Tag Archives: tb70s

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Song of the Day #5,615: ‘Keep On Truckin’ (Part 1)’ – Eddie Kendricks

The week of November 17, 1973, saw former Temptations member Eddie Kendricks in his second week at #1 with ‘Keep On Truckin’ (Part 1),’ an abbreviated version of an 8-minute album track.

Kendricks had left The Temptations on bad terms two years earlier, and received some musical shade from his former band through a song called ‘Superstar (Remember How You Got Where You Are).’ This song, his only solo #1, gave him some measure of revenge. Kendricks even name-drops his former band during the song’s final verses.

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Song of the Day #5,594: ‘Midnight Train to Georgia’ – Gladys Knight & The Pips

The week of October 27, 1973, found Gladys Knight & The Pips at #1 with the classic ‘Midnight Train to Georgia.’ This song, the band’s first #1, spent two weeks at the top spot. It became Knight’s signature song.

‘Midnight Train to Georgia’ was written by country singer-songwriter Jim Weatherly as ‘Midnight Plane to Houston.’ His plaintive version is worth a listen, though the track definitely reached a higher level in the hands of Gladys Knight & The Pips.

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Song of the Day #5,573: ‘Half-Breed’ – Cher

In the #1 spot on Billboard’s Hot 100 the week of October 6, 1973, is a Throwback Weekend selection that has not aged well. The song is ‘Half-Breed,’ Cher’s second of four career #1 hits, and it’s about as cringeworthy as its title suggests.

To be fair, the lyrics paint a sympathetic portrait of a woman with a white father and Cherokee mother, decrying the racism that mixed-race children face from both sides. But should a pop song about this topic have been written and performed by people without a drop of Native American blood?

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Song of the Day #5,552: ‘Delta Dawn’ – Helen Reddy

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.

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Song of the Day #5,531: ‘Brother Louie’ – Stories

Throwing back to the week of August 25, 1973, we find the New York rock band Stories topping the Billboard Hot 100 with their cover of the song ‘Brother Louie,’ a slinky jam about an interracial couple.

This song was originally recorded by a British band called Hot Chocolate. Their funkier version, complete with spoken-word interludes by the racist parents of the song’s protagoinsts, reached #7 on the UK charts.

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