Saturday, December 23, 2017

My Two Cents: This Week's Number One Hit from 1977 (40 Years Ago): "How Deep Is Your Love" - The Bee Gees


Hello, one and all.

40 Christmases ago, the UK/Australian family act The Bee Gees would score their fourth number one US single with "How Deep Is Your Love". It was a ballad that was a smash years since their first US number one single: "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart"; which also had the word "How" in it. It was also the lead-in single to the soundtrack to "Saturday Night Fever", the John Travolta film that catapulted the one-time Sweathog from "Welcome Back, Kotter" into movie stardom. It would also cement the trio's status as one of the hottest pop acts from the 1970's. Their youngest brother, the late Andy Gibb, was also a pop superstar in his own right, scoring his first US number one with his debut single: "I Just Want To Be Your Everything", written by his older brother, Barry Gibb. 

Many '70's artists had hits based off Gibb song compositions. Yvonne Elliman, Samantha Sang and Frankie Valli to name a few. Follow-up hits would continue from the hit movie and soundtrack which became the biggest selling soundtrack of all-time; until the 1992 soundtrack for the Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston vehicle: "The Bodyguard", would eclipse the 1977 bestseller. Their hit would also usher in 1978 and the hit streak onto the summer and fall of that year.

Rounding out the top five of that year, Pat Boone's singer/daughter Debby Boone had her white-hot, ten-consecutive-week end, pushing her to number two with the theme to the now-ever-forgotten movie "You Light Up My Life". Linda Ronstadt would hold steady at number three with her Roy Orbison cover: "Blue Bayou". The Greensboro, NC R&B/funk group, L.T.D. (standing for Love, Togetherness and Devotion) scored their highest-peaking hit at number four with their disco hit: "(Every Time I Turn Around) Back In Love Again". Finally, Linda Ronstadt would have her second hit in the top five with another cover; this one from Buddy Holly and his band The Crickets: "It's So Easy".

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year in 2018.



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