I was a child of the 1970s, when AM radio played the hot music, 8-track tapes kept the beat going, and we waited until the end of the year to hear what the #1 song was, as revealed by Casey Kasem and his “Top 40″ show. Since I will greet the New Year somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean, I thought I would celebrate here a bit early, just like we did in the 1970s.
In the early 1970s, there were few bands as popular as Three Dog Night. And Dick Clark (who is an American icon, for those of you who may not know) had them on for three “Rockin’ New Year’s Eve” countdown shows in a row. So, we youth would gather in Lavengood’s basement as our parents were upstairs. We turn off all the lights, except for the blacklights (so that the velvet posters would shine) and listen to Three Dog Night. So, feel free to turn off your lights and join me as we consider how we can participate in bringing Joy to the world in 2011:
One of the greatest bands of all time is Earth, Wind and Fire. They were (and are) some of the most amazing live musicians (though the video below is obviously lip-synced). Their 1998 live DVD is amazing, and a regular soundtrack on my computer and in my house. It’s fantastic. Anyway, enjoy this ‘very 1970s’ video of the band:
The #1 song for the entire decade of the 1970s, by the way, was Debbie Boone’s “You Light Up My Life.” It’s probably true, because I think I was (and still am) nauseous from the song’s constant radio play by time 1980 rolled around. You might be too, but I risk and post a video of Debbie singing the song to cap off the day’s celebration, 1970s style.
