August 22Aug 22 Author 81. GRANDAD- Clive Dunn (552,600)* 197028 Weeks on chartPeak position: 1 When actor Dunn met songwriter Herbie Flowers at a party he challenged him to write a song for him. He came back with “Grandad” which played into the character “Jones” that Dunn portrayed on the BBC comedy “Dad’s Army”, even though Dunn himself was only 51 at this point. Radio 1’s Tony Blackburn championed the song as it rose up the charts eventually making No 1 in early 1971 in a chart run which lasted 28 weeks.
August 22Aug 22 Author 80. KNOCK THREE TIMES- Dawn (559,800) 197127 weeks on chartPeak position: 1 A transatlantic chart topper with an air of mystery. Producer Hank Medress had produced a song called “Candida” and wanted Orlando to record the vocals (Orlando had been in a group called Wind who were moderately successful in the US), however in the interim Orlando had given up music and was working for another record label and therefore could not lend his vocals to a song on another label. He did the vocals anonymously and the track appeared merely as by “Dawn” (Medress’ daughter’s middle name)- it was a hit. This was the follow up and in order to promote it properly Orlando quit his job and was unveiled as the real singer.
August 22Aug 22 That is... not a vintage trio Clive Dunn was the same age that my dad is now when he performed 'Grandad' *_* far from doddery!The Rod song is quite cringe lyrically but I do like the disco production, done by Tom Dowd, who was also involved with some other big favourites like 'Layla' by Derek & The Dominos and 'Baby Jane' which is up there as one of Rod's best songs, only beaten by the powerful lyrics of 'The Killing of Georgie' for me.
August 22Aug 22 We’ll ignore those last three and focus on Hot Love instead, that was my mum’s favourite song for a long time. I probably slightly prefer Get It On but most of their singles are pretty good <3
August 22Aug 22 23 hours ago, Spiceboy said:Please explain, I'd like to know!?!?Page 4 in my ranking of the #1s of 1979 does a decent job of explaining…. https://www.buzzjack.com/forums/topic/285363-dandy-ranks-the-uk-1-singles-of-1979/
August 22Aug 22 6 minutes ago, dandy* said:Page 4 in my ranking of the #1s of 1979 does a decent job of explaining…. https://www.buzzjack.com/forums/topic/285363-dandy-ranks-the-uk-1-singles-of-1979/Omg you’re a 70s baby!? A whole decade older than me 🤭😘I shall read, looks like a fun thread too.
August 22Aug 22 Just now, dandy* said:Yes born in the last year of the 70s… it’s quite scary to think of 😭 I feel like that about being born at the end of the 80s. Ps just read it and bless you! ❤️ I had a similar experience with The Witches by Roald Dahl, the book gave me nightmares for years, used to dream they were in my garden looking up at my bedroom waiting for me! 😭😭😭
August 22Aug 22 Being only 21 😇 I only know the Rod Stewart song from this section, maybe its tik tok viral trends years ago skewed my belief it was a lot bigger, still a very respectable total for the time
August 22Aug 22 15 hours ago, vibe said:T Rex and Marc Bolan , i wonder what they would have gone on to achieve!!!TBH I think they'd already peaked. The hits weren't as big in 75/76The Rod song is my favourite of his. Edited August 22Aug 22 by CRAZY CHRIS
August 23Aug 23 Rod cringe song but the production is good. And then it came back with the N-Trance cover in 1997. Knock Three Times is a decent enough song. Grandad is cheese but I suppose its one of the only hit songs about grandparents.
August 23Aug 23 9 hours ago, CRAZY CHRIS said:TBH I think they'd already peaked. The hits weren't as big in 75/76The Rod song is my favourite of his.He was only 29 when he died! Live Aid 85?
August 23Aug 23 Author 79 FERNANDO- Abba (560,800) 197615 weeks on chartPeak position: 1 Originally written in Swedish for a solo Anni-Frid album it was later re-recorded in English for Abba and duly became a third chart topper for them in early 1976. It was named after a bar tender in Stockholm, the pub being one the band frequented and is substantially different to the first version which is about a lost love as opposed to the version we all know of two old freedom fighters reminiscing about the Mexican revolution. It was an even bigger hit in Australia where it stayed at No 1 for 14 weeks (a record until 2017) and was the biggest selling single of all time there until 1997. It spent 10 weeks in the top 10- the most weeks of any ABBA single, and also contains their only mistake in English in Ulvaeus’ songwriting “Since many years I Haven’t seen a rifle in your hands”- enormously impressive given it wasn’t his first language.
August 23Aug 23 Author 78. SEE MY BABY JIVE- Wizzard (566,000) 197317 weeks on chartPeak position: 1 After walking out on the E.L.O Wood promptly formed Wizzard and spent no time scoring the hits. This was only their second single and rushed to the top spot and was a tribute to Phil Spector’s “Wall Of Sound” in terms of production, it was later revealed that ABBA used this as their inspiration when composing and making “Waterloo”. The group had disbanded by 1975 proving a brief but glorious interlude in pop music.
August 23Aug 23 Author 77. TRAGEDY- Bee Gees (569,600) 197910 weeksPeak position: 1 Imagine writing three US chart toppers in an afternoon, that’s what the Brothers Gibb did in the late 70s writing this, “Too Much Heaven” and “Shadow Dancing” (for Brother Andy Gibb)- though only this track reached No 1 here. Naturally it’s equally famous in the UK at least for the Steps version some 20 years afterwards, it reminds us of how popular they were in the slipstream of the success of “Saturday Night Fever” but it was a double edged sword as it tied them inextricably to the period which ultimately cost them dearly as the 80s dawned and their stock plummet (on their own records at least if not in their songwriting)
August 23Aug 23 OK, three excellent songs in a row there I genuinely love all three. Fernando is possibly my favourite Abba song, there is something so beautiful about it and that chorus! 😍
August 23Aug 23 Chers version of Fernando is alright but its nowhere near as emotional as the Abba original 🙌🙌 one of the best Abba songs ever Wizzard had other songs 😮 im shookTragedy is a fantastic Bee gees song shame it gets overshadowed by the pretty average Steps cover
August 23Aug 23 Yeah three very good songs. Wizzard's two #1s have been unfairly forgotten (although maybe Gold FM and Absolute 70s plays them lol like many of these songs).Tragedy I like both versions and Fernando is such a nice song. Edited August 23Aug 23 by TheSnake
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