Billboard's Hot 100/ Top 40 Motown Chronicles - 1973 - [Pt. 1]

[Boogiedown]

Billboard's Hot 100/ Top 40 Motown Chronicles - 1973

Because of the amount of content, the year 1973 is being divided into three threads.
This is Part I:
January - April

Billboard’s Hot 100/ Top 40
Chart #01
Jan 6 , 1973

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

past years:

link for: 1972 Part III - Sept - December
link for: 1972 Part II - May -August
link for: 1972 Part 1 - Jan -April


link for: 1971 Pt. 1 - Jan - July
link for: 1971 Pt. 2 - July - December

link for: 1970

Number of singles reviewed this week: 49
last week: 60

including:
TRAMMPS - PRAY ALL YOU SINNERS [3:15]
producers: Baker-Harris-Young; A new Philadelphia discovery checks in with a "Smiling Faces" type of message song well-packaged in Stylistics mode. The result is catchy and distinctive. Promising group writes and produces own material. Song has pop potential. BUDDAH 339

The Motown machine was well-geared in 1972 particularly when it came to the continued successes of the Jackson Five faction of the company. Other names, including some of the biggest, were fractured or for various reasons less productive. 1973 begins the year with the charts showing a brighter promise for other acts of the label besides the J5. This week, Stevie Wonder charges into the Top 10 to #4 from #16, a 12 point bolt that makes it the biggest moving record within the Top 40. SUPERSTITION already makes it to the #1 spot on the Soul chart this week. Marvin Gaye also gains this round advancing seven points to #27 with TROUBLE MAN, Gaye's first venture into film scoring. The Jackson Five are still in the picture, as are The Temptations, while their current records have peaked, both remain on the Top 40 for a total of four Motown charters. Four other singles on the Hot 100 give the label a solid representation of 8 positions, including this week's strangest Hot 100 debut by Bobby Darin at #92 [ A focus on that release to come] titled 'HAPPY'.......[New Year!]

The Top 10:

The new year begins with a new #1. It took Carly Simon just six weeks on the Hot 100 to reach the pinnacle with her self-written tune YOU'RE SO VAIN. Carly bumps out Billy Paul, ending his 3 week reign at the top with ME AND MRS. JONES, now slipping to #3. Between the two is Gilbert O'Sullivan's CLAIR, his second week there with the hopes of scoring his second #1 in a row. One new record makes the Top 10 amongst a tight race, bolting in at #4 is Stevie Wonder's SUPERSTITION, with Helen Reddy's I AM WOMAN making room by dropping from #7 to #14.

The Top 40:

Motown:
Four records from Motown are on the Top 40:
^SUPERSTITION - Stevie Wonder - surging chart performance, #4 from #16
^ TROUBLE MAN - Marvin Gaye #26 bulleting up from last week's debut of #33
PAPA WAS A ROLLIN' STONE - Temptations - avalanches to #27 from #14
CORNER OF THE SKY - The Jackson Five maintain a presence at #39 from #25

Biggest mover in the Top 40: 12 spots
SUPERSTITION - Stevie Wonder #4 from #16

Five newbies, all US acts, 1 +Top 10 bound+, 0 PI related, 0 Motown
Highest debut:

LOVE JONES - Brighter Side Of Darkness #32 up 12 from #46 [One Hit Wonder]
DANCING IN THE MOONLIGHT - King Harvest #34 up 9 from #43 [One Hit Wonder]
+ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH+ - John Denver #35 up 6 from #41 [2nd Top 40 hit]
JAMBALAYA [ON THE BAYOU] - Blue Ridge Rangers #37 up 11 from #49 [First time artist]
REELIN' AND A ROCKIN' -Chuck Berry #40 up 15 from #55 [ 14th and final Top 40 hit]

The Hot 100:

Eight new arrivals, 3 Top 40 bound, 3 first time to chart on the Hot 100, 1 Philly International related, 1 Motown, 1 by proxy.

Highest debut:
third tier:
#75 - LIVING TOGETHER, LOVING TOGETHER - 5th Dimension

#83 - DANNY'S SONG - Anne Murray
#92 - HAPPY - Bobby Darin
#93 -DON'T LEAVE ME STARVIN' FOR YOUR LOVE - Holland Dozier former Motown producer/songwriters
#97 - SHES GOT TO BE A SAINT - Ray Price
#98 - SOUL SONG - Joe Stampley
#99 - ON AND OFF - Anacostia
#100 - SLOW MOTION PT 1 - Johnny Williams
______________

Motown:
one debut:
1st week: HAPPY - Bobby Darin #92 DEBUT

3rd week: ^I CAN'T STAND TO SEE YOU CRY - Smokey Robinson & Miracles #53 up 9 from #62
4th week:^DADDY'S HOME - Jermaine Jackson #41 up 13 from #54
5th week: ^SILLY WASN'T I - Valerie Simpson #81 up 3 from #84
off: none
______________

A very good week for:
The Jones'

ME AND MRS. JONES is still in the Top 10 after being the last #1 of '72 , and the biggest debut on the Top 40 is LOVE JONES at #37. The Brighter Side Of Darkness are 3 high school chums from Chicago with an added 12 year-old, Darryl Lamont, to supply the Michael Jackson-like ending to this schoolyard tale:



The group has caused problems during a trip to LA for a SOUL TRAIN appearance and they won't regain their footing, recording only one album with their displeased 20th Century label.

Billy Paul's [born Paul Williams] overnight success was twenty years in the making, Paul's first records were released in 1952 on Jubilee. Paul, a Philadelphia native, is right at home in the hands of Gamble and Huff and their various labels since 1968. Paul tailored MRS JONES into a jazzy sound that suited him.



'Jones' addictive theme has brought both acts their biggest successes but also leaves each as largely one hit wonders. Paul will scratch the Top 40 one more time in a couple of years with THANKS FOR SAVING MY LIFE.

Paul, a long time friend of Marvin Gaye, cites various female singers and Billie Holiday specifically as his biggest stylizing influence so he likely is pleased by Motown's current ambitious film and album project dedicated to Holiday.