Message songs, whether about war, universal peace or racial inequality certainly came to the forefront at the close of the 60s and into the 70s. Of course, they were always a factor on the music charts but the 70s really brought it into focus. Besides the ones already mentioned, here's another from the fall of '69. Paul Revere & The Raiders will be coming up soon on this thread with a huge message song but this one preceded it:
And this one from '72. I wasn't a fan of the Superfly stuff but I did like this one from Curtis Mayfield that didn't chart on the Hot 100 - We Got To Have Peace:
However, by the skin of his teeth Mr. Cassidy did manage to outlive Mel Tillis who has croaked . . . (this is pertinent given the reference in one of the posts to "Tell It All Brother" . . . which was a hit in '70 for Kenny Rogers & The First Edition, who scored Top 10 with their minimalist-backing rendition of Tillis' "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love To Town" back in '69).
Outlived means you lived one second past the death of another. It doesn't mean your overall lifespan was ultimately longer.
I can't find any confirmation that Cassidy has passed away, although he is gravely ill and has been moved to the ICU, according to news reports.
There are MANY big hits which didn't hit No. 1, but should've. I can do a list for every year... I'll tackle the 70s later. 1956 Blue Suede Shows (Carl Perkins) (No. 4) 1956 Only You (No. 5) 1956 Ain't That a Shame (No. 11) 1956 Why Do Fools Fall in Love (No. 6) 1957 Peggy Sue (No. 2) 1957 Bye Bye Love (No. 2) 1957 Little Darlin' (No. 2) 1957 School Day (No. 6) 1957 Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On (No. 3) 1958 Rebel Rouser (No. 6) 1958 Sweet Little Sixteen (No. 2) 1958 Short Shorts (No. 2) 1958 Splish Splash (No. 3) 1958 Great Balls of Fire (No. 2) 1959 Dream Lover (No. 2) 1959 There Goes My Baby (No. 2) 1959 Put Your Head on My Shoulder (No. 2) 1959 Charlie Brown (No. 2) 1960 Walk Don't Run (No. 2) 1960 Puppy Love (No. 2) 1960 Because They're Young (No. 4) 1960 When Will I Be Loved (No. 8) 1960 Image of a Girl (No. 6) 1960 Only The Lonely (No. 2) 1961 Stand By Me (No. 4) 1961 Raindrops (No. 2) 1961 My True Story (No. 3) 1961 Goodbye Cruel World (No. 3) 1962 Green Onions (No. 3) 1962 The Wanderer (No. 2) 1962 Pallisades Park (No. 3) 1962 Seald with a Kiss (No. 3) 1962 Can't Help Falling in Love (No. 2) 1962 Moon River (No. 11) 1963 Louie, Louie (No. 2) Kept out of No. 1 by DOMINIQUE !!! 1963 Ryhthmn of the Rain (No. 3) 1963 One Fine Day (No. 5) 1963 Up on the Roof (No. 5) 1963 On Broadway (No. 9) 1963 Can't Get Used to Losing You (No. 2) 1963 Surfin' USA (No. 3) 1963 You Really Got a Hold of Me (No. 8) 1963 Be My Baby (No. 2) 1964 Dawn (Go Away) (No. 3) 1964 Fun Fun Fun (No. 5) 1964 You Don't Know Me (No. 2) 1964 Last Kiss (No. 2) 1964 You Really Got Me (No. 7) 1964 Surfin' Bird (No. 4) 1964 She's Not There (No. 4) 1964 Glad All Over (No. 6) 1964 Under the Boardwalk (No. 4) 1965 Wooly Bully (No. 2) 1965 All Day and All of the Night (No. 7) 1965 Goin' Out of My Head (No. 6) 1965 How Sweet it Is (No. 6) 1965 Can't You Hear My Heartbeat (No. 2) 1965 In The Midnight Hour (No. 21) 1965 Nowhere to Run (No. 8) 1965 Let's Hang On (No. 3) 1965 California Girls (No. 3) 1966 Wouldn't it be Nice (No. 8) 1966: Land of 1,000 Dances (No. 6) 1966: Cherry, Cherry (No. 6) 1966 Nowhere Man (No. 3) 1966: Yellow Submarine (No. 2) 1966: Walk Away Renee (No. 5) 1966: I Saw Her Again (No. 5) 1966: Red Rubber Ball (No. 3) 1966: Barbara Ann (No. 2) 1966: A Groovy Kind of Love (No. 2) 1966: Brown Eyed Girl (No. 10) 1966: California Dreamin' (No. 4) 1967 Can't Take My Eyes Off Your (No. 2) 1967 Tell It Like It Is (No. 2) 1967 I Heard it Through the Grapevine (Gladys Knight & Pips) (No. 2) 1967 Good Thing (No. 4) 1967 Georgy Girl (No. 2) 1967 Soul Man (No. 2) 1967 Never My Love (No. 2) 1967 Jimmy Mack (No. 10) 1967 The Rain, The Park and Other Things (No. 2) 1967 (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher (No. 6) 1967 The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy) –•– Harpers Bizarre (No. 13) 1967 I Think We're Alone Now (No. 4) 1968 Jumpin' Jack Flash (No. 3) 1968 Love is All Around (No. 7) 1968 The Horse (No. 2) 1968 MacArthur Park (No. 2) 1968 Mony, Mony (No. 3) 1968 A Beautiful Morning (No. 3) 1968 I'd Like to Get to Know You (No. 17) 1968 Think (No. 7) 1968 Chain of Fools (No. 2) 1968 Lady Madonna (No. 4) 1968 Cry Like a Baby (No. 2) 1968 I Wish it Would Rain (No. 4) 1968 Young Girl (No. 2) 1969 Hair (No. 2) 1969 Wichita Lineman (No. 3) 1969 Galveston (No. 2) 1969 Hooked on a Feeling (No. 5) 1969 Proud Mary (No. 2) 1969 Build Me Up, Buttercup (No. 3) 1969 Traces (No. 2) 1969 You've Made Me So Very Happy (No. 2) 1969 Spinning Wheel (No. 2) 1969 In the Ghetto (No. 3) 1969 Down on the Corner/ Fortunate Son (No. 3) 1969 Green River (No. 2) 1969 Sweet Caroline (No. 4) 1969 One (No. 5) 1969 Get Together (No. 5) 1969 Time of the Season (No. 3) 1969 Hot Fun in the Summertime (No. 2)
Agreed, as evidenced by my "runners up" list. I just thought it would be fun to try to limit myself to just one song per year, then do a deep dive on that song. Man, for some years it was incredibly hard, and in fact twice I couldn't narrow it down past two. And that despite the fact I have been limiting myself to singles that were hits in the States. If I had expanded the list to include great UK-only hits and album cuts I never would have decided for some of the years!
I have always known "outlive" to mean to still be alive after the other person has died. Both people's ages are irrelevant.
That is the standard definition. In this instant news era in which we live in, the competition to be the one to break a story is more ridiculously intense than ever before. In cases like this one with David Cassidy or Tom Petty last month where a person is reported to be critically ill and likely only has days to live, rumors inevitably start and people jump the gun on reporting their deaths. Cassidy is apparently not yet deceased, but if his condition has been accurately reported he will likely pass away in the next day or three. Knowing he was facing Alzheimer's Disease, it's almost merciful to go quickly rather than face the long slow torture of that illness.
I also thought the record was great, and I'm a fan of both Melanie and the Edwin Hawkins Singers. One of my 1970 memories was hearing Melanie's late summer single "Peace Will Come (According To Plan) in a head shop in San Francisco. My family and I went on a two week vacation to Yosemite Park and San Francisco that summer, and it was then that I really became infatuated with music as a 14 year old. So the songs that were out at the time really stick in my memory. A few others that I really dug: Wigwam-Bob Dylan The Lost Generation-Sly, Slick, Wicked Johnny Cash-Sunday Morning Comin' Down The Poppy Family-That's Where I Went Wrong Flaming Ember-Westbound #9 Rare Earth-I Know I'm Losin' You B.J. Thomas-I Just Can't Help Believing Ronnie Dyson-Why Can't I Touch You Linda Ronstadt-Long Long Time
I recall that Melanie's "Look What They've Done To My Song, Ma" was a pretty big hit in Southern California in a cover version by the New Seekers.
Yup. It was a pretty big hit nearly everywhere since it reached #14 on Billboard. Don't know about Cashbox or Record World.
The CBS Pitman pressings of this one would be among the last to feature 8 point Erbar Bold Condensed which had been a part of the type library for Columbia's print shops on the East Coast (first at Bridgeport, then Pitman) since about 1945 (used on the title): But there'd be another version, some two years later, a very minor hit for Ray Charles (a very rare example of a single on ABC labels using Pitman type): Its B side would go on to some fame of its own in later years - his stirring rendition of "America The Beautiful."
Lots of great songs didn't get anywhere near the top because the public tastes didn't appreciate them. Echo Park by Keith Barbour is practically the best song of 1969 and it peaked at no. 40 on Billboard, for example.
Next we go into 1971, with "My Sweet Lord/Isn't It A Pity" by George Harrison, #1 from December 26, 1970 - January 22, 1971.
As most of us know, this song was the subject of a multi million dollar copyright lawsuit, claiming that "My Sweet Lord" plagiarized "He's So Fine" by the Chiffons.... a suit that Harrison ultimately lost.
My older siblings tell me that I really liked this song a lot at the time. And I do remember that until at least 1975 or so, anytime it came on the radio, they'd call me over so I could listen to it. However, as a result of that, I overdosed on this song at that time (as I did subsequently for many Beatles songs) and I don't listen to it (or the Beatles) very often anymore. I like all of that and realize all of that material's immense strengths; but at this point I like to challenge myself listening wise and that means listening to less familiar material. My choice, and I am happy with it. Unfortunately I know I will never run out of unfamiliar material to listen to! I did not hear "He's So Fine" and learn about the plagarism case until about 1980 (again --- due to the ever-present "History of Rock and Roll" radio show in my musical story).
I loved this song as a little kid. I doubt I recall its original chart run, but it was definitely a huge presence on pop radio clear thru '73 at least - by which time I definitely do recall many of the biggest hits of the day.
The very, very rare song I never get tired of. I don't know what it is exactly. It wasn't recorded all that well and it doesn't change chord structure much, but what's there is the perfect music to lyric. I like the production an awful lot too.
