American Top 40 1973 October 20th

American Top 40 with Casey Kasem aired on radio from July 4, 1970 until August 6, 1988. This recording is a rebroadcast from internet radio.

In this countdown you can hear songs by Harold Jenkins and Richard Starky (at numbers 39 and 29 respectively).

What has 150 gleaming white teeth, shakes, rattles, and rolls, rides unicycles, and is associated with the family that has put four different acts into the Top 40? Add 10 (the position for "Paper Roses" by Marie Osmond) to 36 (the position for "Let Me In" by The Osmonds) and divide by 9 brothers and a sister!

Dr. Demento stopped by earlier this month to give a class on Songs of Parody, of which "Baskeball Jones" (by Cheech & Chong, at number 15) is one. I've included some of what he had to say in RocketMan_Extras_1973_10_20 (there is also a mystery video, oohhh!). It is b/w an unreleased gem by Brad Stanfield, "Gumball Wizard." "Baskeball Jones" and "Gumball Wizard" are excerpts from The_Dr_Demento_Show_1994_April_3rd, now available to the slightly demented. SO! Listen to the doctoral address, and then watch the mystery video he left behind. The name of the video is written in the Good Doctor's handwriting, but I can't afford to hire the pharmacist it would take to read it and tell me what it says.

One of our online students from the RocketMan Conservatoire graduating class of 2017 & 7/8 got two smiley faces for his answer to this week's 1973 extra credit question, "Which song in this week's broadcast makes the biggest impression on you, and why?" His answer was this:

"Of all the songs on this week's survey, I'm most impressed with the Kris Kristofferson song currently at #21, "Why Me, (Lord)". In 4 weeks it will reach its highest position on the top 40 at only #16. But it will be in the top forty for 19 weeks and stay in the top 100 long enough to end up the #2 song of the year for 1973. Pretty good for only getting as high as #16, don't ya think??"

Next week's question is, "How many members were there in the group, the Jackson Five?"

40: Touch Me In The Morning - Diana Ross
39: You've Never Been This Far Before - Conway Twitty
38: Brother Louie - Stories
37: The Love I Lost - Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes
36: Let Me In - Osmonds
35: Say, Has Anybody Seen My Sweet Gypsy Rose - Tony Orlando & Dawn
34: Get It Together - Jackson Five
33: Jesse - Roberta Flack
32: Funky Stuff - Kool & The Gang
31: Top Of The World - Carpenters
30: We May Never Pass This Way Again - Seals & Crofts
29: Photograph - Ringo Starr
28: Just You And Me - Chicago
27: Summer (The First Time) - Bobby Goldsboro
26: You're A Special Part Of My - Marvin Gaye and Diana Ross
25: Hurts So Good - Millie Jackson
24: Delta Dawn - Helen Reddy
23: Rocky Mountain Way - Joe Walsh
22: I Got A Name - Jim Croce
21: Why Me - Kris Kristoferson
20: Space Race - Billy Preston
19: My Maria - B.W. Stevenson
18: China Grove - Doobie Brothers
17: Free Ride - Edgar Winter Group
16: Knockin' On Heaven's Door - Bob Dylan
15: Basketball Jones - Cheech & Chong
14: Loves Me Like A Rock - Paul Simon
13: All I Know - Art Garfunkel
12: We're An American Band - Grand Funk
11: Yes We Can Can - Pointer Sisters
10: Paper Roses - Marie Osmond
9: Heartbeat Is A Lovebeat - Di Franco Family
8: Higher Ground - Stevie Wonder
7: Keep On Truckin' - Eddie Kendricks
6: That Lady - Isley Brothers
5: Midnight Train To Georgia - Gladys Knight & The Pips
4: Let's Get It On - Marvin Gaye
3: Ramblin' Man - Allman Brothers Band
2: Half-Breed - Cher
1: Angie - Rolling Stones