What Are the 5 Biggest US Hits by Todd Rundgren?

Todd Rundgren made his mark as one of rock’s first true DIY artists. He could play all the instruments, write, sing, and produce. And although he was forever starting bands, his solo work included his biggest hits.

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Rundgren ended up with a smattering of solid Top 40 efforts. Let’s look back at Todd’s five most successful charting singles.

5. “Good Vibrations” – No. 34 in 1976

Rundgren loved tackling projects that were a bit off-the-wall from the usual albums. In 1976, he released the album Faithful. The first side consists of cover songs of very well-known songs from the 60s. On Side Two, he writes all the songs but makes sure that they still sound like that earlier era. You can’t argue against the album title when you hear Rundgren’s cover of “Good Vibrations”. It’s almost eerie with how well he recreates the arrangement (yes, the theremin is there) and the various Beach Boy voices.

4. “Can We Still Be Friends” – No. 29 in 1978

Admit it. Part of you thinks of this song and imagines it being used in Dumb And Dumber, right? “Can We Still Be Friends” is a classic slow song that’s been covered numerous times, perhaps most notably by Robert Palmer. Rundgren takes an age-old situation and doesn’t try to do anything fancy with it. He just stays as honest as he can about the emotions present in this scenario. The way the melody trips from note to note somewhat resembles a hesitant conversation between two people who don’t want to hurt each other.

3. “We Gotta Get You A Woman” – No. 20 in 1970

Rundgren’s first solo hit took inspiration from his actual life in Greenwich Village at the time. He and a friend tended to hit the bars looking for female companionship. Considering the tenor of the lyrics, it doesn’t seem like they were overly successful in their pursuits. “We Gotta Get You A Woman” quite niftily changes shapes throughout. Much of it comes off as blue-eyed soul, but there are also flashes of gritty, minor-key blues in there as well. And, even this early in his career, Rundgren already displayed his knack for unforgettable choruses.

2. “I Saw The Light” – No. 16 in 1972

Even though he was already very well-known for his multi-faceted abilities, including as a producer and musician, in the early 70s, Rundgren the artist stepped into the limelight with the brilliant Something/Anything? album in 1972. Here’s another project by him that’s a bit unwieldy concept-wise. Three sides feature Rundgren doing it all. He then creates a kind of pop operetta on the fourth. “I Saw The Light”, which Rundgren wrote in a matter of minutes, gave listeners a clear idea of his effortless songcraft.

1. “Hello It’s Me” – No. 5 in 1973

Rundgren did a slower, more ethereal version of this song in 1968 with his band Nazz. That barely cracked the Top 100 of the pop charts. Returning to it on Something/Anything?, he sped up the tempo just a bit and added some interesting touches, such as the brass that burbles up toward the end of the song. “Hello It’s Me” is the kind of song so skillfully written that it would have worked in any style. The version that became the hit in 1972 features a quite tender vocal performance by Rundgren. He plays the vulnerability of the narrator to the hilt.

Photo by Richard Creamer/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images