7 of the 70s: 5/16/13 (1975)...

Hey gang - my weekly trip back to the 70s is back, and this time we're back to 1975, the year Busch Gardens opened in Virginia....

Minnie Riperton - "Lovin' You"
from the album Perfect Angel (1974)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1
Songwriters: Minnie Riperton, Richard Rudolph

I'm already pregnant again listening to this. Written for her daughter Maya Rudolph, who was just seen on last Saturday's Saturday Night Live preggers herself. The circle of life.


Jessi Colter - "I'm Not Lisa"
from the album I'm Jessi Colter (1975)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #4
Songwriter: Jessi Colter

This country chart-topper dealt with the pain of a woman whose man hasn't gotten over the pain of his last relationship. A welcome look back to when the genre dealt with real human issues and not "southern product" catchphrases.

Phoebe Snow - "Poetry Man"
from the album Phoebe Snow (1974)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #5
Songwriter: Phoebe Snow

Casey Kasem rumored that this was about Jackson Browne, who Phoebe had toured with, but the singer denied it. A "one-hit wonder" in the minds of many, this rather was an artistic triumph with the jazz-pop inflection of Joni Mitchell...

Carole King - "Nightingale"
from the album Wrap Around Joy (1974)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #9
Songwriters: Carole King, Dave Palmer

Carole's daughters Louise and Sherry Goffin sang backup for their mom on this sweet single.

Olivia Newton-John - "Something Better To Do"
from the album Clearly Love (1975)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #13
Songwriter: John Farrar

Back when ONJ was in her sweet and innocent phase, instead of getting "physical", she's concerned about the birds in her neighborhood.

Carly Simon - "Attitude Dancing"
from the album Playing Possum (1975)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #21
Songwriters: Carly Simon, Jacob Brackman

The most disco-fied of Carly's output stalled right under the top-20 on the chart, though she would recover the next year with a little help from Bond. James Bond.

Joan Baez - "Diamonds And Rust"
from the album Diamonds And Rust (1975)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #35
Songwriter: Joan Baez

One of the best "tribute" songs to a living legend even made more bittersweet from Joan's personal connection to Bob Dylan, and the realness of their relationship that ended ten years before..

That's it for this trip, I'll be back later with 8 more from 1985...