Episode 77: The Week Ending May 31, 1975

Episode 77: The Week Ending May 31, 1975

Author: Mark Roback June 2, 2024 Duration: 2:20:40

 How long has it been since we went back to 1975, it seems like it was back in the podcast old days, but maybe it was only yesterday? For some it was a bad time, when air travel was on shaky ground. The risk of a hijack was all too real and you feared at any moment to hear “get down, get down, get on the floor”! Fortunately for most of us, the only time we heard that was in the disco. This week we do the hustle through the Billboard Top 40 songs from the week ending May 30th, 1975. With a shining star or two, and some magic within, we can say we haven’t said the last farewell to 1975.

 

Link to a listing of the songs in this week’s episode: https://top40weekly.com/1975-all-charts/#US_Top_40_Singles_Week_Ending_31st_May_1975


Data Sources: Billboard Magazine, where the charts came from and on what the countdown was based.

Websites: allmusic.com, songfacts.com, wikipedia.com (because Mark’s lazy)

Books: “Ranking the 70’s” by Dann Isbell, and Bill Carroll

“American Top 40 With Casey Kasem (The 1970’s)" by Pete Battistini.


Rejected Episode Titles:


How Long? Only Yesterday


The Hustle, Now That’s Attitude Dancing


I’m Not Lisa, I’m the Shoeshine Boy


Hijack! So Much for my Philadelphia Freedom


The Way We Were, Try to Remember What I Told You to Forget


Some links to things we discussed in this episode:


K-tel Records "The Roger Whittaker Album" commercial : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyMuycdnOMk


Ozempic commercial : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzIBj90D3YA

 


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Every week, Mark Roback and his friend Pete dust off a random episode of Casey Kasem's American Top 40 from the 1970s. 70s Weekly Countdown with Mark and Pete is more than just a nostalgic trip through the charts. Each song in that week's lineup gets a thoughtful rating and a deep dive-they unpack the stories behind the music, the artists' trajectories, and what made those particular tracks resonate. But the context is just as important as the countdown. The conversation naturally expands to include the major headlines, the TV shows everyone was watching, and the cultural moments that defined that specific week in history. Woven into the analysis are personal anecdotes from Mark and Pete, connecting the music to their own coming-of-age experiences during that era. This podcast is a layered exploration of a decade, using the pop chart as a starting point to examine the sound, the spirit, and the surprising details of the 1970s. You'll hear passionate debates, learn obscure facts, and get a feel for what it was like to live through that time, all through the shared lens of two friends who genuinely love the material.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

70s Weekly Countdown with Mark and Pete
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