| "My Girl Bill" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Jim Stafford | ||||
| from the album Jim Stafford | ||||
| B-side | "L.A. Mamma" | |||
| Released | April 1974 | |||
| Length | 3:12 | |||
| Label | MGM Records | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Jim Stafford | |||
| Producer(s) | P. Gernhard and Roland Kent LaVoie | |||
| Jim Stafford singles chronology | ||||
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"My Girl Bill" is a 1974 hit song written and recorded by Jim Stafford. It was the third of four U.S. Top 40 singles from his eponymous debut album. The lyrics in the verses are spoken, rather than sung.
The song is about a man named William/Bill and his friend, the narrator of the song. The lyrics employ double entendre, leading the listener to infer that the men, as the title also suggests, are themselves involved in a romantic relationship. However, in the last verse a twist occurs; the narrator speaks of a woman who has been the men's mutual love interest but who has now summarily rejected Bill, and he is explaining the situation (i.e. "(she's) MY girl, Bill").
"My Girl Bill" reached number 12 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, number 7 on the Canadian pop singles chart and number 20 in the BBC UK Top 50 chart. It was a crossover hit onto the Adult Contemporary and Country charts of both nations. The song was also a Top 20 hit in Australia.
Weekly charts
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"My Girl Bill" was included on the 1975 Ronco compilation album, Far Out. [13]
Actor Cash Backman covered the song in 1974. His version reached number nine in Australia in 1974. [14] and was the 77th biggest selling single of 1974, 14 places higher than Stafford's version. [10]
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"Life's Been Good" is a song by American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Joe Walsh that first appeared on the soundtrack to the 1978 film FM. The original eight-minute version was released on Walsh's fourth studio album But Seriously, Folks... (1978), and an edited four-minute single version peaked at No. 12 on the US Billboard Hot 100, remaining his biggest solo hit.
"If" is a song written by American singer-songwriter David Gates in 1971. Originally popularized by his group Bread, "If" charted at No. 4 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 when released as a single in 1971 and No. 6 in Canada. It also spent three weeks at No. 1 on the U.S. Easy Listening chart, and one week at the top of the Canadian AC chart.
"The Loco-Motion" is a 1962 pop song written by American songwriters Gerry Goffin and Carole King. "The Loco-Motion" was originally written for R&B singer Dee Dee Sharp, but Sharp turned the song down.
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"Angie Baby" is a song that was written by American singer-songwriter Alan O'Day, and became a hit for Australian singer Helen Reddy. The song reached #1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart at the end of December 1974 and became one of Reddy's biggest-selling singles. The song also topped the U.S. adult contemporary chart, Reddy's fifth #1 on this chart.
"Rich Girl" is a song by Daryl Hall & John Oates. It debuted on the Billboard Top 40 on February 5, 1977, at number 38 and on March 26, 1977, it became their first of six number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100. The single originally appeared on the 1976 album Bigger Than Both of Us. At the end of 1977, Billboard ranked it as the 23rd biggest hit of the year.
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"Ariel" is a hit single written and performed by Dean Friedman, released in April 1977. It was the first of two hits from Friedman's eponymous debut LP. "Ariel," however, was his only hit in North America. It reached number 26 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart, number 17 on the Cashbox Top 100, and number 19 in Canada. The song spent 22 weeks on the Billboard chart and 24 weeks on Cashbox.
"The Most Beautiful Girl" is a song recorded by Charlie Rich and written by Billy Sherrill, Norro Wilson, and Rory Bourke. The countrypolitan ballad reached No. 1 in the United States in 1973 on three Billboard music charts: the pop chart, the country chart, and the adult contemporary chart, as well as in Canada on three RPM charts: the RPM 100 Top Singles chart, the Country Tracks chart, and the Adult Contemporary chart. Billboard ranked it as the No. 23 song for 1974.
"Rock On" is a song written by English singer David Essex. Recorded in 1973 and released as a single by Essex, it became an international hit. In 1989, American actor and singer Michael Damian recorded a cover version that went to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song has been recorded many times, including a 2006 version by the English hard rock group Def Leppard.
"Mr. Natural" is a song by the Bee Gees, written by Barry and Robin Gibb. On 29 March 1974, it was released as a single and also released on the album of the same name in 1974. It was backed with a folk rock number "It Doesn't Matter Much to Me". The group's first single which was produced by Arif Mardin.
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"One Night in Bangkok" is a song from the concept album and subsequent musical Chess by Tim Rice, Benny Andersson, and Björn Ulvaeus. British actor and singer Murray Head raps the verses, while the chorus is sung by Anders Glenmark, a Swedish singer, songwriter, and producer.
"Rock and Roll Heaven" is a song written by Alan O'Day and Johnny Stevenson, popularized by The Righteous Brothers. It is a paean to several deceased singers such as Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Otis Redding, and has been rewritten a number of times to include other singers. The song was first recorded by the band Climax in 1973, but it failed to chart. It was then covered by The Righteous Brothers in 1974 and reached number three on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.
"Happy Days" is a song written by Norman Gimbel and Charles Fox. It is the theme of the 1970s television series Happy Days. It can be heard during the TV show's opening and closing credits as it runs in perpetual rerun syndication.
"Spiders & Snakes" is a 1974 hit song recorded by Jim Stafford and written by Stafford and David Bellamy of The Bellamy Brothers. It was the second of four U.S. Top 40 singles released from his eponymous debut album and also the highest-charting at number three. The lyrics in the verses are spoken, while only the chorus is sung.
"Wildwood Weed" is a 1964 country-western parody song written by Don Bowman. It was the first track on Side 1 of Bowman's debut LP, Our Man in Trouble..."It Only Hurts When I Laugh". Its most famous version was recorded in 1974 by Jim Stafford and became the fourth of four U.S. Top 40 singles from his eponymous debut album. Musically, the song takes its inspiration from the Carter Family's recording "Wildwood Flower". In both versions, the lyrics in the verses are spoken rather than sung.