75	I'm Too Sexy	Right Said Fred
76	Into the Great Wide Open	Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
77	Just Another Dream	Cathy Dennis
78	It Ain't Over 'til It's Over	Lenny Kravitz
79	Radio Song	R.E.M.
80	Rhythm of My Heart	Rod Stewart
81	The Other Side of Summer	Elvis Costello
82	The Fly	U2
83	O.P.P.	Naughty by Nature
84	It Hit Me Like a Hammer	Huey Lewis & The News
85	November Rain	Guns N' Roses
86	This House	Tracie Spencer
87	Too Many Walls	Cathy Dennis
88	Get A Leg Up	John Mellencamp
89	Fading Like a Flower (Every Time You Leave)	Roxette
90	Someday	Mariah Carey
91	Love Takes Time	Mariah Carey
92	The One and Only	Chesney Hawkes
93	Love Will Never Do Without You	Janet Jackson
94	Summertime	DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
95	Touch Me (All Night Long)	Cathy Dennis
96	I Adore Mi Amor	Color Me Badd
97	I'm Not in Love	Will to Power
98	Coming Out of the Dark	Gloria Estefan
99	Here We Go	C+C Music Factory
100	Something to Believe In	Poison

#TBT - The Name Game by Shirley Ellis

 

From my childhood way back in 1965 comes "The Name Game" by singer Shirley Ellis. We used to have this 45 on the old Congress label back in the day. My late sister and her friend used to love to sing this and substitute names of people they knew at the end of the song. This was a real long time ago... what almost 60 years now.

One thing I liked about "The Name Game" 45 was the killer B-side of that record. The song title was "Whisper To Me Wind". This could have also been a hit back in the day... though I never recall any radio station playing the song.

Shirley Ellis' real name was Shirley Marie O'Garra. She was born in 1929 and lived to 2005. During her career Shirley had three major Billboard Hot 100 hits. The first was "The Nitty Gritty" which came out in 1963 and topped off at the #8 position in October of that year. Her next hit single was "The Name Game" which peaked at #3, followed by "The Clapping Song (Clap Pat, Clap Slap)" which went to #8. Shirley Ellis had a total of 14 charted singles that appeared on the U.S. as well as the U.K. charts.

Check this playlist I created on Spotify featuring Shirley Ellis' music. The playlist tracks should play in full if you have a Spotify subscription.

Elvis Presley - Are You Lonesome Tonight? | I Gotta Know

Throwback Thursday - 45 RPM Heaven

Much has been written about "The King of Rock n Roll", ELVIS PRESLEY. This little post on my music corner of nowhere is just another cog to add to that huge, growing wheel, more than 46 years ago today.

Elvis Presley passed away on August 16, 1977. He left a long musical legacy of hundreds of memorable singles and record albums, all of which have been brought up to date in the digital age when you can stream just about anything online.

One of the very first records I was exposed to in the rock n roll genre came very early in my life, probably before I was five years old. My Dad used to have a friend who ran a vending machine business. Among his many vending machines were jukeboxes that he loaned out to restaurants and other eating places. Periodically he would have to change out the records contained in the jukeboxes. Since he was a friend of my Dad, we would end up with dozens of old 45s that Dad brought home. How cool was that?

One of the first records I remember getting was Elvis Presley's single "Are You Lonesome Tonight" with "I Gotta Know" on the B-side. I think my Mom first played the record when we got it. She fell in love with the broken hearted ballad that was the featured A-side of the record. The song was one of several Elvis singles that went to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts.

As a kid I found the other side of the record to be much better. "I Gotta Know" was an upbeat song, more to my early rock n roll liking of faster tunes. So I played that side of the record more than the A-side which my Mom loved. 

That all said, both "Are You Lonesome Tonight" and "I Gotta Know" both became radio hits, with "Lonesome" as previously stated peaking at #1 and "I Gotta Know" peaking at #20 on the Hot 100.

I love 45 rpm records, especially in the old days when both sides of a 45 could become hits. DJs had more flexibility in those days to flip a record over and figure that hey, the other side is just as good as the A-side being pushed by the record company.

The original 45 was on the black RCA label featuring Nipper the dog looking into the old gramophone record player. What a classic label and symbol. Sadly I no longer have that original 45.

Today "Are You Lonesome Tonight" and "I Gotta Know" exist on CD or a digital playlist like I have at. Spotify.

"Are You Lonesome Tonight" and "I Gotta Know" appear on the CD Elvis Golden Records Volume 3.

You can listen to both songs on my Digital 45 playlist on Spotify.

Mel’s Top 100 Hits of 1969

 Get Back is My Favorite Song of 1969

I was only 12 back in 1969. The biggest event of that year was the manned landing on the moon by Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin and Michael Collins. 

Music wise 1969 was another year of great rock and pop music that wrapped the decade of the 1960s up. We had some great big classic hits by The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Creedence Clearwater Revival and many others.

In retrospect my favorite songs from 1969 are those by The Beatles. My #1 song of the year is "Get Back" and I list it with its 45 rpm B-side "Don't Let Me Down". My #2 song of the year is another Beatles song that was never released as a single. It is George Harrison's greatest song of all time... "Here Comes The Sun" from the Abbey Road album. He also showed up with The Beatles at #12 with "Something". John Lennon had Beatles tracks on my top 100 with "The Ballad of John & Yoko" at #9, "Come Together" at #21 and his first solo track, "Give Peace a Chance" at #58, which is shown on the record's label at John Lennon / The Plastic Ono Band. 

The Rolling Stones had a couple of big hits in 1969, with my favorite being "Honky Tonk Woman" at #3 for the year.

Several songs in my Top 100 of 1969 were not in the Billboard Top 100 of 1969. They include It's a Beautiful Day's "White Bird" at #4, The Youngbloods' "Get Together" at #11 (originally released in 1967), and "The Boxer" and "Baby Driver" 45 from Simon & Garfunkel. Several other songs that did not score high enough on the year end Billboard Chart of 1969 made this chart.

All of the songs on this chart can be streamed on my Spotify playlist. The Top 100 Hits of 1969 list is posted below. Enjoy!

Rank	Title	Artist
1	Get Back / Don't Let Me Down	The Beatles
2	Here Comes The Sun	The Beatles
3	Honky Tonk Women	The Rolling Stones
4	White Bird	It's A Beautiful Day
5	In the Year 2525	Zager & Evans
6	One	Three Dog Night
7	Crimson and Clover (album version)	Tommy James and the Shondells
8	Bad Moon Rising / Lodi	Creedence Clearwater Revival
9	The Ballad of John & Yoko / Old Brown Shoe	The Beatles
10	Time of the Season	The Zombies
11	Get Together	The Youngbloods
12	Something	The Beatles
13	Everyday People	Sly and the Family Stone
14	Fortunate Son / Down on the Corner	Creedence Clearwater Revival
15	Dizzy	Tommy Roe
16	Hair	The Cowsills
17	Crystal Blue Persuasion	Tommy James and the Shondells
18	Green River / Commotion	Creedence Clearwater Revival
19	Eli's Coming	Three Dog Night
20	I Heard It Through the Grapevine	Marvin Gaye
21	Come Together	The Beatles
22	Proud Mary / Born on the Bayou	Creedence Clearwater Revival
23	Love (Can Make You Happy)	Mercy
24	Suspicious Minds	Elvis Presley
25	Put a Little Love in Your Heart	Jackie DeShannon
26	Someday, We'll Be Together	Diana Ross & The Supremes
27	It's Your Thing	The Isley Brothers
28	Sugar, Sugar	The Archies
29	These Eyes	The Guess Who
30	Sympathy for the Devil	The Rolling Stones
31	Hawaii Five-O	The Ventures
32	Touch Me	The Doors
33	Lay Lady Lay	Bob Dylan
34	Easy to Be Hard	Three Dog Night
35	Hot Fun in the Summertime	Sly and the Family Stone
36	Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye	Steam
37	A Boy Named Sue	Johnny Cash
38	Soul Deep	The Box Tops
39	Time Is Tight	Booker T. & the M.G.'s
40	More Today Than Yesterday	Spiral Starecase
41	Sugar on Sunday	The Clique
42	Spinning Wheel	Blood, Sweat & Tears
43	The Boxer / Baby Driver	Simon & Garfunkel
44	Whole Lotta Love	Led Zeppelin
45	Marakesh Express / Helplessly Hoping	Crosby, Stills & Nash
46	Atlantis	Donovan
47	Laughing	The Guess Who
48	I'd Wait a Million Years	The Grass Roots
49	I Can Hear Music	The Beach Boys
50	My Cherie Amour	Stevie Wonder
51	What Does It Take (To Win Your Love)	Jr. Walker & The All Stars
52	You've Made Me So Very Happy	Blood, Sweat & Tears
53	You Showed Me	The Turtles
54	Smile a Little Smile for Me	The Flying Machine
55	Traces	Classics IV
56	Ramblin' Gamblin' Man	Bob Seger System
57	Tell All The People	The Doors
58	Give Peace A Chance	John Lennon & the Plastic Ono Band
59	Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town	Kenny Rogers and The First Edition
60	Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In	The 5th Dimension
61	Backfield in Motion	Mel and Tim
62	I Can't Get Next to You	The Temptations
63	Wishful Sinful	The Doors
64	Build Me Up Buttercup	The Foundations
65	This Magic Moment	Jay and the Americans
66	Maxwell's Silver Hammer	The Beatles
67	In the Ghetto	Elvis Presley
68	Everybody's Talkin'	Harry Nilsson
69	Baby It's You	Smith
70	The River is Wide	The Grass Roots
71	Too Busy Thinking About My Baby	Marvin Gaye
72	Good Morning Starshine	Oliver
73	Gimme Gimme Good Lovin'	Crazy Elephant
74	Wedding Bell Blues	The 5th Dimension
75	It's Getting Better	Mama Cass Elliot
76	Sweet Caroline	Neil Diamond
77	Games People Play	Joe South
78	Baby, Baby Don't Cry	The Miracles
79	Take A Letter Maria	R.B. Greaves
80	Israelites	Desmond Decker & The Aces
81	Jingle Jangle	The Archies
82	Galveston	Glen Campbell
83	Undun	The Guess Who
84	Octopus's Garden	The Beatles
85	Goodbye	Mary Hopkin
86	I'm Gonna Make You Love Me	The Supremes & The Temptations
87	Bella Linda	The Grass Roots
88	That's the Way Love Is	Marvin Gaye
89	Hooked on a Feeling	B.J. Thomas
90	This Girl Is a Woman Now	Gary Puckett & The Union Gap
91	Only The Strong Survive	Jerry Butler
92	Ruben James	Kenny Rogers and The First Edition
93	Time Machine	Grand Funk Railroad
94	Try A Little Tenderness	Three Dog Night
95	Baby, I Love You	Andy Kim
96	Mr. Sun, Mr. Moon	Paul Revere & the Raiders
97	Can I Change My Mind	Tyronne Davis
98	Gitarzan	Ray Stevens
99	Grazing in the Grass	The Friends of Distinction
100	Keem-O-Sabe	Electric Indian

Today's Vinyl Spin - SHNAZZ on LP in 2021

 

I Want To Jump on Your Bones

#TBT Thursday - Today's Vinyl Spin - SHNAZZ - "I Think We're Alone Now" - they were a local band that was on the verge of a national breakout. The cover of the old Tommy James & the Shondells hit got a bunch of radio airplay in 1980. The album had a bunch of party rockin' songs including "Bad Boys", "I Want to Jump on Your Bones", "Can You Still Come Back" and the instrumental, "Pignose Under Glass". The record was never issued in a digital format. It came out in a standard LP and cassette. "I Think We're Alone Now" b/w "Bad Boys" was also issued as a single 45, which I also have in my collection.

The members of Shnazz included  Fritz "The Fritz" Hasenpusch on vocals/harmonica, Frank Kam on guitar/vocals, Roger Holland on bass/vocals, Art Galvan on drums, vocals, percussion, and Vernon Sakata on guitar, vocals.

I was lucky enough to see them perform for free at King's Alley in Waikiki back in either 1980 or 1981. I read years ago that around 1981 they were signed to a major record label and were supposed to release a follow-up to this record. It never happened.

Here is a clip of them doing "I Want to Jump on Your Bones" and "I Think We're Alone Now."

The Classic Top 10 Votes - May 28, 2020

MEL'S TOP 10 OLDIES + ALBUMS

It's Throwback Thursday (#TBT) once more and for this week I have a chart and a couple of videos. Leading off with the video showcase is this 1981 gem by REO Speedwagon. It's called "In Your Letter". It is off their Grammy winning album Hi Infidelity and a modest hit on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #20.

I think it is a great song, with kind of an early 60s throwback for me. A good rock n roll vibe surrounding what is a "Dear John" type of letter. Watching the video (posted above), check out the ancient IBM Selectric typewriter. You'd think the lady typing the letter was doing it on a computer... but no, it's a typewriter and the screen is a TV showing the video. Simple but good enough for this song. Enjoy.

The weekly top 10 votes are submitted to the Classic Top 30 website for inclusion into his weekly tabulation of oldies.

TOP TEN OLDIES - MAY 28,  2020

1. Just An Old Fashioned Love Song - Three Dog Night
2. In Your Letter - REO Speedwagon
3. Lazy Day -  Spanky & Our Gang
4. Eat At Home - Paul & Linda McCartney
5. Seven Year Ache - Roseanne Cash
6. Hearts - Marty Balin
7. White Bird - It's a Beautiful Day
8. Twistin' USA - Chubby Checker
9. Smiling Islands - Robbie Patton with Stevie Nicks
10. Only the Lucky -Walter Egan

LPs

1. Sticky Fingers - The Rolling Stones
2. FM - Original Soundtrack
3. Tom Tom Club -  Tom Tom Club

Throwback Thursday:KKUA's Top 69 Hits of 1971

We resume our blog after a year long hiatus with this Throwback Thursday (#TBT) post which was originally featured at Hawaii Radio & Television Guide Archive. First up, is the Top 69 Hits of 1971 from KKUA Radio.

KKUA was the dominant top 40 radio station in Hawaii in the mid 1970s. They had a strong AM signal at 690 on the dial and could be heard throughout most of the state. Their main rival was KPOI which broadcast at 1380 on the AM dial as well as 97.5 on FM. KPOI’s AM played top 40 and was the most popular pop music station in Hawaii through much of the 1960s and early 1970s. Their FM played album rock tracks.

Some of the hit records from 1971.

Every year, KKUA counted down the year’s Top 69 songs. The chart below is from the Top 69 of 1971 which listed Three Dog Night‘s “Joy to the World” as the #1 song of the year.

Rank and Title	Artist	Peak Pos. on Top 20
1. Joy To The World	Three Dog Night	1
2. I’ve Found Someone of My Own	Free Movement	1
3. Just My Imagination	Temptations	1
4. Smiling Faces (Sometimes)	Undisputed Truth	1
5. Timothy	The Buoys	1
6. Go Away Little Girl	Donny Osmond	1
7. Knock Three Times	Dawn	1
8. Indian Reservation	The Raiders	1
9. One Bad Apple	Osmonds	1
10. Chatto-Matte-Kudasai	Sam Kapu	1
11. My Sweet Lord	George Harrison	1
12. Precious & Few *	Climax featuring Sonny Geraci	1
13. I’m So Poud	Main Ingredient	1
14. Sweet City Woman	The Stampeders	1
15. Life Is That Way	Jose Feliciano	1
16. It’s Impossible	Perry Como	1
17. Domino	Van Morrison	1
18. Superstar	The Carpenters	1
19. Woodstock	Matthew’s Southern Comfort	2
20. Never Can Say Goodbye	Jackson Five	2
21. Gypsies, Tramps & Theives	Cher	2
22. Maggie May	Rod Stewart	2
23. Yo Yo	Osmonds	2
24. Sweet & Innocent	Donny Osmond	2
25. It’s Too Late	Carole King	2
26. Mr. Big Stuff	Jean Knight	1
27. Stay Awhile	The Bells	2
28. Don’t Pull Your Love	Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds	2
29. If	Bread	2
30. Black Magic Woman	Santana	2
31. For All We Know	The Carpenters	2
32. The Pushbike Song	Mixtures	2
33. Mandrill	Mandrill	2
34. I Can’t Stop	Osmonds	2
35. Tears of A Clown	Smokey Robinson & the Miracles	2
36. Stick-Up	Honeycone	2
37. Liar	Three Dog Night	2
38. Watcha See, is Watcha Get	The Dramatics	2
39. Your Song	Elton John	3
40. Draggin’ The Line	Tommy James	2
41. Morning Of Our Lives	The Arkade	3
42. How Can You Mend A Broken Heart	Bee Gees	3
43. I Hear Those Churchbells	Dusk	2
44. Proud Mary	Ike & Tina Turner	2
45. I Love You For All Seasons	Fuzz	3
46. We Can Make It Girl	Society of Seven	3
47. Ain’t No Sunshine	Bill Withers	3
48. Albert Flasher	Guess Who	3
49. Most of All	B.J. Thomas	3
50. Three Cheers For Love	Dick Jensen	3
51. Mama’s Pearl	Jackson Five	4
52. Rainy Days And Mondays	The Carpenters	4
53. No Matter What	Badfinger	4
54. I Do Take You	Three Degrees	4
55. Somebody’s Been Sleeping	100 Proof Aged in Soul	4
56. Just An Old Fashioned Love  Song	Three Dog Night	4
57. I Just Want To Celebrate	Rare Earth	4
58. Put Your Hand In The Hand	Ocean	4
59. Oye Como Va	Santana	4
60. Love Means (You Never Have To Say You’re Sorry)	Sounds of Sunshine	4
61. Games	Redeye	5
62. Brown Sugar	Rolling Stones	5
63. Lola	The Kinks	5
64. I Dig Everything About You	The Mob	5
65. Love Song	The Vogues	5
66. What Are You Doing    Sunday?	Dawn	5
67. Baby I’m A Want You	Bread	5
68. Frisco Bay	Society of Seven	5
69. Born To Wonder	Rare Earth	5

The big hit of 1971 that was played to death on KKUA and practically all other top 40 stations was Three Dog Night‘s “Joy To The World.” The song was at the number one spot for was seven weeks, making it the most popular song on KKUA.CHART NOTES: 

That year a number of local records got airplay on mainstream Top 40 radio. The most prominent local hit of 1971 was Sam Kapu‘s “Chatto Matte Kudasai” which at first sounded totally out of place on a top 40 format, but eventually got so popular that it went number one in the summer summer. Records by the Society of Seven, who at the time had a record deal with Uni Records (which later became MCA) charted with the singles “We Can Make It Girl,” and “Frisco Bay”. Dick Jensencharted with his top 40 hit single, “Three Cheers For Love.” The local hits are indicated by blue type.

* Climax‘s “Precious And Few” was a number 1 hit in Hawaii during the summer of 1971 before breaking out nationally in 1972. The group was very popular in Hawaii having charted several more times with the hits “Life And Breath,” “Walking in the Georgia Rain” and “Caroline This Time”.

Several nationally released singles were hot in Hawaii and nowhere else. These included “Morning of Our Lives” by The Arkade, “Life is That Way” by José Feliciano, “I Dig Everything About You” by The Mob, “Love Song” by The Vogues, “Mandrill” by Mandrill, “I Can’t Stop” by The Osmonds, “I Hear Those Churchbells Ringing” by Dusk, and “The Pushbike Song” by The Mixtures.

Other songs that got a lot of airplay in 1971 that did not make this chart included “Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep” by Middle of the Road, “Give Up Your Guns” by The Buoys and “Keep it in the Family” by The Road Home.

Among the popular albums of 1971 were Three Dog Night‘s “Naturally” which contained the #1 hit “Joy To The World” as well as the very radio friendly ballad “Sunlight,” a track that never was released as a single. Also popular was Carole King‘s “Tapestry”, Santana‘s “Abraxus”, Sly & the Family Stone‘s “There’s a Riot Going On,” and several albums by theJackson Five and Osmonds.

KKUA’s 1971 Personalities included the following:

Jim Peters 6:AM
Steven B. Williams 9:AM
Gene Davis 12 noon
Ron King 3:PM
Scott Edwards 6:PM
Dick Wainwright 9:PM
Rick Shannon Midnight