UK Music Chart: September 4, 1971 Featuring Curved Air

Diana Ross with I'm Still Waiting continued to outsell all comers in the UK Top 20 this week in September 1971, as the track completed its third straight week at Number 1.

Elsewhere in the chart, three new songs appeared for the first time, as tracks by Curved Air, The Supremes and duo Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood made their debuts.

Image: Retrospective - Curved Air

Diana Ross at Number 1

The Chart:

01 (01) Diana Ross - I'm Still Waiting
02 (02) The New Seekers - Never Ending Song Of Love
03 (09) The Tams - Hey Girl, Don't Bother Me
04 (05) Family - In My Own Time
05 (03) Dawn - What Are You Doing Sunday?
06 (06) The Pioneers - Let Your Yeah Be Yeah
07 (08) Buffy Sainte-Marie - Soldier Blue
08 (15) Carole King - It's Too Late
09 (07) Atomic Rooster - Devil's Answer
10 (04) T. Rex - Get It On
11 (10) George Harrison - Bangla Desh
12 (21) Curved Air - Back Street Luv
13 (11) New World - Tom-Tom Turnaround
14 (12) Curtis Mayfield - Move On Up
15 (14) The Who - Won't Get Fooled Again
16 (20) Gilbert O'Sullivan - We Will
17 (25) Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood - Did You Ever?
18 (17) Elvis Presley - Heartbreak Hotel / Hound Dog
19 (26) The Supremes - Nathan Jones
20 (16) St. Cecilia - Leap Up and Down (Wave Your Knickers in the Air)

*Previous week in brackets; Climbers denoted in red; New entries in bold

12: Curved Air: Back Street Luv

Although Curved Air only ever once managed to crack the British Singles Chart, Back Street Luv is one of those tracks that is truly unforgettable if you were around in the early 1970s.

Curved Air may not be a band name that automatically springs to mind when you think of the music of the era, but the band's female lead singer, Sonja Kristina, left a lasting impression on many a teenage boy's mind.

She fronted the band through this, their most commercially profitable era, when not only Back Street Luv was a favourite with record buyers, but also their first three albums took the group into the UK Top 20. This single was included on their second, the uninspiringly named Second Album, peaking at Number 4 later in September.

17: Nancy Sinatra/Lee Hazlewood: Did You Ever?

Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood's innuendo-laden Did You Ever? appealed to the Carry On/Benny Hill-style comedy that was so popular in the UK at the time.

The lyrics to this country pop song were...unintentionally...possibly...probably entirely innocent, but there was no doubt that you could read more into them if you so wanted.

Although country has generally never had much lasting impact in the UK, this twangy novelty certainly found its legs and raced all the way to a peak position of Number 2.

19: The Supremes: Nathan Jones

In a week when Diana Ross was heading the UK listing, her old group, The Supremes, entered at the other end of the chart with their latest hit, Nathan Jones.

Taken from their album Touch, the single employed some wonderful sychronised vocals from all three of the girls, as well as the use of intermittent phasing in order to give the record a unique sound.

However, Motown was not as enthusiastic about the group as it once was, instead preferring to promote some of its proven acts over The Supremes. As a consequence, the girls' records lost a lot of commercial traction in the States, where this song peaked at Number 16. Nevertheless, they remained a hot item in the UK and Nathan Jones became one of their most successful post-Ross singles.

The American Top 10 (w/e September 4, 1971)
*Press play > to listen to each track