Birthday Chart Toppers - My First Decade Quiz

Answer: Barbra Streisand

"The Way We Were" was written by Alan & Marilyn Bergman and Marvin Hamlisch, and recorded by Barbra Streisand as the title track of the 1973 movie of the same name (that also starred Barbra Streisand). It won the Oscar for Best Original Song, and Streisand was herself nominated for Best Actress.

The song was released as a single on September 27th, 1973, in advance of the movie on October 19th. It was also the title track of Streisand's fifteenth studio album, which came out on January 1st, 1974.

Beginning the week ending November 24, 1973, "The Way We Were" spent 23 consecutive weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching number one for the week ending February 2nd. It would drop down to third the next week, but regain the top spot for two more weeks in February. On the year-end chart, "The Way We Were" was ranked Number One.

Answer: Neil Sedaka

"Laughter in the Rain" was written by Neil Sedaka with lyrics by Phil Cody. Sedaka recorded the song in 1973 (while on tour in England), and it was included on an album release in the U.K., where the song reached Number Fifteen on the charts.

Afterwards, Sedaka signed on to Elton John's American record label 'Rocket Records'. His first planned release through the label included "Laughter in the Rain", but before the planned release date arrived, Sedaka heard a cover of the song on the radio by Lea Roberts. This prompted a rush to release his own (original) version, which happened in October (1974).

It opened at Number 95 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the week ending October 19th, then steadily climbed to peak at Number One in the week ending February 1st, 1975. In total, the song spent 20 weeks on the charts, and gave Neil Sedaka his first Number One hit since 1964.

Answer: Ohio Players

"Love Rollercoaster" was released by the Ohio Players on November 9th, 1975 as the second single from the August release of theirseventh studio album, "Honey". It debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at Number 51 in the week ending November 15th and peaked at Number One in the week ending January 31st, 1976. In total, it remained on the chart for sixteen weeks.

An urban legend is attached to this song, with a scream that can be heard in the song (between 1:24 and 1:28 on the single version and between 2:32 and 2:36 on the album version). Somehow, the idea that this was a recording of an actual murder that happened has persisted, despite the explanation that it was just keyboardist Billy Beck.

Answer: Mary MacGregor

"Torn Between Two Lovers" was written by Peter Yarrow and Phillip Jarrell and recorded by Mary MacGregor as the title track for her first studio album, which was released in November of 1976.

The song broke into the Billboard Hot 100 and Number 87 in the week ending November 20th, then climbed the chart to reach Number One in the week ending February 5th, 1977 and staying there for an additional week. In total, it stayed on the chart for 21 weeks.

Answer: Bee Gees

"Stayin' Alive" was recorded for the "Saturday Night Fever" movie soundtrack and was released in December of 1977 as the second single from the album (a month after the album release). The movie itself was released on December 14th.

The song debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at Number 65 in the week ending December 10th, and climbed up to Number One in the week ending February 4th, 1978, where it stayed for a four-week run. In total, "Stayin' Alive" stayed on the chart for 27 weeks!

Regarding the lyrics, Robin Gibb said, "The subject matter of "Stayin' Alive" is actually quite a serious one; It's about survival in the streets of New York, and the lyrics actually say that". (Wikipedia quote from Andrew Môn Hughes' book "The Bee Gees: Tales Of The Brothers Gibb"

Answer: Chic

"Le Freak" was released on September 21st, 1978 as a single from their August-release second studio album, "C'est Chic".

The song debuted at Number 82 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the week ending October 28th, 1978 and reached the Number One position by the week ending December 9th. After dropping back to Number Two the following week, "Le Freak" regained the top spot in the week ending December 23rd, where it stayed for two weeks. Another dip down to second place was followed by a THIRD time reaching Number One in the week ending January 20th, and this time it stayed there for three weeks in a row. Altogether, "Le Freak" stayed in the Hot 100 for 25 weeks!

Three separate times reaching the Number One position was a new record set by a song... a feat which was not repeated until 2008.

Answer: Michael Jackson

"Rock with You" was written by Rod Temperton and recorded by Michael Jackson for his fifth solo album "Off the Wall" (August, 1979). The song was released as the second single from that album on November 3rd.

That week, "Rock with You" debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at Number 76. It reached Number One on the chart in the week ending January 19th, 1980, where it stayed for four weeks. Altogether, the song stayed on the chart for 24 weeks, but it was Michael Jackson's third song to hit Number One, and was just the beginning of what would prove to be a good decade for the young 'King of Pop'.

Answer: Blondie

"The Tide is High" was written by John Holt and recorded by The Paragons in 1967, but Blondie's 1980 cover of the song would do better on the charts than the original (since it never charted). It was released as the lead single from their fifth studio album "Autoamerican" in October.

The song debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at Number 81 in the week ending November 15th and climbed the chart to reach Number One in the week ending January 31st, 1981. After just the one week on top, "The Tide is High" remained on the charts for three more months, lasting 25 weeks altogether in the top 100.

Answer: Hall & Oates

"I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)" was written by Darryl Hall and John Oates, and co-written by Sara Allen. It was released in November of 1981 as the second single from their tenth studio album "Private Eyes" (which was itself released on September 1st).

The song debuted at Number 59 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the week ending November 14th, and climbed to Number One in the week ending January 30th, 1982, where it stayed for just one week. It finally dropped off the chart after 21 weeks.

When speaking of the lyrics for this song, John Oates stated that it "is about the music business. That song is really about not being pushed around by big labels, managers, and agents and being told what to do, and being true to yourself creatively." (Wikipedia quote of a somethingelsereviews.com article)

Answer: Toto

"Africa" was released on October 30th, 1982 as Toto's third single from their fourth studio album "Toto IV". It was written by band members David Paich and Jeff Porcaro.

The song debuted that week on the Billboard Hot 100 at Number 75, and climbed until reaching Number One in the week ending February 5th, 1983. Altogether, it stayed on the chart for 21 weeks.

Weezer did a cover of "Africa" that peaked at Number 51 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2018.