Billboard American Top 40 Fifty Years Ago [[1971) / Sundays Radio Countdown - Listen:

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Chart #10
March 6, 1971

Superb week for Motown: Two songs in the Top 5, Five songs in the Top 40 [[one new one in, one out) with a debut entry in the Top 30. A Jobette licensed song also debuts by a non- Motown artist. A wild week overall with seven new records earning Top 40 status. Three strong Top 10 entries , meaning as well, that three bow out. Returning for a fourth week at #1 are The Osmonds with ONE BAD APPLE.

The Top 10:

MAMA'S PEARL by The J5, is spending its second week at #2 trying hard to topple ONE BAD APPLE. Bypassing so many others, [[from #16 to #4), The Temptation's JUST MY IMAGINATION is suddenly another Motown contender for that #1 spot when/if it opens up. Another big move into the Top 10, Tom Jones' SHE'S A LADY with an eleven point bolt from #17 to #6. Also showing strength , The Carpenters FOR ALL WE KNOW makes a five point move into the Top 10 to #7 from #12. Any of these seem likely to make it to the top.
The three that made way: Dawn's KNOCK THREE TIMES is knocked down to #14, it was #3 last week. ROSE GARDEN also gets picked off, Lynn Anderson peaked at #3, dipped to #4, and is now at #16. Dave Edmund's hearing the latest herd, got out of the way and is now at #20 from #6 with I HEAR YOU KNOCKING.

The Top 40:

We have to go down to #29 to find Motown's next charting record, another impressive release, a debut, Marvin Gaye's WHAT'S GOING ON [[up from #59)
IF I WERE YOUR WOMAN - Gladys Knight And The Pips [[#33 down from #23)
JUST SEVEN NUMBERS [[CAN STRAIGHTEN OUT MY LIFE) - The Four Tops [[#40 second time at #40)

Biggest leap this week:

JUST MY IMAGINATION [[RUNNING AWAY WITH ME) - The Temptations from #16 to #4 an impressive 12 point gain into the Top 5.

Longest Charter:

King Floyd's GROOVE ME has now been on the Hot 100 for 20 weeks. He's spending his last week on it at #25 [[ from#18). [[When this song first entered the Hot 100, Billboard was listing the artist as Pink Floyd)

Off The Chart:
Diana Ross - REMEMBER ME peaked at #16, Ross will return to the Top 40 twice more this year, next with a Motown remake.

Good week for Brit-born Motown songwriter Pam Sawyer, who has two of her songs on the list, at #33 [[Gladys Knight) and #40 [[Four Tops). Both were co-written with Gloria Jones aka Laverne Ware.

The three LOVE STORY themes progress this week as follows:
Henry Mancini [[#13 up from #14), Andy Williams [[#24 up from #35) Francis Lai [[#31 up from #33).

New To The Top 40:

Highest Debut:
OYE COMO VA- Santana [[#26 from #53)

WHAT IS LIFE - George Harrison [[#27 from #66)
WHAT'S GOING ON - Marvin Gaye [[#29 from #49)
FREE- Chicago [[#32 from #54)
WILD WORLD - Cat Stevens [[#35 from #48)
YOU'RE ALL I NEED TO GET BY- Aretha Franklin [[#38 from #46)
BLUE MONEY - Van Morrison [[#39 from #44)

*****
What a tangled web we weave in the world of pop music. An interesting dynamic in the Top 10:

Gordon Lightfoot appears to be stalling at #5 this week with self-penned IF YOU COULD READ MY MIND. A significant debut and a respectable peak especially considering that according to Richard Perry in his new book , Warner wouldn't have released the song as the LPs third single had he not had Barbra Streisand record IYCRMM during their sessions that resulted in her recent Top 10 hit STONEY END [[which she said she couldn't do , it wasn't her).
Lightfoot's song might have pushed itself even higher had it not gotten displaced this week by the strong advancement of Janis Joplin's ME AND BOBBY McGEE [[#3 from #10). This is ironic as Gordon Lightfoot's version of that song was his last release which went nowhere in the US , but did chart in Canada peaking at #13.