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#1 Songs on Hot 100 that should have been

Of all the songs that charted, which others should have been #1, but were not.

Waiting For A Girl Like You - Foreigner
More Than A Woman - Bee Gees (if released as a single)
Valley of the Dolls - Dionne Warwick
 
It's possible that if the BeeGees had released "More Than a Woman" as a single, it would indeed have been a hit (and probably #1 at that, if it didn't run into competition from the other BeeGees hits out there at the time), but it would also have contributed to the anti-BeeGees backlash of the '80s happening even faster than it did, due to the inevitable BeeGees overkill.

As for Creedence, I believe "Proud Mary" was their biggest hit, but I believe that "Bad Moon Rising" probably stood the best chance of hitting #1. It was held out of #1 by the "Love Theme from Romeo and Juliet"! Can you believe that? Talk about being gypped! (Of course, "Love Theme" might qualify for that "never should have been #1 thread!)
 
firepoint525 said:
It's possible that if the BeeGees had released "More Than a Woman" as a single, it would indeed have been a hit (and probably #1 at that, if it didn't run into competition from the other BeeGees hits out there at the time), but it would also have contributed to the anti-BeeGees backlash of the '80s happening even faster than it did, due to the inevitable BeeGees overkill.

As for Creedence, I believe "Proud Mary" was their biggest hit, but I believe that "Bad Moon Rising" probably stood the best chance of hitting #1. It was held out of #1 by the "Love Theme from Romeo and Juliet"! Can you believe that? Talk about being gypped! (Of course, "Love Theme" might qualify for that "never should have been #1 thread!)

Sat nite fever almost, but not quite, duplicated the feat by the Beatles on 4/04/1964. One week the Bee Gees had four of the top songs in the country either as artists or writers featuring the Bee Gees , brother Andy Gibb and Evonne Elliman. And The number 1 LP Sat Nite Fever..... close but no cigar.....
 
hornet61 said:
firepoint525 said:
It's possible that if the BeeGees had released "More Than a Woman" as a single, it would indeed have been a hit (and probably #1 at that, if it didn't run into competition from the other BeeGees hits out there at the time), but it would also have contributed to the anti-BeeGees backlash of the '80s happening even faster than it did, due to the inevitable BeeGees overkill.
Sat nite fever almost, but not quite, duplicated the feat by the Beatles on 4/04/1964. One week the Bee Gees had four of the top songs in the country either as artists or writers featuring the Bee Gees , brother Andy Gibb and Evonne Elliman. And The number 1 LP Sat Nite Fever..... close but no cigar.....
Wasn't Samantha Sang also in the top 10 about that time? They had five songs in the top 10 at about that time, but just not the top five all at once. And their combined dominance of the number one spot (at least as songwriters) lasted just one week longer than that of the fab four during the initial wave of Beatlemania!
 
I've heard stations do feature weekends of #2 songs and the crap songs that stopped them from being #1 (like the Romeo and Juliet example)
 
firepoint525 said:
hornet61 said:
firepoint525 said:
It's possible that if the BeeGees had released "More Than a Woman" as a single, it would indeed have been a hit (and probably #1 at that, if it didn't run into competition from the other BeeGees hits out there at the time), but it would also have contributed to the anti-BeeGees backlash of the '80s happening even faster than it did, due to the inevitable BeeGees overkill.
Sat nite fever almost, but not quite, duplicated the feat by the Beatles on 4/04/1964. One week the Bee Gees had four of the top songs in the country either as artists or writers featuring the Bee Gees , brother Andy Gibb and Evonne Elliman. And The number 1 LP Sat Nite Fever..... close but no cigar.....
Wasn't Samantha Sang also in the top 10 about that time? They had five songs in the top 10 at about that time, but just not the top five all at once. And their combined dominance of the number one spot (at least as songwriters) lasted just one week longer than that of the fab four during the initial wave of Beatlemania!


Roger that..I missed Samantha Sang, good catch.
 
gr8oldies said:
I've heard stations do feature weekends of #2 songs and the crap songs that stopped them from being #1 (like the Romeo and Juliet example)

And we all know what Olivia did to Foreigner in late 1981...Talk about agony!! Well at least Foreigner got some revenge in '85.
 
oldies76 said:
gr8oldies said:
I've heard stations do feature weekends of #2 songs and the crap songs that stopped them from being #1 (like the Romeo and Juliet example)

And we all know what Olivia did to Foreigner in late 1981...Talk about agony!! Well at least Foreigner got some revenge in '85.


agony is John Lennon stalling at #2 with Woman ....he would have been the only artist with twp posthumous #1's.
 
"Louie Louie" by The Kingsmen likely would have hit #1 if it hadn't been banned by some stations for (allegedly) obscene lyrics (It really was, "I smell magnolias in her hair", and not that other line.)
 
hornet61 said:
Agony is John Lennon stalling at #2 with Woman ....he would have been the only artist with twp posthumous #1's.

Yeah, Woman is a great song that should have been #1. I guess Reo and Blondie had other plans.
Also Rolling Stones "Start Me Up" or Styx "Best of Times" should have peaked at 1.

The problem with 1981, three songs occupied #1 for 27 weeks total, about half the year, essentially blocking other songs. Physical (81-82), Bette Davis Eyes & Endless Love.

In '82 you had: I Love Rock & Roll, Ebony & Ivory, Eye of the Tiger & Centerfold, taking up 26 more weeks, half the year, blocking even more chart movement.
 
Or we can go back to 1974-75 and have 70 #1 songs in two years. Way too many!!
 
oldies76 said:
Or we can go back to 1974-75 and have 70 #1 songs in two years. Way too many!!

worse yet mid 2000 I think only 7 #1's for the whole year.
 
hornet61 said:
oldies76 said:
gr8oldies said:
I've heard stations do feature weekends of #2 songs and the crap songs that stopped them from being #1 (like the Romeo and Juliet example)
And we all know what Olivia did to Foreigner in late 1981...Talk about agony!! Well at least Foreigner got some revenge in '85.
agony is John Lennon stalling at #2 with Woman ....he would have been the only artist with twp posthumous #1's.
Double-check this for me: did "Woman" hit #1 on one of those "lesser" charts like Radio & Records and/or Cashbox? Whatever was published at that time.

I know that Springsteen had a #1 with "Dancing in the Dark" in '84 on Radio & Records, but it was #2 for four weeks on Billboard.
 
gr8oldies said:
I've heard stations do feature weekends of #2 songs and the crap songs that stopped them from being #1 (like the Romeo and Juliet example)
Corky Marlowe said:
"Louie Louie" by The Kingsmen likely would have hit #1 if it hadn't been banned by some stations for (allegedly) obscene lyrics (It really was, "I smell magnolias in her hair", and not that other line.)
I have some lyric sheets that have it as "smell the rose in her hair."

At any rate, it was held out of #1 by "Dominique" by the Singing Nun! I can't recall anyone ever playing that one, except on countdowns of #1 songs! Talk about getting ripped off and cheated out of #1!
 
oldies76 said:
Or we can go back to 1974-75 and have 70 #1 songs in two years. Way too many!!

Only someone who worked in radio could kvetch that there were too many really good songs recorded.
 
gr8oldies said:
#1 does not neccesarily equal "really good song". See Dominique

I realize that. #1 only means "More popular than all the other crap on the list this week". Still, in the overall scheme of things, chances are that most #1 songs are better than most songs that don't make it to #1. There will always be exceptions. But one exception doesn't negate the fact that a large number of #1 songs in a year is more likely to mean that there were more good songs than it is to mean something else.

The mid-70's were a great time for good music. There were multiple genres out there, and many really good artists in all of them. Kvetching about having too much good music to chose from is something only a radio programmer would do. A music fan would regard a richness of good music as a blessing, not something to complain about.
 
Good and great are in the ear of the beholder. "Dominque" is a simple, sweet little song that I enjoy very much. It as a piece of music and a recording, that along with how it became a hit, is unique. In fact I've got the whole original LP which is quite lavish in its packaging and there are a number of memorable little tunes on it. Sweet and peaceful would be a good general description of her output. She actually was a good songwriter. Some people will be put off by the language barrier as she doesn't sing in English, but there are/were budget LPs out that were done in English and the songs stand up well in the translation. (By the way, I know about her change to politically radical views in the late 1960s and her sad death).
 
firepoint525 said:
Double-check this for me: did "Woman" hit #1 on one of those "lesser" charts like Radio & Records and/or Cashbox? Whatever was published at that time.

I know that Springsteen had a #1 with "Dancing in the Dark" in '84 on Radio & Records, but it was #2 for four weeks on Billboard.

Not sure about R/R charts, but I remember hearing "Woman" played on KRTH back in the 80's on their #1 hits weekend over Labor Day and I believe they were using LA radio charts for that special...KHJ or KRTH listings, so I'm sure it was #1 in L.A.
 
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