TRACING POPULAR TASTES : US #1 SINGLES LEADERBOARD.  

This post: 1955-92. More: tomorrow.

Caffè Lattè traces the shifts in popular music through the decades…

-THE LEADERBOARD-

The Rock Era is said to have begun in 1955 when “Rock Around The Clock” became the first rock ‘n’ roll disc to reach #1 on Billboard’s Singles Chart. Since then, pop music has spawned countless sub-genres, including: new wave, disco, Merseybeat, garage, hip hop, punk, grunge, funk, psychedelic soul, folk rock and Motown.

This series charts the changes in trends and how they have impacted the chart statistics from the American perspective. Every single that reached #1 in the U.S.A. since mid- 1955 to the present is taken into account. Acts are ranked according to how many chart-topping songs they have achieved and separated by number of weeks spent in the top position.

The Beatles moved into the top of this leaderboard in 1970 and have remained in front ever since. No other act has accumulated as many No. 1 singles. There has been much change in the lower ranks over subsequent decades.

The new decade saw new names appear among the chart champs with a resurgence for Madonna, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, George Michael.

 

PART ELEVEN

July 1955-1992

1.    THE BEATLES                                  20      59

2.    ELVIS PRESLEY                               17      77

3.    MICHAEL JACKSON*                      12      36

4.    THE SUPREMES                               12      22

5.    WHITNEY HOUSTON                       10      30                       

6.    MADONNA                                        10      21

7.    THE BEE GEES                                 9      27

8.    PAUL McCARTNEY                          8      25

9.    GEORGE MICHAEL                         8      18     

10.THE ROLLING STONES                   8      17

11.STEVIE WONDER*                           7      17

12.ELTON JOHN*                                  7      16     

13.PHIL COLLINS                                 7      15

14.DIANA ROSS*                                   6      20

15.MARIAH CAREY                              6      16

THE TIME CAPSULE: I SECOND THAT EMOTION. More retro tomorrow.

<<<THE T⏳ME CAPSULE<<<

I SECOND THAT EMOTION

Smokey Robinson & The Miracles

1967

U.K. - #27; U.S.A. - #4

Trivia:

A humorous reply from Al Cleveland while he accompanied Smokey Robinson who was buying pearls for his wife Claudette, inspired the 2 writers to come up with "I Second That Emotion". The former meant to say "I second that motion", but the error sounded like a great idea for a song. Robinson recorded it with his group The Miracles. In Britain, the 1969 remake by Diana Ross & The Supremes with The Temptations charted higher, peaking at #18.

Check out all the songs that have been featured in this daily segment on Spotify, including today’s retro track.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1fw40hqEA0Fgh4cq4yoXD0?si=BYCiWGK3QRim_FaIIkAIdg

spotify:playlist:1fw40hqEA0Fgh4cq4yoXD0

BURT BACHARACH 100 ESSENTIAL SONGS. . This post: #5. Continues: tomorrow.

Caffè Lattè presents:

THE 100 MOST ESSENTIAL SONGS CO/WRITTEN BY

BURT

BACHARACH

Burt Bacharach has had a major impact on popular music with a catalogue spanning many decades. His songbook boasts some of the most elegant and unforgettable songs of all time. His compositions have been recorded by a vast array of acts ranging from The Beatles, Barbra Streisand, Aretha Franklin, Elton John, Luther Vandross, Diana Ross & The Supremes, Elvis Costello, Tom Jones and Carpenters. He is best remembered for his collaborations with Hal David that were brought to life with Dionne Warwick’s vocal skills.

Burt Bacharach died in his home in February 2023. He was 94 years old. This special countdown pays tribute to Bacharach’s immense talent and impressive legacy, celebrating 100 of his best compositions…

 

🎶

♭5♭

THIS GUY’S IN LOVE WITH YOU

Herb Alpert (1968)

Herb Alpert had achieved fame as the leader of The Tijuana Brass. All of the group’s hits were instrumentals. He rarely sang lead vocals. In 1968, Alpert starred in his own TV special on CBS. When it was decided that he sing a song to his (then) wife Sharon, more than 50 were considered. Alpert selected “This Guy’s In Love With You”, written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David.

The day after the television special was telecast, thousands of calls were made asking CBS where the song could be purchased. A single was released the next day.

Issued on A&M, the label owned by Alpert and Jerry Moss, the disc flew up the charts. It became the singer’s first chart-topper. The single was also the first US #1 for the label and the songwriters. As well as reaching #1 in Canada and Australia, the song peaked at #3 in Britain.

Over subsequent decades, the song has been covered by a wide range of singers, including female interpretations which have borne the title “This Girl’s In Love With You”.

Follow the countdown on Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1nYjYdZQeXUUOLLnkehRj7?si=132a524084ae466f&pt=b46ae886558caeaeb131e7d76b44e203

 

TRACING POPULAR TASTES : US #1 SINGLES LEADERBOARD.  

This post: 1955-89. More: tomorrow.

Caffè Lattè traces the shifts in popular music through the decades…

-THE LEADERBOARD-

The Rock Era is said to have begun in 1955 when “Rock Around The Clock” became the first rock ‘n’ roll disc to reach #1 on Billboard’s Singles Chart. Since then, pop music has spawned countless sub-genres, including: new wave, disco, Merseybeat, garage, hip hop, punk, grunge, funk, psychedelic soul, folk rock and Motown.

This series charts the changes in trends and how they have impacted the chart statistics from the American perspective. Every single that reached #1 in the U.S.A. since mid- 1955 to the present is taken into account. Acts are ranked according to how many chart-topping songs they have achieved and separated by number of weeks spent in the top position.

The Beatles moved into the top of this leaderboard in 1970 and have remained in front ever since. No other act has accumulated as many No. 1 singles. There has been much change in the lower ranks over subsequent decades.

As the 1980s came to an end, acts such as Madonna, Phil Collins and Prince continued accruing more number one singles.

 

PART TEN

July 1955-1989

1.    THE BEATLES                                  20      59

2.    ELVIS PRESLEY                               17      77

3.    THE SUPREMES                               12      22

4.    MICHAEL JACKSON*                     11      29

5.    THE BEE GEES                                  9      27

6.    PAUL McCARTNEY                           8      25

7.    THE ROLLING STONES                   8      17

8.    STEVIE WONDER*                            7      17

9.    MADONNA                                           7      15

10.PHIL COLLINS                                   7      15

11.WHITNEY HOUSTON                       7      13                       

12.DIANA ROSS*                                     6      20

13.GEORGE MICHAEL                         6      16     

14.HALL & OATES                                  6      14     

15.LIONEL RICHIE                                5      21

 

THE TIME CAPSULE: ADIA. More retro tomorrow.

<<<THE T⏳ME CAPSULE<<<

ADIA

Sarah McLachlan

1998

U.K. - #18; U.S.A. - #3

Trivia:

Canadian artist Sarah McLachlan co-wrote "Adia" with producer Pierre Marchand. The single also peaked at #3 in her homeland.

Check out all the songs that have been featured in this daily segment on Spotify, including today’s retro track.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1fw40hqEA0Fgh4cq4yoXD0?si=BYCiWGK3QRim_FaIIkAIdg

Caffè Lattè presents:

 THE

 SPOTIFY

PLAYLISTS

Each weekend, Caffè Lattè compiles the best new music, some retro & an hour of The Black Roots: R&B / Soul.

 

This week:

NEW RITA ORA, RICK SPRINGFIELD, EMELI SANDÉ, THE CAT EMPIRE, IDINA MENZEL & NILE RODGERS, OMAR APOLLO, MARCIA HINES, GENESIS OWUSU and more!

Retro from Pet Shop Boys and others

plus R&B/ Soul gems from

Dionne Warwick, Rufus & Chaka Khan, James Brown, Kool & The Gang, Sharon Jones, Earth Wind & Fire, Eddie Kendricks & more!

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5JbhybL9N54eFPUgGbQBhY?si=c403874391734464&pt=ec9b6a59243b763ddb5bcfc5c3d42cbc

‘Caffè Lattè Aug.27^th, 2023’

BURT BACHARACH 100 ESSENTIAL SONGS. . This post: #6. Continues: tomorrow.

Caffè Lattè presents:

THE 100 MOST ESSENTIAL SONGS CO/WRITTEN BY

BURT

BACHARACH

Burt Bacharach has had a major impact on popular music with a catalogue spanning many decades. His songbook boasts some of the most elegant and unforgettable songs of all time. His compositions have been recorded by a vast array of acts ranging from The Beatles, Barbra Streisand, Aretha Franklin, Elton John, Luther Vandross, Diana Ross & The Supremes, Elvis Costello, Tom Jones and Carpenters. He is best remembered for his collaborations with Hal David that were brought to life with Dionne Warwick’s vocal skills.

Burt Bacharach died in his home in February 2023. He was 94 years old. This special countdown pays tribute to Bacharach’s immense talent and impressive legacy, celebrating 100 of his best compositions…

 

🎶

♭6♭

(THERE’S)

ALWAYS SOMETHING THERE TO REMIND ME

Sandie Shaw (1964)

The arrival of The Beatles in the early 1960s changed the pop music landscape forever. Until then, American artists dominated. The Fab Four abruptly shifted the focus to Britain. Their success ushered in an unprecedented embrace of sounds from Liverpool and other parts of the United Kingdom. One of the main beneficiaries was Sandie Shaw. After her first single flopped, she covered the Bacharach- David composition “(There’s) Always Something There To Remind Me”. The single enjoyed 3 weeks at #1 in Britain. While it failed to make a major impact in America, her remake was the hit in Europe and Australia. The single made her a star. Shaw went on to bring the UK its first Eurovision Song Contest win in 1967 with “Puppet On A String”.

“(There’s) Always Something There To Remind Me” has been recorded by other acts, including Dionne Warwick, R.B. Greaves, Tin Tin Out and Naked Eyes. The latter’s version reached the Top 10 in America, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

Follow the countdown on Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1nYjYdZQeXUUOLLnkehRj7?si=132a524084ae466f&pt=b46ae886558caeaeb131e7d76b44e203