Casey Kasem – CountUp

Hello again retro music fans. Every Friday I post the Top 5 of one of my classic hit music charts based on personal preference and influenced by radio airplay from either 15, 25, 30, or 35 years ago this weekend (rotating each week).

It’s the 5TH Friday of the month, so it’s a special, as I go back 45 years ago. Here it is – for the week ending Sunday July 31ST 1977:

“I Just Want To Be Your Everything” – Andy Gibb
“I’m In You” – Peter Frampton
“Looks Like We Made It” – Barry Manilow
“My Heart Belongs To Me” – Barbra Streisand
“Da Doo Ron Ron” – Shaun Cassidy

OK so that’s not my chart from 45 years ago. That’s from the Billboard Hot 100, and Casey Kasem counted them down from coast to coast and around the world on great radio stations during the final half-hour of “American Top 40” that weekend. Back then I was a huge fan of Casey, “AT-40 From Hollywood”, and Billboard Magazine. I was 10-years-old and enjoying the summer before my 5TH grade at Magnolia Elementary School in Lanham Maryland – embedded within my neighborhood at the time. I wanted to be a Top 40 deejay when I grew up, so I studied from the best – Casey Kasem.

1 of those Top 5 songs above is currently in heavy rotation on my iPod Shuffles that play at my desk at my workplace, and that would be #Frampton with his power rock ballad “I’m In You”.

Further down the chart I also have these songs on my iPod Shuffles – “Best Of My Love” – The Emotions (# 6), “Do You Wanna Make Love” – Peter McCann (# 7), “(Your Love Has Lifted Me) Higher And Higher” – Rita Coolidge (# 9), “You And Me” – Alice Cooper (# 11), “Knowing Me, Knowing You” – ABBA (# 14), “Undercover Angel” – Alan O’Day (# 15), “Give A Little Bit” – Supertramp (# 25), “Telephone Line” – Electric Light Orchestra (# 26), and “On And On” – Steven Bishop (# 32).

Now there’s one song that was climbing the Top 40 that weekend that I don’t currently own, but I want, as it’s a great track. It’ll fit perfectly within my daily playlist at work. That song is “Smoke From A Distant Fire” – The Sanford Townsend Band (# 29). I just bought it on iTunes.

1977 was a great year of pop, rock, and YES – even disco music. It was the soundtrack of some fun times with my friends in the Boy Scouts.

Next #RetroFriday I’ll go back 15 years ago to the start of August 2007. It’s when Hawk Nelson sang about suicide in a track titled “Zero”.

It’s halftime my friends. I’ll be back on Sunday and Monday with 2 more blog posts for this weekend. Enjoy your Saturday. Thanks for going retro with me !

I grew up on TOP 40 music in the Greater Washington D.C. area during the entire wild and crazy decade that was the 1970s and into the early portion of the 1980s. I listened to such great radio stations as WWDC-AM (1260), WASH-FM (97.1), WPGC (95.5) , WRQX (107.3), and WAVA (105.1).

Years and years of Sunday mornings were spent sitting right next to my transistor radio – listening intently to every single word that Casey Kasem uttered and every single lyric of every single song that he led in to and out of on the original “American Top 40” radio show.

Disco music took over and totally dominated the radio airwaves for a good solid three years starting in 1976, and this preteen kid at the time was caught right in the middle of that revolution. It totally defined our culture of the time.

31 years ago this weekend in July of 1978 this song was making its rapid ascent up Casey Kasem’s “American Top 40” countdown. It would eventually reach # 8 and become Barry Manilow’s 5TH gold pop smash in less than 4 years. This – my groovy middle-aged friends – is the “Copacabana” – and it’s the highlight of my ‘Friday Night Disco Party’ tonight !