Episode 98: The Week Ending February 20, 1971

Episode 98: The Week Ending February 20, 1971

Author: Mark Roback February 19, 2026 Duration: 2:29:55

My sweet lord we found it impossible not to love the music from the Billboard Top 40 from the week of February 20, 1971. 


Link to a listing of the songs in this week’s episode: https://top40weekly.com/1971-all-charts/#US_Top_40_Singles_Week_Ending_20th_February_1971


The Boneless Podcasting Network: https://goboneless.lovable.app/?fbclid=IwY2xjawNK9G9leHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFCOFFUdWQ2Q3c1WDk5SGZnAR6CXGGEhN4i3JS0ICCT2NZw4_cc2wCO8o4wooPiBGlZhUGIR1y8bG1fQHt7tQ_aem_jFAp4YBBW1S0DD-s1iLXLw


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:

Proud Mary, Me, and Bobby McGee

Mr. Bojangles; We Gotta Get You a Woman

For all We Know, It’s Impossible

Watching Scotty Grow One Bad Apple

Proud Mary; She’s a Lady


Things we talked about in the show:


Scott Haskin’s Website / Podcast: https://www.scotthaskin.com/

The Deep Purple Podcast: https://deeppurplepodcast.com/


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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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