EVERY Billboard #1 hit discussion thread 1958-Present

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by alphanguy, Jan 29, 2016.

  1. Witchy Woman

    Witchy Woman Forum Resident

    Location:
    Third Coast, USA
    I remember “Frankenstein” but it must have been from the radio b/c I’m pretty sure none of my older siblings had the record. It has an interesting vibe but I can’t believe it became a #1 hit while the same week, Elton John’s “Daniel” peaked at #3 and Steely Dan’s “Reeling in the Years” (with Jimmy Page’s supposedly favorite guitar solo) only peaked at #11.
     
    sunspot42 likes this.
  2. tmoore

    tmoore Forum Resident

    Location:
    Olney, MD
    For clarity, this is the post I was referring to when making statements above about "I Go Crazy" taking a long time to reach its peak position. There seems to be separate records for longest time to reach peak position (that was not #1), and longest time to reach #1.

    Unfortunately, I tried to edit my earlier post about 31 minutes after initially posting it, and that is not allowed!!
     
  3. tmoore

    tmoore Forum Resident

    Location:
    Olney, MD
    I thought "Daniel" peaked at #2, not #3.
     
  4. Witchy Woman

    Witchy Woman Forum Resident

    Location:
    Third Coast, USA
    It peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 although it may have gone higher on another chart.
     
  5. Dougd

    Dougd Forum Resident

    Location:
    Fla.
    Nope.
    Daniel was a No. 2 song.

    US Top 40 Singles Week Ending 2nd June, 1973
    [​IMG] [​IMG]

    TW LW TITLE –•– Artist (Label)-Weeks on Chart (Peak To Date)

    1 2 MY LOVE –•– Paul McCartney and Wings (Apple)-8 (1 week at #1) (1)
    2 3 DANIEL –•– Elton John (MCA)-9 (2)
    3 1 FRANKENSTEIN –•– The Edgar Winter Group (Epic)-13 (1)
    4 6 PILLOW TALK –•– Sylvia (Vibration)-11 (4)
    5 4 TIE A YELLOW RIBBON ROUND THE OLE OAK TREE –•– Dawn Featuring Tony Orlando (Bell)-16 (1)
    6 5 YOU ARE THE SUNSHINE OF MY LIFE –•– Stevie Wonder (Tamla)-12 (1)
    7 12 I’M GONNA LOVE YOU JUST A LITTLE MORE BABY –•– Barry White (20th Century)-8 (7)
    8 7 LITTLE WILLY –•– The Sweet (Bell)-20 (3)
    9 10 HOCUS POCUS –•– Focus (Sire)-14 (9)
    10 14 PLAYGROUND IN MY MIND –•– Clint Holmes (Epic)-11 (10)

    11 8 DRIFT AWAY –•– Dobie Gray (Decca)-15 (5)
    12 11 REELING IN THE YEARS –•– Steely Dan (ABC)-13 (11)
    13 9 WILDFLOWER –•– Skylark (Capitol)-16 (9)
    14 34 GIVE ME LOVE (Give Me Peace On Earth) –•– George Harrison (Apple)-3 (14)
    15 13 STUCK IN THE MIDDLE WITH YOU –•– Stealers Wheel (A&M)-14 (6)
    16 22 RIGHT PLACE WRONG TIME –•– Dr. John (Atco)-8 (16)
    17 19 STEAMROLLER BLUES / FOOL –•– Elvis Presley (RCA)-8 (17)
    18 21 I’M DOIN’ FINE NOW –•– New York City (Chelsea)-14 (18)
    19 25 WILL IT GO ROUND IN CIRCLES –•– Billy Preston (A&M)-10 (19)
    20 18 THINKING OF YOU –•– Loggins and Messina (Columbia)-10 (18)

    21 23 LEAVING ME –•– The Independents (Wand)-9 (21)
    22 30 LONG TRAIN RUNNIN’ –•– The Doobie Brothers (Warner Brothers)-7 (22)
    23 16 THE NIGHT THE LIGHTS WENT OUT IN GEORGIA –•– Vicki Lawrence (Bell)-17 (1)
    24 29 ONE OF A KIND (Love Affair) –•– The Spinners (Atlantic)-6 (24)
    25 26 NO MORE MR. NICE GUY –•– Alice Cooper (Warner Brothers)-8 (25)
    26 17 THE RIGHT THING TO DO –•– Carly Simon (Elektra)-10 (17)
    27 15 FUNKY WORM –•– The Ohio Players (Westbound)-15 (15)
    28 57 KODACHROME –•– Paul Simon (Columbia)-3 (28)
    29 32 AND I LOVE YOU SO –•– Perry Como (RCA)-8 (29)
    30 27 IT SURE TOOK A LONG, LONG TIME –•– Lobo (Big Tree)-9 (27)

    31 44 BAD, BAD LEROY BROWN –•– Jim Croce (ABC)-7 (31)
    32 33 TEDDY BEAR SONG –•– Barbara Fairchild (Columbia)-15 (32)
    33 24 THE CISCO KID –•– War (United Artists)-14 (2)
    34 39 GIVE IT TO ME –•– The J. Geils Band (Atlantic)-10 (34)
    35 38 LET’S PRETEND –•– The Raspberries (Capitol)-11 (35)
    36 55 SHAMBALA –•– Three Dog Night (Dunhill)-3 (36)
    37 40 CLOSE YOUR EYES –•– Edward Bear (Capitol)-8 (37)
    38 42 DADDY COULD SWEAR, I DECLARE –•– Gladys Knight and the Pips (Soul)-6 (38)
    39 31 SUPER FLY MEETS SHAFT –•– John and Ernest (Rainy Wednesday)-8 (31)
    40 43 BACK WHEN MY HAIR WAS SHORT –•– Gunhill Road (Kama Sutra)-10 (40)

    THIS WEEK’S DROPS

    42 37 HEARTS OF STONE –•– The Blue Ridge Rangers (Fantasy)-10 (37)
    44 20 DAISY A DAY –•– Jud Strunk (MGM)-16 (14)
    46 35 I CAN UNDERSTAND IT –•– The New Birth (RCA)-11 (35)
    47 28 ARMED AND EXTREMELY DANGEROUS –•– First Choice (Philly Groove)-13 (28)
    57 36 OUT OF THE QUESTION –•– Gilbert O’Sullivan (MAM)-14 (17)

    POWER PLAYS

    41 47 NATURAL HIGH –•– Bloodstone (London)-7 (41)
    43 49 BEHIND CLOSED DOORS –•– Charlie Rich (Epic)-6 (43)
    45 46 YOU CAN’T ALWAYS GET WHAT YOU WANT –•– The Rolling Stones (London)-6 (45)
    48 52 GIVE YOUR BABY A STANDING OVATION –•– The Dells (Cadet)-7 (48)
    49 54 BOOGIE WOOGIE BUGLE BOY –•– Bette Midler (Atlantic)-4 (49)
    50 51 WITH A CHILD’S HEART –•– Michael Jackson (Motown)-5 (50)

    DEBUTS THIS WEEK

    79 — YESTERDAY ONCE MORE –•– The Carpenters (A&M)-1 (79)
    83 — DOING IT TO DEATH –•– Fred Wesley and the JB’s (People)-1 (83)
    85 — I’LL ALWAYS LOVE MY MAMA (Part 1) –•– The Intruders (Gamble)-1 (85)
    87 — GIVING IT ALL AWAY –•– Roger Daltrey (Track)-1 (87)
    89 — TOUCH ME IN THE MORNING –•– Diana Ross (Motown)-1 (89)
    90 — NEVER, NEVER, NEVER (Grande, Grande, Grande) –•– Shirley Bassey (United Artists)-1 (90)
    96 — MISDEMEANOR –•– Foster Sylvers (Pride / MGM)-1 (96)
    99 — I’M LEAVIN’ YOU –•– Engelbert Humperdinck (Parrot)-1 (99)
    100 — LOVE AND HAPPINESS –•– Earnest Jackson (Stone)-1 (100)
     
    Last edited: Mar 11, 2018
  6. Witchy Woman

    Witchy Woman Forum Resident

    Location:
    Third Coast, USA
    Oops my bad. “Daniel” did hit #2 the following week. Sorry.
     
  7. sunspot42

    sunspot42 Forum Resident

    Location:
    San Francisco
    Unlike "Frankenstein" which I think is a mess, I love "Free Ride" and agree it should have been the #1 (and I'm kinda surprised it wasn't). "Free Ride" was getting a lot more play on oldies radio growing up than "Frankenstein", which I never recall hearing on the radio in the late '70s - mid '90s.

    Of course, I might have just been changing the channel whenever it cropped up...and I seldom listened to the hard rock stations.
     
  8. sunspot42

    sunspot42 Forum Resident

    Location:
    San Francisco
    You're right! "I Go Crazy" was on the charts so long it seemed like a #1 hit, but it never got to the pole position. Wouldn't surprise me if it outsold - and was played more on the radio - than several #1 hits during the whopping 9 months it was on the chart.

    9 months!!!

    I Go Crazy (Paul Davis song) - Wikipedia

    The longest record now is held by Imagine Dragons with "Radioactive" - 87 weeks. But today's charts are so different from the ones we grew up with it's apples and oranges (almost all of the longest running singles are from after 2005 with just a couple of exceptions, LeAnn Rimes with "How Do I Live" from '98 and Jewel with "Foolish Games", also from '98 - and even those Soundscan era charts bear little resemblance to the historic charts).

    List of Billboard Hot 100 chart achievements and milestones - Wikipedia
     
    Grant likes this.
  9. bare trees

    bare trees Senior Member

    It's amazing that "Frankenstein" became a number 1 hit when you consider that the song wasn't meant to be a single. (It was on the B-side of the "Hangin' Around", the song that was initially pushed to top 40 radio). n fact, it almost didn't make it onto They Only Come Out At Night.
     
    sunspot42 likes this.
  10. alphanguy

    alphanguy Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Missouri
    At this time, we also saw the style of pop music making it's way into TV themes. We already saw the huge success of "Shaft" and the change in movie theme fare, In the spring of 73, the rock influences even seeped into game show themes... with the theme for the 10,000$ Pyramid, perhaps the most rock oriented game show theme ever done, with the driving bass line, organ solo, and flanged fuzz guitar.

     
    SomeCallMeTim likes this.
  11. tmoore

    tmoore Forum Resident

    Location:
    Olney, MD
    WRT to game show themes with a pop bent, my favorite at this point in time was the one from "To Tell the Truth" (syndicated version). I remember hearing this theme from about 1972 on. It "may" go back to the beginning of the syndicated version of the show (in 1969), but since (1) I can't find any verification (yes or no) right now and (2) I don't remember that far back, and therefore I can't personally verify it, I won't say that. I'm sure one of you probably can personally verify it (yes or no).
     
  12. Hey Vinyl Man

    Hey Vinyl Man Another bloody Yank down under...

    "Hot Child in the City" and "Sad Eyes" both held the record for a while, at 20 weeks I believe. You could be forgiven for forgetting either of those songs even got to #1, I can't recall the last time I heard either one on the radio.
     
  13. W.B.

    W.B. The Collector's Collector

    Location:
    New York, NY, USA
    It did peak at #1 on some Canadian charts (including, I.I.N.M., CHUM's).
     
  14. Dougd

    Dougd Forum Resident

    Location:
    Fla.
    It sure sounded like a No. 1.
    MY LOVE by McCartney was great, but, like many No. 1s, did it have to hog the top spot for WEEKS?
     
  15. Hoover Factory

    Hoover Factory Old Dude Who Knows Things

    Location:
    Spokane, WA
     
  16. Hoover Factory

    Hoover Factory Old Dude Who Knows Things

    Location:
    Spokane, WA
    “Shake Some Action” is one of my “desert island” tunes. Absolutely love it.
     
    Grant likes this.
  17. Hoover Factory

    Hoover Factory Old Dude Who Knows Things

    Location:
    Spokane, WA
    “Frankenstein” takes me back to Junior High School. One of the kids at my school bus stop had a portable stereo with an 8-track. I think Edgar Winter was the only 8-track he owned because he played “Frankenstein” every day. Still love the tune - very unique, particularly for its time.
     
  18. sunspot42

    sunspot42 Forum Resident

    Location:
    San Francisco
    I always liked both of those. But I agree that they vanished kinda quickly from oldies radio, which is particularly a surprise for "Hot Child", which I thought was implicitly raunchy enough to be a favorite among rock programmers. Maybe it was too OTT...
     
  19. EdogawaRampo

    EdogawaRampo Senior Member

    OOPS...wrong thread. Mea Culpa.
     
  20. EdogawaRampo

    EdogawaRampo Senior Member

    Sorry folks ... meant to post this on another thread...I was toggling between this one and that one.
     
  21. Black Thumb

    Black Thumb Yah Mo B There

    Location:
    Reno, NV
    No worries. One can never get enough Flamin' Groovies.
     
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  22. Black Thumb

    Black Thumb Yah Mo B There

    Location:
    Reno, NV
    New York Dolls had their own song called "Frankenstein", and were in the studio with Todd Rundgren recording their debut album when Edgar Winter's creation hit it big.

    So they appended an (orig.) to their song title, lest dozens of record buyers get confused.

     
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  23. Dougd

    Dougd Forum Resident

    Location:
    Fla.
    That was a great listen. Thanks for posting.
     
  24. MCT1

    MCT1 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Worcester, MA
    As noted above, "Macarena" is the current record holder, at 33 weeks.

    "Chariots Of Fire" was the record holder at one time (22 weeks). before "Chariots Of Fire", the previous record holders were "Hot Child In The City" and "Sad Eyes" (21 weeks). Before "Hot Child In The City", I believe the record holders were "Love Machine" by The Miracles and "A Fifth of Beethoven" by Walter Murphy (20 weeks). I don't know what the record was before that. "Please Don't Go" by KC & The Sunshine Band" also took 20 weeks to reach #1, but it never held the record, as it charted after "Hot Child In The City" and "Sad Eyes".

    All of the songs mentioned in the previous paragraph were hits between 1976 and 1982. During that era, the charts moved more slowly than they had previously, and a lot of chart longevity feats were broken. For most of the rest of the '80s, the pace picked up again, and there were few serious challengers to the record. Two songs in that period broke Vangelis' record, but both arguably merit an asterisk, because they needed two separate chart runs to reach #1: "Baby, Come To Me" by Patti Austin and James Ingram (23 weeks), and "Red Red Wine" by UB40 (25 weeks).

    In the '90s, partly due to changes in the way Billboard complied its charts, partly due to changes in how the record and radio industries operated, the behavior of songs on the charts changed dramatically. One effect was that the charts slowed way, way down, well beyond anything ever seen previously, making many chart longevity records vulnerable. In 1996, "Macarena" broke the record, and it still holds it after more than two decades. Like "Baby Come To Me" and "Red Red Wine", though, "Macarena" actually needed two separate chart runs to reach #1. I don't know what the current record is for a song that reached #1 within the confines of a single chart run (I doubt Vangelis still holds it, but I don't know that for certain).

    At one time, "I Go Crazy" held the record for spending the most weeks on the Hot 100 (40 weeks). That record was later broken by Soft Cell's "Tainted Love" (43 weeks). In the wake of the changes in chart behavior of the '90s, those records have been obliterated. As noted upthread, Imagine Dragons' "Radioactive" is the current record holder (87 weeks), but I'm not sure how the record progressed in between. LeAnn Rimes' How Do I Live" held the record for a long time. I think "Macarena" may have held this record at one time, too.
     
    Last edited: Mar 12, 2018
    Endicott and sunspot42 like this.
  25. pickwick33

    pickwick33 Forum Resident

    My problem is that the #1 soul singles thread falls down the newsfeed pretty quickly, and I don't always get reminders.

    That is no one's fault. It's just the way it is. I had to type Vicki Lawrence's name in the search engine just to get here!
     

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