Episode 81: The Week Ending September 20, 1975

Episode 81: The Week Ending September 20, 1975

Author: Mark Roback September 19, 2024 Duration: 2:38:06

The movie Jaws came out in June of 1975, and by September we all had a lot of bad blood about sharks and swimming in the ocean. The movie advertisements said it “may be too intense for younger children”, but I suppose at 17 it was ok. Sometimes it only takes a minute to overcome your fears and what a difference a day makes. I guess that’s just the way of the world. This week we have included celebrity ratings and comments from Nate at the Deep Purple Podcast. It is amazing we can get input from someone with that level of fame. Sure he wouldn’t be classified as a Black Superman, but nevertheless, on his show, he’s the proud one. This week we all provide our feelings for the songs in the Billboard Top 40 from the week ending September 20, 1975. How will Nate’s ratings influence the overall grade of the countdown? Will they be enough to fight the power of Mark and Pete?


Link to a listing of the songs in this week’s episode: https://top40weekly.com/1975-all-charts/#US_Top_40_Singles_Week_Ending_20th_September_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:


Fallin’ in Love with Mr. Jaws


Fame at Seventeen


It Only Takes a Minute to Fight the Power


What a Difference a Ballroom Blitz Makes



Things we talked about in the episode:


The Pointer Sisters “Steppin” Album Art: https://www.discogs.com/release/707004-The-Pointer-Sisters-Steppin/image/SW1hZ2U6OTUzNTEw


“Run Joey Run” cover art: https://musicbrainz.org/release/63622864-cae7-41f7-8e04-363bff30a798/cover-art


Lindsay Wagner as Jaime Sommers sings “Feelings” from the Bionic Woman Episode “Bionic Beauty”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zAYCk4j-xE


Run Joe Run children’s TV show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FM3Z2NEowo


 


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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: 100

70s Weekly Countdown with Mark and Pete
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