Welcome back to the 1974 Hideaway 100, a countdown of our favorite songs from 1974. We're 70% of the way through our own little countdown so let's run through another ten songs today, okay?
As a naive eight-year-old in 1974, I really enjoyed "Season In The Sun" on the radio and it was one of the first dozen singles I purchased, a foundation of my collection. Now I hear the lyrics about dying and saying goodbye much louder and much clearer. "Seasons In The Sun" spent fifteen weeks in the Top 40 including three weeks at Number One in March 1974. The song was Number One on the charts in nearly twenty countries worldwide. Listen to "Seasons In The Sun" HERE.
"Everlasting Love" is more than just a silly love song; it's a testament to the enduring power of commitment. Four versions of the song have been Top 40 hits and when Carl Carlton's version hit the airwaves in 1974, it set Dad off in pursuit of Robert Knight's original 1967 version. It took a weekend or two but he found what he was looking for with this record, which I inherited. Similarly, in 1989 when I picked up the twelve-inch single of U2's "All I Want Is You" which had their take on "Everlasting Love", I embarked on a hunt for Carl Carlton's 1974 version of the song as I had pleasant memories of it and was surprised to find it wasn't in my collection on a K-Tel album. It took two years but the song finally arrived in the mailbox, a surprise find on a Time-Life compilation Sounds of the Seventies 1974: Take Two. Carlton's version of "Everlasting Love" is my favorite version though I love the production on The Love Affair's 1968 UK Number One hit take on the song. Carl Carlton spent fifteen weeks on the Hot 100 with "Everlasting Love" spending two weeks around Thanksgiving 1974 at its peak of number 6. Listen to the song HERE and enjoy DJDiscoCat's Disco Purrfection Version THERE.
"Come and Get Your Love" is more than just a groovy song; it's an invitation to embrace life's simple pleasures. With its infectious rhythm, captivating vocals, and tight musicianship, the song is a timeless classic that'll leave you feeling good long after the last note fades. It's not common knowledge the guys are singing "Hail!" not "Hey!" or that the single was originally released in the UK under the title "Hail" in the spring of 1973 before being re-released as "Come And Get Your Love" later that summer. The single first hit the Hot 100 in January 1974, peaking at number 5 for a couple weeks in April before dropping off the chart in June 1974 after twenty-three weeks. Watch the cool official video for "Come And Get Your Love" Redbone's live performance of "Come And Get Your Love" on The Midnight Special is on the show's YouTube channel.
"Radar Love" is a song about driving, has a driving beat, and is fun to listen to while driving. Maximum mega-meta. Often appearing on CD compilations with titles containing the words Road, Highway, or Drive, "Radar Love" isn't hard to find. We've included the song on dozens of our own mixtapes, mix CDs, and playlists. "Radar Love" debuted on the Hot 100 in May 1974 and peaked outside the Top 10 at the end of July, spending twenty weeks on the chart before falling off in September 1974. Listen to the 5:01 45rpm edit HERE. Or, if you're pressed for time, listen to the 3:56 radio edit HERE. Or enjoy the full-length album version HERE.
Featuring several musicians from the Philadelphia studio collective MFSB, "Be Thankful For What You Got" is the perfect soundtrack to a warm sunny day. The song IS what a warm sunny day sounds like. The soulful groove, infectious hooks, and laidback vocals blend into an understated plea for gratitude that works without being unbearably preachy or sickeningly sentimental. The song plays nicely with Bill Withers' 1977 track "Lovely Day" and Smokey Robinson's "Cruisin'" as a triple shot of sunshine soul for your mental health. "Be Thankful For What You Get" spent the entire summer on the Hot 100, peaking at number 4 In June 1974 before dropping off after an eighteen-week cruise up then down the chart at the end of August. Listen to the 45rpm edit of "Be Thankful For What You Got" or enjoy the seven-minute plus album version HERE. Need a little more? Check out DJDiscoCat's Disco Purrfection version.
I never realized how divisive this song could be until we launched The Drive in 2019 with it on our inaugural playlist and several listeners let it be known that if we were going to play "Hooked On A Feeling", we should only be playing the original by B.J. Thomas from 1969 and not "the Swedish abomination". While I enjoy both versions, the Ooga Chaka and pure pop euphoria of the Swedish import win in a head-to-head showdown between the two singles. Dad owned the 45 in 1974 and I used to sneak it on the turntable until I got my own copy of the song on K-Tel's Super Star Collection in late 1976 or early 1977. (It was either a gift or I bought it with cash I received from my grandparents.) "Hooked On A Feeling" spent fourteen weeks in the Top 40 beginning in February 1974. In April, it peaked at Number One. Listen to "Hooked On A Feeling" HERE.
A hauntingly beautiful ballad with a dark and dramatic narrative, "Dark Lady" was Cher's third chart-topper in 28 months. Cher inhabited a character within the lyrics of those songs, usually a woman who was scorned or ostracized. After inhabiting the title character in both "Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves" and "Half-Breed", Cher was the narrating protagonist in "Dark Lady". The song's antagonist was the titular character, a mysterious fortune teller. Line by line, the story unfolds as the tension builds until the payoff and final fading chorus. We don't know about you but we always sing along to "Dark Lady" when it comes on, even performing on the beat handclaps during the chorus. "Dark Lady" spent eighteen weeks on the Hot 100, peaking at Number One in March 1974. Listen to "Dark Lady" HERE or watch the original animated music video from 1974 HERE.
"Kung Fu Fighting" is a big favorite of mine from 1974. My fondest memory of the song is ducking down while Uncle Sam kicked his leg straight out in my direction, over my head. Our own choreography. "Kung Fu Fighting" spent eighteen weeks on the Hot 100 from October 1974 to February 1975. The single peaked at Number One for two weeks in December 1974. Listen to "Kung Fu Fighting". Or stretch out to DJDiscoCat's Disco Purrfection mix of "Kung Fu Fighting" HERE.
Boogity-boogity! There was a brief moment in the spring of 1974 when "The Streak" was the hottest song in the land. That's when I bought it - my first 45. Then the moment passed and it became a fixture on all the worst record of all-time lists. I still enjoy it for sentimental reasons like when it came on the mix de casa yesterday and my wife asked "What is this?" with an emphasis on each word usually reserved for when I do something that exasperates her. "The Streak" spent seventeen weeks on the Hot 100 including three weeks at Number One in May/June 1974. Listen to the song HERE.
I had no memory of ever hearing "Star Baby" until a few years ago when I was listening to the Vocalion SACD that features the Guess Who albums Road Food (1974) and #10 (1973). I dropped the disc in and the song began to play. When it finished, I clicked back to hear the song again. And again and then a few more times before making my way through the other 17 songs on the disc. According to the station's surveys at ARSA, "Star Baby" was very popular on WLS so it's weird I didn't recall it at all. (Maybe my personal timeline is askew.) The single wasn't a national smash. Casey featured it on just one episode of American Top 40 where it came in at number 39. The single spent eighteen weeks on the Hot 100 from February to June 1974. Do yourself a favor and listen to "Star Baby" HERE or watch Burton and the boys perform the song live on The Midnight Special from December 1974.
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We are now 80% through the countdown. Coming up next time, we'll break into the Top 20. (Finally!)
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