#AtoZChallenge 1970's Billboard Hits - R is for... and #BOTB Results

We are moving right along with the #AtoZChallenge and today brings us to the letter R.  But first, let’s talk about the recent Battle of the Bands results.



The song for the battle was “My Sharona” and the contenders were Void vs Eldritch. 


The total votes came out as:  (drumroll, please.....)

Void with 7 votes

Eldritch with 4 votes

Congratulations to the winner!

Thank you everyone that took the time to cast your vote in that battle! The next battle takes place on May 1st with a different song.



Today’s letter for the #AtoZChallenge is R. Here are a few of the billboard hits from the 70’s that start with the letter R.



1970 - Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head - B.J. Thomas


"Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" is a song written by Hal David and Burt Bacharach for the 1969 film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. It won an Academy Award for Best Original Song. David and Bacharach also won Best Original Score. The song was recorded by B. J. Thomas in seven takes, after Bacharach expressed dissatisfaction with the first six. In the film version of the song, Thomas had been recovering from laryngitis, which made his voice sound hoarser than in the 7-inch release. The film version featured a separate vaudeville-style instrumental break in double time while Paul Newman performed bicycle stunts.

The single by B. J. Thomas reached number 1 on charts in the United States, Canada, Norway and reached number 38 in the UK Singles Chart. It topped the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks in January 1970 and was also the first American number-one hit of the 1970s. The song also spent seven weeks atop the Billboard adult contemporary chart. Billboard ranked it as the No. 4 song of 1970. According to Billboard magazine, Thomas' single had sold over 2 million copies by March 14, 1970, with eight-track and cassette versions also climbing the charts.






1975 - Rhinestone Cowboy - Glen Campbell


"Rhinestone Cowboy" is a song written by Larry Weiss and most famously recorded by American country music singer Glen Campbell with instrumental backing by the Wrecking Crew, L.A. session musicians. The song enjoyed immense popularity with both country and pop audiences when it was released in 1975.

Weiss wrote and recorded "Rhinestone Cowboy" in 1974, and it appeared on his 20th Century Records album Black and Blue Suite. It did not, however, have much of a commercial impact as a single. In late 1974, Campbell heard the song on the radio, and during a tour of Australia, decided to learn the song. Soon after his return to the United States, Campbell went to Al Coury's office at Capitol Records, where he was approached about "a great new song" — "Rhinestone Cowboy".

Released in May 1975, "Rhinestone Cowboy" immediately caught on with both country and pop audiences. The song spent that summer climbing both the Billboard Hot Country Singles and Billboard Hot 100 charts before peaking at number one by season's end - three nonconsecutive weeks on the country chart, two weeks on the Hot 100. Billboard ranked it as the number-two for 1975.








1979 - Reunited - Peaches and Herb


"Reunited" was a hit song for R&B vocal duo Peaches & Herb. As the second single release from their 1978 album, 2 Hot, the song was a huge crossover smash, topping both the pop and soul charts. It spent four weeks at number one on both the R&B singles chart and the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in 1979 and sold over 2 million copies. Billboard ranked it as the No. 5 song for 1979. In Canada, "Reunited" likewise reached number one and was the No. 9 song for the year.







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 'S'. 
Any guesses as to which Billboard Hits from the 70s will be showcased?