Now let's vote for the Worst Number 1 hit of the 1970s!

[NightTrain]

Lemme tell ya something, folks. Picking just one bad #1 hit from each year of the '70s was an arduous task. Christ, that decade produced a bumper crop of shitty music! But I did my best for ya, so vote away, gang!

[terrya]

1. HAS to be "You Light Up my Life"

That song is hideous beyond words. The worst song of the 70's.

[Systematic Chaos]

2. Well...

Sorry to say it, but not every song on your list is absolutely terrible. A couple of them are actually kinda nice in their own syrupy way, IMO.

And furthermore, comparing just about anything that has charted in the last dozen years or so to the 70's hits shows just how much worse things have gotten.

On edit: I also voted for "You Light Up My Life". That one truly is sucky IMO.

[TahitiNut]

3. "Tie a Yellow Ribbin'" is easily the worst.

It's not a song, it's a meme - a virus. It's elevator legionaire's. Disgusting.

OTOH, Roberta's "First Time" is tremendous and still connotes the wistful honorarium to love it did then. (I'd bet it's been used in wedding ceremonies far more than any other 70's 'hit'.)

[Kahuna]

15. "Tie a Yellow Ribbon" got my vote...

:puke:

[underpants]

4. How about anything by Christopher Cross?

Great now I have all those songs in my head. I vote for the Pina Colada song BTW.

[NightTrain]

16. He didn't have his first #1 hit until 1980

But fear not. If I do a "Worst #1 Hits of the '80s" poll, "Sailin'" and "Arthur's Theme" both stand an excellent choice of being nominated!

[ForrestGump]

5. My Ding A Ling (1972)

Although "You Light Up The Life" is arguably far more dire - most of the others on the lsit are masterpieces in comparison, and some I actually like - Chuck Berry's only #1 (strange that it was his first and only, actually) committed the cardinal sin of being both stupid and keeping "Burning Love" from the #1 spot (at least on the Billboard Hot 100 - "Burning Love" assumed its rightful position on the Cashbox chart).

[mkregel]

6. What about...

Feelings....nothing more than


Feeelings

[AntiCoup2K4]

7. No disco songs?

How can you have a Worst Number 1 of the 70's poll and not include the most horrid form of music ever invented (at least until Freepaganda Country came along)

I'll bypass the numerous Bee Gees and Village People choices and go straight to the sewers......

BOOGIE OOGIE OOGIE - A Taste Of Honey :puke:

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

40. Let's not forget.....

Rick Dee's Disco Duck or Disco Tex and the Sexolets by Monte Rock.

[Jack Rabbit]

8. Toss up

Seasons in the Sun, written by Rod McKuen, has been a good example of bad lyrics for years. How old is the character singing the song? He's old enough to forgive his wife and best friend for their adulterous relationship yet young enough to have his father present at his death. Go figure that one. Terry Jacks' version is probably the worst.

I feel about the same about You Light up My Life as most people around here. It is one of the schmaltziest recordings ever.

[Andy_Stephenson]

9. I voted for You light up my life....but the worst song of the 70's was

Afternoon Delight by the Starland Vocal Band


ACK!

[Feanorcurufinwe]

10. I loved "Brand New Key"!

Maybe it's cuz my dad forbid us to play it in the house -- I guess it was too sexually suggestive lol

[Iverson]

11. Paul Anka's "Havin' My Baby"

That's one of the few that can make a normally sane person listen to "Afternoon Delight" or other garbage.

[montana_hazeleyes]

42. I voted for "light up my life,"

But when I saw this,"havin'my baby" I must agree,one of The worst ever.

[populistmom]

12. Brandy

I forgot who its by, but it's like fingernails on a chalkboard. Hate it!

Sarah

[joeybee12]

29. Brandy is by The Looking Glass--I LOVE that song!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I loved it then, and I love it now!

[havocmom]

13. what about "Chicky Boom Chicky Boom, Don't Ya Just Love It?"

from 71?

[Bossy Monkey]

14. I think you should have skipped a few years

Loathsome as Tie A Yellow Ribbon may be, Vicki Lawrence's "The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia" was at least equally horrible.

I like at least half of the tunes in the poll; the disco era offered horrors that easily overshadowed any of them.

[newyawker99]

17. I voted for "You Light Up My Life" although

"Tie a Yellow Ribbon" is a very close second.

:puke:

[CanuckAmok]

18. Honourable mention: Afternoon Delight...

"Starland Vocal Band?! They SUCK!"--Homer Simpson

[dolo amber]

19. Roberta?!

ROBERTA?! As worst ANYTHING, EVER?!?

Dear jeebus man, are you on glue?

:crazy:

[NightTrain]

21. That record is a funeral dirge!

I can't stand the fucking thing. Sorry....

[joeybee12]

32. Glad it's not winning--I like it also

Also like Bread, which isn't winining either. The others stink.

[Old and In the Way]

20. They're Coming to Take Me Away

'nuff said (maybe that was late sixties)

[regnaD kciN]

43. Wrong decade...

That was in 1966.

And it was an amusing novelty record -- I think the worst had to be something unintentionally bad.

[CBHagman]

22. What! No "Shannon"?

A top 40 hit about a DEAD DOG, no less.

I voted for Terry Jacks, though, whose "Seasons in the Sun" scores very high on the rancid scale. Looking at your list, though, I'm struck by the fact that the '70s were worse musically than I'd remembered.

[NightTrain]

23. Sorry, I limited the poll exclusively to #1 singles...

...which, thankfully, "Shannon" was not.

[Syrinx]

31. I thought it was about a horse

But I haven't heard it in a long time.

[Athletic Grrl]

24. Voted for Debby...

....but I've got to say Afternoon Delight, Shannon and Billy Don't Be A Hero are even worse. Oh, and The Night Chicago Died. Man, the 70's were a treasure trove of bad music with the exception of the hard rock and of course, punk.

:puke:

[mlawson]

25. You omitted: "Already Gone" by the Eagles.

Or whatever the name of that, the WORST song ever recorded IMO, was... And "Witchy Woman" is not far behind.

That is the one song, against which I will stop my ears and hum in public, or whatever I have to do, to prevent my hearing it!!!

[carpetbagger]

26. Light Up's the worst, but it's in history's dustbin. Escape is not.

Therefore, Escape gets my vote.

[LTR]

27. Was "Mukrat Love" a #1?

Horrible f---ing song!

:puke:

[NightTrain]

35. No, but...

..."Do That To Me One More Time" was. Watch for it on my upcoming Worst of the '80s poll!

[joeybee12]

28. Thank God you didn't include any Donna Summer songs!

They're ALL classics.

These are actually pretty shitty choices, had to go with Debbie Boone, though. While most of these reek, Debbie Boone should be drawn and quartered for this wretched piece of excrement. Did you know she was singing this to God? The slut!

[NightTrain]

33. None of Donna Summer's worst records were #1 hits, IMHO

n/t

[flamingyouth]

30. Did "Beth" hit #1?

Gack, we had to play that in my junior high school band. I hate that song!

[NightTrain]

34. Thankfully, it didn't

Besides, it had a great flip, "Detroit Rock City." Yeah, baby!

[flamingyouth]

36. I think it was the B-side to Detroit Rock City

Ugh, I hate Beth, but the A-side is great!

[dae]

37. OK, I'm sorry but I liked "You Light Up My Life", do I have to atone?

However, I hated "Ring My Bell" by whoever?

[Seneca]

38. The Night Chicago Died

By those one-hit blunders, Paper Lace. Blech. Gack!

[regnaD kciN]

44. "On the east side of Chicago"...

...or, as people who know American geography (the members of Paper Lace, a European band, apparently don't qualify) would put it, underwater!!!

:eyes:

[JCMach1]

39. What about 'MacArthur Park'

...Someone left the cake out in the rain...

[Ridley Park 704]

41. are they bad just becuz of the stanky lyrics? some were good tunes(Bread)

That Bread man had a good voice (David Gates?)

MacArthur Park was 1968.

[VermontDem2004]

45. I must be young

but I don't know any of those songs.