Pop Music: 45 Years Ago

Its early May of 2015.
Reading the pop charts of the spring of 1970 is really unbelievable to me, having been born 6 years later, in 1976. It is a veritable list of the music of my life. It is strange to me how a single spring music playlist from the hight of the Vietnam war came to be the music that continued to be highly popular 20 years later. I know a lot about very few companies being in a position to do a good job in music promotion in the radio/performance/recording industry and the parts that Hollywood play in re-popularizing many of these songs.

When I was in elementary school, 'Good Morning, Vietnam' brought many of these songs to the forefront a few years before our country got Poppy Bush as president and started the "Decades Oil Territory War" a few mere years later.  The movie made Vietnam seem kind of fun, yet we knew the truth and saw the effects of Agent Orange on the veterans in our neighborhood. Luckily, we had Kubrick and Stone to counter the "fun" narrative in Vietnam genre movies.

Reservoir Dogs came out when I was in high school and after having won awards, it came back around the art house theaters and the soundtrack cassette was in our dashes - with many songs from the spring of 1970.

We lost both Kasey Casem and Joe Cocker in 2015.
 Starting with number Forty One,
Joe Cocker - The Letter



39. The Moondance Album is spinning everywhere for reasons known to everyone.



38. Puppet Man - the Fifth Dimension
I have this album - they came to perform at Worlds of Fun and signed my copy of this for the previous personal millionaire that owned it. one man show cracker jack til the crack of dawn bah bah bahbah bah bah baaaah bah baby, baby, all that you need, satisfaction guaranteed listen to it anytime on my turntable.



37. Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand) - Diana Ross
WATCH THIS LIVE CENTRAL PARK CONCERT WHERE ITS POURING!
Can they move this stage out? Gonna get Wet! Give me the other Microphone! Stay Calm.



One more from timeless fusion powerhouse Chicago
35. Make Me Smile - Chicago



Beautiful Simple Lyrics here:

Children play in the park, they don't know  

I'm alone in the dark, even though 

Time and time again 

I see your face smiling inside 

I'm so happy 

Living life is just a game so they say 
Oh my darling, got to have you. 
Now I need you more than ever. 

That you love me 

Life is lovely 

When you're near me 

Tell me you will stay, 

Make me smile 

All the games we used to play fade away 

We may now enjoy the dreams we shared so long ago

Feel the magic when I hold you 

Cry sweet tears of joy, touch the sky

No more crying - we're together 

Tell me you will stay. 

Make me smile

 Songwriter: J. PANKOW