#1 at KRUX/Phoenix: “Ballad of the Green Berets” by Staff Sergeant Barry Sadler, whose parents were born in Phoenix. He grew up in various places throughout the Southwest — including Arizona — and lived in Tucson during the 1970s. Although this Vietnam War-era patriotic anthem was one of the year’s biggest hits, it was very much of its time and rarely played on oldies radio in the future.
The same can’t be said of the rest of the top 10 — what a group of classic tunes! In order, from #2 to #10:
- “These Boots Are Made For Walkin’ ” by Nancy Sinatra, written and produced by former Arizonan Lee Hazlewood;
- “Listen People” by Herman’s Hermits, written by future 10cc member Graham Gouldman;
- “Nowhere Man” by the Beatles, a song John Lennon said he wrote about himself;
- “Daydream,” the Lovin’ Spoonful’s third big hit in a row;
- “Woman” by Peter & Gordon, written by Paul McCartney under the pseudonym Bernard Webb;
- “19th Nervous Breakdown” by the Rolling Stones, yet another in a long line of mid-1960s smashes;
- “California Dreamin’,” the Mamas & Papas’s debut single;
- “You Baby,” third straight hit by the Turtles;
- “Elusive Butterfly,” the only big hit for Bob Lind.
Strangely, below the top 10 only a few gems survived the years on oldies radio:
- “Homeward Bound” by Simon & Garfunkel (#18 to #12);
- “Working My Way Back To You” by the Four Seasons (#24 to #16);
- “My Love” by Petula Clark (dropping to #20); her not-so-enduring follow-up, “Sign Of The Times” is this week’s Hitbound song;
- “Uptight (Everything’s Alright)” by 15-year-old Stevie Wonder (slipping to #22);
- “(You’re My) Soul And Inspiration” by the Righteous Brothers (new at #30).
Finally, as with “Green Berets,” another song that was very much of its time: Neal Hefti’s “Batman Theme” (#19), the official song of the then-hot TV series.