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


 It’s day two of the #AtoZChallenge, and that brings us to the letter B.  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.

1970 - Bridge Over Troubled Water

"Bridge over Troubled Water" is a song by American music duo Simon & Garfunkel. Produced by the duo and Roy Halee, the song was released as the follow-up single to "The Boxer" in January 1970. The song is featured on their fifth studio album, Bridge over Troubled Water. Composed by singer-songwriter Paul Simon, the song is performed on piano and carries the influence of gospel music. The original studio recording employs elements of Phil Spector's "Wall of Sound" technique using L.A. session musicians from the Wrecking Crew.

The song became Simon & Garfunkel's biggest hit single, and it is often considered their signature song. It was a number one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 for six weeks, and it also topped the charts in the United Kingdom, Canada, France, and New Zealand. It was a top five hit in eight other countries as well, eventually selling over six million copies worldwide, making it among the best-selling singles. It became one of the most performed songs of the twentieth century, with over 50 artists, among them Elvis Presley and Aretha Franklin, covering the song. It was ranked number 48 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.





1973 - Bad, Bad Leroy Brown

Bad, Bad Leroy Brown
"Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" is a song written by American folk rock singer Jim Croce. Released as part of his 1973 album Life and Times, the song was a Number One pop hit for him, spending two weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in July 1973. Billboard ranked it as the No. 2 song for 1973.

Croce was nominated for two 1973 Grammy awards in the Pop Male Vocalist and Record of the Year categories for "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown". It was his last number-one single before his death on September 20, 1973.





1979 - Bad Girls

"Bad Girls" is a song by American singer Donna Summer from her 1979 seventh studio album of the same name, released as the second single from the Bad Girls album on June 23, 1979, through Casablanca Records. The song was produced by Summer's regular collaborators Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte, and co-written by Summer and the Brooklyn Dreams.

"Bad Girls" became a worldwide success, peaking within the top-ten in seven countries, including Spain and New Zealand. In the United States, it spent five weeks at number-one on the Billboard Hot 100 and sold over two million copies, simultaneously becoming, alongside "Hot Stuff", her most successful single. The single, which was the second-biggest song of 1979, also helped the Bad Girls album to reach the multi-platinum status in the US. Summer placed three songs in the Top 12 of the Billboard 1979 year-end charts.




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?
Tuesday brings us the letter 'C'. 
Any guesses as to which 1970 Billboard Hits will be showcased?






Comments

  1. Bridge over troubled water - must have have listened to it millions of times by now. Original and covers. Donna I remember more for her Love to love you baby, thoroughly disapproved by the elders at that time, so of course that added to its allure. Remember reading about her and the song too, created quite a stir!

    Nilanjana.
    From Madly-in-Verse

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    1. Simon and Garfunkel was on heavy replay at my house. One of my favorites! Isn't it funny how the more taboo the song, the more you want to check it out and listen? Donna had some pretty risque songs out. I have a few of them featured in the challenge. Thanks for stopping by!

      ~Mary

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  2. As much as I always liked Bridge Over Troubled Water, I'd still have to say Bad Bad Leroy Brown was the one that really got us singing with radio at full blast. Ah, memories.

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    1. Hi Gail,

      I tend to agree with you. It seems that Croce doesnt get enough airplay anymore. but I could sing about Leroy Brown with the best of them!

      ~Mary

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  3. I loved all of Simon and Garfunkel, but then I'm a throwback to the 60's folk-rock sort of music. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
    My Virtual Vineyard

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    1. You're Welcome :) Simon and Garfunkel hold a special place in my heart as well.

      ~Mary

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  4. I love Bridge Over Troubled Water - my sister and I used to listen to my mother's Simon and Garfunkle album all the time when we were small. I could sing all the lyrics before I had any clue what they meant :)
    Tasha
    Tasha's Thinkings - Shapeshifters and Werewolves

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    1. Haha! Same here - except the album belonged to my sister. Ah.. those were the days when we were young and innocent.

      ~Mary

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  5. Great tunes, all. And I would enjoy learning more about theses folks. I really enjoy your biographies. Happy blogging!

    http://darlamsands.blogspot.com/

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    1. You got it. I'll add them to my calendar for a closer look at them.
      Thanks, Darla!

      ~Mary

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  6. MARY! MARY!... ~
    SIMON & GARFUNKEL are big favorites of mine too, and 'BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER' is simply gorgeous!

    CROCE was great. His song 'RAPID ROY' always reminds me of my dear departed Pa, and I am planning to use 'BAD, BAD LEROY BROWN' in a 'Battle Of The Bands' installment pretty soon.

    But DONNA SUMMER I can live without.

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

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    1. Oh Stephen...

      When I was just a little one (younger than 10) - I'd walk the half block to the park at the end of the street. We used to play baseball and just hang out at that grassy field all day long. I had a friend that lived on the other side of the field and we'd meet in the middle and make dandelion rings and bracelets and sing 'Cecelia' at the top of our lungs.

      'Leroy' is a great earworm. I can't wait to see how you use it in your upcoming battle.

      ~Mary

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  7. Bad Bad Leroy Brown is going to be stuck in my head for the rest of the day now! It's got one of those tunes that sticks with you.

    26 Things To Hate About Writing: B is for Books

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    1. Awww Megan!

      No worries, I'll have a fresh batch of earworms for you tomorrow :)

      ~Mary

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  8. "Bridge..." is now such a classic. An amazing song. I've got to confess a weakness for Donna Summer's disco music--so much fun.

    Arlee Bird
    Tossing It Out

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    1. Donna makes a few appearances in the challenge this month. I hope to sate your secret desire ;)

      ~Mary

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  9. All of these bring back memories but I prefer the first two. Donna Summer well, let's just say I owned a "Disco Sucks" T-shirt. That said, we still enjoyed our share of Disco nights. I liked a couple of her songs. ☺

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    1. I'll admit that while she did have quite a few hits in the disco era, this one was not one of my favorites. I liked it okay, but she had others that I liked quite a bit more.

      ~Msry

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  10. You've inspired me to switch my Pandora station over to '70's tunes. Love, love, love Bad Girls and Bad, Bad Leroy Brown.

    Enjoyed the B post!

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    1. uh oh! Watch out or you'll soon be doing The Hustle! (whistling the tune in my head now)

      ~Mary

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  11. Simon specifically has always been one of my all-time favorites. That Garfunkel guy is alright, too, I guess. ;)

    I danced with my mom to Bridge Over Troubled Waters at my wedding. Odd choice, I'm sure, but it's her favorite song. Brings back great memories just thinking about it.

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    1. That is an odd choice for a wedding dance, but if it makes one happy, then it works :)

      I'm thinking I may need to do another post just on S&G, and possibly one just on Simon. Most likely will need to be a Friday Five, as there are just too many songs that I like to choose from.

      ~Mary

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  12. My teacher in elementary school proposed using the song "Bridge over troubled water." I guess that was supposed to be "romantic."
    I did like the music of the 70s.

    Today I'm loving the "bat beat" of the Ancholi A Piece of Uganda
    @moondustwriter

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    1. So interesting. I don't know that I have ever thought of that song as romantic.

      ~Mary

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  13. I listened to all of these songs. I love Simon and Garfunkel so much that I am going to have two posts devoted to them (for S and T, most likely). I so loved Bridge over Troubled Waters (and, for that matter, The Boxer.)

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    1. That sounds awesome! Can't wait to read them.

      ~Mary

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  14. These are so Nostalgic, haven't heard in a long time.

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    1. Thanks, Tina!

      Sometimes a trip down memory lane is a good one.

      ~Mary

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  15. Great choices today - I'll have these stuck in my head all day now!
    Debbie

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  16. Mary, thank you for visiting yesterday's A2Z "B"prompt. Life got a bit chaotic with the interruption of my normal routine to go to my doctor's appointment and today DH has a follow up for his retina re-attachment. Geez, I'm tired already! Is it Friday? No? Dang, oh well...life goes on. Now, I'm lovin' your mewsic choices here. "Bridge Over Trouble Water is one of my favorite 70s song. This is such a beautiful song and I never tire from hearing it. "Bad Bad Leroy Brown" always makes me smile because I remember when it came out we loved singing it out loud, really loud because it has a curse word in it and we thought it was okay to sing curse words but we knew we'd get in trouble if we said them. Does that make sense? No? I didn't think so because it makes little sense to me now. Kids are just stupid...well, this kid was stupid. :) Thanks for sharing some fun 70s vibes through mewsic and happy a2zing, my friend!

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    1. Cathy, your comment made me giggle. I remember singing that song really loud as well. I thought the same thing, that I wouldn't get in trouble for singing a 'bad' word. Turns out I was right. I caught my mother saying the word a few times and asked her why she could say it and I couldn't. She said 'a few damns and hells aren't going to keep you from heaven'. Now that's Mother Logic.

      ~Mary

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  17. I never realized Bridge Over Troubled Waters was influenced by the Wall of Sound ideas. Considered it for my own post for the challenge, but while it's a great song, there's no specific memory attached to it (though I do change my rules for songs to include daily -- considering Cecilia just because!).

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    1. Oh, I hope you do use Cecilia! Love that song! BTW, you should consider leaving your link in the comments so that I can easily reciprocate.

      ~Mary

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  18. When I think of the beautiful lyrics of Bridge over Troubled Waters and compare them to most lyrics of songs today ( work, work, work, work, work) injust shake my head. It's sad that Jim Croce died so young and not by drugs but in an airplane crash. I enjoy that disco song:)

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    1. Today's music really does not compare to what we grew up with. Some days I have a hard time calling today's music - music.

      ~Mary

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  19. Donna really had a voice and I loved so many of Jim's songs.

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    1. Donna could really belt out those disco tunes!

      ~Mary

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  20. Bridge over troubled water - what a classic. I had the pleasure of attending a Simon and Garfunkel concert in 2009 - their farewell tour. Awesome hearing them sing this live. Thanks for sharing.

    Suzy at Someday Somewhere

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