Peanuts In My Pocket

During the 2020 pandemic, with time on my hands, I took on a project: listening to every song on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles, starting from 1961. I called it the Goal 2020 Project. For each year, I wrote short essays—often several—and shared them on Facebook or emailed them to subscribers. Although I didn’t finish the project when I returned to work, now that I’m retired, I plan to update, edit, and repost these essays on Peanuts In My Pocket, though not in chronological order. I also plan to pick up where I left off in 1986.

1974 Part I – Let’s Slow Things Down

1974’s music took an unexpected turn. In my memory, this time felt alive with fresh sounds. I was 13, beginning to assert my independence by choosing my own music and expanding my world through books. I remember this period as vibrant and full of energy, but in reality, the Billboard Hot 100 Singles veered sharply toward soft rock, ballads, and disco. With few exceptions, the tempo of many songs was slow. Just look at the top three hits:

1. “The Way We Were” by Barbra Streisand
2. “Seasons in the Sun” by Terry Jacks
3. “Love’s Theme” by the Love Unlimited Orchestra (Oh, I think I learned to dance the hustle to this one.)

There were some upbeat hits, but they mostly fell under pure pop. Even songs I once thought of as rock now seem more like pop. Take Elton John’s “Bennie and the Jets,” for example. How did I ever think this was edgy rock?

Songs like “Midnight at the Oasis,” “Feel Like Makin’ Love,” “You Make Me Feel Brand New,” and “A Love Song” all carried the slow tempo I now associate with easy listening. John Denver, Cat Stevens, and Jim Croce each contributed multiple hits, as did Chicago and Gordon Lightfoot. A radio station in Los Angeles specialized in this genre back then. I can’t recall the call sign, but my cousin Bobby recorded the station on his Teac reel-to-reel, and whenever I visited, I’d delve into his tape archive, revisiting those songs.

Some of the more upbeat tunes were disco hits. “Dancing Machine,” though categorized as funk, is forever tied to my disco days, as are “TSOP,” “Jungle Boogie,” and “Boogie Down.” I wasn’t really into disco, but the girls were, and I liked the girls, so I pulled on my polyester pants and joined the party.

Recently, while discussing disco and my music project on a work break, I was asked about the popular dances of the disco era. I mentioned The Bump and got blank looks. Out came the iPhones to search for videos, and then, well, they looked at me as if I were nuts. “This was popular?” they asked. Yes, it was. I even remember practicing it with my sisters. I have no idea why.

My least favorite disco song from 1974 is “Rock Your Baby” by George McCrae. Beyond its mindless beat and lyrics, it sounded like it was recorded on the kind of organ your grandma might play. The canned beat and strange musical arrangement made it feel like musical noise. It didn’t stop us from dancing to it, but I don’t need to hear it again.

Redbone, a Native American and Mexican American band, produced the hit “Come and Get Your Love” in 1974. It spent 18 weeks in the Top 40 and ranked as the 4th most popular song of the year. I loved it back then and was thrilled to see it regain popularity when a rerecorded version was featured in Guardians of the Galaxy. It is arguably the best pop song of the year.

I have a guilty favorite from 1974: “Waterloo” by ABBA. I don’t know how it happened, but I’ve always loved ABBA. I blame disco. It’s an illness. I sought treatment. I still do.