Diana's "Baby It's Me".....

[skooldem1]

I had no idea that "I'm getting ready" was released as a single and that it was a "hit" .

[reese]

I had no idea that "I'm getting ready" was released as a single and that it was a "hit" .

I didn't know how it had done on the charts until fairly recently. But I remember the song getting quite a bit of airplay when it came out. Not long before it was released, I had seen Diana in her AN EVENING WITH... show, and was anticipating the new album. When I heard GETTIN' READY FOR LOVE on the radio, I immediately went and bought the whole album. As my allowance was only $5 as month, I had to be choosy with my purchases. :-) But I wasn't disappointed.

[marv2]

If I see that it was on the Billboard charts, that means it was a national hit. A regional hit means that it was not popular anywhere else except in small areas of the country.

That's what I meant. Thanks.

[Jimi LaLumia]

as was probably pointed out here somewhere, "Getting Ready For Love" peaked at #27 as a single on the Billboard Hot 100, a mid sized hit, in the same chart zip code as "The Composer" or "Forever Came Today" as an example.. I don't remember MusicRadio 77 WABC NY AM playing it at all, which is a shame..but then I'm also surprised that they didn't play "Floy Joy" which went much higher nationally..

[soulster]

Regional hits can help a record at least show up on Billboard..

Yeah, but that single got into the top 20, at least on the soul chart. Regional hits usually don't make it that high up the charts. You guys should be happy it made it that high. The top 20, or even top 30 was very respectable in those days. It may not have been up to Ross's standard, but it's still respectable.

[soulster]

I had no idea that "I'm getting ready" was released as a single and that it was a "hit" .

Here's a picture of the U.S. 45:

[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.

[soulster]

Cool chart-riding history, Glen!

[Jimi LaLumia]

I actually own the expensive [[100 bucks each) full size, hard bound Record Research books of the entire week by week Billboard Hot 100 charts for the 50's, 60's, 70's, and 80's, so I went and looked at this journey you described for the single before I posted my #27 post.. good, thorough job.. I get lost in those books for hours at a time..

[Bokiluis]

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.

Great chart analysis!

I think it should also be noted that Adult Contemporary airplay drove single and album sales. The more than respectable #18 on the album chart was supported by two Top 10 A/C singles. "Getting' Ready for Love" peaked at #8 A/C and "You Got It" peaked at #9. "Your Love is So Good for Me" made it to the Top 15 on the then just developing dance charts. Dance Radio stations hit their stride around 1978-79. Most major cities had at least one dance oriented station. Since these were usually heavily populated areas, it meant that more people potentially heard that song than we probably realized. Billboard Dance Club Play is usually hard to gauge its impact w/o the benefit of some dance radio stations. In the late 70s, while "Saturday Night Fever" reigned with multiple hit singles, it was dance radio that drove a lot of it. Billboard then began using Soundscan research after 1990-91. It was now much easier to correlate the impact of club play because CD5s and 12 inches sold briskly. Finally, Billboard did eventually factor in dance radio play once there were more major stations like WKTU in New York.
Adult Contemporary radio has the ability to drive sales on artists like Diana and/or the late Whitney Houston. So while "Gettiin' Ready for Love" slowed at Top 40 radio, Adult Contemporary radio had the potential to keep a record alive. T40 plus A/C play could not be dismissed on "Baby It's Me" album sales.
[[FYI, dance radio AirPlay alone tends to be more "lifestyle" than reactionary. Case in point, Whitney Houston's dance mix of "Try it on my Own" was a #1 played record on WKTU in New York, but, did not affect measurable single sales. Whitney's dance play on the "My Love is Your Love" album, dramatically changed the impact on album sales. So it is sometimes difficult to consistently sell most albums with only dance play. Whereas, Adult Contemporary play can lengthen the selling life of a record.
"Baby It's Me" had a good mixture of solid Adult Contemporary airplay, moderate Top 40 play and some dance play.

But I return to my original belief that because of Diana's ethnicity, Top 40 radio has a tough time giving a record is due. If "Baby It's Me" were recorded by Striesand or Celine Dion, it's prognosis would have been even brighter.

[soulster]

But I return to my original belief that because of Diana's ethnicity, Top 40 radio has a tough time giving a record is due. If "Baby It's Me" were recorded by Striesand or Celine Dion, it's prognosis would have been even brighter.

How do you explain Donna Summer's chart success during this time?

[Jimi LaLumia]

GREAT question... the reality is that Donna Summer was ,at that point, Top 40's version of what Diana Ross had been earlier in the decade,.... the wheel turns at Top 40 and time marches on, especially as Top 40 is always aimed at the young..

[marv2]

How do you explain Donna Summer's chart success during this time?

Exactly! There were other African American female artists having hits in 1977 like Natalie Cole, the Emotions, Thelma Houston, Marilyn McCoo [[with Billy Davis), Deneice Williams, etc.

[marv2]

GREAT question... the reality is that Donna Summer was ,at that point, Top 40's version of what Diana Ross had been earlier in the decade,.... the wheel turns at Top 40 and time marches on, especially as Top 40 is always aimed at the young..

That is true on several points. However, some of the women I cite in my last post were clearly in the same age rage as Diana Ross. I don't think we could use age or ethnicity as reasons for Ross' records not charting higher during that time.

[Glenpwood]

Hi Jimi,

I have all those books too and they are a very essential tool to putting things back in their historical context. There are a lot of variables to look at so you can spend days exploring various angles.

Getting Ready For Love really is an AC based product which is why it did so well there and not so much at Top 40 which was really getting more and more uptempo/Disco in those final weeks of 1977. Saturday Night Fever was beginning to explode so softer leaning songs were having a harder time making headway at Top 40. A lot of similar quality songs that year like "Sam" by Olivia Newton John and "All You Get Is A Love Song" by The Carpenters were huge AC smashes but only charted in the 20's and 30's. I did notice when looking at the radio section last night for "Getting Ready" that at the same time The Carpenters sharp left turn single "Calling Occupants On Interplantery Craft" was listed over and over as breaking out in different markets but charted even worse than GRFL did, stalling in the 30's. The only core AC act that kept going Top 10 on the Hot 100 consistently during that era was Barry Manilow. Again, it's a theory we can slice and dice a hundred different ways. Perhaps if they gone first with "Your Love Is So Good For Me" things might have been different but perhaps Berry thought a softer song sounded better during the Holiday/Winter months.

[skooldem1]

Lets not lose sight of the fact that this single DID chart. It did well, so I don't understand the "race" thing. It should also be noted, that maybe with the exception of Donna Summer, Diana Ross had more hit singles than all those listed. Race wasn't a factor when she hit number one 6 times. Some records just do better than others.

[ejluther]

I thought the point was perhaps it was harder at the time for a woman of color to have a hit in something other than dance/disco/pop - "Baby It's Me" is solidly in the Adult Contemporary/Pop/Jazz category while someone like Donna Summer was still very much dance and disco oriented...

[Glenpwood]

Don't forget that the only ballad Donna Summer released around this period was "Cant We Just Sit Down & Talk It Over" which was a moderate R&B hit like GRFL but totally stiffed on the Pop side. Top 40 DJ's flipped the record and made "I Feel Love" the hit....

[marybrewster]

As I mentioned way above, I have always considered "Gettin' Ready For Love" to have more of a jazz feel, similar to Natalie Cole's "Mr. Melody".

Interestingly, "Mr. Melody" was taken from Natalie's LP "Natalie", which also includes a cover of "Good Morning Heartache".

[RossHolloway]

Did Diana ever perform the song on television during this time frame?

[marybrewster]

Did Diana ever perform the song on television during this time frame?

According to JRT, "RGFL" was perfromed during her HBO concert [[was this around 1980?), but was later edited out.

[reese]

Did Diana ever perform the song on television during this time frame?

During the 1978 Barbara Walters special, a brief snippet was shown of her performing it during her Universal Ampitheatre concert. But I don't remember any tv performances of the BABY IT'S ME material during its release.

[reese]

According to JRT, "RGFL" was perfromed during her HBO concert [[was this around 1980?), but was later edited out.

Makes sense. The HBO concert was filmed in September 1979. I think it began airing early in 1980. GRFL stayed in the act until at least 1980. I used to have a tape of her 1980 Circle Star Theatre concert, and she performed it right after TOO SHY TO SAY.

[Motown Andy]

Hello everyone, so glad everyone is excited about Baby It's Me, what a great thread. No release date yet, but it is still in the works. As for Gettin' Ready For Love, yes, Diana did perform it during the recording of the HBO special, but it was cut out of the aired video. She does it really fast, but really well. Hope we can get it into the hands of the fans soon.

[skooldem1]

Oh Andy. You have opened up a can of worms. How/where did you see this? Is it in the vaults? Do you have access to the video vaults now? I noticed that when she sang "home" she said something about "my SONGS from the Wiz". Did she sing more than one song from the Wiz?

[RossHolloway]

So I imagine that if Diana had performed the song a few times on tv: American Bandstand, J. Carson, Soul Train...the song may have cracked the top 10 on the pop and r&b charts. Sounds to me like there wasn't too much promotion put behind the song - outside of maybe some print ads..

[marv2]

So I imagine that if Diana had performed the song a few times on tv: American Bandstand, J. Carson, Soul Train...the song may have cracked the top 10 on the pop and r&b charts. Sounds to me like there wasn't too much promotion put behind the song - outside of maybe some print ads..

Very little. It was like one day it was on the radio out of the blue.

[soulster]

Exactly! There were other African American female artists having hits in 1977 like Natalie Cole, the Emotions, Thelma Houston, Marilyn McCoo [[with Billy Davis), Deneice Williams, etc.

It was a great time for Black artists.

[soulster]

I thought the point was perhaps it was harder at the time for a woman of color to have a hit in something other than dance/disco/pop - "Baby It's Me" is solidly in the Adult Contemporary/Pop/Jazz category while someone like Donna Summer was still very much dance and disco oriented...

BIM is a solid pop album with a little funk thrown in. The race angle still doesn't hold water because of Natalie Cole. She was doing the exact, same type of album as BIM, and her "Thankful" and "Unpredictable" albums both outsold Ross that year. Face it: we like BIM, but it just didn't do that well commercially.

[soulster]

So I imagine that if Diana had performed the song a few times on tv: American Bandstand, J. Carson, Soul Train...the song may have cracked the top 10 on the pop and r&b charts. Sounds to me like there wasn't too much promotion put behind the song - outside of maybe some print ads..

Yup. Promotion, or the lack of promotion can make all the difference in the world. But, in this case, I distinctly remember hearing it played on American Bandstand during late 1977/early 1978.

[marv2]

It was a great time for Black artists.

....and it was heaven for Black Music lovers. I bought so many albums during that period, I lost count.

[marv2]

Yup. Promotion, or the lack of promotion can make all the difference in the world. But, in this case, I distinctly remember hearing it played on American Bandstand during late 1977/early 1978.

I just remember it being on the radio in morning getting ready for school and evenings during the great Blizzard of '78! LOL!

[smark21]

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.

I like the point you make about “As” enduring as a well known song despite not being a huge hit during its initial release.

Question: What songs were above Getting Ready for Love the week it reached its chart peak? I wonder how many are classics of some sort and how many are pretty much forgotten.

I like Getting Ready for Love, but I can see why it wasn’t a smash. But Baby It’s Me is an excellent album—good set of songs, cohesive production and fine performances by Diana Ross.

[smark21]

Yup. Promotion, or the lack of promotion can make all the difference in the world. But, in this case, I distinctly remember hearing it played on American Bandstand during late 1977/early 1978.

And sometimes all the promotion in the world can’t force the public to turn out in droves to buy an album.

[marv2]

I like the point you make about “As” enduring as a well known song despite not being a huge hit during its initial release.

Question: What songs were above Getting Ready for Love the week it reached its chart peak? I wonder how many are classics of some sort and how many are pretty much forgotten.

I like Getting Ready for Love, but I can see why it wasn’t a smash. But Baby It’s Me is an excellent album—good set of songs, cohesive production and fine performances by Diana Ross.

It is a bit strange [[but in a good way), that there was an abundance of music released in 1977-78 that are now considered classics from artists as diverse as Chuck Mangione to the O'Jays, to the Bee Gees. If you get the chance, just browse through the charts from roughly Aug. 1977 through July 1978.......whew!!!

[ejluther]

Face it: we like BIM, but it just didn't do that well commercially.

Duly noted and faced! Perhaps the deluxe release will get it some overdue appreciation...

[jobeterob]

Commercially, BIM was no Diana Ross 1976, Diana 1980, or Lady Sings the Blues. But it may have been as successful as The Boss ~ chartwise it was, but it has never been recognized as that successful for some reason.

But as time moves along things change; for example, The Wiz was regarded as a fairly catastrophic Dianafailure in 1978 and now it's her most popular movie, constantly being repeated, reissued and often in the Top 100 on some of the DVD charts.

I can't quite see that happening for BIM ~ but commercial and critical success are often different.

[thommg]

Oh, heck. I might as well throw in my two cents on Baby It's Me. I always felt it was one of Diana's more cohesive, adult records. Richard Perry did a great job providing her with arrangements that really suited her style and voice. Of the solo years, I think only Ashford and Simpson did better in really showcasing Diana. That being said, I this Getting Ready For Love was too slick for a single release. It seems great for the opening number of her act or as an album track but not so much for radio. The lyrics run by too fast to really get them and I always feel that the first thing about a single should be the ability to sing along while driving in the car. [[Oops, I think my 1960s are showing!). For my money, the killer track on the cd [[filled with many killer tracks) was The Same Love That Made Me Laugh. I think Diana just shines on that song.

[Glenpwood]

Ok, the 28 Songs above GRFL the two weeks it peaked at #27 were....

How Deep Is Your Love - Bee Gees
Baby Come Back - Player
Blue Bayou - Linda Ronstadt
Back In Love Again - L.T.D.
Here You Come Again - Dolly Parton
You Light Up My Life - Debby Boone
Slip Slidin' Away - Paul Simon
Sentimental Lady - Bob Welch
You're In My Heart - Rod Stewart
Hey Deanie - Shaun Cassidy
Come Sail Away - Styx
You Can't Turn Me Off - High Inergy
We Are The Champions - Queen
Runaround Sue - Leif Garrett
It's So Easy - Linda Ronstadt
Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue - Crystal Gayle
Short People - Randy Newman
Just The Way You Are - Billy Joel
Serpentine Fire - Earh Wind & Fire
Turn To Stone - ELO
I Go Crazy - Paul Davis
My way - Elvis Presley
Love Is Thicker Than Water -Andy Gibb
The Way I Feel Tonight - Bay City Rollers
Sometimes When We Touch - Dan Hill
Dance Dance dance Yousah Tousah - Chic
Desiree - Neil Diamond
Stayin' Alive - Bee Gees

Bonus: The albums above Baby It's Me the two weeks it peaked at #18

Linda Ronstadt - Simple Dreams
Fleetwood Mac - Rumours
Steely Dan - Aja
Commodores - Live
Rod Stewart - Footloose & Fancy Free
Lynyrd Skynyrd - Street Survivors
Kansas - Point Of No Return
Debby Boone - You Light Up My Life
Rose Royce - In Full Bloom
Steve Martin - Lets Get Small
Santana - Moonflower
ELO - Out Of the Blue
Barry White - Songs For Someone You Love
Crystal Gayle - We Must Believe in Magic
Kiss - Alive II
Foreigner - Foreigner
Elvis Presley - Elvis In Concert
Earth Wind & Fire - All N All
Queen - News Of The World
Bob Welch - News Of The World

Bonus Bonus: The albums that surged ahead of Baby in the Xmas rush the week it fell from its peak to #26

Boz Scaggs - Down Two Then Left
Olivia Newton John - Greatest Hits
Billy Joel - The Stranger
Neil Diamond - I'm Glad Your Here With Me Tonight
Shaun Cassidy - Born Late
Elton John - Greatest Hits Volume Two
Styx - Grand Illusion
Randy Newman - Little Criminals
Beatles - Love Songs

Definetely shows how competitive the LP market was that holiday season.....

[marv2]

Ok, the 28 Songs above GRFL the two weeks it peaked at #27 were....

How Deep Is Your Love - Bee Gees
Baby Come Back - Player
Blue Bayou - Linda Ronstadt
Back In Love Again - L.T.D.
Here You Come Again - Dolly Parton
You Light Up My Life - Debby Boone
Slip Slidin' Away - Paul Simon
Sentimental Lady - Bob Welch
You're In My Heart - Rod Stewart
Hey Deanie - Shaun Cassidy
Come Sail Away - Styx
You Can't Turn Me Off - High Inergy
We Are The Champions - Queen
Runaround Sue - Leif Garrett
It's So Easy - Linda Ronstadt
Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue - Crystal Gayle
Short People - Randy Newman
Just The Way You Are - Billy Joel
Serpentine Fire - Earh Wind & Fire
Turn To Stone - ELO
I Go Crazy - Paul Davis
My way - Elvis Presley
Love Is Thicker Than Water -Andy Gibb
The Way I Feel Tonight - Bay City Rollers
Sometimes When We Touch - Dan Hill
Dance Dance dance Yousah Tousah - Chic
Desiree - Neil Diamond
Stayin' Alive - Bee Gees

Bonus: The albums above Baby It's Me the two weeks it peaked at #18

Linda Ronstadt - Simple Dreams
Fleetwood Mac - Rumours
Steely Dan - Aja
Commodores - Live
Rod Stewart - Footloose & Fancy Free
Lynyrd Skynyrd - Street Survivors
Kansas - Point Of No Return
Debby Boone - You Light Up My Life
Rose Royce - In Full Bloom
Steve Martin - Lets Get Small
Santana - Moonflower
ELO - Out Of the Blue
Barry White - Songs For Someone You Love
Crystal Gayle - We Must Believe in Magic
Kiss - Alive II
Foreigner - Foreigner
Elvis Presley - Elvis In Concert
Earth Wind & Fire - All N All
Queen - News Of The World
Bob Welch - News Of The World

Bonus Bonus: The albums that surged ahead of Baby in the Xmas rush the week it fell from its peak to #26

Boz Scaggs - Down Two Then Left
Olivia Newton John - Greatest Hits
Billy Joel - The Stranger
Neil Diamond - I'm Glad Your Here With Me Tonight
Shaun Cassidy - Born Late
Elton John - Greatest Hits Volume Two
Styx - Grand Illusion
Randy Newman - Little Criminals
Beatles - Love Songs

Definetely shows how competitive the LP market was that holiday season.....

It also shows that I was right and my memory hasn't failed me yet! LOL! The 28 songs listed that came in above "I'm Getting Ready for Love" are all pretty much considered "classics" now [[with the exception of perhaps Hey Deanie - Shaun Cassidy). There was truly a lot great music being released at that time which indeed make things a lot more competitive than today.

[Glenpwood]

The only ones on the singles list I would say are truly lost to time [[and oldies radio) are the singles from Shawn Cassidy, Bay City Rollers, and Leif Garrett and that has more to do with their association with being teen heartthrob acts than anything else. Debby Boone's hit lives on more by reputation for being the longest running Number One singles of the 1970's than airplay since it doesn't test well at all since it got burned out by programmers back then so you never hear it. I have heard the Bob Welch and High Inergy often on Sirus XM as pop lost oldies but not on regular radio. The Randy Newman single is now considered too un-PC these days to get rotated much. The ELO, Neil Diamond, & Earth Wind & Fire singles are the equivalent of "Nothing But Heartaches" or "LILAIIMH" in their artists catalogs. Great songs but get passed over by radio to rotate the bigger hits they had like "Strange Magic," "Sweet Caroline," or "Shining Star" since those have higher familiarity test scores. That same argument can be made for GRFL that it gets passed up to play "Touch Me In The Morning" or "Upside Down" instead.

[marv2]

My point is that most people that were around during that time would immediately recognize 90% of the songs on that list today! Hardly any of them are played on commercial radio in the New York City Metro today. Commercial radio here is probably the absolute worst!

Here is a great station that tries to emulate the legendary CKLW [[the broadcast from the old studios of the Big 8!) If you want to hear some good variety of classic oldies, check them out:

http://www.am580radio.com/

[soulster]

Ok, the 28 Songs above GRFL the two weeks it peaked at #27 were....

How Deep Is Your Love - Bee Gees
Baby Come Back - Player
Blue Bayou - Linda Ronstadt
Back In Love Again - L.T.D.
Here You Come Again - Dolly Parton
You Light Up My Life - Debby Boone
Slip Slidin' Away - Paul Simon
Sentimental Lady - Bob Welch
You're In My Heart - Rod Stewart
Hey Deanie - Shaun Cassidy
Come Sail Away - Styx
You Can't Turn Me Off - High Inergy
We Are The Champions - Queen
Runaround Sue - Leif Garrett
It's So Easy - Linda Ronstadt
Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue - Crystal Gayle
Short People - Randy Newman
Just The Way You Are - Billy Joel
Serpentine Fire - Earh Wind & Fire
Turn To Stone - ELO
I Go Crazy - Paul Davis
My way - Elvis Presley
Love Is Thicker Than Water -Andy Gibb
The Way I Feel Tonight - Bay City Rollers
Sometimes When We Touch - Dan Hill
Dance Dance dance Yousah Tousah - Chic
Desiree - Neil Diamond
Stayin' Alive - Bee Gees

Bonus: The albums above Baby It's Me the two weeks it peaked at #18

Linda Ronstadt - Simple Dreams
Fleetwood Mac - Rumours
Steely Dan - Aja
Commodores - Live
Rod Stewart - Footloose & Fancy Free
Lynyrd Skynyrd - Street Survivors
Kansas - Point Of No Return
Debby Boone - You Light Up My Life
Rose Royce - In Full Bloom
Steve Martin - Lets Get Small
Santana - Moonflower
ELO - Out Of the Blue
Barry White - Songs For Someone You Love
Crystal Gayle - We Must Believe in Magic
Kiss - Alive II
Foreigner - Foreigner
Elvis Presley - Elvis In Concert
Earth Wind & Fire - All N All
Queen - News Of The World
Bob Welch - News Of The World

Bonus Bonus: The albums that surged ahead of Baby in the Xmas rush the week it fell from its peak to #26

Boz Scaggs - Down Two Then Left
Olivia Newton John - Greatest Hits
Billy Joel - The Stranger
Neil Diamond - I'm Glad Your Here With Me Tonight
Shaun Cassidy - Born Late
Elton John - Greatest Hits Volume Two
Styx - Grand Illusion
Randy Newman - Little Criminals
Beatles - Love Songs

Definetely shows how competitive the LP market was that holiday season.....

Hah! I have every one of those singles and most of those albums!

[Jimi LaLumia]

Hah! I have every one of those singles and most of those albums!

I think I have ALL of those singles,too, from back in the day when we collected 45 rpms, big time!!

[marv2]

I think I have ALL of those singles,too, from back in the day when we collected 45 rpms, big time!!

Like I said they are all classics now. Back then we could listen to the radio for hours because there was so much good music out there.

[smark21]

Thanks Glenpwood. There are a lot of sappy songs and cheesy songs on that chart. Perhaps Too Shy to Say should have been the single? It’s not cheesy, but the sentiments in the lyrics are certainly syrupy enough. And certainly during this particular week there wasn’t much of a Black woman presence on the pop charts.

[Glenpwood]

The curse of "Come In From The Rain"?

Another oddity I never realized until this weekend even though I've owned all three CD's for years. "Come In From The Rain" was on three different albums that all topped out a virtually the same position on The Billboard LP's chart. "Come In From The Rain" was originally released by it's author Melissa Manchester on her 1976 LP "Better Days & Happy Endings" which topped out at #24. Here's where it gets interesting. The next April the Captain & Tennille make it the title track of their third A&M disc which topped out at #18 with the single faring worse, stalling at #61 on the Hot 100. A poor showing after two years of big hits and it was a follow up to a top 20 single, "Can't Stop Dancin.'" That fall Diana records her version of it for Baby It's Me and as we know that LP stalled at #18 as well. In 1982 Melissa revisited the song with a bolder new version for her "Hey Ricky" LP and it gets released as a follow up to "You Should Hear How She Talks Abot You" but misses the Hot 100. The LP itself almost equals Baby It's Me & the C&T's showings peaking one position lower at #19.

The simililarities of all three albums boasting one top 40 hit single and peaking virtually the same amused me so I thought I'd share....

[Jaap]

Hi all,

After being away from this forum for several years, it is nice to come back and see so many interesting discussions going on… so hello again!

On the topic of Baby It’s Me, it surprised me to see that on a 1978 episode of The Muppet Show, with special guest Raquel Welch, Welch sang two songs of the Baby It’s Me album: the title track Baby It’s Me [[first section of the show) and Confide In Me [[second section of the show). Does anybody has more information about this?

Clip One, Baby It’s Me starts at 2:37
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58OI7iwFGNw

Clip Two, Confide In Me starts at 5:44
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFHKEuSp59s

cheers,

Jaap
Amsterdam

[reese]

Hi all,

After being away from this forum for several years, it is nice to come back and see so many interesting discussions going on… so hello again!

On the topic of Baby It’s Me, it surprised me to see that on a 1978 episode of The Muppet Show, with special guest Raquel Welch, Welch sang two songs of the Baby It’s Me album: the title track Baby It’s Me [[first section of the show) and Confide In Me [[second section of the show). Does anybody has more information about this?

Clip One, Baby It’s Me starts at 2:37
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58OI7iwFGNw

Clip Two, Confide In Me starts at 5:44
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFHKEuSp59s

cheers,

Jaap
Amsterdam

No further info on my part. But I do remember seeing that Muppets episode and thinking that Raquel must have really liked the BABY IT'S ME album. I think she might have performed songs from it on another tv show as well.

[carlo]

I remember seeing that episode of the Muppets as well and always wondered the same thing...