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

Today is day nine of the #AtoZChallenge and that brings us to the letter H. These three songs were the top ‘H’ songs according to the Billboard Hot 100 Year-End lists.



1971 - How Can You Mend A Broken Heart - Bee Gees


"How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" is a song released by the Bee Gees in 1971. It was the lead and first single on the group's 1971 album Trafalgar. It was their first US No. 1 single. The song also reached #1 in Cashbox magazine for two weeks.

Barry and Robin Gibb wrote the song in August 1970 with "Lonely Days" when the Gibb brothers had reconvened following a period of break-up and alienation. "Robin came to my place" says Barry, "and that afternoon we wrote 'How Can You Mend a Broken Heart' and that obviously was a link to us coming back together. We called Maurice, finished the song, went to the studio and once again, with only 'Broken Heart' as a basic structure, we went in to the studio with that and an idea for 'Lonely Days', and those two songs were recorded that night"

Although failing to chart on the UK Singles Chart, the song became the Bee Gees' first US number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and also reached number four on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. Billboard ranked this as the No. 5 song for 1971. In Spain, this single was released under the title "Cómo Puedes Arreglar Un Corazón Destrozada". The song was performed for the first time in 1971. That performance is notable for drummer Geoff Bridgford's first appearance with the band.




1978 -  How Deep Is Your Love - Bee Gees

"How Deep Is Your Love" was written and recorded by the Bee Gees in 1977 and released as a single in September. It was ultimately used as part of the soundtrack to the film Saturday Night Fever. It was a number three hit in the United Kingdom and Australia. In the United States, it topped the Billboard Hot 100 on 24 December 1977 (becoming the first of six consecutive US number-one hits), ended the 10-week reign of Debby Boone's "You Light Up My Life" and stayed in the Top 10 for a then-record 17 weeks. The single spent six weeks atop the US adult contemporary chart. It is listed at number 22 on the 55th anniversary edition of Billboard's All Time Top 100. It is also listed as number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 Year-End list for 1978.

"How Deep Is Your Love" ranked number 375 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. In a British TV special shown in December 2011, it was voted "The Nation's Favourite Bee Gees Song" by ITV viewers. The song set a record by accumulating 33 weeks in one chart run. It was originally intended for Yvonne Elliman, but she later recorded "If I Can't Have You"
(also written by the Bee Gees) instead.

During the Bee Gees' 2001 Billboard magazine interview, Barry reportedly said that "How Deep Is Your Love" was his favorite Bee Gees song.





1979 - Hot Stuff - Donna Summer

"Hot Stuff" is a song by American singer Donna Summer from her seventh studio album Bad Girls, released as the lead single from Bad Girls on April 13, 1979, through Casablanca Records. Up to that point, Summer had mainly been associated with disco songs but this song also showed a significant rock direction, including a guitar solo by ex-Doobie Brother and Steely Dan guitarist Jeff "Skunk" Baxter. It is one of her most popular songs, based on the performance on the Billboard Hot 100, which ranked the song at #7 for 1979.

"Hot Stuff" won Summer the Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance in the inaugural year the award was given out. In 2010, the song was ranked #104 on Rolling Stone's list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".







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?

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