Pick a Day

Music History Events: Charts

September 29, 1973 Grand Funk Railroad hit #1 in America with "We're An American Band," a song about their adventures on tour, including encounters with "Sweet Connie" and "four young chiquitas in Omaha."

September 15, 1973 Helen Reddy's "Delta Dawn" hits #1 in America, where it stays for one week.

August 25, 1973 The Stories' "Brother Louie" hits #1 in the US for the first of two weeks.

August 18, 1973 Diana Ross' "Touch Me In The Morning" hits #1, where it stays for one week.

August 18, 1973 Jethro Tull's album A Passion Play hits #1 in America.

August 4, 1973 Maureen McGovern's "The Morning After (The Song From The Poseidon Adventure)" hits #1 in the US for the first of two weeks.

July 28, 1973 Chicago's Chicago VI LP hits #1 for the first of five weeks in the US.

July 21, 1973 Jim Croce's "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown," named for a fellow National Guard soldier who went AWOL but got caught when he came back for his paycheck, hits #1. Two months later, Croce dies in a plane crash.

July 7, 1973 Billy Preston's "Will It Go Round In Circles" hits #1 in America.

June 30, 1973 George Harrison's "Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)" dislodges Paul McCartney and Wings' "My Love" from the #1 spot on the US singles charts.

June 23, 1973 George Harrison's album Living In The Material World hits #1 in America.

June 2, 1973 The Wings album Red Rose Speedway hits the top of the albums chart in the US and "My Love" starts a four-week run as the #1 single on the Hot 100.

May 26, 1973 The Edgar Winter Group's rock instrumental "Frankenstein," titled because it was such a monster to edit, hits #1 in America.

May 26, 1973 Despite breaking up three years earlier, The Beatles land the #1 album in America, the compilation The Beatles 1967-1970.

May 19, 1973 Stevie Wonder hits #1 in America with "You Are The Sunshine Of My Life," a song inspired by his wife (and sometimes co-writer) Syreeta Wright.

May 12, 1973 Led Zeppelin's Houses of the Holy goes to #1 in America.

April 21, 1973 Tony Orlando and Dawn's "Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Ole Oak Tree" hits #1 in the US. The song is based on a fictional newspaper story about a man returning from jail who asks his wife to tie a yellow handkerchief on the landmark oak tree in town if she still loves him.

April 21, 1973 Powered by a gnarly stage show and the tracks "No More Mr. Nice Guy" and "Elected," Alice Cooper's album Billion Dollar Babies hits #1 in America (it hits the top spot in the UK three days later).

February 3, 1973 Elton John's reptilian rocker "Crocodile Rock" hits #1 in America for the first of three weeks, giving him his first chart-topper in that country.

January 13, 1973 Carly Simon's album No Secrets, featuring the hit single "You're So Vain," hits #1 in America.

December 9, 1972 The Moody Blues' Seventh Sojourn album hits #1 in America, where it stays for five weeks.

December 2, 1972 Steely Dan make the Billboard 200 for the first time when their debut album, Can't Buy a Thrill, lands at #197. The title comes from the Bob Dylan song "It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry," where he sings: Well, I ride on a mailtrain, baby Can't buy a thrill

November 18, 1972 Steely Dan show up on Hot 100 for the first time when their debut single, "Do It Again," enters at #98. It will peak at #6 on February 11, 1973.

November 18, 1972 Cat Stevens goes to #1 in America with his album Catch Bull at Four. It's his only chart-topper in the US.

October 21, 1972 Curtis Mayfield's Super Fly soundtrack hits #1 in America, where it stays for four weeks.

September 23, 1972 "Baby Don't Get Hooked On Me" by Mac Davis hits #1 in America. It holds the top spot for three weeks.

September 16, 1972 Three Dog Night's "Black And White" hits #1, where it will stay for one week.

August 26, 1972 Looking Glass' "Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)" hits #1, where it will stay for one week.

August 19, 1972 Chicago's LP Chicago V hits #1.

August 12, 1972 Alice Cooper is beloved in Britain, with "School's Out" hitting #1 in the UK for the first of three weeks.