Song #339: "I Honestly Love You" by Olivia Newton-John

Date: Oct 5, 1974
Weeks: 2

Search Link

It's nice to finally find a heartfelt song that doesn't allow its production to overwhelm its sincerity.

Listen to those acoustic instruments. And listen to how few of them there are. I hear a piano, some strings, and maybe a little light horn here and there. There aren't even drums trying to force the song into a rock-and-roll mold it doesn't actually fit into. The effect is to emphasize the emotion of Newton-John's performance. It's remarkable what you can do when you just make something classic instead of trying to update it.

And she gives a good performance here. The song is about her admitting her love for someone else and being rejected, and her resigned sadness. And everything about her voice and the music communicates that sadness.

I don't really care for the title. There's something about the words "I honestly love you" that crosses the line into over-earnestness. It's the kind of thing that only gets said in super-intimate settings, when you've already thrown out "I love you" a bunch and need to say "no, really, I'm not just saying it, I honestly love you." And that's fine in that setting, but in this context it feels more like she's throwing it around just for emphasis rather than for the word's actual meaning. Might as well say "I literally love you."

My verdict: Like it. Frankly, I'm just happy to find a song that didn't sap away its emotional meaning with poor instrumental choices. Now I have an example to point to. But also it successfully communicates a feeling, which is the mark of successful art.

Song #318: "Love's Theme" by Love's Unlimted Orchestra

Date: Feb 9, 1974
Weeks: 1

Search Link

The love theme from what movie? Oh. No movie. Just Love's theme. Which seems like it's far too generic an idea to inspire a good song. And, as it turns out, that's entirely true.

Barry White wrote this song, but left out his voice and wrote an instrumental piece. I already complained about one Barry White song not having a full enough sound when he wasn't singing, so an entire song where Barry White doesn't sing is very disappointing. There is more bass here than last time, to compensate, but the song still feels like it's missing something. I don't need lyrics, but maybe some non-verbal vocal exercises could have added some interest to this song.

I also don't appreciate the mix of orchestra and 70s wah-wah guitar. I'll try not to hold the general overuse of strings in 70s pop music against this song. But I can't help feel that somebody wrote a pleasant little string orchestra piece and then ruined it with a cheap little wah-wah guitar and synthesized bass undercurrent. There's not really a well-featured instrument, either, so it just ends up feeling like somebody forgot to record the lyrics.

Oh, I take it back. The lyrics don't make this song better. Yikes.

My verdict: Don't like it. I'm not opposed to the idea of a disco instrumental, but this one didn't work out.

Song #337: "Can't Get Enough Of Your Love, Babe" by Barry White

Date: Sept 21, 1974
Weeks: 1

Search Link

Here's a great example of a talented singer elevating a song far beyond what the music deserves. This song is full of many of the terrible hallmarks of 70s pop music, but I don't mind because Barry White is awesome.

I'm sure I don't have to extoll the virtues of White's voice. It's what he's famous for. He's universally admired for his bass voice. His voice was a plot point in an episode of The Simpsons. The talking parts are very well done, and their duration is about perfect because just as you feel you're about to get tired of them, the singing part of the song starts, and honestly I think that's the part I like more.

Musically, the song has that 70s problem where even though there are plenty of instruments, the overall sound doesn't manage to be very full. I understand that White's voice is taking up most of the bass range, but when he stops to breathe the bottom sort of falls out of the song. Without him, the music feels light and weightless. I don't care for the use of horns at all, as usual, although I suppose I do like the strings. There's something about the smoothness of the sound they provide, as compared to, say, a guitar, that works here.

The lyrics are a passionate love song, full of an emotion that is intense, but never regrettable. "Your love for me is all I need and more than I can stand." He's actually made uncomfortable by his desire for this woman, but he's not upset by it, because he knows exactly what he needs. Even the title implies this passionate intensity. "Can't get enough of your love." No matter how much love he gets, he wants more and more. There's a place in any romance for this kind of intensity once in a while.

My verdict: Like it. It's nice to see an artist whose only No. 1 is also their signature song.

Song #344: "Whatever Gets You Through The Night" by John Lennon with The Plastic Ono Nuclear Band

Date: Nov 16, 1974
Weeks: 1

Search Link

I think it's really odd that this song is credited to John Lennon "with the Plastic Ono Band," when it's clearly a duet with Elton John. I spent a bit of time trying to find the correct version of this song, convinced I'd stumbled onto a later collaborative cover. But no, this really is the song that charted. And it's not like this was before Elton John was famous. Both "Benny and the Jets" (#323) and "Crocodile Rock" (#289) had topped the charts already.

Well, whatever the reason for it, I'm glad this collaboration exists. The track opens with Lennon and John laughing, and not only does it sound natural and spontaneous, like the mixer captured a spare take and threw it in to the recording, but it also sets the mood. This is a light and fun song.

I really like the instrument choices. The jazz piano and handclap percussion propel the song forward with a compelling momentum. The guitar fills out the sound and gives the song an intense energy. And of course the saxophone in the lead is spectacular. The saxophone player is long-time session musician Bobby Keys, and even though I'm not sure I can say I know his work, I'm already a fan based on his intense, wild, but clean performance here.

There aren't a lot of lyrics. I guess Lennon liked the phrase "Whatever gets you through the night" and wrote a bit of a stream-of-consciousness song around it. I can't say I really get the meaning, but that's fine.

If there's one drawback to the song it's that it's just a little bit repetitive. It's mitigated by a lot of things, like the variety of performance in both the singing and the saxophone. And the occasional halts work great to break up the song and keep it from feeling like a constant droning train ride to nowhere. But it can get a little droning at times.

My verdict: Like it. I think the flaws are more than made up for by the splendid use of all the talent involved and the careful steps taken to mitigate the repetition.

Song #314: "The Joker" by Steve Miller Band

Date: Jan 12, 1974
Weeks: 1

Search Link

You know those certain songs that come on the radio, and people around you start cheering and freaking out and singing along at the top of their lungs, and you don't really get why people love this song this much? And you know how sometimes the quality of the people who like it don't quite cast the best light on it? This is one of those songs for me. It was Homer Simpson's favorite song in high school. That's not exactly a quality endorsement. That said, it didn't take more than sitting down and giving it my undivided attention to let it win me over and change my mind.

It's the bass line that really sells this song, and the song gives it plenty of opportunity to shine. During verses, that bass is charming and compelling. The chorus lays extra guitars over the bass line and creates a really wonderful guitar harmony. That guitar harmony in the chorus is really what makes this song worthy of being considered a rock classic. The vocals throughout are pretty charming, as well, but again it's the harmony in the chorus that really elevates the song.

On the downside, the little breakdowns after the chorus before the verse comes back seem a little thin and flimsy, which is a real shame after the rich fullness of the chorus. And yeah, I'll say it, I don't care for the little "woo-woo" sound that punctuates the verses at odd times. Yes, they are attention-getting and are arguably the song's signature, and probably directly contributed to the popularity that put it on my list in the first place. But they're silly and weird and distracting. According to Wikipedia, those noises were made with a slide guitar, but I think the fact that that needs to be explained shows just how weird and out of place those noises are. Also, the song just kind of peters out at the end, trailing off in the middle of a verse, rather than in a repetition of the chorus like every other song ever. I wonder what that's about. I tried to find the LP version of the song to see if that answered anything, but I couldn't find it.

The lyrics are a bit of weird nonsense. The song is sung from the point of view of a bit of a directionless loser, who is affirming his commitment to his relationship. "People ... say I'm doing you wrong... But don't you worry, baby... 'cause I'm right here at home." But he's really rambling. Of course, the rambling is probably the most memorable part of the lyrics, with the whole "I'm a joker, I'm a smoker, I'm a midnight toker" thing. Of course, the "toker" line is probably part of the song's popularity, too, since it's basically an overt marijuana reference slipping through in a mainstream song. Overall, I think the lyrics are less about what they mean, and are more about how they sound. The rhyme scheme and the repetition and structure. Those things all work quite well, so the words sound good, even if there's not a lot of meaning.

My verdict: Like it. It's popcorn music. Fun if you just let it wash over you and don't over-analyze it.

Song #323: "Bennie And The Jets" by Elton John

Date: Apr 13, 1974
Weeks: 1

I don't think I've ever heard the original recording of this song before. I had to do a bit of research when picking out the clip above. I generally try to find a version of the song that is as close to the original single recording as possible. That can be tricky sometimes, when music videos change the song, live performances abound, and remixes are plentiful. And that's before I even get to the issue of covers.

I was pretty sure this song had been a hit as a live recording, since I'd never heard it performed any other way. Well, one other way (Muppets!). I came to find out that the original recording was actually a fake-live recording. As in, it was a studio-recorded song, but they mixed it in such a way as to provide the impression of a live recording. While I might be tempted to attack the song for faking a live performance (which I have previously equated to a sitcom using canned laughter), it honestly feels like this song is improved as a live song.

There's not a lot of instrumentation going on here. The piano is at the forefront, and there's a bit of bass and drum providing backup. But the overall sound is kind of thin. It's also a bit repetitive overall, especially during the lingering piano solos, when Elton keeps singing "Bennie" over and over again. But the canned audience makes it feel fun. This is doubtless a centerpiece of an Elton John live show, where a genuine live audience reacts and participates by at least clapping along, if not outright singing counterpoint the same way the Muppets do. Reportedly, Elton John improvises and stylizes the ending and extends this song out to make a great piece of live entertainment, and the audience reactions in the original recording successfully capture that. Part of me wonders why he didn't just perform it live and record it, but whatever, the effect is essentially the same. I do think the sudden addition of a fairly random synthesizer toward the end of the song is entirely unnecessary, though.

As for the lyrics, it's kind of similar to "Crocodile Rock" (#289) in that Elton John is extolling the virtues of fictional music. I've honestly never considered the lyrics before, because Elton John oversings them in such a way that it's hard to make them out. Even the oversinging isn't a problem, though, since it just contributes to that live song energy that this song thrives on. In particular, the song gets really fun when he sings "She's got electric boots, a mohair suit, you know I read it in a magazine." I think between his pronunciation of "magazine" and his clever rhythmic stutter on "B-b-b-b-Bennie," he's created a really special song here. One that thrives as a live performance.

My verdict: Like it. While I like a well-mixed and carefully manufactured pop song as much as anyone, sometimes a great live song, even one that is fake-live, is wonderfully entertaining as well.

Song #317: "The Way We Were" by Barbra Streisand

Date: Feb 2, 1974
Weeks: 3

I suppose it's to this song's credit that I thought it was older than this. Apparently it was originally written for a 1973 movie, The Way We Were, starring Robert Redford and Barbra Streisand. The movie is set in the 1930s, so it's appropriate that this feels like it should have been a song from the 1930s.

Well, that was my impression of it before I heard this recording, anyway, which I believe to be the recording that reached No. 1. While the lyrics and general string and piano music sound like they fit with the 1930s, this recording has carefully had several layers of unpleasant 70s excess piled on top of it. There's a bass guitar providing a 70s funk rhythm and cymbal percussion that just isn't needed. The string section is too big. The song just needs a pleasant little violin, but instead there are layers and layers of powerful strings that just makes the song feel way bigger than it needs to be.

Of course, the strings need to be that powerful to successfully compete with Barbra Streisand. As I complained before, Streisand oversings, and she's certainly doing that here. Again, it's too much power, and robs the song of its genuine emotion.

I like the lyrics. They feel appropriately timeless. "Can it be that it was all so simple then, or has time rewritten every line?" I like the overall awareness that we tend to look back fondly on the past and remember the good things. And I suppose now that I know that it's deliberately trying to be the type of song from the 1930s that people in the 1970s are remembering, the lyrics seem even more appropriate. Good on you, song.

My verdict: Don't like it. The way this song was performed in the movie is a little better, with a more genuine 1930s-style musical arrangement. That doesn't solve the problem of Streisand oversinging it, but it feels more timeless and classic with an arrangement that isn't so stuck in the 1970s.

Song #315: "Show And Tell" by Al Wilson

Date: Jan 19, 1974
Weeks: 1

This is a fine example of the 70s ruining an otherwise decent song. It's over-orchestrated and overproduced.

The first problem is the background singers. They start off with a "do do do do doo" that is just a bit too clearly enunciated to feel the least bit natural. I feel like I'm listening to some singers in a studio singing their assigned lyrics. And it continues throughout the song. They don't feel the least bit organic.

The next problem is the instrumentation. It's full of strings, horns, and every other instrument they can think to pile on. This problem seems typical of songs from the mid-70s. There's just too much going on here. This song would be nicer if it just continued with the same instruments it started with. All it needs is bass, drums, and Al Wilson's fine vocals. Maybe add in the horns or the background singers or the strings, but not all of them. It's too much going on at once.

The lyrics are fine, I guess. It's a fairly straightforward love song that can be summed up in the line "So show me and tell me that you feel the same way too." The lyrics are sexy and not sexist, which elevates them over a lot of songs on this list.

My verdict: Don't like it. This song could be saved with a simpler performance, but apparently overproduction was the norm in the mid 70s.

Song #324: "TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)" by MFSB featuring The Three Degrees

Date: April 20, 1974
Weeks: 2

My first reaction to reading the title "TSOP by MFSB featuring the Three Degrees" was that I was dealing with a rap song from some time around 2008. With that many acronyms and use of the word "featuring", what else could it be? It was a bit of a shock when I realized the song was from 1974.

When I listened to it, even though I'm not a disco fan, I instantly recognized it as a classic of the disco era. Although I've never seen Soul Train, I'm not remotely surprised to discover that this was the theme song for it.

Researching this song also cleared up some confusion for me. I've had this confused with "Love Train" (#291) forever, and I couldn't quite figure out why. Now I realize that it's because of the common "People all over the world" lyric. In "Love Train," it's a significant part of the chorus. In "TSOP," it's almost the entire lyrical content of the song and, I expect, a direct reference to "Love Train." I'm not sure if "TSOP" is intending to mix together multiple songs into one or not as this is the only sound I recognize. Is it a megamix?

Ooh, concept for a new megamix: Train songs. "Soul Train," "Love Train," "Runaway Train" by Soul Asylum, "Midnight Train to Georgia" by Gladys Knight and the Pips (#308), and, let's say "C'mon 'N' Ride It (The Train)" by Quad City DJs. That'll get popular music back on track! (Sorry.)

So there aren't any lyrics to pick on. It all comes down to music.

Disco isn't quite my thing. I knew I'd probably see a lot of it when I started this project, so I promised myself I'd keep an open mind. This song is a pretty good ambassador of the genre. It's catchy. The vocals by the Three Degrees add an important instrument to the song. Strings and saxes are put to good use. There's a great deal of variety throughout the song, yet no part of the song is weak. This is an entertaining composition.

My verdict: Like it. It's putting disco's best foot forward.