#AtoZChallenge 1970's Billboard Hits - D is for...


It’s day four of the #AtoZChallenge, and that brings us to the letter D.  In case you missed it earlier, the theme that I have chosen for this year’s challenge is 1970’s Billboard Hits.


We talked a little bit about Alone Again (Naturally) on the first, and if you have not had the opportunity to vote in the battle of the bands, I’d like to encourage you to do so. You can find the battle HERE. Voting ends April 6 @ 6pm EST.

1976 - Don't Go Breaking My Heart

"Don't Go Breaking My Heart" is a duet by Elton John and Kiki Dee. It was written by Elton John with Bernie Taupin under the pseudonyms "Ann Orson" and "Carte Blanche", respectively, and intended as an affectionate pastiche of the Motown style, notably the various duets recorded by Marvin Gaye and singers such as Tammi Terrell and Kim Weston. It is not to be confused with the Burt Bacharach/Hal David song of the same title recorded in 1965 by Dionne Warwick for the album Here I Am.

"Don't Go Breaking My Heart" was the first No. 1 single in the UK for both John and Kiki Dee, topping the chart for six weeks in mid 1976. John would not enjoy a solo British chart-topper until "Sacrifice" in 1990. It also became his sixth No. 1 single in the US, topping the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks and spent one week on the Easy Listening chart. Billboard ranked it as the No. 2 song for 1976.





1976 -  Disco Lady

"Disco Lady" is a 1976 single for Johnnie Taylor that went on to become his biggest hit. It spent four weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and six weeks on the Billboard R&B chart in the U.S. It was also the first single to be certified platinum by the RIAA; ultimately it sold over 2.5 million copies. Billboard ranked it as the No. 3 song for 1976.

The single was Taylor's first for Columbia Records, where Taylor signed after his long-time label, Stax Records, went bankrupt. The song was produced by Taylor's long-time producer, Don Davis. Among the guests on the song were four members of Parliament-Funkadelic: bassist Bootsy Collins, keyboardist Bernie Worrell, guitarist Glenn Goins, drummer Jerome Brailey, and Dawn's Telma Hopkins.

"Disco Lady" was the first Hot 100 number-one hit with the word "disco" in its title, though there had been several disco songs that had already reached number one. The single also reached #25 on the UK Singles Chart.





1979 - Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?

"Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" is a song by British singer Rod Stewart from his 1978 album Blondes Have More Fun. It was written by Stewart, Carmine Appice and Duane Hitchings, though it incorporates elements of the melody from the song "Taj Mahal" by Jorge Ben Jor and the string arrangement from the song "Put Something Down On It" by Bobby Womack.

The song featured on Stewart's album Blondes Have More Fun, and was released as a single in November 1978. It spent one week at the top of the British charts in December 1978 and four weeks at the top of the US Billboard Hot 100 in February 1979. Billboard ranked it number four on its Top Singles of 1979 year-end chart. It also topped the charts in Australia for two weeks.

Royalties from the song were donated to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and Stewart performed the song at the Music for UNICEF Concert at the United Nations General Assembly in January 1979.

Rolling Stone ranked the song at #308 in its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

(This link is for my buddy, McCarthy! Watch at your own discretion!)

This link is for everyone else:





Be sure to follow the 2017 AtoZ Challenge playlist for all of the songs featured in this years challenge.




Did you listen to any of these tunes in the 70's?  Would you like to know more about these artists in future posts? Let me know in the comments.

What does tomorrow bring?
Thursday brings us the letter 'E'. 
Any guesses as to which 1970 Billboard Hits will be showcased?






Comments

  1. I really liked Don't Go Breaking My heart!
    I wasn't born until the 80's but my mother used to listen to some of these.

    (AC)
    Decadent Kane Visiting from the A-Z Challenge
    Paranormal Romance Author

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think this was one of the first times that I had seen Elton John with the wacky costumes and glasses.

      ~Mary

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  2. Hi May again dig in that pile of dusty 45,s this time you would find all three songs
    Roger

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    Replies
    1. Hey Roger!

      Good to hear from you again. I bet you have quite the collection of 45s. hold on to those, they could be worth something :)

      ~Mary

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  3. Wow! Elton John has been rocking the world of music for a long time now. Great D choices.

    Nilanjana.
    Madly-in-Verse

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    Replies
    1. Yes, he has! Have you ever seen him in concert? It is definitely a must-see show.

      ~Mary

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  4. I remember Don't Go Breaking My heart well. I loved it. Love this theme and will visit often

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    1. Thank you JenniferAlison! I look forward to your visits :)

      ~Mary

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  5. Nice Post !! Great music.

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    1. Thank you Namiwise!

      A day without music is a sad day indeed!

      ~Mary

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  6. Loving your choice of songs for the A-Z Challenge, Mary.

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    1. Thanks, Melanie!

      Glad that I could get your stamp of approval. This is turning out to be a really fun challenge for me.

      ~Mary

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  7. "Don't Go Breaking My Heart", "Disco Lady"! There is no need to ask, "Do You Think I'm Sexy" because you know that you are, so why tease me? :) Great, great 70s vibes to dance to this morning. You really brought back the memories with this mewsic! Thanks for dropping by for a look at the letter “D” (dogs)in my A2Z series, Art Sketching through the Alphabet! Happy a2zing, my friend!

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    1. Thanks, Cathy!

      I've been thinking about joining up with your Monday Music Moves Me after this challenge. Is there a special sign up for that, or do I just write my post and add it to the linky? I'll have to investigate that a bit further. Good music makes for a happy mood.

      ~Mary

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  8. It always fascinates me to learn who writes songs. I wonder why the pseudonyms. Interesting. Awesome Tiny Tim version! Johnny Carson's face is precious. ~grin~ And to leave him speechless... Keep up the great work! I enjoy learning new things about musicians.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Sometimes if an artist isn't getting enough airplay, or isn't selling well, they will use a pseudonym, and later reveal themselves.

      Thanks again for dropping by!

      ~Mary

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  9. I was born in the eighties but was a huge Rod Stewart fan because my parents listened and well the only music I was exposed to really was what they listen to.

    Melissa @ My Creatively Random Life

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    Replies
    1. Hi Melissa Ann

      Our early memories of music often lead to our current tastes in music as we get older.

      ~Mary

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  10. I love "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" :) Such a singable song.
    Not heard "Disco Lady" before and I have never liked "Do You Think I'm Sexy". Have to admit that Rod Stewart has one of those voices that gets on my nerves :)
    Tasha
    Tasha's Thinkings - Shapeshifters and Werewolves

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    1. Aww But Rod was so sexy back in the day, one really didnt mind his voice much. And, compared to Tiny Tim... he sounds wonderful!

      Did you know that Rod Stewart had throat cancer at one point in his life? I often wonder if his early sound was affected by this.

      ~Mary

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  11. What ever happen to Kiki?? The song Do you think I'm sexy was a big hit but I always crying a little with this song

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    1. Hey there Birgit!

      I'm not sure what happened to Kiki. I'll have to check that out further and get back to you.

      ~Mary

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  12. Can't believe it took the UK so long to catch on to Elton John! I remember this and the Stewart song. Not my fav of Rod's.

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    1. Hi Barbara!

      Sometimes it surprises me when artists do better in other countries than their own, especially at the start of their careers.

      ~Mary

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  13. I remember I had Disco Lady on a KTel 8-Track tape that I played in my "multi-use" amp (it also was a radio receiver haha).

    Is it possible to give me a little more background on Taylor? This is the only song I know of his, but if he was with Stax, I'm assuming his catelogue would be R&B and/or soul?

    Thanks for the post,

    Darren

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    1. Thanks for the request, Darren.

      I'll see what I can dig up on him and make a post after the challenge. Up until this challenge, I had not heard much of him, either. So I'm a bit curious myself.

      ~Mary

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    2. Thanks Mary! I'll try and remember to search him too.

      Delete
  14. Ha!-Ha!
    I found the Easter egg, MARY!
    Well, maybe not Easter, but definitely an "egg".

    Thanks for the morning laugh! I had never seen THAT version before, but I WAS familiar with THIS hilarious version:

    (Link:] Tiny Tim: "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?"

    I really love Tiny. I always like people who have a self-deprecating sense of humor and just don't take themselves too seriously.

    I'll never forget the first time I listened to T.T.'s debut album and about 7 or 8 songs into it I'd realized that I liked most of the tracks. I did NOT expect that. I thought it would all sound just like 'Tip-Toe Thru The Tulips' and had no idea how many really catchy songs (some featuring his warm baritone) he could lay claim to.

    Most people probably think I'm facetiously goofing off when I say I loves me some Tiny Tim, but I'm really not. And if the songs weren't enough, Tiny was also responsible for what is probably my all-time #1 favorite quote. The guy was a true original in a land of bland conformity.

    Thanks again, MMQE!

    ~ D-FensDogG
    Check out my new blog @
    (Link:] Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...

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    1. Hey there McCarthy!

      Glad you found that little gift I left for you in my post. Tiny Tim reminds me an awful lot of Weird Al. I wonder if they are somehow related to each other. I think I may need to do more research on both of these guys.

      BTW, I've always been fond of Tip Toe Thru The Tulips, but had never really heard any of his other music.

      ~M

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    2. Funny, because I don't care much for 'Tip-Toe'. I'm not so big on the falsetto voice. But I really dig 66% of his recordings. (Yeah, I did the math.)

      I used Tiny Tim in a BOTB against The Doors once. The song was 'PEOPLE ARE STRANGE', and who would know that better'n Tiny Tim? He lost, of course, but did manage to get some votes beyond just mine.

      And I may use Tiny in BOTB again someday. I have some ideas already.

      ~ D-FensDogG
      Check out my new blog @
      (Link:] Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...

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    3. That sounds like it would be quite the battle, and I can only imagine what is taking place in the recesses of your brain thinking about using Tiny Tim in a battle again.

      I'm considering a different genre for my May battles, just haven't come up with the right songs/pairings yet. Oh wait... I thought of one the other night. I'll have to check it against the master list to see if it's been done before. I am trying to come up with one that will make people wonder if they have come to the right page - that's how far out of the norm I am wanting to go. Gonna have to think on it a bit.

      ~Mary

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  15. Replies
    1. Hi Tina

      Elton John and Kiki really did a great job with that one, didn't they?

      Appreciate you stopping by!

      ~Mary

      Delete
  16. Great theme for your A-Z. Next to the 80's, the 70's is my favourite era of music. I love so many of Elton John's songs. And Rod Stewart and Aerosmith. So many, hard to choose just one.
    I will try to pop back in during the A-Z.

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    1. Hey Stranger! I'm seriously considering the 80's for next year's challenge. Good to see you again. BTW, if you hurry, you can still vote for your girlfriend in the current battle of the bands.

      Try not to stay away for so long next time :)

      ~Mary

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    1. I'm not sure. I've got it in my notes to do some followup research on her.

      ~Mary

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  18. Love Elton John! Especially this one - a real karaoke classic (not that I actually sing in public lol)
    Debbie

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    1. Hey there Debbie

      My ex was a huge Elton John fan. Me, not so much. I mean, I enjoy his music, but I wouldn't call myself a fanatic. But this song is fun.

      ~Mary

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  19. HUGE Rod Stewart fan, here, so the last one resonates the most. ☺ I remember the other two and they're definitely reminiscent of the era.
    Looking forward to your next post!
    Debbie @ THE DOGLADY'S DEN
    Latest Post: DAY AFTER DAY: True love reigns!

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    1. Debbie,

      Somehow I knew I could count on you to give Rod the love that he needs. Thanks for stopping in. Looking forward to tomorrow's posts.

      ~Mary

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  20. Music is nearly as potent as smell for triggering memories. My first LP I purchased was Elton John. Thanks for the memories.

    A to Z Theme: Sharing Family History via #GenealogyPhotoADay
    Regards Fran from TravelGenee Blog

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    1. You're welcome, Fran

      I do enjoy a good stroll down memory lane with music.

      ~Mary

      Delete
  21. The 70s were truly the disco years. Miss those days. Don't go breaking my heart wasn't one of my favourites. I liked Elton John's Daniel.

    Suzy at Someday Somewhere

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