Favorite Songs of 1973

As full of great songs as 1974 was, 1973 was even better! As such, I am once again resorting to listing many of them while commenting on a few of the (to me) best.

Hurricane Smith kicked off 1973 with an offbeat (and his only) big hit Oh Babe What Would You Say. Stealer's Wheel, featuring the talented Gerry Rafferty, spun out an intriguing record with a different beat (copied by Sheryl Crow on her All I Wanna Do): Stuck in the Middle With You. The great guitar-jamming, whistling, and (yes) yodeling hit Hocus Pocus (by Focus) came out in '73. My favorite Arlo Guthrie song, a cover of his father Woodie's hit Gypsy Davey, came out in late spring. Lynn Anderson's version of the Carpenters-penned Top of the World was, to me, vastly superior to the original version. The Allman Brothers jammed it up the way only they could with their Ramblin' Man. Stevie Wonder's epic story of race and injustice, Living for the City, grew in stature with me over the years until it is now one of my all-time favorite songs. Harry Chapin had a minor hit with W-O-L-D, a compelling, sad tale about an aging disc jockey. America put out two songs that resonated well with me (although they weren't their biggest hits): Don't Cross the River and Only In Your Heart. The Spinners had a beautiful tearjerker with Ghetto Child. Johnny Mathis likewise put out an emotional tune: I'm Coming Home. Nights in White Satin, originally released in 1968 by the Moody Blues, later became a singles hit in 1972 and a favorite of mine in early 1973 (the full-length version). Elton John and John Denver, both enjoying success with singles releases this year, had better songs hidden on their albums with Blues For Baby and Me and Farewell Andromeda, respectively. Chicago's innovative anti-war, pro-social activism song Dialogue has also grown to become one of my all-time favorites. My #3 favorite song from 1973 (as I lived through it) was Al Green's incredible Love and Happiness (which he belted out perfectly during the Atlanta Olympic Games' closing ceremonies in 1996). Although Led Zeppelin's classic Stairway to Heaven had been out for more than a year, it wasn't until late in 1973 that I noticed it. And then I became enraptured by this haunting and mysterious piece, making it my #2 song of the year. Speaking of mysterious, the duo Seals and Crofts produced my top favorite song of 1973 with their Hummingbird, which, although I never could ferret out the precise meaning of its lyrics, still somehow served to be very inspiring! And now, here are some other great tunes I liked back then in '73:

Dueling Banjos (Eric Weissberg & Steve Mandel)
Killing Me Softly With His Song (Roberta Flack)
Dancing in the Moonlight (King Harvest)
Also Sprach Zarathustra (Deodato)
Give It Up (J. Geils Band)
Peaceful Easy Feeling (Eagles)
Peaceful (Helen Reddy)
Cisco Kid (War)
Drift Away (Dobie Gray)
Wildflower (Skylark)
Pillow Talk (Sylvia)
I'm Gonna Love You Just a Little More (Barry White)
Oklahoma Crude Theme (Henry Mancini)
The Morning After (Maureen McGovern)
As Time Goes By (Nilsson)
Midnight Train to Georgia (Gladys Knight & the Pips)
Smoke on the Water (Deep Purple)
Paper Roses (Marie Osmond)
Out of the Question (Gilbert O'Sullivan)
No More Mr. Nice Guy (Alice Cooper)
Little Willy (The Sweet)
Uneasy Rider (Charlie Daniels Band)
Take a Walk on the Wild Side (Lou Reed)
Will It Go Around in Circles (Billy Preston)
Soul Makossa (Manu Dibango)
Send a Little Love My Way (Ann Murray)
Hello It's Me (Todd Rundgren)
Knockin' On Heaven's Door (Bob Dylan)
Kodachrome (Paul Simon)
Loves Me Like a Rock (Paul Simon)
All I Know (Art Garfunkel)
Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy (Bette Midler)
Whatever Gets You Through the Night (John Lennon)
Give Me Love (George Harrison)
Photograph (Ringo Starr)
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (Elton John)
Daniel (Elton John)
Rocky Mountain High (John Denver)
I Got a Name (Jim Croce)
You Are the Sunshine of My Life (Stevie Wonder)
Space Oddity (Davie Bowie) (re-released)
Do It Again (Steely Dan)
Reelin' in the Years (Steely Dan)
Aubrey (Bread)
Clouds (David Gates)