Year Spotlight: 1977

The year I was born and Star Wars was released.  For #1 hits we picked three: 32. Dancing Queen - ABBA, 67. How Deep is Your Love - Bee Gees and 120. Hotel California - Eagles.  The other hits were:

1. You Don't Have to Be a Star (To Be in My Show) - Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis Jr.
2. You Make Me Feel Like Dancing - Leo Sayer
3. I Wish - Stevie Wonder
4. Car Wash - Rose Royce
5. Torn Between Two Lovers - Mary MacGregor
6. Blinded By the Light - Manfred Mann's Earth Band
7. New Kid in Town - Eagles
8. Love Theme from 'A Star is Born' (Evergreen) - Barbra Streisand
9. Rich Girl - Daryl Hall & John Oates
10. Don't Give Up on Us - David Soul
11. Don't Leave Me This Way - Thelma Houston
12. Southern Nights - Glen Campbell
13. When I Need You - Leo Sayer
14. Sir Duke - Stevie Wonder
15. I'm Your Boogie Man - KC & The Sunshine Band
16. Dreams - Fleetwood Mac
17. Got to Give It Up (Part 1) - Marvin Gaye
18. Gonna Fly Now (Theme from 'Rocky') - Bill Conti
19. Undercover Angel - Alan O'Day
20. Da Doo Ron Ron - Shaun Cassidy
21. Looks Like We Made It - Barry Manilow
22. I Just Want to Be Your Everything - Andy Gibb
23. Best of My Love - The Emotions
24. Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band - Meco
25. You Light Up My Life - Debby Boone

Debby Boone's hit was way too long and not really any good.  I feel bad about blanking on both Wonders and I think that there's a case to be made for Conti or Fleetwood Mac, but it's not super strong. What do you think of '77?

Comments

[Ken]

I was 21, and let me tell you-- music sucked! You had Dancing Queen too high, Hotel California too low, and were perfectly correct in ignoring the rest of this stuff.

[grannie elbow]

I was 26 and I have to agree with Ken. I do like Gonna Fly Now, but it sounds overwrought if you listen to it often, which we did in 1977. Almost as often as poor Debby Boon's insipid You Light Up my Life. However, I'd list any and all of them before 99.9% of Rap or Hip Hop. I'd except Funky Cold Medina, for some reason I really like that one.

[Cliff Arroyo]

I have a lot of fondness for Best of My Love, but I don't think it really belongs on the list (though it comes a lot closer than most of the 2000 stuff that made it).

[Mike Devereaux]

I was in 9th-10th grade during Fleetwood Mac's run with Rumours. It was huge. A lot of that was due to Stevie Nicks' Dreams, and her emergence as the witch woman pop star. That's the song that made her a superstar. I'd definitely have included 'Dreams' in the top 200. The way she sang one line in particular: "Have you any dreams you'd like to sell", that's still one of the best one lines sung I've ever heard.