US #1s of 1975

Lemme get back to you on this one. Several good choices.

"Lovin' You"

but I actually voted for "Fly Robin Fly" 'cuz I didn't see "Lovin You" at first

tony orlando & dawng

Wow -- great songs abound. I'm tempted to vote for "Fame" or "Shining Star," but "Island Girl" has always been one of EJ's more underrated hits, "You're No Good" is as good as female studio-rock got until Rosanne Cash.

Went for Linda.

"Black Water" vs. "Pick Up The Pieces" vs. "Fame" vs. "One Of These Nights," hmmmm

A lot of these seem horribly dated in a bad way. KC and the Sunshine Band - That's the way (uh huh uh huh) I Like It is the song I'd most want to hear right now in 2008.

If you turn on the radio, it's playing somewhere.

I voted for "Have You Never Been Mellow" because of how much I love the Nip Drivers version, and then I went and relistened to the original, and I take it back.

My vote should have been for "Shining Star"

A lot of these seem horribly dated in a bad way.

Yeah, when I saw the thread, I thought, "heart of the 70s, there's gonna be a lot of good ones." But there isn't. Some of the weakest hits from the biggest hitmakers of the era. "Fame" would be boringly credible to vote for, but I'm not even working up a ton of enthusiasm for "Jive Talkin" or "Lady Marmelade."

"My Eyes Adored You" fits the bill.

I'm thinking either "Lovin' You" or "Jive Talkin". Although at the time (as a little kid) I loved those KC and the Sunshine Band songs. But then there's "Fame," which I don't even remember hearing on the radio back then.

"Sister Golden Hair," "My Eyes Adored You," "Lady Marmalade," all good songs.

Wow, "Feelings" by Morris Albert only got to #6. I was expecting to see it on this list. That song was inescapable that year.

I'm looking mostly at "Fire" vs "Black Water" vs "Lovin You" vs "Fame" vs "Let's Do It Again" vs "Lady Marmalade"

maybe even "Shining Star"

I'd like to have a comp of all these. Hell of a year for me personally...the soundtrack might blow my head up.

"Fire," with "Shining Star" (one of the greatest production jobs ever?) and "Philadelphia Freedom" just behind.

A bar in my neighborhood has this Pure Funk CD on the jukebox with both "Fire" (short version) and "Shining Star" on it.

This seems like a LOT of songs to make it to #1, not many of them could have stayed there for more than a week. Why did songs get knocked out of the top slot so quickly in 1975? Radio programmers cashing in on coke-fueled pay-to-play?

Maybe the act appeared on Mike Douglas that week.

So many songs to choose from, such a great year for music, and then almost nothing worth voting for.

Ended up going for "Listen To What The Man Said" although there were lots of better non-singles on the "Venus And Mars" album.

So many great songs and so many number 1's

Went for Rhinestone Cowboy, more for the caraoke factor than any other reason but plenty of other contenders here.

Labelle, Both Neil Sedaka songs (and the one he wrote for Captain and tenille) Jive talkin' Silver convention, Van Mccoy

Voted 'Fame', with 'Rhinestone Cowboy' and 'Please Mr Postman' close behind.

Oh man, I was just listening to "Island Girl" the other day. So, that.

enough time has passed since the last Lady Marmalade cover to make it seem awesome again

Rhinestone Cowboy, followed by Bee Gees and Barry Manilow. Not a great year for rock records on the singles charts.

"Fire"! (thx for the flashback from hell, Rev. c&t ruled that year; my 10th on this here planet. ugh! makes ya long for the shade of Ian Curtis.)

gotta be Jive Talkin. Pick Up the Pieces, Let's Do It Again, Lady Marmalade and KC & Sunshine Band knocking them out of the park though. IMHO Elton had really started to suck by this point

Nah, I really love Rock of the Westies; woulda preferred "I Feel Like A Bullet in the Gun of Robert Ford" at Number One though.

i'll give you "I Feel Like A Bullet in the Gun of Robert Ford". idk i think i ended up getting rid of my Rock of the Westies

I think it's interesting how a full-on country hit ("Next Teardrop Falls") would often find its way into the pop charts back then. And I've been on a big Freddy Fender kick lately...

But all that said, the song I currently love most on that list: "Let's Do It Again."

Will you love me just a little, just enough to show you care?

Seriously, if ILM wants to get together and record a comp covering these songs, I've got "Sister Golden Hair" already in the can.

great list! I voted for "Sister Golden Hair": great slide guitar, weak boogie ending that is totally redeemed by the twangy fadeout. After that, maybe "Philadelphia Freedom" and "Jive Talking". I kinda love "Have You Never Been Mellow" for the awkwardly seductive title question.

Interesting, no duplication with the UK #1s of 1975:

"Lonely This Christmas" - Mud
"Down Down" - Status Quo
"Ms Grace" - Tymes
"January" - Pilot
"Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me) - Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel
"If" - Telly Savalas
"Bye Bye Baby (Baby, Goodbye)" - Bay City Rollers
"Oh Boy" - Mud
"Stand By Your Man" - Tammy Wynette
"Whispering Grass" - Windsor Davies & Don Estelle
"I'm Not in Love" - 10cc
"Tears on My Pillow (I Can't Take It)" - Johnny Nash
"Give A Little Love" - Bay City Rollers
"Barbados" - Typically Tropical
"I Can't Give You Anything (But My Love)" - Stylistics
"Sailing" - Rod Stewart
"Hold Me Close" - David Essex
"I Only Have Eyes For You" - Art Garfunkel
"Space Oddity" - David Bowie
"D.I.V.O.R.C.E" - Billy Connolly
"Bohemian Rhapsody" - Queen

For the US I voted Black Water, the one I remember being into the most at the time. For the UK I guess it'd be 10cc.

'Love Will Keep Us Together' is the best here.

'Sister Golden Hair' was the song I liked the most out of these back then.

yeah for some reason i was reading "Sister Golden Hair" but humming "Ventura Highway" (which I like as well). I can definitely get down with some SGH.

do the hustle!

http://franklarosa.com/vinyl/BigImg/hustle.jpg

the ENORMOUS hustle, apparently

Unsurprisingly I'm with Geir on this one as I too am a McCartney geek.

Keep Us Together > Tear Us Apart

"Philadelphia Freedom" just ahead of "Pick Up the Pieces." What a combination of sharpness with dross for a list.

listen to what the man said

1975: most #1 singles in a year ever?

Dammit. I didn't notice "Fallin' in Love" was on there until after I voted. I want to change my vote!

Hey, two of the FIRST THREE singles I ever bought for myself (Glen Campbell, Captain & Tennille) are up there! (The other was "Black Superman"; all three bought to accompany my brand-new first stereo. Grandma & Grandpa spoiled me.)

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

"Black Water" pretty mama

read down the list going "hmmm, fire, shining star, fame..." but when i saw "let's do it again" it wasn't even a question.

I voted:

1975: most #1 singles in a year ever?

Apparently yes. Tied with 1974. 35 each.

horrible-looking list. i'm guessing nothing touches Fame.

wait, tempted to vote Freddy

Captain and Tenille

Went for "Loving You", but v. disappointed I couldn't vote for "Loving You" AND "Lady Marmalade" AND "Black Water".

Sister Golden Hair

"Rhinestone Cowboy" might actually be my favorite (out of LOTS of competition -- there must be 26 or 30 songs up there that would have been good enough to make my 2008 top 10), but I went with "Bad Blood" just because I've never said publicly how much I love both of those Sedaka songs, and I feel I owe him one after all these years.

Songs I never would have guessed went # 1:

Tony Orlando & Dawn, "He Don't Love You (Like I Love You)"
Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds, "Fallin' in Love"
John Denver, "Calypso"

(and maybe the BJ Thomas one, which is pretty good, though not his best -- not sure if I would've guessed that one, or not.)

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

xp Actually, I wouldn't have guessed "Please Mr Postman" went # 1 either.

Almost definitely good enough for my '08 top 10:

Neil Sedaka, "Laughter In the Rain"
Ohio Players, "Fire"
The Average White Band, "Pick Up the Pieces"
Olivia Newton-John, "Have You Never Been Mellow"
The Doobie Brothers, "Black Water"
LaBelle, "Lady Marmalade"
Minie Riperton, "Lovin' You"
Elton John, "Philadelphia Freedom"
Freddy Fender, "Before the Next Teardrop Falls"
Van McCoy and the Soul City Symphony, "The Hustle"
The Eagles, "One of These Nights"
The Bee Gees, "Jive Talkin'"
KC and the Sunshine Band, "Get Down Tonight"
Glen Campbell, "Rhinestone Cowboy"
David Bowie, "Fame"
Neil Sedaka, "Bad Blood"
Elton John, "Island Girl"
KC and the Sunshine Band, "That's the Way (I Like It)"
Silver Convention, "Fly, Robin, Fly"
The Staple Singers, "Let's Do It Again"

Okay, that's just 20. But five or 10 others come close.

(I also didn't actually vote. "Bad Blood" would have had two if I'd been quicker.)

Yeah, I'm realizing now how much I like Neil Sedaka, as the writer of "Love Will Keep Us Together," etc.

what was the deal with elton john and lucy in the sky with diamonds? Isnt there some story that he made a bet with john lennon that he could release it and get it to go to #1 or something like that?
Someone help me with the particulars please...

I was listening to a fair amount of pop radio in this year, and "Sister Golden Hair" is one of about 3 I don't remember.

Lennon was the last Beatle to have a number one record solo (in the U.S.) Elton did back-up vocals on "Whatever Gets You Thru The Night" and bet Lennon that the single would be the one to get to the top. Lennon was skeptical and took the bet, saying that his pay-off would be appearing with Elton at Madison Square Garden. The single went to No. 1 and Lennon made good by showing up to sing WGYTN, LSD, and some other song. If I'm not mistaken, it was Lennon's last concert.

George Harrison had a US #1 hit as late as 1988.

True. He also had one before Lennon had his with "My Sweet Lord".

Maybe I should have said that Lennon was the fourth Beatle to finally get a number one song.

Definitely not enough Hustle love here.

English twig over Ohio Players and EW&F!