Throwing back to the week of July 4, 1976 — the nation’s bicentennial — we find Wings’ ‘Silly Love Songs‘ holding on to the top spot.
Right behind it was a 70s one-hit wonder, Starland Vocal Band with the deceptively promiscuous ‘Afternoon Delight.’ The song reached #1 the following week, its “skyrockets in flight” chorus a perfect match for the summer of America’s 200th birthday.
The week of June 28, 1966, found a couple of legends atop the Billboard Hot 100: Frank Sinatra with ‘Strangers in the Night‘ at #1 and The Beatles with ‘Paperback Writer‘ at #2. I wrote about the latter way back in 2009 when these were Beatles Weekends.
At #3 that week was the song ‘Red Rubber Ball’ by the bizarrely named pop band The Cyrkle. The American trio was managed by none other than Brian Epstein, who also managed the little band right above them on the chart, and they actually opened for The Beatles during the Fab Four’s U.S. tour. John Lennon even suggested the spelling of their band name.
Throwing back to the week of June 27, 1956, we find Gogi Grant hanging on to the top spot with ‘The Wayward Wind,’ the unlikely hit that dethroned Elvis Presley’s ‘Heartbreak Hotel.’
At #2 that week was Pat Boone with ‘I Almost Lost My Mind.’ The song eventually reached #1, becoming Boone’s second chart-topping hit (of six total in his career).
Patti LaBelle and Michael McDonald held the top spot of the Billboard Hot 100 the week of June 21, 1986, with ‘On My Own.’ It was the second of three weeks the song spent at #1.
Just behind it was Billy Ocean’s ‘There’ll Be Sad Songs (To Make You Cry),’ which eventually reached #1 and spent a single week there. It timed that achievement well, becoming the 600th #1 hit on the Hot 100.
Throwing back to the week of June 20, 1976, we find Wings holding on to the top spot of the Billboard Hot 100 with ‘Silly Love Songs.’
In the #2 slot, where it peaked, was ‘Get Up and Boogie (That’s Right)’ by the German disco act Silver Convention. We last heard from Silver Convention when their song ‘Fly, Robin, Fly‘ topped the Hot 100 in early December of 1975. This single immediately followed that one, and was the last of their songs to get higher than #60 on the chart.
Meet Me In Montauk 