The year of 1974 stands out as a prime era for novelty songs and highly melodramatic story songs. Many of those songs ascended to the very top of the charts in that calendar year. It left songs with more traditional charms struggling to find their footing.
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But some did make it through. These four songs made it to No. 1 in America. And they’re such high-quality tracks that they’ve stood the test of time a bit more durably than some of the other chart-toppers from that year.
“Time In A Bottle” by Jim Croce
Jim Croce had been knocking around as a singer-songwriter for close to a decade before he finally hit the big time. He had to take odd jobs just to make a living while holding out for his dream. Finally, in 1972, the album You Don’t Mess Around With Jim did the trick for him. The title track and “Operator (That’s Not The Way It Feels)” vaulted him near the top of the singer-songwriter heap in terms of commercial success. Fate prevented Croce from enjoying his success for very long, as a plane crash took his life in 1973. “Time In A Bottle”, which had appeared on You Don’t Mess Around With Jim, was rush-released as a posthumous single. Its touching message hit home especially hard after the tragedy.\
“The Joker” by Steve Miller Band
Like Jim Croce, Steve Miller knew a thing or two about belated success on the pop charts. While not a household name by any stretch, Miller and his band had carved out a niche for themselves with a style that ranged from overt psychedelia to down-and-dirty blues. Rock radio gave him some love, and The Steve Miller Band was a consistent touring draw. But “The Joker” largely introduced him to the world at large. Miller included references to several of his earlier songs in the lyrics, as if he knew people were new to him. The song somehow manages to be braggadocious and self-deprecating. And it deservedly opened the floodgates for Miller to do damage on the pop charts for years to come.
“Band On The Run” by Paul McCartney & Wings
Paul McCartney had scored ample post-Beatles hits by 1974, both solo and with Wings. But there was still the feeling among many that he hadn’t released anything with the kind of staying power that the music of his old band had shown. In our opinion, that view was always erroneous. Nonetheless, he needed something to prove his doubters wrong. Naysayers who heard the masterful “Band On The Run” had to eat their words. McCartney, working with just his wife and Denny Laine after two members of Wings left at the last minute, put together a stunning song suite. The lyrics seemed to subtly anticipate the triumph that was rightfully his once people heard the song.
“You Haven’t Done Nothin’” by Stevie Wonder
In 1974, Stevie Wonder was gliding along in the middle of one of the most dominant runs any artist in music history has ever enjoyed. With the spotlight on everything that he released, he easily could have played it safe and still prevailed. Instead, he dared to call the powers that be to the carpet on “You Haven’t Done Nothin’”. Specifically, he was criticizing then-president Richard Nixon. Unlike protest songs that relied on troubadours with acoustic guitars, Wonder got the job done with a furious funk workout. The Jackson 5 sang backup. But the focus remained on Wonder’s eloquent fury. Just two days after the song arrived as a single, Nixon left office.
Photo by RB/Redferns
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