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“Afternoon Delight” was #1 for its second and final week. This is George Benson’s first time ever on AT40, as “This Masquerade” bows in at #31, but it’s the trio of songs debuting on the show above that–“You Should Be Dancing,” “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart,” and “Let ’em In” at #25, #23, and #22, respectively, that wowed a certain 12-year-old in just his second month of chart-keeping. There was a bunch of interesting stuff happening in the lower depths of the Hot 100, though; let’s check some of it out. |
93. The Real Thing, “You to Me Are Everything”
Kicking things off with quite the find, as this had just wrapped up a three-week run at the top of the UK charts. It wouldn’t reach higher than #64 here, but its performance was likely undercut by competition from a couple other versions of the song: one by Broadway (a disco act from Chicago) is right behind this at #94, and another from NYC group Revelation would chart briefly two weeks later. Having listened to all three, I can definitively say The Real Thing’s take was indeed the real thing. They had other Top 10 hits in their native Britain but never made noise in the U.S. again.
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92. The Deadly Nightshade, “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman (Theme)”
With the recent passing of Louise Lasser, I couldn’t resist including this. It’s pretty thin disco, but it does bring to mind the superior “Disco Lucy” that would be a hit the following spring. It’s starting on a four-week journey that would end at #79. |
What’s truly surprising is that the Deadly Nightshade was actually a folk/country outfit. Wikipedia pointed out to me their appearances on Sesame Street. Here’s one of those, also from 1976, that I found plenty charming. |
78. Maxine Nightingale, “Gotta Be the One”
I fell for “Right Back Where We Started From” on first listen. Fifty years on, I’m just learning about this follow-up and am left wondering why U.S. stations didn’t pick up on it–it’s really, really good. Made #12 in Australia but, despite being this week’s highest Hot 100 new entry, could only reach #53 here. |
74. Bellamy Brothers, “Hell Cat”
I’ve come to lump the Bellamys together in my head with Nightingale, since both times each hit the Top 40 (spring ’76, summer ’79), the other was charting as well. So it’s obvious to me to next highlight Howard and David’s follow-up single to “Let Your Love Flow.” It helps that “Hell Cat” is a pretty good tune, though just four spots from its peak. Country stardom was just around the bend. |
68. The Tubes, “Don’t Touch Me There”
I did not know that, for much of their pre-The Completion Backward Principle career, the Tubes counted a female vocalist, Re Styles, among their members. I’m picking up a distinct Bat Out of Hell vibe from “Don’t Touch Me There” (and as it turns out, Bat producer Todd Rundgren would run the board for one of the Tubes’ later albums). This was their first pop singles chart appearance, and the only one before “Don’t Want to Wait Anymore.” Soon to peak at #61. |
65. Lee Oskar, “BLT”
From the War harmonica player’s self-titled solo album. Feels like maybe I’ve heard this pleasant, loping instrumental somewhere along the way? Would top out at #59 the following week. |
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