1977 – 1979 #1 One-Hit Wonders Series

Good morning, Kittens and Dawgs! It’s fabulous to see you! Are you ready to groove to some mewsic?  This week’s theme is “your favorite country songs or freebie” pick. I already had this post finished so I will share my favorite country mewsic in two weeks. I’m continuing today with my “#1 One-Hit Wonders” series and and I invite you step on the floor with my dance partners:  XmasDolly, Stacy, & Colette!

Today’s playlist (many of which I shared here) includes top charters between 1977 and 1979.

  1. Gonna Fly Now  (1977) composed by Bill Conti in Philadelphia with Carol Conners and Ayn Robbins writing the lyrics. Rocky’s song is a piece of American Pop Culture and despite not having seen the movie, Rocky, I know it’s a connection with the famous scene with Rocky Balbo running up the long flight of stairs leading to the Philadelphia Museum of Art where he turns raising his arms in victory while the song plays.
  2. Undercover Angel (1977) is the only #1 hit for Alan O’Day. He wrote other hits for other artists, though.  This song tells the story of a man’s fantasy dream of the right woman to love. I loved that O’Day refers to her as an angel, too. Today’s women are too afraid to admit it (they want to be treated like angels) and men are too afraid to do it (treat them like angels). Both sexes are missing out on so much fun!
  3. You Light Up My Life (1977) Debby Boone is one of the biggest hits for this year and is Boone’s only hit song. The song was written by film director Joseph Brooks as an interpersonal love song for the movie with the same name. However, when asked of Boone who she was singing about, she replied, “God”.  I get that. I see the connection. However, when this song hit, I thought of DH who was then just my boyfriend because he lights up my life. I often sing the chorus to him. 🙂
  4. Hot Child in the City (1978) is a catchy seemingly innocent pop tune written and recorded by Nick Glider but the story behind the lyrics is based on Glider seeing runaway kids turning to the streets leaving hard home life for something far sinister. I’m a naïve person but when this song came out I knew it was about prostitution but I didn’t realize he was singing about a real child.
  5. Knock On Wood (1979) covered by Ami Stewart, originally released by soul artist Eddie Floyd (1966). Stewart regenerated the oldie as a disco and is the most recognizable version. I never connected Stewart’s song with Floyd’s until now. Isn’t it funny how the mewsic arrangement can trick the brain?
  6. Ring My Bell (1979) Anita Ward. Songwriter, Frederick Knight penned the lyrics for an 11-year old, Stacy Lattisaw and meant as a teenybopper ditty about kids talking on the telephone but when Lattisaw signed with another label, Ward was asked to record the song. The phrase “you can ring my bell” is a sexual suggestion and a popular female come-on phrase from the 80s so this song didn’t raise a brow at its release. Billboard Magazine ranked this as one of the 50 sexiest songs of all times.
  7. Don’t Give Up On Us (1979) was written and recorded by TV actor, David Soul, who’s best known for his role on Starsky & Hutch. Interesting I learned he gained attention on The Merv Griffin Show (1967-1978) as the “Covered Man” where he wore a mask. According to Wikipedia, he told explained to the audience, “I’m David Soul and I want to be known for my music.” Thia soul might be a good candidate to my Whatever Happened to… series.
  8. Pop Muzik (1979) by M is a project by Robin Scott, an English mewsician. The song released first in the UK but topped the charts in several countries, including the US. I remember the song but was not very fond of it. However, Wiki said the song was initially recorded as an R&B and funk styles. It was upon a friends suggestion to use synthesizers who described the song like this… I was looking to make a fusion of various styles which somehow would summarise the last 25 years of pop music. It was a deliberate point I was trying to make. Whereas rock and roll had created a generation gap, disco was bringing people together on an enormous scale. That’s why I really wanted to make a simple, bland statement, which was, ‘All we’re talking about basically (is) pop music.

DH graduated in 1977 but if you clicked on the link then you know that but these were my high school years and in the summer of 1979, we got married. Hopefully, I can begin the 80s decade of #1 One-Hit Wonders next month, so watch for that future post.

ATTENTION:  PLEASE READ!!!    This is a weekly hop for mewsic enthusiasts regardless if you follow our weekly theme or not if you have mewsic to share then we’re ready to dance with you. Otherwise, I ask that you do not link non-mewsic posts to boost traffic to your site. You’re welcome to leave your URL in comments with a brief description inviting me to check it out. Thank you!

What mewsic moves you today?

I invite you hop over to McGuffy’s Reader for more “Sparks” of inspiration/encouragement. Let’s make the world a better place, one person at a time beginning with #1! 😉

 

 

Keep those tunes playing and your body swaying, I’ll see ya around the cyber block!  Don’t forget to check back tomorrow for more “Get to Know Me” (see NEW Cathy Chats page above for questions) with Cathy Chats!

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46 comments

  1. Cathy, I agree with your Sparks quote. I always loved that thought as a child, growing up in America’s Heartland. Snow is a given here! I fact, we have had snow every day of the past three days, and expect it every day this week. However, the negative political connotation of “snowflake” is sad, though pretty accurate. I certainly am not one of them. I do not easily melt. Love you!

    1. Annie,

      I think snow is beautiful but I’d hate to live in a place where it frequently falls. It makes for tricky driving conditions and the shoveling gets old & tiresome. The few times we had to do this job I was like praying the whole time for spring’s return. lol That’s hard work! Sadly, much of the younger generations are just that ‘snowflakes’. It makes you wonder how they will survive life. They seem to fall apart over every thing. Can you imagine our grandparents and great-grandparents reactions to this generation? I don’t melt easy, either. 😉

  2. Love these songs! The 70’s was a great decade for mewsic. A wide-range of mewsic from punk-rock and disco to hip-hop and heavy metal. Great memories.

  3. Debby Boone was one of four daughters. Her father was Pat Boone. Her mother was Shirley Lee Foley. Shirley Lee’s mother was Judy Martin, and her father was Red Foley. Red Foley was one of the greatest stars ever in Country Music. He was the first country artist to record in Nashville… I was born in 1956, in the month of June… The story has long been told, my first night home from the hospital, I sat on my Daddy’s knee, and we watched Red Foley on the Ozark Jubilee, on television.

    1. Myke,

      Thanks for sharing these factoids on the Boone family genealogy. I do believe I recall Pat having a lot of daughters. Did he have any sons? I don’t know the name, Red Foley. That’s very interesting to know that he was the first country artist to record in Nashville. Why is that? I always thought of Nashville as the country recording capital. This leads me to believe country mewsic was recorded somewhere else but then maybe that’s true of all mewsic recordings. I had a friend growing up with the same last name and he had a real carrot top. I wonder if his family is related to Red Foley? It may not be a stretch since I grew up in southern WV and Red grew up in Kentucky. I listened to some of his mewsic on YouTube and he had a good voice. It’s possible his recording of “Peace in the Valley” I heard as a kid but I can’t swear to it. That was an old gospel hymn my parents/grandparents often sang together in church.

  4. Ah Cathy, these are my final years in high school and most of these songs evoke amazingly fun memories for me. My favs: Hot Child in the City, Undercover Angel, Knock on Wood and Ring My Bell. Super fun. If you didn’t already know it, I live in the 70s most days. 🙂

    Michele at Angels Bark

    1. Michele,

      The 70s was a good era for mewsic. It’s fun reliving the decade through song, many of which I’ve forgotten about, too. Hey, it’s okay to live in the 70s. I usually have a song stuck in my head from my junior/high school days. 🙂

  5. I’m not familiar with 70’s music, but you’ve sure chosen a great line-up, Cathy! 🙂 I’ll be totally down for the 80’s ones, my bestie and I are huge 80’s music fans. 😉 Thanks so much for the dance! I always have fun dancing to your tunes! 🙂

  7. Girlfriend, you have so rocked the house today for sure! One hit wonders eh? hmmm 1977 was a bad year for me. My 3rd child was born April 9th and we named her Angelina Anne Marie & nicked named her Angel. gorgeous and ever so smart, but four months later I found out why. My Angel died of S.I.D.S. I use to always sing her that tune by Debbie Boone, “You light up my life”, and every time I here the tune or see the words Angel pops right into my mind, but she’s always in my heart. If it wasn’t for my dad I wouldn’t have any pictures of her, but he took this one pic I had done of her at Zayres (remember them?) for one dollar and brought it to a studio and my dad said & I quote… “Make it come alive”, and they did. They gave me an oil painting. Gotta love my daddy!!!

    1. Marie,

      Oh, how sad to read of your little Angel passing from SIDS. That’s something that always worried me when ours were small. I’d check on them thousand times each night just to make sure they were still breathing. A good friend’s daughter lost her baby to SIDS a few years back. That’s just heartbreaking. I’m glad your dad got pictures of her and even an oil painting. It’s possible I remember Zayres but I can’t recall if I ever been in one, though. Thanks for popping by to dance with me, my friend. Have an awesome week!

  8. Such great songs Cathy, and they bring back lots of memories. I even sang Light up my life at a friends wedding – I thought I was going to pass out but I did it. The 70’s was my older brothers teen years so I remember all of these songs from him playing them, and I used to love singing along to them.
    Your spark is really beautiful – one to keep close.
    Have a really lovely week.

    1. Pamela,

      Singing in public would make me nervous, but you did it and didn’t pass out. Hooray! 🙂 Oh, I bet you did a beautiful job singing “You Light Up My Life” to the couple. That’s a great song for a wedding. I often sing the chorus to DH because he still lights up my life. Yeah, I get sappy sometimes….most of the time….all the time!

  9. I remember all of these songs very well…..I also graduated from high school in the 70s, but you probably already figured that out. I have to wait 2 weeks for country mewsic! What will I do….what will I ever do?!? I am sure I will manage….somehow….. 😀 I was just watching M*A*S*H today. That show still makes me laugh. They show it on The Sundance channel every Monday and I saw 2 or 3 shows yesterday. I loved your Friday funnies! My dh saw a couple of them and just loved the fitted sheet one! Have a great and amazing week!

    1. Karla,

      Yep, you gotta wait two whole weeks before my country mewsic post shows. I’m sorry to disappoint but… hey, I’ve given you something to look forward to, right? M*A*S*H is a great show. I didn’t watch it when it originally aired but caught the reruns in the late 80s and early 90s. I’m glad you enjoy my Friday Sillies. I think laughter makes the world a better place, don’t you? Thanks for visiting and have a good week, dearie!

  10. Great selection, Cathy!

    I loved the 70s and the music from that era. Some days I wish I could go back to that era of innocence and re-live it with the knowledge that I now have.

    ~Mary

  13. Amazing how you managed to miss most of the ones I featured when I was doing 1HW’s for the 70’s!

    My BotB this time around, in case you haven’t seen it, is “You Light Up My Life.” I’ve got Ms. Debby up against the woman who dubbed Didi Conn’s voice in the movie. They sound a lot alike, but there’s a definite difference in feel.

    “Hot Child In The City” was prominently featured in the movie “Angel” (“Honor Student By Day… Hollywood Hooker By Night!”) which, despite its suggestive tagline, wasn’t all that suggestive and actually kind of sweet.

    This was a great period for music, once you got away from the disco… Great choices!

    1. John,

      Thanks for reminding about your BoTB. I’ll hop over in a sec! I don’t recollect the movie “Angel” but judging by the description and the era which it came out when I was too young for it even if it was an innocent film. lol I don’t know how I managed to miss your picks but then I think you said you veered from the #1 ranked one-hit wonders, am I right? Thanks for popping by today.

      1. I tried not to use the #1’s, but I did slip a couple in there, especially if pickings were a little slim. Hey, gotta get it to ten…

        1. John,

          You did use some of the #1s and we didn’t pick the same ones? I guess I missed some. *scratch head* Well…yeah, you gotta get to 10! lol I seem to use that magical number as a benchmark but sometimes I fall short and think that’s okay, too. 😀

        2. We had a little overlap: I used “Hot Child In The City” and “Ring My Bell,” and probably one or two others.

          The way I see it, ten songs in a playlist is a good number for a post. I have a few that are much bigger than that (“Eyes” and “Rain” are a couple of them). Five or less and you might as well put them directly into the post.

        3. John,

          Hmm, so we did overlap. Hey, that’s not too bad, though. I think a 10 song playlist is just right, too. Of course, there are times when I don’t have a lot of time to spend at one blog but I always make a point to return to listen to playlists the following day. It’s great background mewsic while I compose a post or visit blog buds. 🙂

        4. The nice thing about the playlists is they run one after another, and you don’t have to keep clicking the next song. So, you can listen while reading everyone else’s blog. You do know, I’m sure, that you can click on “YouTube” in the video frame, and open the vid in a separate window on the YouTube site? I do that a lot.

        5. John,

          I like the continuous play feature, too. I am happy that you and a few other BoTBers got me intrigued to try this for myself. Oh, sure I open a video in another window frequently.

  15. Nice choices. I have always loved the theme to Rocky and the movies too. I still have a 45 of You Light Up My Life that I had since I was a kid. Have a nice week!

  16. Good Morning, Cathy! I recognize all your One Hit Wonders and liked them all. I graduated from high school in 1969 so I am an old lady here but that music takes me back to some good memories. I love that about music. Hmmm, the music that moves me today is still the oldies, Motown, and I enjoy light Jazz.

    It’s good to be different!

  18. I remember each and every one of these songs. I also graduated in the 70s so these were all over the radio (and movies) during that time that I remember. Thanks for dropping by and leaving a comment. Much appreciated!

  20. This week, a mix of songs I love (Gonna Fly Now, Pop Musik) and several I’m not that fond of – in a way, 1977-1979 was a transition era – from disco to the era I love the most, the 1980’s. Thanks for the memories, as always!

    1. Alana,

      I liked disco in its day but if I listen to it now it’s out of nostalgia. There are many people who didn’t care for that genre. The 70s surely does bring the memories back, though.

  21. I graduated from High School in 1979 ! Oh these songs bring back so many memories.
    I played You Light Up My Life and Don’t Give Up On Us almost every day on my cassette player!

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