Last Week Tonight (50 Years Ago) #5
going global for this week's sonic trip to the seventies
Welcome to Last Week Tonight (50 years ago), a weekly series from b*tchfork devoted to digging up old tunes. Each week I’ll be publishing an annotated playlist with top tracks from the Billboard charts that week–just 50 years ago. Take a trip with me and see how these songs hold up!
This week, we’re going global. Each song we’re listening to was the top single in its respective country on Billboard’s Hits of the World for the week ending Nov. 10, 1973. The featured countries that week range from Japan to Yugoslavia; it’s an interesting lineup. It was difficult to find solid information about a lot of these songs, so follow along for this whirlwind of a musical journey on Spotify here.
For those following along at home, “Keep on Truckin’” by Eddie Kendricks was the number one hit in the U.S. this week, 50 years ago.
The Playlist
“My Friend the Wind” by Demis Roussos ~ Belgium
Despite topping the Belgium charts, “My Friend the Wind” was not the most popular track on Demis Roussos’s second studio album Forever and Ever (1973). The album’s title track, “Forever and Ever,” was one of the Greek singer’s most famous songs—it would top the U.K.’s pop charts in 1976 and be featured in television shows and movies (including the 2020 U.S. film Palm Springs).
Roussos was born into a family of musicians and got his breakthrough start as part of the prog rock group Aphrodite’s Child in 1967. Aphrodite’s Child would find commercial and critical acclaim throughout Europe, especially with their final album 666 (1972), which has been hailed as one of the better psychedelic prog-rock concept albums.
In both Aphrodite’s Child and his solo endeavors, Roussos was remarkably successful: he sold over 60 million records over a near-50-year music career. As for his particular popularity in Belgium at the time, while I can’t find confirmation of this, it appears he performed a concert in Belgium in August 1973.
Fun fact: Engelbert Humperdink also covered this song.
“Do You Love Me?” by Sharif Dean ~ Brazil—Rio de Janeiro
“Do You Love Me?” was first released as a single in 1972, and was one of Sharif Dean’s most popular songs. The female voice on the track is Evelyne D'Haese, a Belgium studio singer.
Dean was an Algerian-French singer who started releasing records in 1972 and into the mid-1980s. Dean grew up in Paris and before pursuing his music career studied philosophy and literature at university in Brussels. “Do You Love Me?” was his big hit, and was released on various singles over 30 times. One of these recordings was a Brazilian single released by Epic in 1973, which may explain its chart-topping popularity this week 50 years ago in Rio.
Fun fact: In 1974, CBS released a single on vinyl in Greece with “Do You Love Me?” on the A Side, and Charlie Rich’s “The Most Beautiful Girl” on the B Side. You may remember Rich’s song from our Easy Listening installment two weeks back.
“Music and Me” by Michael Jackson ~ Brazil—São Paulo
“Music and Me” was the second single release from Michael Jackson’s third solo studio album Music & Me. The single was released in October 1973, and the album was distributed in Brazil under Tapecar. While “Music and Me” was marginally successful on the charts abroad, it still has the most streams on the album.
Music & Me was released when Jackson was just 14 years old and is one of his lowest-selling albums. At the time of release, Jackson was touring with the Jackson 5 and was unable to promote it. Jackson’s cover of “With a Child’s Heart” is the only Music & Me single that charted in the U.S. Music & Me was Jackson’s second-t0-last album with Motown, as he and his brothers would eventually move to Epic. One of young Jackson’s qualms with Motown was that they wouldn’t let him record his own compositions on Music & Me. For example, “Music and Me” had four songwriters behind it.
There’s a lot to say about Michael Jackson that goes beyond the scope of this brief, blurb-focused series (and we have nine more songs to get through). Despite the song’s lack of commercial success, “Music And Me” charting in São Paulo points to Jackson’s global stardom before he was even 15 years old. That kind of pressure and fame at such a young age immensely impact a person in ways none of us can ever truly grasp.
“Daydreamer” by David Cassidy ~ Britain
“Daydreamer” was David Cassidy’s second number-one single on the U.K. charts, and would be the 10th best-selling single in the U.K. in 1973. The track appeared on Cassidy’s third solo album, Dreams Are Nuthin' More Than Wishes (1973), which was also a number-one album in the U.K. Despite Cassidy being an American singer and television star, “Daydreamer” didn’t make it to the U.S. charts until it was covered in 1976.
Cassidy started performing in 1968, and in 1970 was cast as Keith Partridge on the musical television show “The Partridge Family.” Cassady also joined the studio ensemble as a lead singer (not all TV cast members appear on the Partridge Family recordings). The show transformed Cassidy into a teen idol superstar, and once the Partridge Family singles were hits, he started recording solo albums. Cassidy’s following was massive—Elvis and Beatles-level massive—and his career spanned decades.
It wasn’t until the “Cassidymania” had slowed down that he was able to perform more intimate concerts for lifelong fans before he died in 2017.
“Überall Auf Der Welt” by Freddy Breck ~ Denmark
“Überall Auf Der Welt” was released as a single by Freddy Breck in late 1972, and would chart internationally across 1973. The track was also recorded in English under the title “We Believe in Tomorrow” and released in South Africa in 1972, where it charted in the top ten for multiple weeks.
Breck was born in Germany in 1942 and started training as a musician after having studied to be a machinist. Breck specialized in schlager, a genre of European pop music that features instrumental accompaniment to sentimental lyrics. One German website equated Germany’s schlager with American country music. Breck sang schlager songs with well-known classical medlies; "Überall auf der Welt" was based on a song from“Nabucco,” Giuseppe Verdi's four-act Italian opera.
Breck died in 2008, and last month, Rubin Records released Das Beste - In Erinnerung an Freddy Breck (2023), a tribute album that features "Überall auf der Welt" as the first song on the second disc.
“Kandagawa (神田川)” by Kaguyahime (かぐや姫) ~ Japan
“Kandagawa” was released in September of 1973 and featured on Kaguyahime’s 1973 album かぐや姫さあど (“Kaguyahime Third”), the folk-rock group’s fourth album. This is my favorite find from this week’s playlist.
Kaguyahime was formed in 1970 by Kosetsu Minami, Panda Yamada, and Shozo Ise. The trio took the emerging Japanese folk music scene by storm, specializing in a soft-spoken style you can hear in “Kandagawa.” Kaguyahime released several commercially successful singles including “Kandagawa,” which sold 1.6 million copies. Several of their albums would be best-sellers and by the time the group disbanded (a second time) in 2006, Kaguyahime had established a legacy as a groundbreaking group in the development of mainstream Japanese folk music.
The group’s frontman, Kosetsu Minami, released an album on Nov. 3, 2023: 三日月のセレナーデ (“Crescent Moon Serenade”). The new album includes a recording of “Kandagawa” for which Kaguyahime is credited.
A gem I found that is worth the watch: Minami and John Denver singing “Country Roads” on a Japanese TV show in 1983.
“Él” by Los Strwck ~ Mexico
“Él” was first released as a single in 1970 and was a number-one hit in Mexico for four weeks. The ballad appeared on Los Strwck’s album La Suegra (1970), and, as one of their most immediate hits, was re-released on another album just four years later. Somewhere in between, it charted in 1973.
Los Strwck was founded in 1966 and its members are from Guadalajara. The band specialized in rock and roll, ballads, and cumbia music. Elbert Moguel, who composed “Él,” led the Mexican musical group to popularity in Mexico throughout the 1970s, and several of his compositions were covered.
Information on Los Strwck is limited, but it would appear as though they’re still active and have performed and released albums in the last couple of years. El Autentico Sonido Grupero Banda was released on streaming platforms in February of this year, and features a brighter rendition of “Él.”
“Baby Blue” by George Baker Selection ~ South Africa
The George Baker Selection was a pop-rock band from the Netherlands during parts of the 1960s, ’70s, and ’80s. Their first album Little Green Bag (1970) was an immediate global success, with the title track making the U.S. charts. Fast-forward to 1975, and the title track of Paloma Blanca (1975) became one of the most successful Dutch singles of all time. “Baby Blue,” originally released as a single in 1973 and on their 1974 album Hot Baker, had a different journey.
The story behind “Baby Blue” charting in South Africa illustrates how the charts can impact releases. “Baby Blue” was released as a single in South Africa before it was released in the Netherlands. The cover image for the single’s Netherlands release features the band posing with an award disc from the South African record company, and the back cover explains (in Dutch) that “Baby Blue” qualified for gold in South Africa after selling over 50,000 copies. The back cover remarks that never before had a Dutch record been released in the Netherlands that had already been awarded gold. “Dit is een unieke single!” indeed.
Fun fact: The George Baker Selection song “Little Green Bag” was featured in the intro of Quentin Tarantino’s film Reservoir Dogs (1992).
“Can the Can” by Suzi Quatro ~ Spain
Suzi Quatro, a singer-songwriter and bass player from Detroit, Michigan, has arguably found more success abroad than at home throughout her career. “Can the Can,” Quatro’s second single, reached number one in the U.K. and topped several European charts. It didn’t break into the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 until 1976, and even then only charted at number 56.
Quatro was the first female bass-playing rock star, though she said in an interview once she doesn’t consider herself a female musician, just a musician. “Can the Can” showcases her rock sound, and highlights her success: the single sold 2.5 million copies worldwide. While her music consistently charted better across the Atlantic, Quatro found a different kind of stardom in the States, being cast in the hit 1970s sitcom “Happy Days.” Back across the pond in 1986, she debuted in West End’s production of “Annie Get Your Gun” in the leading role. Quatro was one of the first rock and roll acts to go to Russia in 1989, hosted radio and television programming, wrote books—you name it, Quatro can.
In August, Quatro released Face to Face (2023) with Scottish singer-songwriter KT Tunstall and has no plans to stop making music any time soon. When she celebrated 50 years as a professional musician in 2014 she said, "I will retire when I go onstage, shake my ass, and there is silence.”
“I’m a Writer, Not a Fighter” by Gilbert O’Sullivan ~ Sweden
“I’m a Writer, Not a Fighter” is the title track from Irish singer-songwriter Gilbert O’Sullivan’s third studio album. After becoming one of the most successful global performers the previous year, O’Sullivan brought some funk and rock influences into I’m a Writer, Not a Fighter. The most popular song on the album was its lead single “Get Down,” which was O’Sullivan’s third million-selling track.
O’Sullivan moved to London in 1967 to pursue his music career, and by 1970 had his first number-one hit in the U.K. with “Nothing Rhymed.” O’Sullivan found global popularity and critical acclaim in the early 1970s with songs like “Alone Again (Naturally).” That track, released in 1972, would top the Billboard Hot 100 for a total of six weeks and sell nearly two million copies. Over his decades-long career, he’s recorded a total of 19 studio albums.
Like #9’s Suzi Quatro, O’Sullivan is still making music. In 2022 he released Driven, and is currently touring—he’s coming to Los Angeles at the end of this month.
“Angie” by The Rolling Stones* ~ Switzerland
A surprise repeat song from Switzerland! We discussed “Angie” in the first installment of LWT about a month ago (woah).
On September 25th and 26th, 1973—just a week or so before this one 50 years ago—the Stones performed in Bern, Switzerland for the first time as part of their Europe tour. You can listen to a recording of the full concert on the 26th here. According to the setlist on that video, “Angie” was the seventh song played. I have a feeling the Stones’s Swiss appearance upped their playing time on the local radio stations.
“Plavi Pingvin” by Kićo Slabinac ~ Yugoslavia
This song is about a penguin. A blue penguin, to be exact.
“Plavi Pingvin” was released as a single in the former Yugoslavia in 1973 by Kićo Slabinac, a Croatian pop singer. Like Freddy Breck’s “Überall Auf Der Welt,” this song is also classified as a schlager, but that likely has to do with the simple, happy theme (though the horns are pretty great).
Slabinac’s career spanned decades and genres, though he primarily focused on pop and folk music. Slabinac was part of several rock and roll groups in the 1960s before he decided to go solo and move to Zagreb, Croatia’s northwestern capital. He was scouted performing at a club and offered to appear as a newcomer at the 1969 Split Festival, a pop festival in Croatia, and won first prize at the Opatija Festival the next year. Slabinac also competed at Eurovision in 1971, representing Yugoslavia. He placed 14th, and you can watch his performance here.
Fun (maybe true) fact: He was a representative in the Croatian National Parliament. I can’t find this anywhere except for his bio on Discogs.
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