HERC is going to celebrate the Summer of 2014 for 100 days. From Today through September 1st, he will be posting every.single.day. so check and check often during each day as some days will feature bonus posts. Like today. HERC is proud to present a look back at the hot singles of Summer 1974, the first year of his Favorite Decade In Music.
HERC was living on Carswell AFB in Fort Worth, Texas, in 1974. It was the year that he witnessed Evel Knievel jump eleven Mack trucks (below) live rather than on ABC's Wide World Of Sports. 1974 was also the year that HERC's earliest musical memories were formed: it was the year he bought his first 45 ("The Streak" by Ray Stevens - it's in the list below) and the first time he remembers hearing the voice of "Shaggy" counting down the American Top 40.
In the Summer of 1975, HERC SR moved the family to Chanute AFB in Rantoul, IL for the third time in seven years. Though HERC cannot recall what Top 40 radio station he listened to in Fort Worth (must have been KXOL - ed.), he knows without a doubt that from 1975 until 1980, when the family moved to the Sonoran Desert, his station of choice was the Mighty WLS out of Chicago, some 120 miles away. (He did listen to WLRW out of Champaign-Urbana for his American Top 40 fix on the weekends, though.)
Here's the complete rundown* of the 51 biggest hits WLS played forty years ago during the Summer of 1974, most of which were the same hits HERC was listening to nearly 900 miles away in Fort Worth that Summer.
In the Summer of 1975, HERC SR moved the family to Chanute AFB in Rantoul, IL for the third time in seven years. Though HERC cannot recall what Top 40 radio station he listened to in Fort Worth (must have been KXOL - ed.), he knows without a doubt that from 1975 until 1980, when the family moved to the Sonoran Desert, his station of choice was the Mighty WLS out of Chicago, some 120 miles away. (He did listen to WLRW out of Champaign-Urbana for his American Top 40 fix on the weekends, though.)
Here's the complete rundown* of the 51 biggest hits WLS played forty years ago during the Summer of 1974, most of which were the same hits HERC was listening to nearly 900 miles away in Fort Worth that Summer.
click on any song title to listen
| <<peak positions>> | |||
| WLS | Billboard | Cashbox | |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | (You're) Having My Baby - Paul Anka |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | Band On The Run - Paul McCartney & Wings |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | Bennie And The Jets - Elton John |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | Billy Don't Be A Hero - Bo Donaldson & The Heywoods |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | Rock Me Gently - Andy Kim |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | Rock The Boat - Hues Corporation |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | Rock Your Baby - George McCrae |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | Sundown - Gordon Lightfoot |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | The Loco-Motion - Grand Funk |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | The Night Chicago Died - Paper Lace |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | The Streak - Ray Stevens |
| 2 | 1 | 1 | I Shot The Sheriff - Eric Clapton |
| 2 | 3 | 1 | Tell Me Something Good - Rufus |
| 2 | 5 | 5 | Come And Get Your Love - Redbone |
| 2 | 6 | 7 | The Air That I Breathe - The Hollies |
| 2 | 12 | 6 | Takin' Care Of Business - Bachman-Turner Overdrive |
| 2 | 1 | 1 | Annie's Song - John Denver |
| 3 | 3 | 1 | The Entertainer (Music From The Sting) - Marvin Hamlisch |
| 3 | 4 | 3 | Rikki Don't Lose That Number - Steely Dan |
| 3 | 6 | 10 | Waterloo - ABBA |
| 3 | 39 | 30 | Star Baby - Guess Who |
| 4 | 1 | 1 | Feel Like Makin' Love - Roberta Flack |
| 4 | 2 | 1 | Dancing Machine - Jackson 5 |
| 4 | 2 | 1 | Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me - Elton John |
| 4 | 41 | 24 | La Grange - ZZ Top |
| 4 | 13 | 10 | Radar Love - Golden Earring |
| 5 | 1 | 1 | T.S.O.P. (The Sound Of Philadelphia) - MFSB & The Three Degrees |
| 5 | 4 | 7 | I'm Leaving It Up To You - Donny & Marie Osmond |
| 5 | 7 | 6 | Tubular Bells (Theme From The Exorcist) - Mike Oldfield |
| 5 | 8 | 8 | You Won't See Me - Anne Murray |
| 5 | 15 | 13 | Who Do You Think You Are - Bo Donaldson & the Heywoods |
| 6 | 1 | 1 | Then Came You - Dionne Warwicke & the Spinners |
| 6 | 4 | 1 | The Show Must Go On - Three Dog Night |
| 6 | 7 | 8 | Help Me - Joni Mitchell |
| 6 | 9 | 7 | For The Love Of Money - The O'Jays |
| 6 | 14 | 12 | Wild Thing - Fancy |
| 7 | 1 | 1 | Can't Get Enough Of Your Love Babe - Barry White |
| 7 | 5 | 6 | If You Love Me (Let Me Know) - Olivia Newton-John |
| 7 | 6 | 4 | Midnight At The Oasis - Maria Muldaur |
| 8 | 3 | 3 | Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me - Gladys Knight & Pips |
| 8 | 12 | 10 | My Girl Bill - Jim Stafford |
| 10 | 3 | 4 | Rock And Roll Heaven - The Righteous Brothers |
| 10 | 27 | 18 | Train Of Thought - Cher |
| 11 | 16 | 10 | Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing - Stevie Wonder |
| 11 | 48 | 26 | I'm The Leader Of The Gang - Brownsville Station |
| 12 | 2 | 1 | You Make Me Feel Brand New - Stylistics |
| 12 | 8 | 8 | Hang On In There Baby - Johnny Bristol |
| 12 | 9 | 7 | (I've Been) Searchin' So Long - Chicago |
| 13 | 5 | 9 | On And On - Gladys Knight & the Pips |
| 15 | 10 | 16 | Keep On Smilin' - Wet Willie |
| 15 | 11 | 9 | I Won't Last A Day Without You - Carpenters |
* for the purposes of this rundown, all songs that placed in WLS's Weekly Top 15 surveys were included, from the survey dated May 25, 1974 through the survey dated September 7, 1974. Peak positions may have occurred before, during or after dates above.
Big, big thank you to the soft rock kid for designing the official logo for Herc's Summer In Stereo seen at the top of this page.
Big, big thank you to the soft rock kid for designing the official logo for Herc's Summer In Stereo seen at the top of this page.
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