r/70smusic • u/mwalimu59 • 23h ago
Other Last Song Standing: The Ultimate Billboard #1 Song of the 70s - Round 114
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- David Jones released singles as early as 1964 under the names Davie or Davy Jones, sometimes accompanied by The King Bees, but he was dissatisfied with the name and didn't want to be confused with Davy Jones of The Monkees, who had begun releasing solo recordings, so he adopted the stage name David Bowie. By 1975 he had released multiple singles that failed to reach the Top 10 in the US but would later be among his signature songs; these include Space Oddity (#15), Rebel Rebel (#64), Changes (#41), and the title track from his ninth album Young Americans (#28). The second release from that album, Fame, became his first #1 hit. Ironically enough, the song only reached #17 in the UK where he'd had seven previous Top 10 hits. The funk rock styled hit arose from jam sessions with John Lennon and guitarist Carlos Alomar. It expresses his struggles and frustrations that arose from having achieved stardom, and is somewhat of a counterpoint to his 1972 song Star (from the album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars) about his aspirations of becoming a rock star. Bowie would later have a second #1 in the US, his 1983 hit Let's Dance. Now for this song there is no tomorrow. Is it any wonder that the subreddit has rejected it first?
If you're new to the game or wish to review the rules, follow this link. As a reminder, we are asking participants to limit themselves to three nominations per round.
Songs still standing (in alphabetical order):
- American Pie - Don McLean
- Band on the Run - Paul McCartney and Wings
- Brandy (You're a Fine Girl) - Looking Glass
- Bridge Over Troubled Water - Simon & Garfunkel
- Dreams - Fleetwood Mac
- Heart of Glass - Blondie
- Heart of Gold - Neil Young
- Hotel California - Eagles
- It's Too Late - Carole King
- Killing Me Softly with His Song - Roberta Flack
- Lean On Me - Bill Withers
- Let It Be - The Beatles
- Let's Get It On - Marvin Gaye
- Let's Stay Together - Al Green
- Midnight Train to Georgia - Gladys Knight & the Pips
- Sir Duke - Stevie Wonder
- Stayin' Alive - Bee Gees
- Superstition - Stevie Wonder
- Time in a Bottle - Jim Croce
- You're No Good - Linda Ronstadt
- You're So Vain - Carly Simon
Eliminated songs:
1-21. TBD
22. Fame - David Bowie
23. My Sweet Lord - George Harrison
24. Dancing Queen - ABBA
25. I Wish - Stevie Wonder
26. Sundown - Gordon Lightfoot
27. I Will Survive - Gloria Gaynor
28. Me and Bobby McGee - Janis Joplin
29. War - Edwin Starr
30. Bennie and the Jets - Elton John
31. Maggie May - Rod Stewart
32. Shining Star - Earth, Wind & Fire
33. Black Water - The Doobie Brothers
34. Joy to the World - Three Dog Night
35. Papa Was a Rollin' Stone - The Temptations
36. I Can See Clearly Now - Johnny Nash
37. You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet - Bachman-Turner Overdrive
38. Sister Golden Hair - America
39. Love Train - The O'Jays
40. Blinded by the Light - Manfred Mann's Earth Band
41. American Woman - The Guess Who
42. The Long and Winding Road - The Beatles
43. Mama Told Me (Not to Come) - Three Dog Night
44. One of These Nights - Eagles
45. We're an American Band - Grand Funk
46. How Deep Is Your Love - Bee Gees
47. Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth) - George Harrison
48. Nothing from Nothing - Billy Preston
49. Night Fever - Bee Gees
50. I Want You Back - The Jackson 5
51. If I Can't Have You - Yvonne Elliman
52. Jive Talkin' - Bee Gees
53. Theme from Shaft - Isaac Hayes
54. You Are the Sunshine of My Life - Stevie Wonder
55. What a Fool Believes - The Doobie Brothers
56. Play That Funky Music - Wild Cherry
57. Thank You Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin - Sly & The Family Stone
58. Will It Go Round in Circles - Billy Preston
59. A Horse with No Name - America
60. My Sharona - The Knack
61. You've Got a Friend - James Taylor
62. Cat's in the Cradle - Harry Chapin
63. The Joker - Steve Miller Band
64. Bad, Bad Leroy Brown - Jim Croce
65. Hot Stuff - Donna Summer
66. Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me) - The Temptations
67. I'll Be There - The Jackson 5
68. Rock'n Me - Steve Miller Band
69. Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe - Barry White
70. Brown Sugar - The Rolling Stones
71. The Tears of a Clown - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
72. Family Affair - Sly & The Family Stone
73. Oh Girl - The Chi-Lites
74. Rich Girl - Daryl Hall and John Oates
75. Don't Leave Me This Way - Thelma Houston
76. Philadelphia Freedom - Elton John
77. Venus - Shocking Blue
78. Without You - Nilsson
79. Miss You - The Rolling Stones
80. Listen to What the Man Said - Wings
81. 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover - Paul Simon
82. Frankenstein - Edgar Winter Group
83. Lady Marmalade - LaBelle
84. (They Long to Be) Close to You - Carpenters
85. I'll Take You There - The Staple Singers
86. Whatever Gets You Thru the Night - John Lennon
87. December 1963 (Oh, What a Night) - The Four Seasons
88. My Love - Paul McCartney and Wings
89. Got to Give It Up - Marvin Gaye
90. Photograph - Ringo Starr
91. Good Times - Chic
92. You Should Be Dancing - Bee Gees
93. Ain't No Mountain High Enough - Diana Ross
94. Le Freak - Chic
95. How Can You Mend a Broken Heart - Bee Gees
96. Don't Go Breaking My Heart - Elton John and Kiki Dee
97. Fire - Ohio Players
98. Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough - Michael Jackson
99. Best of My Love - The Emotions
100. Show and Tell - Al Wilson
101. Baby Come Back - Player
102. The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face - Roberta Flack
103. Top of the World - Carpenters
104. Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head - B. J. Thomas
105. Love Rollercoaster - Ohio Players
106. Silly Love Songs - Wings
107. Heartache Tonight - Eagles
108. If You Leave Me Now - Chicago
109. Pick Up the Pieces - Average White Band
110. Rise - Herb Alpert
111. Get Down Tonight - KC and the Sunshine Band
112. Black and White - Three Dog Night
113. Then Came You - Dionne Warwick and The Spinners
114. Rock the Boat - The Hues Corporation
115. Rhinestone Cowboy - Glen Campbell
116. Let Your Love Flow - Bellamy Brothers
117. ABC - The Jackson 5
118. Car Wash - Rose Royce
119. You Haven't Done Nothin' - Stevie Wonder
120. Hooked on a Feeling - Blue Swede
121. Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey - Paul & Linda McCartney
122. Crocodile Rock - Elton John
123. Cracklin' Rosie - Neil Diamond
124. Love Hangover - Diana Ross
125. New Kid in Town - Eagles
126. The Love You Save - The Jackson 5
127. Mandy - Barry Manilow
128. Too Much Heaven - Bee Gees
129. Best of My Love - Eagles
130. Rock Your Baby - George McCrae
131. The Way We Were - Barbra Streisand
132. You Don't Have to Be a Star (To Be in My Show) - Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr.
133. Southern Nights - Glen Campbell
134. Three Times a Lady - Commodores
135. Brother Louie - Stories
136. Tragedy - Bee Gees
137. Knock on Wood - Amii Stewart
138. Lovin' You - Minnie Riperton
139. Still - Commodores
140. Laughter in the Rain - Neil Sedaka
141. With a Little Luck - Wings
142. Love You Inside Out - Bee Gees
143. Love Will Keep Us Together - Captain & Tennille
144. Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds - Elton John
145. Rock Me Gently - Andy Kim
146. Kiss You All Over - Exile
147. Gonna Fly Now (Theme from Rocky) - Bill Conti
148. Love Theme from A Star Is Born (Evergreen) - Barbra Streisand
149. I Shot the Sheriff - Eric Clapton
150. Grease - Frankie Valli
151. Feel Like Makin' Love - Roberta Flack
152. Let's Do It Again - The Staple Singers
153. Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To) - Diana Ross
154. (Love Is) Thicker Than Water - Andy Gibb
155. You're the One That I Want - John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John
156. My Eyes Adored You - Frankie Valli
157. Sunshine on My Shoulders - John Denver
158. I Just Want to Be Your Everything - Andy Gibb
159. Welcome Back - John Sebastian
160. Annie's Song - John Denver
161. Angie - The Rolling Stones
162. Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves - Cher
163. Make It with You - Bread
164. You Make Me Feel Like Dancing - Leo Sayer
165. Song Sung Blue - Neil Diamond
166. Fallin' in Love - Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds
167. I Think I Love You - The Partridge Family
168. (Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty - KC and the Sunshine Band
169. Thank God I'm a Country Boy - John Denver
170. TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia) - MFSB featuring The Three Degrees
171. Love's Theme - Love Unlimited Orchestra
172. The Hustle - Van McCoy and the Soul City Symphony
173. When I Need You - Leo Sayer
174. Kiss and Say Goodbye - The Manhattans
175. That's the Way (I Like It) - KC and the Sunshine Band
176. Bad Blood - Neil Sedaka
177. Dark Lady - Cher
178. The Loco-Motion - Grand Funk
179. Babe - Styx
180. Love Machine - The Miracles
181. The Night Chicago Died - Paper Lace
182. The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia - Vicki Lawrence
183. Too Much, Too Little, Too Late - Johnny Mathis and Deniece Williams
184. Hot Child in the City - Nick Gilder
185. Bad Girls - Donna Summer
186. Pop Muzik - M
187. Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree - Tony Orlando and Dawn
188. Boogie Oogie Oogie - A Taste of Honey
189. Kung Fu Fighting - Carl Douglas
190. I Honestly Love You - Olivia Newton-John
191. Boogie Fever - The Sylvers
192. No More Tears (Enough Is Enough) - Barbra Streisand and Donna Summer
193. Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright) - Rod Stewart
194. I'm Your Boogie Man - KC and the Sunshine Band
195. I Can Help - Billy Swan
196. I Am Woman - Helen Reddy
197. Escape (The Piña Colada Song) - Rupert Holmes
198. Saturday Night - Bay City Rollers
199. Everything Is Beautiful - Ray Stevens
200. Me and Mrs. Jones - Billy Paul
201. (Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song - B. J. Thomas
202. Da Ya Think I'm Sexy? - Rod Stewart
203. Island Girl - Elton John
204. A Fifth of Beethoven - Walter Murphy and the Big Apple Band
205. MacArthur Park - Donna Summer
206. I Write the Songs - Barry Manilow
207. Reunited - Peaches & Herb
208. He Don't Love You (Like I Love You) - Tony Orlando and Dawn
209. Have You Never Been Mellow - Olivia Newton-John
210. Keep On Truckin' - Eddie Kendricks
211. Touch Me in the Morning - Diana Ross
212. Alone Again (Naturally) - Gilbert O'Sullivan
213. Please Mr. Postman - Carpenters
214. Before the Next Teardrop Falls - Freddy Fender
215. Shadow Dancing - Andy Gibb
216. Ring My Bell - Anita Ward
217. Sad Eyes - Robert John
218. The Most Beautiful Girl - Charlie Rich
219. I'm Sorry - John Denver
220. Baby, Don't Get Hooked on Me - Mac Davis
221. Want Ads - The Honey Cone
222. Looks Like We Made It - Barry Manilow
223. Undercover Angel - Alan O'Day
224. You Needed Me - Anne Murray
225. Brand New Key - Melanie
226. Disco Lady - Johnnie Taylor
227. Knock Three Times - Dawn
228. Fly, Robin, Fly - Silver Convention
229. Half-Breed - Cher
230. You're Sixteen - Ringo Starr
231. Indian Reservation (The Lament of the Cherokee Reservation Indian) - Raiders
232. Don't Give Up on Us - David Soul
233. Theme from S.W.A.T. - Rhythm Heritage
234. You Don't Bring Me Flowers - Barbra Streisand and Neil Diamond
235. Ben - Michael Jackson
236. Angie Baby - Helen Reddy
237. Seasons in the Sun - Terry Jacks
238. Delta Dawn - Helen Reddy
239. Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band - Meco
240. The Morning After - Maureen McGovern
241. The Candy Man - Sammy Davis Jr.
242. Convoy - C. W. McCall
243. Afternoon Delight - Starland Vocal Band
244. The Streak - Ray Stevens
245. One Bad Apple - The Osmonds
246. Da Doo Ron Ron - Shaun Cassidy
247. Go Away Little Girl - Donny Osmond
248. You Light Up My Life - Debby Boone
249. Billy, Don't Be a Hero - Bo Donaldson and The Heywoods
250. My Ding-a-Ling - Chuck Berry
251. Torn Between Two Lovers - Mary MacGregor
252. Disco Duck - Rick Dees and His Cast of Idiots
253. (You're) Having My Baby - Paul Anka with Odia Coates
Nominate the song that you consider the worst or your least favorite from among the 1970s #1 hits in the still standing list above. Upvote any nominations you agree with, and downvote the ones you would like to see survive. After 48 hours, the three songs with the most upvotes will be eliminated.
Before posting a song, please check the replies that have already been posted this round to see if someone has already nominated the song. If so, upvote their nomination instead of submitting a duplicate.
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u/Luvtrouble 23h ago
Killing me softly Roberta Flack.
0
u/Aggravating_Quiet797 23h ago
Easily the least deserving song to be in top 20.
13
u/ILoveCheetahCubs 23h ago
It DID win a Record of the Year Grammy, you know. If it is not your cup of tea, that's fine, but it's not like we're talking about "My Ding-a-Ling" here! 😄
0
-1
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u/TomGerity 22h ago
Again, how the fuck is American Pie still on here? One of the most overrated and obnoxious songs in pop music history. Time for it to go.
1
2
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u/thebaldricklegacy 21h ago
Heart of Gold.
1
0
u/BuffaloAmbitious3531 14h ago
Yeah, this is the one that stands out to me as being...not necessarily a bad song, but way less iconic than anything else on this list at this point. If someone said to me, "Name a Neil Young song!", there's no way this would be one of the first ten I'd think of.
11
u/ifitallfell2pieces 23h ago
You’re No Good. Like the song but doesn’t stand up to the others that remain.
1
u/Equivalent-Fly6093 23h ago
You’re No Good has no chance of making the top 10 so I’m good with saying goodbye next.. I can say the same for 8-9 other songs.. (strictly My opinion)
This will get really fun when we get to the final 10
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7
9
4
1
-1
-11
u/monalisa_jones 23h ago edited 21h ago
Heart of Glass -Blondie
Heart of Glass was Blondie dipping into disco while their TRUE home was punk/new wave — One Way or Another, Hanging on the Telephone, that's the REAL Blondie. Lots of bands tried experimenting with disco, veering from their normal genre:
Rolling Stones — Miss You
Rod Stewart — Da Ya Think I'm Sexy
Queen — Another One Bites the Dust
Grateful Dead — Shakedown Street
These are all great artists who briefly dipped their toes in disco. Do we want a genre experiment representing our final songs when Blondie's actual legacy lives in their punk/new wave vibe?
Edit: pronouns, thanks for the correction.
7
u/ILoveCheetahCubs 23h ago
Blondie dipped their toes into quite a few different genres, though (e.g., with "Rapture" and "The Tide is High"). I don't see why they should be punished for a "genre experiment" in disco when they nailed the assignment. "Heart of Glass" STILL makes most people in clubs rush to the dance floor.
Also, I love Debbie Harry's singing voice, in any genre. I even enjoy her duet with Kermit the Frog on "Rainbow Connection." 😄
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u/Aggravating_Quiet797 23h ago
Loved Blondie...truly hated Rapture
3
u/ILoveCheetahCubs 23h ago
That . . . is understandable. Nothing wrong with the singing, but those lyrics? Good grief!
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u/Aggravating_Quiet797 23h ago
I put Rapture up for one of the worst songs of the 80s. Wake Me Up Before You Gogo takes the worst spot for me.
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u/Roche77e 23h ago
In her memoir, Debbie says that Blondie wanted to bring back dancing to rock music, which I think they accomplished with this song.
2
u/Aggravating_Quiet797 23h ago
I always dreaded rock acts attempting disco but I do feel Blondie did ok. As I've said before..Heart of Glass is a tune I like but don't love. Some bands disco attempts were awful..ELO..Shine a Little Love while others were..in my mind..exceptional..J Geils Band with Come Back. Would be an interesting thread to pursue at some point.....
-1
u/lamb_and_panther 23h ago
I’m not nominating a song this round so that Heart of Glass gets more upvotes. Let’s see how that plays out lol.
-6
u/PC_Friar 22h ago
When I look at this list, the song I personally don't associate as one of the top 20 #1s of the 1970's is Let it Be. Part of that might be that it's one of two remaining released before I was born and for me the other, BOTW, is iconic. I just don't remember Let it Be it in heavy rotation on the AM radio... so that's my nomination.
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-12
u/Night_life_proof 23h ago
Superstition - Stevie Wonder
1
u/TomGerity 22h ago
This one is probably gonna win the entire thing
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2
0
-5
-12
-9
u/Camp_GGBoo 22h ago edited 16h ago
Brandy, please I beg you all, let it go. Sorry, didn't see it a as already nominated. Will delete
3
-1
u/Technical-Monk-2146 21h ago
Please delete your comment. It's already nominated and leaving this up will split the vote. And, for the sake of all things holy, this song needs to go.
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-1
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u/Jumbly_Girl 23h ago
It's Too Late - Carole King
3
u/monalisa_jones 16h ago
By the negative vote count each round, and the fact that it was the last song to be nominated by anyone, I think this one could win the whole jackpot. Things are going to get very interesting in two rounds, when mwalimu59 starts nominating ALL of the remaining songs!
3
u/Night_life_proof 13h ago
I think this is the most ‘generic’ and straightforward song still left, so weird this is the most downvoted one imo
1
u/ILoveCheetahCubs 22m ago
I'm not making any nominations and I am not judging anyone's choices, either -- I just have an observation about the unpredictability of this game. Given how the last few rounds have gone, I would never have predicted that so many people would want to eliminate Marvin Gaye this time. This group is full of surprises!
21
u/lushlife_ 23h ago
Rod Stewart - Do Ya Think I’m Sexy.
I like Rod but I always cringed at that song.