#AtoZChallenge 1970's Billboard Hits - C is for...

It’s day three of the #AtoZChallenge, and that brings us to the letter C.  In case you missed it earlier, the theme that I have chosen for this year’s challenge is 1970’s Billboard Hits.

We talked a little bit about Alone Again (Naturally) on the first, and if you have not had the opportunity to vote in the battle of the bands, I’d like to encourage you to do so. You can find the battle HERE. Voting ends April 6 @ 6pm EST.

1970 - (They Long To Be) Close To You

The song was first recorded by Richard Chamberlain and released as a single in 1963 as "They Long to Be Close to You", without parentheses. However, only that single's flip side, "Blue Guitar", became a hit. The tune was also recorded as a demo by Dionne Warwick in 1963 and re-recorded with a Burt Bacharach arrangement for her 1964 album Make Way for Dionne Warwick, and was released as the B-side of her 1965 single "Here I Am". Bacharach released his own version in 1968. But the version recorded by Carpenters with instrumental backing by L.A. studio musicians from the Wrecking Crew, which became a hit in 1970, is the best known.

In 1970, it was released by the Carpenters on their album Close to You, and it became their breakthrough hit. The song stayed at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks. This song was originally given to Herb Alpert as a follow up to his number one hit, "This Guy's in Love with You", another Bacharach-David composition. Alpert was not thrilled with his version and shelved the recording. Looking for a follow-up to their first A&M Records/Billboard number 54 recording "Ticket to Ride", in 1969 Alpert decided to give it to the Carpenters (Alpert's version was released in 2005 on the Tijuana Brass album Lost Treasures 1963–1974). Richard had stated that when Alpert introduced the song to him back in early 1970, he was a bit apprehensive about the song. He and Alpert collaborated on the song, and the finished product was a 4-minute, 36-second long song. When A&M Records decided to release it as a 3-minute, 40-second long single in May 1970, it became A&M's biggest hit since Alpert's "This Guy's in Love with You" from 1968. Billboard ranked it as the number 2 song for 1970.





1972 -  The Candy Man

"The Candy Man" (or alternatively, "The Candy Man Can") is a song which originally appeared in the 1971 film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. It was written by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley specifically for the film.

The song is best known through Sammy Davis, Jr.'s version, which appears on the Sammy Davis Jr. Now album. Though he admitted to hating the song, finding it too saccharine, it became his only number-one hit, spending three weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart starting June 10, 1972 and two weeks at the top of the easy listening chart. Billboard ranked it as the No. 5 song for 1972. The track featured vocals by the Mike Curb Congregation, who had earlier released their own unsuccessful version of the song. It is recognized as one of Davis's signature songs, and "The Candy Man" came to be his moniker later in his career.





1974 - Come And Get Your Love

"Come and Get Your Love" is a 1974 hit single by the Native American rock band Redbone. The song was written by band member Lolly Vegas and produced by Lolly and his brother Pat Vegas, who was also a band member. It was originally featured on Redbone's 1973 album, Wovoka; later the song appeared on many "greatest hits" albums released by the band, as well as on numerous compilation albums of the 1970s.

The song peaked at number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in April 1974. It spent 18 weeks in the Top 40 and landed as the 4th most popular song on the Hot 100 for 1974. The single was certified gold by the RIAA on April 22, 1974, which indicates that it had sold over half a million copies in the United States. The song is Redbone's highest charting single and one of two Top 40 hits by the band (an earlier recording, "The Witch Queen of New Orleans", peaked at number 21 in 1972).

"Come and Get Your Love" also exists in a longer version, with an introductory slow part, plus a longer repeated coda. However, most radio stations rarely play it on the air. The song features a prominent part for electric sitar.






Be sure to follow the 2017 AtoZ Challenge playlist for all of the songs featured in this years challenge.




Did you listen to any of these tunes in the 70's?  Would you like to know more about these artists in future posts? Let me know in the comments.

What does tomorrow bring?

Wednesday brings us the letter 'D'. 
Any guesses as to which 1970 Billboard Hits will be showcased?