Category Archives: throwback weekends

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Song of the Day #6,348: ‘That’s the Way (I Like It)’ – KC & the Sunshine Band

Throwing back to the week of November 22, 1975, we find KC & the Sunshine Band atop the Billboard Hot 100 with ‘That’s the Way (I Like It),’ the second single from their self-titled sophomore album.

The first single, ‘Get Down Tonight,’ also reached #1 on the chart. These were the first of five eventual #1 hits for the band. ‘That’s the Way (I Like It)’ has the distinction of hitting #1 twice within the same month, as it was briefly replaced by Silver Convention’s ‘Fly Robin Fly’ after topping the charts the first time.

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Song of the Day #6,342: ‘1-2-3’ – Len Barry

The week of November 16, 1965, found The Supremes atop the Billboard Hot 100 with ‘I Hear a Symphony,’ one of 12 #1 hits for the legendary girl group.

At #2 that week was Len Barry’s ‘1-2-3,’ a song that ended up embroiled in a copyright claim by those very same Supremes. Motown sued Barry and his co-writers, claiming that ‘1-2-3’ bore a strong resemblance to The Supremes’ ‘Ask Any Girl.‘ After two years in the courts, Motown’s Holland–Dozier–Holland writing team was awarded 15% of the royalties from this song.

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Song of the Day #6,341: ‘Sixteen Tons’ – Tennessee Ernie Ford

Throwing back to the week of November 15, 1955, we find a couple of usual suspects atop the Billboard singles chart followed by Tennessee Ernie Jones at #3 with ‘Sixteen Tons.’ The song would ascend to #1 the following week and spend two months there.

This song was written and recorded by country singer Merle Travis a decade earlier. It is sung from the perspective of an Appalachian coal miner.

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Song of the Day #6,335: ‘Part-Time Lover’ – Stevie Wonder

Jan Hammer owned the #1 spot of the Billboard Hot 100 on the week of December 9, 1985, with the theme to Miami Vice. I covered that track during a week on TV theme songs that topped the chart.

At #2 that week, following a single week at the top spot, was Stevie Wonder’s ‘Part-Time Lover.’ This was the last of eight #1 hits for Wonder, and it is notable for being the first track to reach #1 on four different Billboard charts: Hot 100, dance, R&B, and adult contemporary.

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Song of the Day #6,334: ‘Island Girl’ – Elton John

Throwing back to the week of November 8, 1975, we find Elton John atop the Billboard Hot 100 with ‘Island Girl,’ the first single from his album Rock of the Westies.

This song has the distinction of being the only one of John’s nine U.S. #1 hits that I’ve never heard. Or at least I have no recollection of hearing it before learning it would be the subject of a Throwback Weekend post today.

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