27 September 1973 'The Ballroom Blitz' stands with 'Bootylicious' by Destiny's Child on the short list of songs that begin by naming the members of the group. Also memorable here: the swinging drum intro, the crunchy glam guitars, the lightning-flash three-chord riff that nails the chorus, and another of Steve Priest's flamboyant pre-chorus calls to … Continue reading The Sweet – ‘The Ballroom Blitz’ →

20 September 1973 No rubber bullets this time, just the hint of a shotgun wedding. Still, 'The Dean And I' is also full of light-entertainment Americana such as proms, dollars, soda pop, and a backing vocal that sounds like a Hollywood western's Native American war chant or rain dance. I think the soda pop is … Continue reading 10cc – ‘The Dean And I’ →

6 September 1973 We've already seen one of the teen-idol dreamboat boys of the early '70s at the top of our charts, David Cassidy with 'How Can I Be Sure'. Now here's his rival for your affections. I like to imagine both sets of fans fighting pitched battles on the street, trashing the others' favourite … Continue reading Donny Osmond – ‘Young Love’ →

23 August 1973 Three Counties was an Irish brand of processed cheese in my childhood, named after the Golden Vale agricultural heartland in Munster that takes in parts of Cork, Tipperary and Limerick. I remember it came in a round cardboard box as a wheel of individual segments wrapped in tinfoil. Like most processed cheese … Continue reading Brendan Shine – ‘Where The 3 Counties Meet’ →

19 July 1973 Could a song like 'Welcome Home' get to number one these days? The quaint sentimentality and intravenous nostalgia, for sure—see the parochial 'Killeagh'—but perhaps not the squarely middle-aged cabaret sound: I remember it being covered by light entertainment troupers and showband stragglers on Irish TV regularly during my '80s childhood and it … Continue reading Peters and Lee – ‘Welcome Home’ →

12 July 1973 I thought I knew Slade's ''Skweeze Me, Pleeze Me'. Turns out I didn't. Perhaps I simply forgot it. Anyway, it's here now, on my nerves. If you don't know it but you're already familiar with Slade, don't bother. 'Skweeze Me, Pleeze Me' is AI Slade: a familiar-sounding verse and chorus of screeching … Continue reading Slade – ‘Skweeze Me, Pleeze Me’ →

28 June 1973 Rubber bullets were developed by the British Ministry of Defence, and their first use was by the British Army in Northern Ireland. Ostensibly non-fatal rounds for dealing with riots and public disorder by being fired at the ground in front of people's legs, rubber bullets soon proved to be responsible for deaths … Continue reading 10cc – ‘Rubber Bullets’ →

7 June 1973 Considering the volume of songs about rose-like women from various Irish places—off the top of my head there's Mooncoin, Allendale, Clare, Castlerea and especially my home town of Tralee—it's odd that only three chart-topping singles in Ireland have 'rose' in the title, and none of them are those well-known Irish ballads. The … Continue reading Danny Doyle – ‘Daisy A Day’ →

31 May 1973 Christmas already, is it? At this point, in May 1973, the Wizzard sound wasn't yet synonymous with the festive classic they would release at the end of that year. Here on the far side of 'I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day', though, it's a challenge for me to peer through … Continue reading Wizzard – ‘See My Baby Jive’ →

19 April 1973 The protagonist of this massive early-'70s US hit isn't returning from a tour of duty in Vietnam or protesting the proposed felling of trees for Dublin bus corridors. He's just been released from prison, the second verse makes clear. Don't panic, though. While our late-'60s pop felons, like Tom Jones in 'Delilah' … Continue reading Dawn ft. Tony Orlando – ‘Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree’ →