Billboard’s Hot 100/ Top 40
Chart #1
Jan. 1, 1972
previously on Motown and Billboard's Hot 100/ Top 40 :
The New Year of 1972 enters like a lamb. The first #1 song of 1972 is the same as the last one for 1971. The Top 10 is also mostly the same with only slight moves or repeated positions for most songs and only one new entry. The Top 40 recruits just four new singles.
Motown is especially stagnant: Same Top Ten record, same four Top 40 singles, same eight charters on the Hot 100, none on fire save SUGAR DADDY by The J5.
The Top 10:
Melanie's BRAND NEW KEY [aka: THE ROLLER SKATE SONG] repeats its #1 position for a second week. AMERICAN PIE by Don McLean moves up one place to #2 from #3 and The Family Stone's FAMILY AFFAIR makes room by dropping to #3. Michael Jackson's got to be at #5 doing so for the third time with GOT TO BE THERE.
Just one new song enters the Top 10. Newcomer Jonathan Edwards SUNSHINE on Capricorn Records is up 5 to #8 from #13. All Jon needed to get in was for Sonny and Cher to get out with their ALL I EVER NEED IS YOU, as they did, just barely, down to #11 from #7.
The Top 40:
^HEY BIG BROTHER - Rare Earth #28 up 4 from #32.
^SUGAR DADDY - Jackson Five #21 up 10 from #31
SUPERSTAR [REMEMBER HOW YOU GOT WHERE YOU ARE] - The Temptations #30 down 12 from #18
Biggest mover on the chart: tie} SUGAR DADDY, The Jackson Five [#21 from #31], and DROWNING IN THE SEA OF LOVE, Joe Simon [#18 from #28], both advancing ten places.
New to the Top 40: A third light week in a row with 4 new songs, all from somewhat newbies:
Highest debut:
ONCE YOU UNDERSTAND - Think - #32 up 13 from #45 [First time artist] [One Hit Wonder]
ANTICIPATION - Carly Simon - #36 up 7 from #43 - [2nd Top 40 hit]
ITS ONE OF THOSE NIGHT [YES LOVE] - The Partridge Family- #37 up 7 from #44 - [5th Top 40 hit]
LEVON - Elton John - #40 up 17 from #57 - [3rd Top 40 hit]
NEW:
This year the chart coverage will include a listing of all songs debuting on The Hot 100, not just those from Motown and proxies.
Seven Hot 100 Debuts, none from Motown:
#56 - STAY WITH ME - Faces
#81 - PRECIOUS AND FEW - Climax
#87 - BANG A GONG [GET IT ON] - T. Rex
#89 - LION SLEEPS TONIGHT - Robert John
#90 - TOGETHER LET'S FIND LOVE - The Fifth Dimension
#99 - TUPELO HONEY - Van Morrison
#100 - JOY - Apollo
Debuts:
none from Motown
3rd week: ^MAKE ME THE WOMAN THAT YOU GO HOME TO - Gladys Knight and the Pips- #46 up 2 from #48
3rd week: ^YOU MAKE YOUR OWN HEAVEN AND HELL RIGHT HERE ON EARTH - Undisputed Truth - #83 up 2 from #85
5th week: ^WAY BACK HOME - Jr. Walker & The All Stars - #74 up 1 from #75
8th week: ^SATISFACTION - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles - #49 up 4 from #53
off:
none
*****
A good week for:
FACES
the Rod Stewart Band that evolved from the group Small Faces. Not only is their STAY WITH ME single this week's highest Hot 100 debut at #56, but Rod Stewart's remake of The Temptations [I KNOW] I'M LOSING YOU is in the Top 40, although it slips a bit to #29 from #24 [its peak]. An unusual oversight, Billboard has not credited Faces on the record's chart listing but the 45 is labeled as Rod Stewart with Faces.
*****
Quite a bit of Motown product gets reviewed in Billboard this week:
New albums by
Gladys Knight - STANDING OVATION --- ["Each cut is like a vocal drama with Miss Knight supplying the soul and inspiration"]
Rare Earth - IN CONCERT --- ["captures them at their best"],
Junior Walker - MOODY JR ---["sounding stronger than ever".]
And amongst new singles this week, just one gets singled out with a prediction of being top 20 bound:
Supremes: FLOY JOY--- [Prod:"Smokey")[Writer: Robinson[[Jobete,BMI) -"Trio kicks off the new year with an infectious rhythm item that has it to prove as big as Sattan [sic] Jones."]
******
This week two covers of Motown former hits are on the Top 40:
WHERE DID OUR LOVE GO - Donnie Elbert peaking last week at #15, this week slips to #22. 35 year-old Donnie Elbert, an artist since the mid- fifties, finally hits pay dirt and delivers Sylvia Robinson's All Platinum Records their first hit. WHERE DID OUR LOVE GO was the breakthrough single for The Supremes in 1964 going all the way to #1 for two weeks on the Hot 100.
I KNOW I'M LOSING YOU - Rod Stewart - Also peaking last week, at #24 now #29, a remake of The Temptations hit of 1966 that peaked at #8. In 1970 Rare Earth remade the song and their version reached #7. [Rod's version also #4 in Canada, ignored in the UK]:
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