Originally Posted by
Glenpwood
Ok, for inquiring minds who want to know since there's been a lot of debate of what a regional hit is.... here's the chart journey of Getting Ready For Love and the album Baby It's Me.....
"Baby It's Me" hits the Billboard 200 LP Chart a month ahead of its first single in the Issue Dated 10/8/77 at a Starred 62. It rises swiftly for the next three weeks reaching a Starred #28 the week "Gettin Ready For Love" enters the Hot 100 at a starred #85. [[11/5/77) The only song debuting higher than it that week was "As" by Stevie Wonder. In it's second week it jumps over "As" and lands at a starred #53. Getting Ready will ultimately chart higher than "As" which probably has more familiarity than Ross' single today which makes the point chart positions only mean so much at the end of the day. BIT also moves up another starred four slots to #24 on the LP chart. The next week GRFL continues its hit momentum by jumping 10 more slots to #43 and the album moves up two more places to #22. It's also noted as being a prime add on and mover over in the radio section of the magazine at WGIV Charlotte and WTGB Winston Salem. The following week is where things get interesting. For reasons unknown "Getting" loses its star and only moves up two places to #41. It is listed as a prime breakout out in the radio section in the overall Mid Atlantic Region. The album still appears healthy as it retains its star and moves to #20. It's upward momentum only slowed by two debuts above it from new albums from ELO and Kiss. Rod Stewart's Foot Loose & Fancy Free LP also exploded into the top 10 in its second week jumping over Diana. In the next issue, Baby It's Me reaches its peak position of #18 while GRFL breaks into the top 40 at #39 but still without a star. It is listed as a prime mover in the radio section though at WIFI Philadelphia moving 24-16 and TEN-Q Los Angeles 27-21. I can't find any mentions of the single after this so it makes me think it charted on a lot of playlists but wasn't a hot breakout in any particular section of the country. That doesn't mean certain stations didn't place it high but the theory that the album being out ahead of the single probably did split the airplay into too many different cuts. In the next issue dated 12/10/77 Getting Ready finally regains its star moving up four places to #35 while the album holds at #18. The next weeks chart 12/17 has a full page ad hyping Getting Ready and its bullets in all three trade charts of the time, with its position in Billboard being the highest at #33. The ad is placed next to the LP chart but no mention of its position in it since this is the week it falls from its peak down to #26. The next week the album regains its star and moves back up two slots to #24 in the busy Holiday giving season. The single breaks the top thirty finally at #29 where its freezes for the next week as Billboard didn't publish a chart that week. The album holds steady at #24 as well those two weeks. In the first published issue of 1978, Getting Ready For Love finally crests at #27 which it holds for two weeks before dropping to #55, then #67, then off the chart. The LP also falls off the cliff during this time. It holds for a final week at #24 the week Getting Ready peaks but then falls to #39 as the single holds at its peak, then quickly vanishes as well moving down #68-#90- then only charts for two weeks after Getting Ready vanishes going #142-#190 Out. The follow up singles fail to get it back onto the charts so that explains why Motown likely gave up after three singles. A shame since Baby It's Me really is a masterwork.
Chart Bonuses: The only Motown album charing higher than Baby It's Me when it peaked was the Commodores Live LP. If the albums younger to the chart were removed above Baby it would've been a Top 10 album peaking at #8. If you apply the same youth rule to Getting Ready For Love it would've been a top 20 hit peaking at #19. All this and more can be found in the old issues of Billboard listed on Google books.