Billboard's Hot 100/ Top 40 Motown Chronicles - 1972 - [Pt. 2]

[Boogiedown]

Due to the high volume of content, the year 1972 is being divided into three threads. This is Part II. May -August.



Billboard’s Hot 100/ Top 40
Chart #19
May 6, 1972


previously on Motown and Billboard's Hot 100/ Top 40 :

this year :
link for: 1972 Part 1 - Jan -April

past years:
link for: 1970

link for: 1971 Pt. 1 - Jan - July

link for: 1971 Pt. 2 - July - December

Number of singles reviewed this week: 116 [Last week: 70]

Including:
Marvin Gaye - YOU'RE THE MAN [pt. I]
The Four Tops - I CAN'T QUIT YOUR LOVE

The Jackson Family. That's Motown this week in a nutshell. Two of Motown's three Top 40 hits are theirs, while the third, by Gladys Knight, peaks modestly . Michael going solo, has the highest performing release, in the Top Five, and The Jackson Five, as a group, are advancing upward with a bullet. The rest of the Motown singles are surviving but not thriving. The Supremes are this week's glimmer of hope with a quick return to the Hot 100, their second charter under Smokey Robinson, with BAD WEATHER which seems at odds as a title for a summertime release. One single drops off so once again the label has six titles.

Top 10:

A major shift within the Top 10, no repeaters except at the very top, now in her 4th week at #1 is Roberta Flack, the thirty-five year old former school teacher who was one of the youngest students to attend Howard University with a musical scholarship at age 15. Now 20 years later and through a long struggle, seemingly overnight Flack is the music industry's hottest sensation.
THE FIRST TIME EVER I SAW YOUR FACE has blocked Michael Jackson from reaching the top, after two weeks of trying from the #2 position, ROCKIN' ROBIN now dips to #4. This gives Joe Tex a chance for the pinnacle as I GOTCHA is now #2 from #3. Right behind him, The Stylistics press upward to #3 from #4 with BETCHA BY GOLLY WOW. Aretha also moves up one, she's DAYDREAMING at #5, making the Top 5 comprised of records that are also charting soul. As is this week's strongest Top 10 entry, I'LL TAKE YOU THERE by the Staple Singers who make a huge leap from #18 to #7. One other song also breaks through, BACK OFF BOOGALOO by Ringo Starr, with just a nudge up from #11 putting him in the Top 10 at #10. Two are out : IN THE RAIN by The Dramatics from #7 to #15 and Sonny and Cher's A COWBOYS WORK is apparently done, peaking last week at #8 and now it tumbles way down to #18.

Top 40:

Motown:

ROCKIN' ROBIN - Michael Jackson #4 down 2 from #2, its plateau.
HELP ME MAKE IT THROUGH THE NIGHT - Gladys Knight and the Pips stalling: #33 again at #33.
^ LITTLE BITTY PRETTY ONE - Jackson Five #26 up 6 from #32

No drop offs from Motown

Biggest mover on the chart, eleven spots:
I'LL TAKE YOU THERE - Staple Singers #7 from #18

Five new records, mixed bag, two newbies, all American save Rolling Stones
Highest Debut:
TUMBLING DICE - Rolling Stones #23 up 27 from # 50 [21st Top 40 Hit]

I SAW THE LIGHT - Todd Rundgren #31 up 25 from #56 [2nd Top 40 hit]
WALKING IN THE RAIN WITH THE ONE I LOVE - Love Unlimited #36 up 5 from #41 [*first time artist]
SYLVIA'S MOTHER - Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show #37 up 7 from # 44 [*first time artist]
DIARY - Bread -#40 up 11 from # 51 - [8th Top 40 hit]

The Hot 100:

{new: songs Top 10 bound will be coded in green, songs bound for #1 will be coded in purple}
Red: indicates a Motown Release
Orange: indicates a release related to Motown , by proxy.

12 new records , many by major names, but not their most notables.
Highest debut:
#67 - SONG SUNG BLUE - Neil Diamond

#72 - SOMEDAY NEVER COMES - Credence Clearwater Revival
#77 - AUTOMATICALLY SUNSHINE - Supremes
#80 - ROCKET MAN - Elton John
#82 - HOT 'N HASTY - Humble pie
#83 - LIFE & BREADTH - Climax
#87 - I CAN'T TURN YOU LOOSE - Edgar Winter and White Trash
#90 - IMMIGRATION MAN - Graham Nash & David Crosby
#94 - WOMAN'S GOTTA HAVE IT - Bobby Womack
#97 - AN AMERICAN TRILOGY - Elvis Presley
#98 - I GOT SOME HELP I DON'T NEED - B. B. King
#100 - THERE IT IS - James Brown

Motown:
1st Week:- AUTOMATICALLY SUNSHINE - Supremes - #77 - DEBUT
5th Week: - WHAT'D I SAY - Rare Earth - #63 down 2 from #61
6th Week: - ^WALK IN THE NIGHT - Jr. Walker -#53 up 4 from #59

drop offs:
4th Week: - TAOS NEW MEXICO - R. Dean Taylor - off from #83
Of Toronto Canada origins, this is Taylor's last appearance on the Hot 100. He'll be a Motown one-hit wonder with INDIANA WANTS ME peaking at #2 in 1970. R. Dean's writing credits include shared billing on The Supremes #1 hit, LOVE CHILD from 1968.

*****
A very good week for:

SLIPPIN' INTO DARKNESS [of the night]
while Aretha is DAY DREAMING at #5, it is week 16 [night 112] for the War single and it is still battling its way up the chart, up two more this week to #20 with a bullet. Meanwhile three records have 'NIGHT' in their titles, two are from Motown: [LAST NIGHT] I DIDN'T GET TO SLEEP AT ALL - by the Fifth Dimension is at #28 moving up 8 from #36, with Gladys Knight and the Pips' cover of the Kris Kristofferson song HELP ME MAKE IT THROUGH THE NIGHT [former #1 for three weeks on the country chart by Sammi Smith] is at #33, #13 peak Soul and Top 10 peak UK:



and Jr. Walker's WALK IN THE NIGHT - at #53, #10 peak Soul , and #16 peak UK:



Coincidentally both these titles were arranged by H.B. Barnum, who is now becoming more involved at Motown after much work at Invictus/Hot Wax.
.
A suitable follow-up from the Top 40 might be
MORNING HAS BROKEN by Cat Stevens #19 up 2 from #21.

*****
MGM Records has a full page ad this week that reads:

MGM
WELCOMES
PETULA CLARK WITH HER SINGLE OF
"MY GUY" K14392

WATCH for PETULA CLARK on the JOHNNY CARSON SHOW,
MONDAY night, MAY 8th, Singing her new single " MY GUY."

Petula Clark makes her label debut with a remake of the Smokey Robinson written hit for Mary Wells which went to #1 on the Hot 100 eight years prior in 1964, making Wells Motown's first successful female act .