Throwing back to the week of September 27, 1975, we find John Denver atop the Billboard Hot 100 with ‘I’m Sorry.’
This is one of the six songs I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that topped both the Country chart and the Hot 100 that year. ‘I’m Sorry’ was the last of four chart-topping singles for Denver, all released between 1973 and 1975.
Throwing back to the week of September 13, 1975, we find Glen Campbell atop the Billboard Hot 100 with ‘Rhinestone Cowboy.’ This was Campbell’s first chart-topping hit on the Hot 100, and his fourth to reach #1 on the Country chart. A couple of years later he would top both charts again with ‘Southern Nights.’
‘Rhinestone Cowboy’ was written and recorded a year earlier by Larry Weiss. And if you think this sounds like a Neil Diamond song (as I do), listen to Weiss’ version and you’ll swear that’s Diamond singing it. In fact, many people have erroneously attributed the original version to Diamond.
Throwing back to the week of August 30, 1975, we find Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds atop the Billboard Hot 100 with their sole chart-topping hit, ‘Fallin’ in Love.’
I often hear classic songs and have no idea who performed them. And I often learn who performed them and fail to recognize the artist’s name even a little bit. But Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds might just be the artist name with which I’ve had the least familiarity in all my life. I read it three times before registering that this was the actual band name and not some sort of coding glitch on Billboard.com.
Throwing back to the week of August 16, 1975, we find the Bee Gees atop the Billboard Hot 100 with ‘Jive Talkin’.’ It was the band’s first #1 hit (and first in the top ten) since 1971’s ‘How Can You Mend a Broken Heart.’ They would have seven more over the next four years.
This was the lead single of the album Main Course, the Bee Gees’ first gold album in the U.S. and the start of a massively successful run that made them one of the top-selling acts in history.
Throwing back to the week of August 2, 1975, we find the Eagles atop the Billboard Hot 100 with ‘One of These Nights,’ title track of the band’s breakthrough fourth album.
At #2, where it stayed for three weeks, was ‘I’n Not in Love,’ the ethereal ballad by English art-pop band 10cc. This was one of two top five U.S. singles for 10cc, the other being the very different ‘The Things We Do For Love,’ released the following year.
Meet Me In Montauk 