Episode 88: The Week Ending March 24, 1973

Episode 88: The Week Ending March 24, 1973

Author: Mark Roback March 22, 2025 Duration: 2:19:18

Lately we get the feeling that the show may be rotting like a dead skunk, but neither one of us wants to be the first to say goodbye. That would leave one less set of footsteps, but as the saying goes, maybe you have to break up to make up. This week; do you want dance or maybe just sing along to Billboard Top 40 from the week of March 24, 1973? We promise not to stop until we get to the last song. This episode may be a space oddity, and also sprach zarathustra!


Link to a listing of the songs in this week’s episode: https://top40weekly.com/1973-all-charts/#US_Top_40_Singles_Week_Ending_24th_March_1973


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:


Good Morning Little Willie


Crocodile Rocky Mountain High


Killing Me Softly with the Rolling Stone


Dueling Little Willies


Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Space Oddity


Dueling Dead Skunks


Could It Be I’m Falling Off the Love Train


Cook with Honey and Stir It Up


Some links to things we discussed in this episode:


The World is a Ghetto Album Art: https://www.discogs.com/master/116938-War-The-World-Is-A-Ghetto/image/SW1hZ2U6MzYwNjU0Mjg=


Masterpiece Album Art: https://www.discogs.com/master/36386-The-Temptations-Masterpiece/image/SW1hZ2U6NDczNzQ2OTU=?

srsltid=AfmBOorBvUTXWg58Gwq-IuECKJUVQ9Hfq56sVgRN42jlZ6rtp8TAVLfL


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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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