6/10/14

Summer In Stereo #82

As with most great songs, "My Love" sounds effortless and timeless like it had always existed and Sir Paul just snagged it out of the ether and put his voice on it.  His simple declaration of love for his wife Linda - HERC read somewhere that the couple never ever spent a night apart from one another - touched a lot of hearts, as the song topped both the Hot 100 and Easy Listening charts and even dragged the lackluster album Red Rose Speedway to the top of the charts when it was released a few weeks after the single.  (Join HERC as he sings the wordless chorus "Wo-Wo-Wo-Wo/Wo-Wo-Wo-Wo".)  It's interesting to note that on the June 30, 1973 Hot 100 chart "My Love" was finally dethroned after a four week reign at #1 by McCartney's former band mate, George Harrison and his song "Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)".  And sitting at #3?  Fifth Beatle Billy Preston and his hit "Will It Go Round In Circles" which would pounce on the top spot the following week. Ringo and John were nowhere to be found on that week's chart but McCartney was on deck and Chart Bound with "Live & Let Die".




The May 17, 1975 Hot 100 chart saw a dozen singles debut, all of them below the #81 slot.  Several went on to become HERC favorites that Summer and for many Summers after:
But it was the song checking in at #84 that caught HERC's ear early on.  The dreamy, lush musical landscape of 10cc's "I'm Not In Love" was all around surround sound before there was such a thing.  The lead vocals, the disembodied backing vocals, it all came floating in on a cloud.  The song would be held off from topping the Hot 100 for three consecutive weeks by three different Number One songs:
And although it seems custom-built from top to bottom to rule the Easy Listening chart, it only made it to #10. Seriously.  Years later, Art Of Noise would swipe a lot of this song's elements for their own "Moments In Love" but the original, with it's singer in complete denial lyrics, still sounds great today, even on the most expensive and most expansive immersive sound systems.  (The song sounds so good, it might even make dem damn Beats sound good.  Doubt it.)




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