7 of the 70s: 6/6/13 (1978)...

Hey gang, it's time for this week's 70's trip, and this week it's back to 1978, the year David Berkowitz ("Son Of Sam") was sentenced to 365 years in prison. This week's seven are acts that wrote their own songs...

Chic - "Le Freak"
from the album C'est Chic (1978)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1
Songwriters: Bernard Edwards, Nile Rodgers

It's hard to believe that Nile is getting a big return to the spotlight playing on Daft Punk's "Get Lucky" 35 years after this ruled the clubs...

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Bob Seger - "Still The Same"
from the album Stranger In Town (1978)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #4
Songwriter: Bob Seger

I always thought of this as Seger's sly nod to trying to replicate the success of his "Night Moves", much like the Four Tops with "(It's the) Same Old Song" did for "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)"...

Chris Rea - "Fool (If You Think It's Over)"
from the album Whatever Happened To Benny Santini? (1978)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #12
Songwriter: Chris Rea

This slick soft-rock record was produced by Gus Dudgeon, which explains me always attaching this to a Elton John vibe...

Billy Joel - "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)"
from the album The Stranger (1977)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #17
Songwriter: Billy Joel

When I was a child I thought this was the most racist song ever because I misheard the "Nick (if?) he can't drive with a broken back" line. Oops.

Styx - "Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)"
from the album Pieces Of Eight (1978)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #21
Songwriter: Tommy Shaw

Back when Styx was a equal billing of Tommy Shaw and Dennis DeYoung, I always was infatuated with their harmony structure.

Funkedelic - "One Nation Under A Groove"
from the album One Nation Under A Groove (1978)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #28
Songwriters: George Clinton, Walter Morrison, Garry Shider

George Clinton succumbs to the disco with this slick format-changing number expanding the boundaries of the normally strict genre...

Stevie Wonder - "As"
from the album Songs In The Key Of Life (1976)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #36
Songwriter: Stevie Wonder

It's so hard to pick my favorite Stevie Wonder song, but 40% of the time this would be my answer. Maybe 50%.

That's it from this week's flashback to the 70s...I'll be back with 8 more from 1988...