UK Music Chart: April 22, 1972 Ft. Vicky Leandros

Number 14: Vicky Leandros

The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards' bagpipe version of Amazing Grace was now into its second week as the UK Number 1 and would rule the British charts for much of the Spring.

One record which came close to knocking it off its pedestal was the latest winning entry from the Eurovision Song Contest - Come What May by Vicky Leandros.

It was the highest new entry this week, rising twelve places to Number 14 and closely followed by three other new releases by artists ranging from American heartthrob David Cassidy to Scottish pop rockers Marmalade.

In all, there were only five climbers in what was a relatively quiet Top 20.



The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards at Number 1

The Chart: 

• 01 (01) The Royal Scots Dragoon Guard - Amazing Grace 
• 02 (02) Nilsson - Without You 
• 03 (04) Ringo Starr - Back Off Boogaloo 
• 04 (05) The Chiffons - Sweet Talking Guy 
• 05 (19) Elvis Presley - Until It's Time For You to Go 
• 06 (03) The New Seekers - Beg, Steal or Borrow 
•  07 (07) Tom Jones - The Young New Mexican Puppeteer 
• 08 (06) Argent - Hold Your Head Up 
• 09 (17) Jo Jo Gunne - Run Run Run 
• 10 (08) Gilbert O'Sullivan - Alone Again (Naturally) 
• 11 (10) Neil Young - Heart of Gold 
• 12 (09) Les Crane - Desiderata 
• 13 (11) Labi Siffre - Crying, Laughing, Loving, Lying 
• 14 (26) Vicky Leandros - Come What May 
• 15 (12) Tyrannosaurus Rex - Debora / One Inch Rock 
• 16 (14) The Supremes - Floy Joy 
• 17 (18) Olivia Newton-John - What Is Life? 
• 18 (21) Marmalade - Radancer 
• 19 (24) Johnny Nash - Stir It Up 
• 20 (34) David Cassidy - Could It Be Forever

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

Download This Week's New Hits:




14: Vicky Leandros: Come What May

Just as Beg, Steal or Borrow by The New Seekers - the UK Eurovision entry for 1972 - was beginning to drop down the chart, Vicky Leandros arrived in the Top 20 with the English version of the winning song that year, Come What May (Après toi).

She had performed it at the final held on March 25 at the Usher Hall in Edinburgh and history shows that it was the favourite song with the two UK jurors who awarded the entry the maximum ten points.

As it turned out, 1972's Contest was quite a close run thing between the UK's New Seekers and Ms Leandros' entry for Luxembourg. Once the final votes had been announced, Come What May had amassed a winning margin of just fourteen points, but Vicky had to be content with a peak British chart placing of Number 2 behind The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards.

18: Marmalade: Radancer

Following the departure of Junior Campbell from the group, new band member Hugh Nicholson wrote the last three hits of the early 1970s for Marmalade.

Radancer equalled the Number 6 peak position of 1971's Cousin Norman, but bettered Nicholson's least successful composition released as a single - Back on the Road (#35) - by some margin.

19: Johnny Nash: Stir It Up

Johnny Nash's previous UK hit, a reggae cover of Sam Cooke's Cupid, had appeared on the British charts in April 1969 and after a three-year wait he was back with this Bob Marley composed song, Stir It Up.

In fact, Nash included several Marley-composed songs on his highly praised I Can See Clearly Now album which also saw chart action in both the UK and the USA.

Stir It Up eventually peaked at Number 13 in the UK in its twelve-week chart run while, following the major success of his I Can See Clearly Now single, it was released in the States and found favour with American record buyers who sent it to Number 12.

20: David Cassidy: Could It Be Forever

The UK TV début of The Partridge Family, the American sitcom series, took place in December 1971 and introduced British viewers to the musical family - in particular its lead singer, David Cassidy.

Could It Be Forever was his first UK solo hit, having already enjoyed a Top 10 US hit with his cover of The Association's Cherish. The British release, however, coupled the two songs, with the former gaining the most attention from radio stations.

It wasn't long before Cassidy secured teen idol status in the UK, helping to push Could It Be Forever to Number 2 (although it stalled at #37 in the US) and launching a run of British Top 20 hits for the singer that would extend into 1975.


The UK Number 1 album this week:

• Deep Purple: Machine Head

The American Top 10 (Click to play tracks)