1972 was an interesting year; the Olympics were marred with the massacre of 11 athletes from Israel by Arab Gunman, here at home the Watergate scandal is about to explode, and the top movie was ‘The French Connection’ starring Gene Hackman (he also won the best actor award). What were the top songs of the year?
1. “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” by Roberta Flack
2. “American Pie” by Don McLean
3. “Alone Again (Naturally)” by Gilbert O’Sullivan
4. “Without You” by Nilsson
5. “The Candy Man” by Sammy Davis Jr.
6. “I Gotcha” by Joe Tex
7. “Lean On Me” by Bill Withers
8. “Baby Don’t Get Hooked On Me” by Mac Davis
9. “Brand New Key” by Melanie
Observations: How confused was popular music in 1972? There were country cross overs, lite rock, Broadway tunes and eight-minute singles on the charts (American Pie) Sadly, Harry Nilsson. Sammy, Bill, and Joe Tex have all moved on.
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