The age of arena rock is in full quadrophonic flower, the Son of Sam terrorizes New York, and the winter of our disco tent cometh. Casey Kasem’s countdown for the week of March 26th 1977 has ex-Beatles and burgeoning Bee Gees; Electric Light Orchestras, Atlanta Rhythm Sections, and Andrea True Connections; and hits by both John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John that have no connection to the movie Grease.
But before we get to this week’s Top 40…
March 26, 1977—The Week at a Glance
On Tuesday, March 22, after a stormy and unpopular 11-year tenure, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi resigned from her post. Two days later, 81 year-old former political prisoner Morarji Desai would be sworn into office. The oldest person to hold the top office in India, Desai was noted for his ambition to build and sustain peace between India and Pakistan. Indira Gandhi would go down in infamy from the dictatorial nature of her term.
Speaking of infamy, on Wednesday, March 23, disgraced former president Richard Nixon granted his first interviews since his 1974 resignation. He agreed to unlimited questioning from journalist David Frost and ultimately sat with the journalist for 12 separate two-hour sessions in his California beach house.
Nixon would be compensated handsomely for his efforts, earning a payment of $600,000 for the interview in addition to 20% of profits from the resulting four-part broadcast.
As Nixon sat for his first television appearance in three years, Sanford and Son prepared for their last on-screen moment together. The 136th and final episode of the popular sitcom aired on Friday, March 25. After six successful seasons, legendary comedian Redd Foxx departed for his own ABC variety show, leading to the sitcom’s cancellation.
When NBC refused titular “Son” Demond Wilson’s demand for a raise, the hit show was canceled.
Only months later, NBC would return with a spinoff called Sanford Arms. However, titular “son” Demond Wilson departed the project over a salary. As a result, there was no Sanford and no Son in the new series. Instead, it centered around Fred Sanford’s old army buddy Phil Wheeler, who was said to have purchased the father/son salvage yard when the Sanfords moved to a new home in Arizona.
Of course, mentioning Fred Sanford in the plot description is a whole lot different than actually having Fred Sanford. Though producers taped eight episodes for the spinoff, only four aired before its cancellation in October of 1977.
Not only was the show rapidly canceled, but its events were also stricken from the Sanford and Son canon. When Redd Foxx did ultimately return to film a reboot called Sanford in 1981, the Sanford Arms storyline had been retconned out of history.
All of this to say that the week of March 26th would be the last time that prime time viewers would be treated to a new episode with this Quincy Jones-penned theme as its lead in.
While Sanford and Son sailed into the sunset, another iconic comedy was just gaining momentum. Midway through its second season, and on the same night as our current Casey Kasem countdown, a variety show called NBC’s Saturday Night changed its name to Saturday Night Live.
For the people of New York City, however, the only real news was the intensive daily media coverage for what would come to be known as the Son of Sam murders. Early in the month, the unknown killer had claimed another shooting victim—a 20-year old Columbia University student named Virginia Voskerichian.
The assailant had terrorized the city and taunted police for nearly a year by this time. The media was gripped by the events and citizens were deeply on edge. So what does the Son of Sam killer have to do with the top song on this week’s countdown?
Highlights from This Week’s Top 40 Countdown
The Son of Sam killer was ultimately apprehended on August 10th, 1977 and identified as David Berkowitz. He told arresting officers that he was commanded by his neighbor’s demonically possessed dog Harvey to commit the series of heinous murders.
But in further discussion with detectives, he was also reportedly a huge fan of Hall & Oates. By Daryl Hall’s own account, Berkowitz was particularly motivated during his killing spree by the song “Rich Girl.”
It makes sense. After all, it was at the top of the charts, and Casey Kasem’s countdown, as the Son of Sam murders came to dominate the headlines.
[Oddly enough, Olivia Newton-John’s gentle and completely unrelated love ballad “Sam” also ranked #22 on this week’s countdown. Still, it’s easy to see how this one might have inspired violence.]
“Rich Girl” would be the first in a string of six consecutive #1 hits for the blue-eyed soul combo from Philly. And While rumors have circulated about the identity of the wealthy woman at the heart of the tune, Daryl Hall actually explains that the song is about a dude named Victor.
Victor was an acquaintance, the heir to his father’s fast food fortune and, according to Hall, kind of a drip. All that said, “Rich Guy” just didn’t sound as good, hence the song’s name and lyrics..
In any event, Daryl Hall was startled to learn of his song’s role in the Son of Sam murders, even referencing the event in the 1980 song “Diddy Doo Wop (I Hear The Voices)”
Disco Looms
Here in the spring of 1977, disco’s chart invasion was considerable, hinting at the complete chart takeover that was soon to come. Casey’s countdown is packed with disco hits, including “New York You Got Me Down” by former adult film star Andrea True Connection (#40), “Love in C Minor” by French drummer and producer Cerrone (#39), “I Wanna Get Next to You” by soul singer Rose Royce (#36), Disco Lucy by the studio-assembled Winston Place Street Band at #30, “Don’t Leave Me This Way” by rising R&B star Thelma Houston (#5) and Swedish quartet ABBA’s “Dancing Queen” all the way up at #3.
Also particularly noteworthy here are appearances by Welcome Back, Kotter breakout sitcom star John Travolta with “All Strung Out On You” at #34 and the Bee Gees at #20 with “Boogie Child.” This is significant because both were only months away from launching into another stratosphere of stardom.
In November of 1977, RSO would release the expansive double-LP soundtrack for the forthcoming film Saturday Night Fever. The Bee Gees were responsible for performing and/or composing half of the songs on this landmark soundtrack.
One month later, the film was released. Anchored by Travolta’s star-making performance and a clutch of monster disco hits, the film and soundtrack ushered American into an era of pure disco dominance.
The charts on the week of March 26th 1977 only hinted at what was to come.
Arena Rock Rising
Even as disco ascended the throne of popular music for its brief reign, the mid to late 70s were an era of megatours and gargantuan album sales for arena-ready rock bands. Casey’s March 26th countdown is notable for featuring some of the most persistent and bankable stadium hits of the next several decades–Fleetwood Mac at #18 with “Go Your Own Way”’; The Eagles at #17 with “Hotel California”; “Carry on Wayward Son” by Kansas at #13; Bob Seger’s “Night Moves” at #7; and Steve Miller Band’s “Fly Like An Eagle” at #6.
While disco’s reign proved fleeting, the songs and artists above still play these songs to sold-out crowds.
Odds and Ends
Boz Scaggs reaches #32 with the irrepressible “Lido Shuffle”. Helping him compose the song and backing him on the sessions are David Paich, Jeff Porcaro and David Hungate. Their contributions here would ultimately help the combo land their own recording contract, leading to the official formation of Toto.
Several of the songs on this countdown are covers that outperformed the originals, including Manfred Mann’s Earth Band at #29 with Bruce Springsteen’s “Blinded By the Light,” Glen Campbell at #16 with Allen Toussaint’s “Southern Nights”, and Rod Stewart at #27 with the oft-covered “First Cut is the Deepest”, originally by Cat Stevens.
Perhaps the #11 song here qualifies for a similar description. Paul McCartney originally recorded “Maybe I’m Amazed” in 1970 as a tribute to his wife Linda and the critical role she played in helping him recover from the breakup of the Beatles.
Though it received widespread FM-radio play, McCartney declined to release it as a single at the time.
Then, in 1976, his band Wings released a massive 3-LP live collection called Wings Across America. A resulting live cut of “Maybe I’m Amazed” scaled all the way up to the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, reached #11 on this week’s Top 40 countdown, and is most likely the version you’ve been hearing on classic rock radio for all these years.
The Top 40 for March 26, 1977 in Order
40: NEW YORK YOU GOT ME DOWN – ANDREA TRUE CONNECTION
39: LOVE IN C MINOR – CERRONE
38: SOMETHING ABOUT YOU – LATIMORE
37: COULDN’T GET IT RIGHT – CLIMAX BLUES BAND
36: I WANNA GET NEXT TO YOU – ROSE ROYCE
35: WHEN I NEED YOU – LEO SAYER
34: ALL STRUNG OUT ON YOU – JOHN TRAVOLTA
33: AT MIDNIGHT – RUFUS
32: LIDO SHUFFLE – BOZ SCAGGS
31: YEAR OF THE CAT – AL STEWART
30: DISCO LUCY – WILTON PLACE STREET BAND
29: BLINDED BY THE NIGHT – MANFRED MANN’S EARTH BAND
28: FREE – DENIECE WILLIAMS
27: THE FIRST CUT IS THE DEEPEST – ROD STEWART
26: GLORIA – ENCHANTMENT
25: DO YA – ELO
24: TRYING TO LOVE TWO – WILLIAM BELL
23: HERE COMES THOSE TEARS AGAIN – JACKSON BROWNE
22: SAM – OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN
21: RIGHT TIME OF THE NIGHT – JENNIFER WARNES
20: BOOGIE CHILD – BEE GEES
19: CRACKERBOX PALACE – GEORGE HARRISON
18: GO YOUR OWN WAY – FLEETWOOD MAC
17: HOTEL CALIFORNIA – EAGLES
16: SOUTHERN NIGHTS – GLEN CAMPBELL
15: SAY YOU’LL STAY UNTIL TOMORROW – TOM JONES
14: SO INTO YOU – ATLANTA RHYTHM SECTION
13: CARRY ON WAYWARD SON – KANSAS
12: I’VE GOT LOVE ON MY MIND – NATALIE COLE
11: MAYBE I’M AMAZED – WINGS
10: TORN BETWEEN TWO LOVERS – MARY MacGREGOR
9: I LIKE DREAMIN’ – KENNY NOLAN
8: THE THINGS WE DO FOR LOVE – 10CC
7: NIGHT MOVES – BOB SEGER
6: FLY LIKE AN EAGLE – STEVE MILLER BAND
5: DON’T LEAVE THIS WAY – THELMA HOUSTON
4: DON’T GIVE UP ON US – DAVID SOUL
3: DANCING QUEEN – ABBA
2: EVERGREEN – BARBRA STREISAND
1: RICH GIRL – DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES