Today’s Throwback Weekend song comes from the week of September 15, 1973, when Helen Reddy’s ‘Delta Dawn’ topped the Hot 100 for a single week as part of its eight-week run in the top ten.
The song had previously been recorded by Bette Midler and Tanya Tucker, with the latter scoring a top ten hit on the Country chart. But Reddy, adding choir-like background vocals, was the first to score a major crossover hit with the track.
Throwing back to the week of September 14, 1963, we find The Angels on top of the Billboard Hot 100 with their only top ten hit, ‘My Boyfriend’s Back.’
This simple tale of promised revenge was inspired by a conversation overheard by co-writer Bob Feldman. A teenaged girl was rejecting the advances of an unwanted suitor, unaware that her dismissal would result in a massive hit. I wonder how many women of the era believed they might have been that girl.
Throwing back to the week of September 7, 2013, it’s still Robin Thicke and ‘Blurred Lines’ in the top spot of the Billboard Hot 100. That song was a juggernaut, spending a total of 12 weeks at #1. I hope I’ve cycled through those 12 weeks by the time Throwback Weekends make it back to the 2010s.
At #2 and #3 are two more songs I’ve already featured: Katy Perry’s ‘Roar’ and Miley Cyrus’ ‘We Can’t Stop,’ respectively. And it’s another female pop icon who lands at #4 and as today’s Song of the Day.
Throwing back to the week of September 6, 2003, we find Nelly, P. Diddy, and Murphy Lee at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 with ‘Shake Ya Tailfeather,’ a song from the soundtrack of Bad Boys II.
This song spent four weeks at #1 and a total of 30 weeks on the chart. It includes a sample of the Florida State Seminoles’ stadium chant, a nice nod to the state where Bad Boys II is set, but about seven hours from the city (Miami).
The week of August 28, 1993, saw two songs I’ve already covered in the #1 and #2 spots of the Billboard Hot 100: UB40’s ‘Can’t Help Falling in Love’ and Tag Team’s ‘Whoomp! (There it Is),’ respectively.
That brings us to #3, where Mariah Carey’s ‘Dreamlover’ sat on its way to a #1 berth the following week. This pop/R&B confection would be Carey’s seventh to top the charts, and ended up spending eight consecutive weeks at #1.
Meet Me In Montauk 