January 1976 Boomer JukeBox

This month's Boomer JukeBox is brought to you by TV Guide. Get your copy wherever magazines are sold. Let's check out some of the top hits of January, 1976. But first, here's few things that happened in pop culture that month:  Famous Cleveland football coach, Paul Brown, who inspired the teams' moniker, retired; Dorothy Hamill won the US Skating Championship;  The Donnie and Marie show and Laverne and Shirley debuted on ABC;  Frampton Comes Alive was released. We wish the above-mentioned success in the remainder of 1976. Now, onto the music.  

The  #1 hit in January of the bicentennial year belonged to some skinny, flash-in-the-pan by the name of Barry Manilow. I present to you "I Write the Songs." Is it hubris to claim he "makes the whole world sing?" Apparently not, as he has, to date, sold 85 million albums, and 

Theme From Mahogany. This song was a critical success for Miss Ross. In part because everyone was dreaming of Billy Dee when they heard it on the radio. 

Love Roller Coaster. As a member of the high school graduating class of 1976, I am here to admit that we were not the best and brightest.  I blame the lead paint we ingested in our toddler years. At any rate, there were rumors that, in the background of this song, a recording of a young woman being murdered on a roller coaster was played. Dumb? Sure. But, it got us listening to this song over and over on our record players in a vain attempt to hear the horror for ourselves. And it went to number 1 because we are all morbid. Don't mock us. Crime podcasts, anyone? At any rate, the Ohio Players scored a huge hit with this one. 

Convoy. Back in our day, truck drivers were cool. They picked up hitch hikers, were called the "knights of the highway" as they'd pull over to help you change a tire. They also had these cool things called CB radios which soon became popular with the general public. Suddenly, everyone was giving themselves CB handles and saying things like, "Breaker. Breaker 19." It was awesome! So much more fun than cell phones and social media. C.W. McCall took this new social phenomenon and made a #1 country hit out of it. 

50 Ways to Leave Your Lover. No need to be coy, Paul. This song was a #1 hit for Paul Simon because it was very instructive. "Just get on the bus Gus." "Just drop off the key, Lee." "Make a new plan, Stan." Listen, this is the guy who wrote "The Boxer," so we will cut him some slack for some of these lyrics. 

50 Ways To Leave Your Lover

I hope you enjoyed this trip down audio lane! Join me next month when I share the top songs of February,  1983!