1970s Singers – Number One 1970
An interesting thing happens when you begin to look for the number one artist and the number one song for a given year. Surveys, as you no doubt know, differ from source to source. Finding number one from all 1970s singers requires just settling on somebody’s #1. So, since Billboard has been the top music chart source for so many years…for the sake of this article I will use their crowned champion.
According to the Billboard Hot 100, the number one song for 1970 was… “Bridge Over Troubled Water” by Simon and Garfunkle. This “right time, right place” hit was the culmination of a string of hits by the duo that had enjoyed remarkable success through the 1960s.
Paul Simon and Art Garfunkle had been friends since elementary school and formed a musical alliance in their junior year of high school in Queens, New York. Originally they billed themselves as Tom and Jerry. In addition to the names, Tom and Jerry, they also attached alias last names for their altered identities. Jerry (Garfunkle) chose the last name, Graph, because he liked to track the pop charts by making graphs. Tom (Simon) adopted his new last name, Landis, from his girlfriend at the time. As Tom and Jerry they scored a mid-chart hit in 1957 with “Hey, Schoolgirl.” That early success earned them an appearance on American Bandstand.
Their musical career didn’t take off like they had hoped so both of them enrolled in different colleges. Ultimately, they did come back together as folk music became a popular music style of the early 60s which led to an album collaboration in 1964. By 1965 they had broken up and Paul Simon took his solo act to the United Kingdom.
In 1965 several radio stations across the country began to play a song from their album entitled “The Sound of Silence.” The song’s producer was encouraged by the airplay and responded by adding additional instrumentation, remixing the track, and then released it as a single. By New Year’s day, 1966, Simon and Garfunkle had their first number one hit.
The new mix found with “The Sound of Silence” produced a new style of music called “folk rock” which would be the success formula for a number of hits that would follow. In 1966 Simon and Garfunkle scored chart success with “Homeward Bound” #5, “I Am a Rock” #3, “The Dangling Conversation” #25, and “A Hazy Shade of Winter” #13.
More hits followed in ’67 including: “At the Zoo” #16 and “The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy) #16. Also that year S&G hit #23 with “Fakin’ It.”
In 1968 the duo received another big break as their music was chosen for the movie, The Graduate. Of course, the movie was a huge hit helping catapult Simon and Garfunkle to second #1 hit, “Mrs. Robinson.” Again in 1969 S&G were back in the Top 10 with “The Boxer.”
Then, on January 26, 1970 Simon and Garfunkle released “Bridge Over Troubled Water” which jetted to the top of the charts within a month and rested at that position for 6 weeks.
Paul Simon wrote the song in the summer of 1969 while Art Garfunkel was working on a movie, Catch-22, in Europe. Initially the song only had two verses and different lyrics. The song’s producer, Roy Halee, felt that the song needed three verses and a powerful ending to which Simon acquiesced. The added verse was actually written about Paul Simon’s wife at the time, Peggy Harper, who was agonizing over her first gray hair. Thus the line, “Sail on, silver girl.”
Early in this article I called “Bridge Over Troubled Water” a “right place-right time” hit. What I mean by that is the United States was going through a very painful time in its history. The Vietnam conflict had escalated into a national nightmare. “Bridge Over Troubled Water” acknowledges heartache and difficulty and offers the compassion of a friend. The lyric hit at a deeply personal level and the musical arrangement was like a movie soundtrack; gentle, emotional, building to a mighty crescendo, and then for the final 10 seconds sustained high strings sound a final note of peace and resolution of the conflict.
Here now are the lyrics to the number one song of 1970:
When you’re weary
Feeling small
When tears are in your eyes
I will dry them all
I’m on your side
When times get rough
And friends just can’t be found
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down
When you’re down and out
When you’re on the street
When evening falls so hard
I will comfort you
I’ll take your part
When darkness comes
And pain is all around
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down
Sail on Silver Girl,
Sail on by
Your time has come to shine
All your dreams are on their way
See how they shine
If you need a friend
I’m sailing right behind
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will ease your mind
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will ease your mind
Simon and Garfunkle ushered in a brand new decade as the first of the 1970s singers to make a huge impact on the world with their music. I wonder if back in those early grades of elementary school they ever had an idea of how far their dreams would take them?
You can hear Simon and Garfunkle and all of your favorite 1970s singers on Golden Hits Radio.
|
Yes! I Want to Learn How to Make Money with Voiceovers, Web Radio, and Podcasting Send Me My Free “VOICE TALENT 101″ Email Course Today! You Will Receive the First Lesson in Your Inbox Immediately. 100% Spam Free! I Value Your Email Privacy. You may unsubscribe at anytime. |
