Hi my name’s Casey Kasem and the American Top 40 countdown is about to begin. There has been some interesting chart action this week. There are four new debut tunes on the list, three songs moved into the top ten. And we’ve got a brand new number one. The songs that slipped off were ‘Bad Fingers No Matter What’, Neil Diamond’s ‘He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother’, Brian Highlands ‘Gypsy Woman’, and Andy Kim’s ‘Be My Baby’. The countdown begins with a debut song.
Number 40. The boys coming up want to sound familiar, it belongs to the singing disc jockey from Memphis who eight years ago introduced a dance called “The Dog”. Now he’s working on a new one. Here’s Rufus Thomas. Rufus Thomas ‘Do the Push Pull Part Number 1’, debuting at number 40, the first of four new songs on American Top 40 this week.
Number 40. And every week based on Billboards National Statistics of record sales we countdown the 40 most popular songs in the USA. My name is Casey, the countdown continues with Miss Jackie Moore.
It’s a debut song at number 39, the first week on Miss Jackie Moore and, ‘Precious, Precious’ and the countdown continues. Casey’s Coast to Coast. Last week this song debuted at number 40, this week it moves up two, now at number 38 is B.J. Thomas and ‘Most of All’.
B.J. Thomas and ‘I’ll Miss You Most of All’, at number 38 this week. Curtis Mayfield this week at number 37 with ‘Don’t Worry If There’s A Hell Below, We’re All Going to Go’. ‘Don’t Worry If There’s A Hell Below, We’re All Going to Go’, Curtis Mayfield this week at number 37 on American Top 40, the countdown continues as we get closer to the top.
This is a debut song coming in at number 36 from Canada. Gordon White Foot and ‘If You Could Read My Mind’. Very distinctive voice, Gordon White Foot from Canada and ‘If You Could Read My Mind’. This is Casey Kasem and lets pause right on the countdown for an AT-40 special, the number song of exactly five years ago. These were the five top tunes for that week in January 1966. At number five, The Beatles ‘Day Tripper’ at number four, 5 o’clock World by the Bulls, number three it was Gary Lewis And The Playboys and ‘She’s Just My Style’. At number two, The Beatles once again with ‘We Can Work It’ and at top spot was the first hit by the duel that had the top song of 1970, ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’. Here is Simon & Garfunkel with the number one song of exactly five years ago, ‘The Sounds of Silence’.
Number one on the charts, five years ago today, ‘The Sounds of Silence’, Simon & Garfunkel. You’re listening to a countdown of the 40 most popular songs in America, my name is Casey and the countdown continues with James Brown. Number 35. Get up, get into it, and get involved. James Brown this week number 35 up three over last week.
This is Casey from Hollywood and we’re up to number 34 on our countdown of the 40 most popular songs in the nation. Here’s the highest debuting song of the week, five brothers making their home now in Los Angeles, originally from Salt Lake City, The Osmonds. The Osmonds and ‘One Bad Apple’, the highest debuting song in American Top 40 this week at number 34.
This debuted two weeks ago at 36 last week, 35 this week, 33 Jerry Reed and Amis Moses. Amis Moses, singer and guitar player Jerry Reed this week at number 33 on American Top 40 and moving up. Now in the number 32 position, the hit by the singer who wanted more than anything else to be a professional baseball player; a dream that a lot of guys had during their teens, but for him, it didn’t come true and he’ had to console himself with being a mere recording star with fame and riches. But in his contracts he has a clause written stating that he never has to record while a World Series game is being played. Lately, he’s found himself another spectator sport. ‘Watching Scotty Grow’, here’s Bobby Gulsburrow. ‘Watching Scotty Grow’, Bobby Gulsburrow and another hit for him this week at number 32 up four over last week.
The song at number 31 this week is called ‘Mr. Bo jangles’ and is done by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and it’s a single released from an album dedicated to Uncle Charlie. The title of the album is, “Uncle Charlie And His Dog Teddy.” Apparently, his dog Teddy could sing, listen to the preface on the single record “Uncle Charlie Talks To His Dog”. ‘Mr. Bo jangles’, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band this week number 31 on American Top 40.
The introduction to this next song makes it sound like an AT-40 extra special oldie. Melody conceived over three hundred years ago. Lyric adapted from the bible two hundred years ago and included over 50 years among the Salvation Army’s songs of service, but it’s not an oldie. It’s a current hit on our American Top 40 countdown. The 30th best selling song of the nation this week, and the melody is from an American Folk song of the 1600s. In the 1700s a man named John Newton adapted the words from the first book of Chronicles, Chapter 17. And in the 1900s Judy Collins sings it, ‘Amazing Graze’. Judy Collins number 30 this week at American Top 40, ‘Amazing Grace’.
American Top 40! This song got as high as number 9 three weeks ago, this week at number 29, Van Morrison, ‘Domino’. From Ireland Van Morrison, number 29 this week and hanging in there, ‘Domino’. This song has been on the charts for eight weeks now, it peaked at number 19 two weeks ago, last week it was number 23, this week at number 28, ‘Three Dog Night’, One Man Band.
Number 27. Here’s a fairly new group from the Newport Beach area of Orange County in Southern California. Their song is ‘Games’, and this is its fifth week on the Top 40. Here’s Red Eye.
Number 27, this week up one point over last week, Red Eye and ‘Games’. Here’s Edwin Starr and ‘Stop the War’ now. Edwin Starr, ‘Stop the War’, this week at number 26 on American Top 40. This song was number 13 last week, now number 25. Here’s the Chairman of the Board and ‘Pay to the Piper’. Chairman of the Board and ‘Pay to the Piper’, number 25 this week on American Top 40. Next the man who’s had 118 chart songs. Casey’s coast to coast.
Number 24 this week is a double sided hit on American Top 40, Elvis Presley has been on the charts for four weeks with, ‘I Really Don’t Want to Know’, and the flip side, ‘There Goes My Everything’. ‘There Goes My Everything’, a double sided hit by Elvis Presley this week at number 24.
Well, it’s time for that AT-40 special, the number one song of exactly ten years. It made a little bit of history in the world of popular music. For one thing it was the only time that a German recording artist over reached number one on the National Charts. And for another, it was the only time that the top three tunes on the chart were all instrumentals. Number 3 was ‘Calcutta’ by Lawrence Welk, number 2 was ‘Exodus’ by Fureria & Tisher and number 1 was Burt Camforts ‘Wonderland By Night’. The only German artist to hit number one on the Billboards National Charts from Hamburg, Germany. His name, Burt Camfort, and his hit song from ten years ago today, ‘Wonderland By Night’.
It’s the top songs from the Atlantic Coast to Waikiki Beach so we countdown every week on American Top 40 we’re up to 23 and we’re heading for a new number one song in the nation. Rare Earth at number 23 with ‘Born to Wonder’. ‘Born to Wonder’, number 23, Rare Earth on American Top 40. Recording stars biggest hits usually happen during the earlier part of their careers. But coming up in the next quarter hour is a hit by a singer whose biggest song is now in the charts, 20 years after his first hit recording.
Casey’s Coast to Coast. Last week this was at number 22, stays in the same position this week. Runt, ‘We Got to Get You A Woman’. ‘We Got to Get You A Woman’, this week at number 22, that’s Runt on American Top 40. The 21 biggest hits in the nation coming up.
This is Casey and we’re counting down the hits the way they’re ranked on Billboard’s National Charts. This week at number 21, up five over last week, Diana Ross, number 21 and moving up Diana Ross and ‘Remember Me’, the countdown continues.
Recording artists have their biggest sellers during the earlier part of their careers more often than later on so it’s pretty unusual when a singing star has his biggest hit come along 20 years after his first hit record. But that’s exactly what’s happening with the man who sings this next tune on the countdown. And during that 20 year span he racked up a string of 34 top ten songs and four number one singles on the Country and Western Charts. His latest hit has been on the top 40 for twelve weeks now. At number 20, Ray Pryce. Number 20 this week, Ray Pryce singing the Chris Christopherson song ‘For The Good Times’. This is Casey Kasem on the American Top 40 and you’re listening to the most listened songs in America.
‘Chicago, does anybody really know what time it is?’ This week at number 19 on the American Top 40. There are five English acts on America’s Top 40; this is one of them, the first of the five, Led Zeppelin and ‘Immigrant Song’ at number 18. That was ‘Immigrant Song’ by Led Zeppelin at number 18 this week on American Top 40.
Back in 1961 Smokey Robinson & The Miracles had their first hit song called ‘Shop Around’, 37 hits later it’s ‘The Tears of A Clown’. Smokey Robinson & The Miracles and the first time in a long time it hasn’t been at the top 10. It dropped seven this week, now at number 17.
Time now for an AT-40 special. A tune from the number one album of the week. A top of the LP chart counts down like this. At number 5 is “The Partridge Family Album”, number 4 is, “Sly & The Family Stones Greatest Hits”, number 3 is, “Jesus Christ Superstar”, number 2 “Abraxas” by Santana, and in the number 1 spot, George Harrison’s “All Things Must Pass”, from the album here’s ‘Awaiting On You All’. From the number 1 LP of the week, George Harrison’s “All Things Must Pass”, ‘Awaiting On You All’.
American Top 40. Well, up until this week this was song was number one in England six consecutive weeks. Dave Edmunds up 15 this week on AT-40, ‘I Hear You Knocking’. Number 16 this week up 15 from last week, Dave Edmunds and ‘I Hear You Knocking’. This is Casey Kasem and American Top 40 is heard every week coast to coast on great radio stations like KQEO in Albuquerque, New Mexico. This week at number 15 up three, Steve Stills. Number 15 Steven Stills and ‘Love The One You’re With’.
Number 14. Three weeks in a row at number 14, here are The Supremes and The Four Tops, ‘River Deep – Mountain High’. ‘River Deep and Mountain High’ number 14 again this week. The Supremes and The Four Tops on American Top 40 and the countdown continues.
This week at number 13 moving up six notches on American Top 40 is a tune done by Gladys Knight and the Pips, it’s the number one soul record in the country this week, it’s called, ‘If I Were Your Woman’. That’s number 13 this week on American Top 40, Gladys Knight and the Pips and ‘If I Were Your Woman’.
Here’s a singing group who has had 20 top ten records. They have another hit called ‘Stone Love’. Number 12. That’s ‘Stone Love’, The Supremes on American Top 40 this week, number 12, dropping four from last week. For twelve weeks ago this song debuted at number 17 the following week went into the top ten and has stayed there until this week. Now number 11. The Partridge Family this week at number 11 and ‘I Think I Love You’. The countdown continues on American Top 40.
Casey’s Coast to Coast. Now the hit by the singing star who once had four songs on the top ten at the same time. That was 1949, the year that 16 of his songs hit the National Charts. The biggest seller among them, ‘Summon Charted Evening’. His biggest this year ‘It’s Impossible’, here’s Barry Como. This week at number 10, Barry Como and ‘It’s Impossible’. The number one Country in western song is number 9 at American Top 40, Rose Garden. That’s Rose Garden, four weeks at number one on the Country & Western Billboard Charts this week into the top ten on American Top 40 at number 9, Lynn Anderson.
This is Casey Kasem on American Top 40 and the countdown continues with a song at number 8. I know it’s not much but it’s the best I can do. My gift is my song and this one’s for you. Last week at number 11, now at number 8 from England, Elton John and ‘Your Song’.
This is Casey and we do this every week, countdown the 40 most popular songs in the nation. Now it’s King Floyd and ‘Grove Me’. Number 7. Last week at number 7, same position this week, ‘Grove Me’ by King Floyd. This next song on the countdown is by a female superstar who once auditioned for a record company and got turned down because she sang through her nose. Well, that’s what the record company’s chief talent scout told her. And I don’t think he worked there for long after that because this girl turned out to be America’s biggest singing discovery of the last ten years. This week she’s number 6 on the charts. Here’s Barbara Streisand. Up three this week now at number 6 Barbara Streisand and ‘Stoney End’.
The top 40 rankings that we get from billboards every week are based on retail sales reported by a hundred record stores across the country. And this week the report shows this song at number 5. Santana’s ‘Black Magic Woman’. ‘Black Magic Woman’, Santana on America Top 40, this week at number 5.
American Top 40 is heard every week coast to coast on great radio stations like KTAPKHFI-FM in Austin, Texas. Last week this was number 6, now it’s at number 4, The Bee Gees, ‘Lonely Days’. ‘Lonely Days’, The Bee Gees at number 4 this week on American Top 40.
Since you left, our lives been so empty, though I try to forget, it just can’t be done. Each time the door bell rings I still run; ‘One Less Bell To Answer’. The Fifth Dimension at number 3. Written by Hal David and Burt Bacharach. Fifth Dimension and ‘One Less Bell To Answer’, its third week at number 3.
American Top 40. While George Harrison’s LP stays in the number one position this week, his hit single, ‘My Sweet Lord’, falls to number 2. Here’s George Harrison. After four weeks in the number 1 position, now it’s number 2. The record “Isn’t It A Pity” and ‘My Sweet Lord’. George Harrison on American Top 40.
And the group with the number one song in the USA is carrying on a tradition began by people like Eddie Fisher and Chubbie Checker and Fabian and Frankie Evelyn and many many more. The tradition I am talking about is simply being from South Philadelphia and making hit records. The seven guys and one girl who make up this group are originally all from South Philly. Their first release a few months ago shot up to number 3 and now, they’ve topped it. Here’s the new number one song in the nation, ‘Knock Three Times’, by the eight member group called Dawn. There it is after being at number 2 for two weeks. It moves in the number 1 position, America’s number 1 best selling song ‘Knock Three Times’, by Dawn.
Well that’s it, the 40 top selling songs in the nation this week and you heard them on American Top 40. What we do the countdown every week this time. Our list is based on Billboard Magazine’s weekly tabulation which they compile from retail record sales all over the country. AT-40 is a watermark production and we tape it in Hollywood. This is Casey Kasem, I hope you join me next week and we’ll countdown the 40 most popular songs in the USA. Till then, keep your feet in the ground and keep reaching for the stars.
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