Adult Contemporary is a chart published by Billboard ranking the top-performing songs in the United States in the adult contemporary music (AC) market. In 1974, 35 songs topped the chart, then published under the title Easy Listening, based on playlists submitted by easy listening radio stations and sales reports submitted by stores. [1]
The first number one of the year was "Time in a Bottle" by Jim Croce. It was a posthumous chart-topper for the singer, who had died in an airplane crash in September of the previous year. [2] Croce achieved a second posthumous number one in April with "I'll Have to Say I Love You in a Song". Chicago, Gordon Lightfoot, Anne Murray and Charlie Rich also achieved two number ones in 1974, as did The Three Degrees, who had one chart-topper in their own right and another as featured vocalists on the song "TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)" by MFSB. John Denver and Helen Reddy each had three number ones during 1974, with Denver's total of seven weeks in the top spot being the highest by any act. Country-rock singer Denver was at the peak of his career in 1974, selling millions of records and achieving number ones on the Hot 100, easy listening and country charts. [3]
Many of 1974's Easy Listening number ones also topped Billboard's all-genre singles chart, the Hot 100, reflecting the fact that at the time mellower styles were popular across a range of demographics and on pop music radio as well as the easy listening format. [4] Songs by Jim Croce, Barbra Streisand, The Love Unlimited Orchestra, Terry Jacks, MFSB featuring The Three Degrees, John Denver, Gordon Lightfoot, Olivia Newton-John and Helen Reddy all topped both listings. [5] The final number one of the year was "Mandy" by Barry Manilow, which would go on to top the Hot 100 in 1975 and prove to be the breakthrough song for an artist who would become one of the most successful acts in the AC field. [6]
Indicates best-performing easy listening song of 1974 [7] |
The Adult Contemporary chart is published weekly by Billboard magazine and lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary radio stations in the United States. The chart is compiled based on airplay data submitted to Billboard by stations that are members of the Adult Contemporary radio panel. The chart debuted in Billboard magazine on July 17, 1961. Over the years, the chart has gone under a series of name changes, being called Easy Listening(1961–1962; 1965–1979), Middle-Road Singles(1962–1964), Pop-Standard Singles(1964–1965), Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks(1979–1982) and Adult Contemporary(1983–present).
"You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine" is a song performed by R&B singer Lou Rawls on his 1976 album All Things in Time. The song proved to be Rawls' breakthrough hit, reaching number one on both the R&B and Easy Listening charts as well as number four on the dance chart and number two on the US Billboard Hot 100, where it was kept from the top spot for two weeks by "You Should Be Dancing" by The Bee Gees and "(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty" by KC and the Sunshine Band, respectively. This was the first and only time that one of Rawls' records managed to reach Billboard's pop top ten. It was the first big hit for Philadelphia International to feature the reformulated MFSB, after many of the original members left Gamble and Huff for better opportunities. The song started Rawls' live shows from 1977 on.
"Please Come to Boston" is a song that was recorded and written by American singer-songwriter Dave Loggins. It was released in April 1974 as the first single from his album Apprentice and was produced by Jerry Crutchfield. It spent two weeks at number five on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in August 1974 and one week atop the Billboard Easy Listening chart. It was nominated for a Grammy Award in the category Best Male Pop Vocal performance.