#1 Songs on Hot 100 that should not be number one.

[oldies76]

Ok, the other way! Which songs that were #1, should not have been there:

Batdance - Prince
Da Doo Ron Ron - Shaun Cassidy

 

[johnbasalla]

"Disco Duck" by Rick Dees and His Cast of Idiots. Should have been a modest hit at best, like most novelty hits.

 

[cd637299]

Does "Batdance" even have a melody? Sounds like a bunch of noises (see "Flashlight" by Parliament).

cd

 

[firepoint525]

Whether or not a given song reaches number one is usually determined by what else is on the charts at the time, particularly for a song that only spent a single week at #1. Thus, it is all about timing. Had the song been released a week or two earlier, (or later) it might have been held out of #1 by something else.

With that in mind, my vote goes to "Mr. Custer" by Larry Verne. I wasn't familiar with it, so I had to search for it on youtube just to hear it. ;D

 

[oldies76]

Does "Batdance" even have a melody? Sounds like a bunch of noises (see "Flashlight" by Parliament).

Yeah...it's just noise and screaming girls at the end.

 

[Corky Marlowe]

I'm not sure an entire platoon of "You Light Up My Life"s with air support from Milli Vanilli could knock off "Batdance" in this particular game. Prince had some pretty amazing stuff, but "Batdance"...No.

 

[OldNumber7]

I never understood how Marvin Gaye's "Got to Give It Up" got to number one, or even close. When I hear that record today, I think "midcharter." My ears are pretty good at picking out number one candidates, and I can also understand after the fact why some records made it that I didn't see coming. This one, though, has had me puzzled for 34 years.

 

[hornet61]

I never understood how Marvin Gaye's "Got to Give It Up" got to number one, or even close. When I hear that record today, I think "midcharter." My ears are pretty good at picking out number one candidates, and I can also understand after the fact why some records made it that I didn't see coming. This one, though, has had me puzzled for 34 years.

On It's crossover strength..It also was a monster on the Soul Charts at 5 weeks #1...but only one week @ #1 on the POP charts.....

Speaking of Marvin Gaye they are supposed to be fiilming his Biopic starring the Actor from Law and Order who could be a dead ringer for Marvin Gaye once he loses about 30 pounds....and he can sing and dance as one of the stars of the successful "Rent"...

 

[Prais]

Firepoint said, "Whether or not a given song reaches number one is usually determined by what else is on the charts at the time, "

That - AND whatever the payola rate at Billboard was/is.

Mr Custer was a big hit, like The Streak by Ray Stevens and Purple People Eater by Sheb Wooley (which I believe holds the "record" for the fastest selling single or some such niche.

 

[vinyltapecd]

I'm gonna have to say "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" by Jim Croce. His song "Operator", which is a genius of a song IMHO, only got to #17. And he had many other exponentially better songs like "I Got a Name" and "I'll Have to Say I Love You in a Song", which barely made the top 10. Not fair!!!

I am a 28 year old male BTW.

 

[Markieo]

Let's see..."You Light Up My Life", "The Candy Man", "The Night Chicago Died", "Lovin' You", "My Ding-A-Ling", "The Streak", "Billy, Don't Be A Hero", "Kung Fu Fighting", "I Am Woman", "Brand New Key", "One Bad Apple", "Ben", "When I Need You", "Having My Baby", many disco records...and that's just the '70's!

 

[oldies76]

Let's see..."You Light Up My Life", "The Candy Man", "The Night Chicago Died", "Lovin' You", "My Ding-A-Ling", "The Streak", "Billy, Don't Be A Hero", "Kung Fu Fighting", "I Am Woman", "Brand New Key", "One Bad Apple", "Ben", "When I Need You", "Having My Baby", many disco records...and that's just the '70's!

My Ding A Ling, Billy Don't Be A Hero, The Streak, In the Year 2525, No More Tears (Enough is Enough), Winchester Cathedral, Da Doo Ron Ron (Shaun Cassidy) and many songs in the late 80's too, just to name a few.

 

[firepoint525]

Let's see..."You Light Up My Life", "The Candy Man", "The Night Chicago Died", "Lovin' You", "My Ding-A-Ling", "The Streak", "Billy, Don't Be A Hero", "Kung Fu Fighting", "I Am Woman", "Brand New Key", "One Bad Apple", "Ben", "When I Need You", "Having My Baby", many disco records...and that's just the '70's!

My Ding A Ling, Billy Don't Be A Hero, The Streak, In the Year 2525, No More Tears (Enough is Enough), Winchester Cathedral, Da Doo Ron Ron (Shaun Cassidy) and many songs in the late 80's too, just to name a few.

I agree with nearly all the choices listed here in the last couple of replies here, except for "2525"! I still like that one! ;D Of course, I should point out that I was five years old when it was a hit, so I don't remember it when it actually was a hit.

And for those of you who don't like "You Light Up My Life" you really wouldn't like the cover version by the "karaoke queen" herself, LeAnn Rimes. I think she just put it out there for all her (then) teenaged fans who weren't born yet when the Debby Boone version was a hit, and thus weren't already sick of the song. :

 

[Talk_Dude]

And for those of you who don't like "You Light Up My Life" you really wouldn't like the cover version by the "karaoke queen" herself, LeAnn Rimes. I think she just put it out there for all her (then) teenaged fans who weren't born yet when the Debby Boone version was a hit, and thus weren't already sick of the song. :

Actually, the original "You Light Up My Life" by Kasey Cisyk was (I thought) much better than the cover by Pat Boone's daughter.

 

[firepoint525]

And for those of you who don't like "You Light Up My Life" you really wouldn't like the cover version by the "karaoke queen" herself, LeAnn Rimes. I think she just put it out there for all her (then) teenaged fans who weren't born yet when the Debby Boone version was a hit, and thus weren't already sick of the song. :

Actually, the original "You Light Up My Life" by Kasey Cisyk was (I thought) much better than the cover by Pat Boone's daughter.

Interesting point about that: If Grease had come out before You Light Up My Life, everyone would have known that Didi Conn was lip-synching that one. One listen to her sing the line "was it love at first sight" in "Summer Nights" and you would know that she was incapable of singing "You Light Up My Life" using the "voice" that she did! ;D

 

[oldies76]

I agree with nearly all the choices listed here in the last couple of replies here, except for "2525"! I still like that one! ;D Of course, I should point out that I was five years old when it was a hit, so I don't remember it when it actually was a hit.

And for those of you who don't like "You Light Up My Life" you really wouldn't like the cover version by the "karaoke queen" herself, LeAnn Rimes. I think she just put it out there for all her (then) teenaged fans who weren't born yet when the Debby Boone version was a hit, and thus weren't already sick of the song. :

In the Year 2525 is a good song, just not #1 material, compared to other songs that were trying to score #1....How about Three Dog Night's "Easy to be Hard"?

Boone's "You Light up My Life" is a masterpiece, at 10 weeks at #1. More stations should play it, even if it sounds dated. The amazing thing about 1977, is that through August, 25 songs made #1, but yet only 3 scored #1 after "Best of My Love", thanks to Debby, Meco and the Bee Gees.

 

[Talk_Dude]

I agree with nearly all the choices listed here in the last couple of replies here, except for "2525"! I still like that one! ;D Of course, I should point out that I was five years old when it was a hit, so I don't remember it when it actually was a hit.

And for those of you who don't like "You Light Up My Life" you really wouldn't like the cover version by the "karaoke queen" herself, LeAnn Rimes. I think she just put it out there for all her (then) teenaged fans who weren't born yet when the Debby Boone version was a hit, and thus weren't already sick of the song. :

In the Year 2525 is a good song, just not #1 material, compared to other songs that were trying to score #1....How about Three Dog Night's "Easy to be Hard"?

Boone's "You Light up My Life" is a masterpiece, at 10 weeks at #1. More stations should play it, even if it sounds dated. The amazing thing about 1977, is that through August, 25 songs made #1, but yet only 3 scored #1 after "Best of My Love", thanks to Debby, Meco and the Bee Gees.

Easy to be Hard was an OK cover song. I've heard several versions that predated Three Dog Night's version that sounded better but didn't have as strong a marketing push from the record label. As for Debbie Boone's version of "You Light up My Life", you are correct that it is a masterpiece. It's masterpiece example of the art of corporate music marketing. It was sold like a box of soap and the public bought it. It wasn't as good as the original, but Debbie Boone looked cuter on the cover than Kasey Cisyk would have, and she was Pat's daughter.

Why is it that when I hear people extolling the virtues of crappy songs that made it to #1, I'm usually reminded of Vince McMahon deciding which of the entertainers in the WWE will be picked to win the title belt.

 

[firepoint525]

I agree with nearly all the choices listed here in the last couple of replies here, except for "2525"! I still like that one! ;D Of course, I should point out that I was five years old when it was a hit, so I don't remember it when it actually was a hit.
And for those of you who don't like "You Light Up My Life" you really wouldn't like the cover version by the "karaoke queen" herself, LeAnn Rimes. I think she just put it out there for all her (then) teenaged fans who weren't born yet when the Debby Boone version was a hit, and thus weren't already sick of the song. :

In the Year 2525 is a good song, just not #1 material, compared to other songs that were trying to score #1....How about Three Dog Night's "Easy to be Hard"?

I like "Easy to be Hard," too, and it's important to note that it has stood the test of time, and still occasionally gets airplay on format-appropriate stations. Aside from that, Three Dog Night would go on to have a number of #1 hits in the '70s, so I can't really complain about them missing that mark a time or two.

Boone's "You Light up My Life" is a masterpiece, at 10 weeks at #1. More stations should play it, even if it sounds dated. The amazing thing about 1977, is that through August, 25 songs made #1, but yet only 3 scored #1 after "Best of My Love", thanks to Debby, Meco and the Bee Gees.

"You Light Up My Life" suffered (and still suffers) from too much airplay back in the day. People (including me) just got tired of it, and never welcomed it back into our lives. (Even the anti-BeeGees backlash eventually ended, but the blacklisting of "You Light Up My Life" remains.) I liked "You Light Up My Life," too, but not enough to see it stay at #1 for over two months!

 

[deltas69]

"Easy to be Hard"...you would think Viagra, Cialis, etc..would be using this as their theme song..... ;D it's the right age to hit the demo those scripts are aimed at... ...

 

[hornet61]

"Easy to be Hard"...you would think Viagra, Cialis, etc..would be using this as their theme song..... ;D it's the right age to hit the demo those scripts are aimed at... ...

Or the Beatles "Hard days Night" :....Tower Of Power "So Very Hard"