Fifty years ago, I made my first appeared on the Earth. In celebration, we are going to take a look at the year-end Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for each year of my life and see what songs resonated with me at the time and if they continue to do so to this day.
We begin our look back at the music of my lifetime with 1974, the year of my birth. Given my late-October birthday, I only was around for a little over two months, so I have no knowledge of these songs from their original release. Only 17 of the Hot 100 are familiar to me now, with only seven of them appearing in my collection in one way or another.
#94: The First Class – Beach Baby
iTunes stats: 22 plays
The band’s sole hit, it peaked at #4 on the Hot 100 at the end of summer, just months before my birth.
#76: Eric Clapton – I Shot The Sheriff
iTunes stats: N/A
Originally written and released by Bob Marley in 1973, this cover provided Clapton with his sole US #1 single.
#72: Elton Jon – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
iTunes stats: N/A
Released in 1973, it was certified gold in January of 1974 and, in 2010, it was ranked #390 in Rolling Stone’s list of 500 greatest songs of all time.
#64: Golden Earring – Radar Love
iTunes stats: N/A
Considered “a rock masterpiece,” the song by the Dutch band peaked at #13 on the US singles chart.
#63: Bachman-Turner Overdrive – Takin’ Care Of Business
iTunes stats: 19 plays
Recorded in late 1973, the tune, originally conceived when Randy Bachman was still a member of The Guess Who, spent 20 weeks on the Billboard charts.
#56: Rufus & Chaka Khan – Tell Me Something Good
iTunes stats: N/A
Written by Stevie Wonder, the song has gained a second life in recent times at sports arenas thanks to the proliferation of replay reviews.
#44: Brownsville Station – Smokin’ In The Boys Room
iTunes stats: 12 plays
Peaking at #3 on the charts, the song is more well known in my world thanks to the 1985 cover by Motley Crue, their first Top 40 hit.
#40: Steve Miller Band – The Joker
iTunes stats: N/A
Released in October of 1973, the song reached the top of the US charts in early 1974.
#39: Carpenters – Top of the World
iTunes stats: 21 plays
Originally recorded for the band’s 1972 album, the song was re-recorded and released as a single following the success of a cover by country artist Lynn Anderson.
#37: Billy Preston – Nothing From Nothing
iTunes stats: 13 plays
The song, which found a second life on the Elf soundtrack, hit the top of the charts in October of 1974.
#28: Paul Anka – (You’re) Having My Baby
iTunes stats: N/A
Anka’s first #1 since the 50s, I’m more familiar with the version on Piranha Man’s album.
#22: Paul McCartney & Wings – Band on the Run
iTunes stats: N/A
Released as a single in April of 1974, the song became the third non-Beatles American chart-topping single for Paul McCartney.
#20: Blue Swede – Hooked On A Feeling
iTunes stats: 18 plays
This cover by the Swedish pop group reached #1 in 1974 and continues to be relevant today, thanks to its inclusion in Reservoir Dogs, Ally McBeal, and Guardians of the Galaxy.
#17: David Essex – Rock On
iTunes stats: 22 plays
Peaking at #5 on the US singles chart, I became familiar with the tune thanks to the 1989 cover by Michael Damian.
#12: Kool & The Gang – Jungle Boogie
iTunes stats: 10 plays
The tune peaked at #4 on the Hot 100 charts and #2 on the Hot Soul singles chart.
#9: Elton John – Bennie and the Jets
iTunes stats: N/A
The third Elton John track to make the year-end list, it is perhaps best known locally thanks to a cover version by the former Mrs. Ben Zobrist, which was used as Zobrist’s walk-up music while he was with the Cubs.
#1: Barbara Streisand – The Way We Were
iTunes stats: N/A
Debuting on the charts in late November, 1973, the sing eventually topped the charts twice in February of 1974, eventually spending 23 consecutive weeks on the Hot 100 chart.
