Category Archives: throwback weekends

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Song of the Day #6,544: ‘Silly Love Songs’ – Wings

Throwing back to the week of June 6, 1976, we find Wings atop the Billboard Hot 100 with ‘Silly Love Songs,’ the band’s third #1 song in the U.S. This was Paul McCartney’s 27th #1 hit in America as a songwriter, setting a record that he holds to this day (the number is now 32).

Written as a response to critics (and his old pal John Lennon) who called his music sappy, ‘Silly Love Songs’ leans unapologetically into the corn. And it paid off, spending five weeks atop the chart and becoming the #1 overall song of 1976. That made McCartney the first artist to have the #1 overall song with two different bands.

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Song of the Day #6,538: ‘Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind?’ – The Lovin’ Spoonful

A trio of repeats topped the Billboard Hot 100 the week of May 31, 1966: Percy Sledge’s ‘When a Man Loves a Woman,’ The Mindbenders’ ‘A Groovy Kind of Love,’ and The Rolling Stones’ ‘Paint It Black.’

At #4, on its way to a peak at #2, was The Lovin’ Spoonful’s ‘Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind?’ This gentle rocker was the band’s fourth of seven straight singles to reach the top 10 of the chart (only these guys and Gary Lewis and the Playboys had that many consecutive top ten hits to start their career).

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Song of the Day #6,537: ‘The Wayward Wind’ – Gogi Grant

Throwing back to the week of May 30, 1956, we find Elvis Presley’s ‘Heartbreak Hotel‘ and Morris Stoloff’s ‘Moonglow and Theme from Picnic‘ hanging on atop the singles chart.

Just behind at #3 was the song that would eventually end Presley’s seven-week stint in the top spot: ‘The Wayward Wind’ by pop singer Gogi Grant. This song would go on to spend six weeks at #1.

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Song of the Day #6,531: ‘On My Own’ – Patti LaBelle & Michael McDonald

A pair of divas topped the Billboard Hot 100 the week of May 24, 1986: Whitney Houston with ‘Greatest Love of All‘ and Madonna with ‘Live to Tell.’ Alas, I’ve already written about both.

That brings us to #3, where we find another diva teaming up with one of the great soul singers. Patti LaBelle and Michael McDonald’s ‘On My Own’ eventually spent three weeks at #1 and became the biggest hit for either artist.

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Song of the Day #6,530: ‘Love Hangover’ – Diana Ross

Throwing back to the week of May 23, 1976, we find Diana Ross atop the Billboard Hot 100 with ‘Love Hangover,’ the third single from her self-titled soul album released in February of that year.

The first single, which also reached #1, was ‘Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You’re Going To),’ a Best Song Oscar nominee the previous year.

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