UK Music Chart: March 28, 1970

Number 7 : Mary Hopkin : Knock, Knock Who's There?

• 01 (02) Simon And Garfunkel - Bridge Over Troubled Water 
• 02 (01) Lee Marvin - Wand'rin' Star  
• 03 (06) Andy Williams - Can't Help Falling In Love 
• 04 (03) Beatles - Let It Be 
• 05 (05) Pickettywitch - That Same Old Feeling 
• 06 (15) Bob And Marcia - Young, Gifted And Black 
• 07 (---) Mary Hopkin - Knock, Knock Who's There 
• 08 (11) Dave Clark Five - Everybody Get Together 
• 09 (08) Elvis Presley - Don't Cry Daddy 
• 10 (09) Steam - Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye 
• 11 (13) Kenny Rogers And The First Edition - Something's Burning 
• 12 (04) Jackson Five - I Want You Back 
• 13 (07) Herman's Hermits - Years May Come, Years May Go 
• 14 (12) Canned Heat - Let's Work Together 
• 15 (10) John Lennon/Yoko Ono/The Plastic Ono Band - Instant Karma! 
• 16 (14) Sacha Distel - Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head 
• 17 (16) Brotherhood Of Man - United We Stand 
• 18 (23) Jimmy Ruffin - Farewell Is A Lonely Sound 
• 19 (17) Edison Lighthouse - Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes) 
• 20 (26) Joe Dolan - You're Such A Good Looking Woman

*Previous week in brackets; Climbers denoted in red
Image: Knock, Knock Who's There? single art

One of music's classic songs slid into the top spot as Simon and Garfunkel's Bridge Over Troubled Water began its three week run as the UK Number this week in 1970. Elsewhere, a Eurovision song, some Motown and Ireland's Tom Jones were enjoying their first week in the Top 20.

It was Eurovision time at this point in 1970 and the United Kingdom had selected the angelic Mary Hopkin and the song Knock, Knock Who's There? as its contender at the Song Contest that was held in Amsterdam. There were high hopes for Ms. Hopkin, who was already a high profile singer across Europe, because of hits such as Those Were the Days and Goodbye. In the event, she secured the UK's sixth second place behind Ireland's winner All Kinds of Everything sung by Dana:

Motown was particularly popular in the UK around this time and, in my opinion, one of the label's best artists  was about to climb the Top 20. Jimmy Ruffin had already recorded some classics such as What Becomes of the Brokenhearted and I'll Say Forever My Love and his latest was easily as good. I'm unfortunately unable to locate any live performances of Farewell Is A Lonely Sound, a song which would briefly bounce back into the chart on re-release in 1974:

Ireland's most successful recording artist of the era was former showband leader, Joe Dolan. He had already made appearances in the UK chart with the international hit Make Me An Island and a more minor entry, Teresa. By this time, Dolan had signed up to the agency that handled Tom Jones and, from the evidence of the following video, its influence had an impact on his stage act:

Until next time...