Last Week Tonight (50 years ago) #1
Let's take a sonic trip to the seventies with this week's top hits... half a century ago
Welcome to Last Week Tonight (50 years ago), a weekly series from b*tchfork devoted to digging up old tunes. Each week I’ll publish an annotated playlist with the top tracks from the Billboard charts that week–just 50 years ago. Some weeks we’ll get soul, some weeks country, and I might even throw jazz and classical in there to shake things up. Regardless of genre, we’ll be getting a taste of the sound of the seventies every Friday. Take a trip with me and see how these songs hold up!
For our first playlist, we’re pulling straight from the top 10 songs on Billboard’s Hot 100 for the week ending October 13, 1973. There were some instantly iconic classics this week, so let’s get into it. Listen along on Spotify here!
The Playlist
“Half-Breed” by Cher
This is probably one of the most controversial tracks we’ll start with and is arguably too much to tackle in a weekly playlist series. The title alone is offensive, not to mention the lyrical inaccuracies and cultural appropriation inherent in Cher singing a song from the perspective of a half-white and half-Cherokee woman wrestling with her identity. With this in mind, all I will say is that musically, the song itself holds many trademarks of the early 1970s sound—including being recorded by famous L.A. session musicians the Wrecking Crew. The song held the number-one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks back in 1973, and Cher performed it live in concert until 2018 (in a medley with “Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves” and “Dark Lady”... I’m almost speechless).
If any song could show us that the charts don’t always reflect critical acclaim, cultural accuracy, or even basic decency when it comes to lyrical subjects, it’s this one.
“Ramblin’ Man” by The Allman Brothers
“Ramblin’ Man” brings us a track that would be the first and only top-10 single for The Allman Brothers Band. Included on the band’s fifth album Brothers and Sisters (1973), this song is featured in one of my favorite music books, “Anatomy of a Song” by Marc Myers. According to Dickey Betts, “Ramblin’ Man” was inspired by Hank Williams’ 1951 song of the same name, and is lyrically autobiographical to Betts’ childhood moving around Florida following his dad’s construction work. The instrumentals in this song are really impressive, with stacked double-guitar harmonies, a call-and-response on guitar and piano, and an epic slide guitar solo.
The success of this track came after the loss of the band’s ringleader, Duane Allman, in 1971. Even more tragedy followed when, shortly after recording “Ramblin’ Man” in October of 1972, the band’s bassist Berry Oakley died in a motorcycle accident. What was a conscious tribute to Duane’s guitar stylings then became the last song Oakley recorded with the group before he passed. It’s bittersweet that a song so personal to the band is one they’re arguably most known for (shout out “Midnight Rider,” I promise I didn’t forget you).
“Let’s Get It On” by Marvin Gaye
“Let’s Get It On” stayed in the top 10 of Billboard’s Hot 100 for 13 whole weeks—topped it in early September—and was the biggest-selling Motown release in the U.S. when it dropped. Not even considering the recent Ed Sheeran copyright scandal, this song is as iconic today as it was back in 1973; in Rolling Stone’s 500 greatest songs of all time, “Let’s Get It On” comes in at #168.
While What’s Going On (1971)—named by Rolling Stone the greatest of all time—and its titular track established Gaye as a masterful lyricist and pushed the boundaries of politics and art for Black musicians, “Let’s Get It On” cemented Gaye’s sex symbol status, putting forth a different political message supporting then-radical sexual liberation. His album of the same name is widely considered a shifting point in soul, funk, and the Motown label at large, as Gaye recorded the hit song in Berry Gordy’s new Los Angeles studio aptly named “Hitsville West.”
Gaye’s vocals and the groove on this track speak for themselves; there’s a reason it’s both immensely popular and critically acclaimed. And I feel confident that we could all recognize that opening bwow-wow-wow-woooww anywhere.
“Higher Ground” by Stevie Wonder
Speaking of funk, I humbly welcome Stevie Wonder to this week’s playlist. From one of his most personal albums, “Higher Ground” is a critically-celebrated funk-soul track featuring the iconic “wah-wah” sound from Wonder’s Clavinet and a Mu-Tron III envelope filter pedal. Wonder recorded the whole thing in three hours, and played every instrument on the track because of course he did. The song’s themes of reincarnation and being grateful for one’s life would be tragically timed; Just a couple of months after recording the track in May of 1973, Wonder was in a near-fatal car accident that put him in a coma. While in recovery, Wonder’s friend and road manager Ira Tucker started singing “Higher Ground” in his ear, and Wonder responded by tapping along to the song with his hands.
“Higher Ground” most certainly holds up, and remains as popular today as it did back when it was released. At the time I’m writing this, the track has over 115 million streams on Spotify–the most of any song from Innervisions. And if you haven’t already watched it, give Stevie Wonder’s performance of “Higher Ground” with Chris Stapleton at this year’s Grammy Awards a viewing. Wonder kills it (duh), and the random celebrity reactions are a must-see.
“Angie” by The Rolling Stones
Welcome to a Stones’ ballad that isn’t “Wild Horses” (sorry). With a little bit of soft rock, a little bit of glam, and a lot of acoustic guitar, “Angie” brought out a really moving and sensitive side of Mick Jagger’s vocals and added to the Stones’ repertoire of more intimate tracks. Released in August of 1973, it’s pretty impressive that “Angie” was on the charts in October–it actually took the top spot on the Hot 100 from Cher the following week. This is not my favorite Stones ballad, but it is the only one that topped the charts.
With universal lyrics mourning the end of a relationship, “Angie” has also held up. In a rare recent interview, Bob Dylan said he wished he had written the Stones’ song. Who exactly is “Angie”? Great question. My favorite theory is Angela Bowie (of David Bowie), though that has been dismissed by Jagger. Another theory is the mysterious heartbreaker is named after Keith Richards’ daughter Angela, but Richards wrote in his memoir that when he wrote the song, he didn’t even know his newborn was going to be a girl, let alone be called Angie. So apparently “Angie” is a random name… but that’s not very fun, so let’s stay delusional.
“That Lady” by The Isley Brothers
I’m going to guess that only Pt. 1 of “That Lady” reached number six on Billboard’s Hot 100 this week 50 years ago, but we’re gonna listen to the whole thing ’cus it’s just so good.
The Isley Brothers’ music history goes way back to the early 1950s when they were already putting out hits like “Shout.” On “That Lady,” a funk-rock track that features Ernie Isley’s incredible electric guitar line, you can hear the group’s talent and versatility that crosses decades and genres. The song was actually first performed by the group as “Who’s That Lady?” in 1964, but when the trio expanded in the early 1970s and toured with support from Jimi Hendrix, the funk-inspired group recorded a new version for 3+3 (1973). You can hear Hendrix’s influence on Ernie Isley’s guitar in this track.
The lasting impact of this song can’t be overstated. “That Lady” has been covered and sampled many times, my favorite shout-out being some re-recorded elements on Kendrick Lamar’s “i” from To Pimp a Butterfly (2015). So even if you haven’t heard this song before, you actually probably have.
On a very different note, Rudolph Isley—part of the original Isley trio—passed away just this past Wednesday at the age of 84. Take an extra moment to groove along to this song for him.
“Loves Me Like a Rock” by Paul Simon
Backed by the Black gospel group the Dixie Hummingbirds, “Loves Me Like a Rock” is just a feel-good track. The arrangement has a clear gospel influence with the uptempo call-and-response, and the lyrics play with imagery of the Devil and purity, though largely revolving around a relationship between a mother and son. One fun fact I learned while digging into this track is the Dixie Hummingbirds went on to record a gospel version of this song themselves, which won them a Grammy for Best Soul Gospel Performance. That award is currently on display at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. Paul Simon’s original peaked on the Hot 100 at number two. “Loves Me Like a Rock,” like many of the tracks featured this week, was kept from the coveted number one by Cher’s “Half-breed.” Sigh.
As a little treat for getting this far, here’s a video of Simon and the Dixie Hummingbirds singing “Loves Me Like a Rock” with Stevie Wonder. Another treat, you say? Here’s Simon performing the song with the Muppets.
“Midnight Train to Georgia” by Gladys Knight & the Pips
This is one of my favorite songs of all time and it should be yours, too.
Songs like Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together” were performed from the male perspective, often trying to win a woman over. Gladys Knight and the Pips turned that on its head, and to critical success. “Midnight Train to Georgia” topped the Billboard pop chart for two weeks and won Best R&B Vocal Performance By A Duo, Group Or Chorus at the 16th Grammy Awards.
This song also makes an appearance in Anatomy of a Song, including interviews with Jim Weatherly and the Empress of Soul herself. Weatherly originally wrote the song as “Midnight Plane to Houston,” which became “Midnight Train to Georgia” when singer Cissy Houston (Whitney Houston’s mom and Dionne Warwick’s aunt) recorded it. Gladys Knight heard Cissy’s version and wanted to change it up and have “an Al Green thing going.” This version includes a full sound with rhythm and horns (trumpets! saxes! trombones!) perfectly blended and overdubbed with strings. And I’d be remiss not to mention Knight’s vocal runs and ad-libs which make the song uniquely hers.
This song is magic. As a Los Angeles native, I can attest that sometimes L.A. does indeed prove too much for the man.
“Keep on Truckin’” by Eddie Kendricks
Alright everyone, let’s say thank you to Eddie Kendricks for leaving The Temptations and gifting us this song. Thank you, Eddie.
“Keep on Truckin’” was Kendricks’ first big hit after leaving the group—his earlier hit “Girl You Need a Change of Mind” was a club cult classic and precursor to disco—and showcases the side of Kendricks’s vocals built for soundtracking a dance floor. This song is so groovy, so funky, and so instrumentally exciting, you can’t help but dance along to the rhythm. Let’s hear it for the clavinet, this week’s superstar instrument.
“Keep on Truckin’” brought Kendricks out from under the shadow of his former group, and established his success as a crossover artist (he was popular on both the pop and R&B charts). The song also includes a little taste of a 1970s diss track. Following the release of The Temptations’ “Superstar (Remember How You Got Where You Are)" in 1972, which is considered to be a jab at Kendricks and David Ruffin, Kendricks included his own little response in his hit. In the song’s breakdown, he sings “In old Temptation’s rain, I’m duckin’” followed shortly by “Can’t nothin’ hold me back, nothin.’” Pretty straight to the point.
Fun fact: The aforementioned Kendrick Lamar was named after Eddie Kendricks.
“We’re an American Band” by Grand Funk Railroad
It’s time for some hard rock. I’m sure that’s what we were all thinking listening to these songs: Dang, I really wish I was listening to hard rock right now.
All jokes aside, “We’re an American Band’ was Grand Funk’s first number-one single, and helped bring the band into mainstream popularity. If you already know Grand Funk, it’s probably from their 1974 song “Some Kind of Wonderful.” Well, this massive hit set them up for the success of that track. “We’re an American Band” was written and sung by the group’s drummer, Don Brewer. According to Brewer, the song came from stories on the road touring for the group’s sixth studio album Phoenix. The intention was not to “wave a flag,” but instead to state quite simply what they were: an American band that would bring the party to whatever town they landed in.
After listening through this last song on our playlist this week, all I can say is more cowbell.
Check out the issue of Billboard I used for this playlist here!
Tune in next week for another time travel adventure into music history. Thanks for groovin’ with me :)
~Annie