Year Spotlight: 1970

There are six songs in the top 100 from 1970.  It is like 1970-o-rama in there. Here's what we found: 3. Signed Sealed Delivered I'm Yours – Stevie Wonder, 12. Instant Karma - John Lennon, 30. Spirit in the Sky - Norman Greenbaum, 42. in the Summertime - Mungo Jerry, 54. Ball of Confusion - The Tempations and 99. Fire and Rain - James Taylor.  That's a lot, what could be left?

1. Give Me Just a Little More Time - The Chairmen of the Board
2. Turn Back the Hands of Time - Tyrone Davis
3. Love on a Two-Way Street - The Moments
4. Band of Gold - Freda Payne
5. Spill the Wine - Eric Burdon & War
6. Candida - Dawn
7. Green-Eyed Lady - Sugarloaf
8. Gypsy Woman - Bryan Hyland

If it weren't the 7th song from 1970, 4 would have a good shot. Everything else is better covered elsewhere.

Comments

[Ken]

Wow! This was as awesome year. I'd gladly jettison some of your 2000s listings for 1, 4, 5 and 7. And even the others (with the exception of #6) are strong candidates. Quotas are bad things--especially in picking "best " lists!

[Cliff Arroyo]

1. Very strong contender for the list
2. Pretty strong contender
3. Just a notch below
4. Needs to be on the list. Peiod.
5. Very strong contender.
6. Just a notch below.
7. I'd list it.
8. Just a notch below.

All in all the strongest year of non-listed songs.... ever.

I'd fer shur list 4 and give 1, 2, 5 and 7 real strong consideration. I probably wouldn't list 3, 6 and 8 but wouldn't really mind them on a list either.

In terms of memorable music, some years (and decades) are just a lot more memorable than others.

[JM]

Memorable to whom?

Choosing more songs from one year than a whole two decade run would be nothing short of malpractice.

If the list is 80% the same as the one I would've made in 1983, something would be wrong with my ability to understand popularity beyond my own taste.

[Ken]

Unless you believe that music quality is not simply relative. As we've discussed before, even during one's most active music listening years (for most people probably ages 10 to 35), there are periods of consistently good music and periods of generally pretty awful music.