Chart Flashback: Hot 100 for Week Ending July 8, 1978 [HERC's Mix]

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Here at the Hideaway, HERC maintains a decent-sized research library in addition to the Audio Archives.  Two long shelves are taken up by the Uncle John's Bathroom Reader series as Mrs. HERC will not let him build bookshelves in the bathroom.  Another shelf in the library is filled with Joel Whitburn's Record Research books which HERC has been accumulating for over 30 years now.

In keeping with our theme of 1978 this week, HERC pulled up the Hot 100 for this week in 1978 and is proud to present 86% of the 100 charted songs in a Spotify playlist below.  But first, how about some videos?

Bringing up the bottom of the chart 34 years ago this week is George Benson's cover of "On Broadway" which had peaked in the Top 10.  It won him his second Grammy and set the stage for two more Top 10 singles in the Eighties: ""Give Me The Night" and "Turn Your Love Around", another Grammy winner.

Among the week's New Entries is this disco gem by Alicia Bridges.  Though not initially written in the rhythm heavy disco style, "I Love The Night Life (Disco Round)" proved to be a smash hit peaking later on at #5.  Although there was an official disco mix by Jim Burgess, HERC prefers Glenn Rivera's Re-Structure which can be found HERE.

In its second week on the charts, "You and I" by Rick James jumped 10 spots higher on its way to a Top 20 peak.  HERC played this song to death on his K-Tel Starburst album.  (To watch the full-length version spin round and round click HERE.)

(Yes, the video skips the song's beginning.  It was the best looking and sounding version.)

Another New Entry on the chart that week was Olivia Newton-John's "Hopelessly Devoted To You" from the Grease soundtrack.  Written expressly for her by her manager John Farrar, Olivia took this song all the way to #3.

Nick Gilder's "Hot Child In The City" had been on the charts just over a month and would soon find itself at #1.  If you haven't noticed by now, HERC likes videos from The Midnight Special.

In a rare clip without his glasses, Jeff Lynne and the rest of Electric Light Orchestra welcome "Mr. Blue Sky".  The song would barely reach the Top 40 but has since been featured in movies, television shows, commercials and at least one awesome a capella performance:

One of the great late-night mellow-out jams here at the Hideaway is Jackson Browne's "Stay"/"Load Out" (sic) from his classic Running On Empty album.  Unfortunately, it is damn near impossible to get the songs to play in the desired sequence via Spotify.  Unless...

HERC's favorite song for a brief moment back in the late Summer of 1978 was Steve Martin's "King Tut".  The Toot Uncommons backing band (their name a clever phonics take on the King's full name Tutankhamun) listed on the record label is actually The Dirt Band who were previously known as The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.  HERC thanks his parents for taking him to see the King Tut exhibit in Chicago a long, long time ago.

It would peak inside the Top 15 a few weeks later but back on this week in 1978, Joe Walsh's "Life's Been Good" sat just inside the Top 25.  His back-up band in this video, performed a decade later, is HOT!  The full-length album version of this song rocks for eight full minutes so do check it out.

A capella was alive and well in 1978 for young HERC.  He hunted down the 45 RPM single of this song as if his life depended on it because back then he thought it did.  It was in its first of two weeks at its peak of #3.  This video features a rare appearance by the whole band albeit in lip-synched performance.

We started at the bottom and now we've reached the top of the charts.  In its fourth week (of seven) at #1, Andy Gibb's "Shadow Dancing" was THE monster song of the summer of 1978 and finished runner-up to his brothers' "Night Fever" for top song of 1978. 

Here's the Flashback Playlist for July 8, 1978.  Enjoy!