The Songs of 1970-- Part 1: 'Bridge Over Troubled Water'

Of course, any song from 1970 is going to be real special to me.  I find that the songs from when I was in junior high, high school and college are my favorites for some reason.  1970 was a college year for me at NIU.

From the August 2, 2020 Parade Magazine "The songs of 1970" by Jim Farber.

You can learn a lot about any given year by listening to its most popular songs.  In 1970, the No. 1-selling single was Simon & Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water," an ode to everlasting hope and unwavering faith.  (That song always reminds me of NIU's Tune Room (also called Tomb Room) at the University Center.  If I heard it once there, I heard it lots.  Make sure you listen to Aretha Franklin's version which came out a year later.)

Nearly as popular were the Beatles' "Let It Be,"  "O-o-h Child" by the Five Stairsteps and B.J. Thomas' "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head."  All of these are meant to soothe and uplift.

These singles, and I'm sure you remember everyone of them, wound up defining life in 1970, a turbulent year in American history and beyond.  "It was a time of the Vietnam War, riots in the cities and [following] the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Bobby Kennedy," says Keni Burke, who crooned the Five Stairsteps' calming anthem "O-o-h Child," which assured us that "things are gonna get easier."

--RoadBridge

TEENAGERS AND CATS:  Cats and teenagers can lie on the living room sofa for hours on end without moving, barely breathing.

The Songs of 1970-- Part 2: It Was a Very Trying Time and the Songs Helped Get Us By

 By Jim Farber.

You can learn a lot about any given year by listening to its most popular songs.

In 1970, the No. 1-selling single was Simon & Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water," an ode t everlasting hope and unwavering faith.  Nearly as possible was the Beatles' "Let It Be, "O-o-h Child" by Chicago's Five Stairste4ps and B.J. Thomas' "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head," all  meant to soothe and uplift.

These singles wound up defining American life in 1970, a turbulent year indeed.  "It was a time of the Vietnam War, riots in cities and [following] the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Bobby Kennedy," says Keni Burke, who crooned the Five Stairsteps calming anthem "O-o-h Child," which assured us that "things are gonna get easier."

"Given as much unrest, everyone was exhausted," says David Browne, author of 'Fire and Rain: The Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, James Taylor, CSNY and the Lost Story of 1970.'  "It's no coincidence that the top songs of the year were as much hymns as pop songs.

--RoadDog

PONDER THIS:  Why doesn't glue stick to the inside of the bottle?