WLS Music Survey - November 13, 1976 (Part Two: The Forty-fives)

The flipside of WLS's November 13, 1976, survey turns the clock back five years for a Top Ten from the Past featuring songs from November 15, 1971. 

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There were stereo stores in a couple of malls we visited back in the mid to late-70s. Though it would be a while before Dad upgraded the Panasonic and Pioneer system he brought home from Vietnam via Japan in 1973, he would spend a lot of time in those stores as he did in Radio Shack while I recall just standing outside drooling over something in the window display. Don't remember Playback stores in particular but there is information about them online including memories from former customers and employees. The Project One brand mentioned in the ad below from the back of the WLS survey was one of the store's house brands.

The lyrics portion of the survey dated November 13, 1976, has the contemplation of the afterlife poetry of Blue Öyster Cult and their number 5 hit "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" from the list of Forty-fives. The song's parent album Agents of Fortune was also on the Thirty-threes list at number 9. Fun fact: The song can be heard in the background of a scene in the 1978 film Halloween.

Speaking strictly as a highly biased music fan, the list of WLS Forty-fives from November 13, 1976, is pretty terrific... IF you don't count the chart's book-ending songs at Number One and Number 45, which we need never hear again. Here are just a few of our favorites from the bottom to the top along with LISTEN links to YouTube.

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At number 44, "You Should Be Dancing" is on the list for its seventeenth and final week. The Bee Gees single peaked at number 5 on WLS back around Labor Day and would wind up at number 62 on the year-end Big 89 countdown. The Brothers Gibb are one of two acts with a pair of singles on this week's Forty-fives as their sultry slow jam "Love So Right" is climbing up at number 17 on its way to a peak position at number 14 in just a couple of weeks.

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One of four debuts on the list of Forty-fives this week, Electric Light Orchestra's "Livin' Thing" comes in at number 43, moving higher and higher. The song would peak at number 11 around Christmas 1976. The single's B-side is the rockin' "Ma-Ma-Ma Belle" a failed A-side in the U.S. from 1974.

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The other act with two singles on the Forty-fives chart is England Dan & John Ford Coley. On its way down the chart at number 38 is the duo's former number 3 hit "I'd Really Love To See You Tonight". The single would appear at number 42 on the year's Big 89 and is number 26 on the list of My Favorite Songs from 1976. Both of the singles were written by Parker McGee and they would prove to be his two biggest hits as a songwriter. The other single "Nights Are Forever Without You" was moving up the chart at number 18 on its way to peaking at number 7. The year-end tally would find the song at number 85.

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The second-biggest mover on the Forty-fives this week is "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing" at number 33, up a dozen spots from its debut last week at number 45. I've written more than a few times about how much I love this song and my passion hasn't faded for this song ranked at number 25 on My Favorite Songs of 1976. On WLS's list, "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing" would peak at number 2 just before Christmas earning it the number 24 spot on the Big 89.

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The limits of my voice do not prevent me from singing both the Elton John and Kiki Dee parts of "Don't Go Breakin' My Heart" when it comes on. I placed it at number 6 on my countdown of My Favorite Songs of 1976 but there were a few weeks maybe even a full month back in 1976 when it was this ten-year-old's absolute favorite song. The single was Number One on WLS's Forty-fives for five weeks in August and September but was falling down the list at number 28 this particular week. When the station's year-end single rankings were unveiled, "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" was Number One.

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Listed on the WLS survey as simply "Wham Bam", Silver's 1976 song had peaked at number 8 on the list of Forty-fives and two weeks later the single was at number 16 on the chart dated November 13, 1976. The Big 89 ranked it at number 80 while my placing it at number 90 on my listing of My Favorite Songs of 1976 is more a reflection of the strength of the singles of 1976 rather than any deficiency on the part of "Wham Bam Shang-A-Lang". Really liked it from the first time I heard it and bought the 45 soon after. Had no idea who was in the band or their pedigree until much much later.

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Is this the hardest Sir Cliff Richard has ever rocked in his long career? "Devil Woman" sits at number 11 on the WLS chart after peaking at number 2 a month earlier. The single would wind up at number 19 on the Big 89 and number 28 on our personal list of favorite songs from 1976.