UK Music Chart: August 21, 1971 Featuring George Harrison

After four weeks as the UK's best selling single, Get It On by T. Rex vacated the Number 1 spot and was replaced by Diana Ross with I'm Still Waiting.

This was the first of two singles by the ex-Supreme to top the British chart - the second came in 1985 with the release of Chain Reaction - and eventually sold enough copies to feature among Motown's best sellers in the UK.

Further down the chart, George Harrison returned with the charity single Bangla Desh, while reggae outfit The Pioneers and soul vocalists The Tams entered the Top 20 for the first time.

Image: George Harrison : Buy This at Allposters.com


1: Diana Ross: I'm Still Waiting

The Chart: 

• 01 (03) Diana Ross - I'm Still Waiting 
• 02 (02) The New Seekers - Never Ending Song of Love 
• 03 (01) T. Rex - Get It On 
• 04 (04) Atomic Rooster - Devil's Answer 
• 05 (05) Family - In My Own Time 
• 06 (13) Dawn - What Are You Doing Sunday? 
• 07 (07) New World - Tom-Tom Turnaround 
• 08 (08) Middle of the Road - Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep 
• 09 (09) The Who - Won't Get Fooled Again 
• 10 (14) Elvis Presley - Heartbreak Hotel / Hound Dog 
• 11 (18) Buffy Sainte-Marie - Soldier Blue 
• 12 (12) St. Cecilia - Leap Up and Down (Wave Your Knickers in the Air) 
• 13 (06) Lobo - Me and You and a Dog Named Boo 
• 14 (10) The Sweet - Co-Co 
• 15 (27) George Harrison - Bangla Desh 
• 16 (17) Slade - Get Down and Get With It 
• 17 (25) The Pioneers - Let Your Yeah Be Yeah 
• 18 (11) Dave and Ansel Collins - Monkey Spanner 
• 19 (26) The Tams - Hey Girl, Don't Bother Me 
• 20 (15) Greyhound - Black and White 

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

15: George Harrison: Bangla Desh

Harrison's UK follow-up to his best-selling track My Sweet Lord was probably pop's first large scale charity single, Bangla Desh. It was written in response to a request from Indian musician Ravi Shankar to aid the war torn region of (then) East Pakistan (now the independent Bangladesh), which had also been ravaged by one of the worst tropical cyclones ever in the region the previous November.

The situation also prompted Harrison's Concert For Bangladesh performances in New York, where he was joined on stage by the likes of Bob Dylan, Ringo Starr, Billy Preston and Eric Clapton.

17: The Pioneers: Let Your Yeah Be Yeah

Popular with skinheads at the time, Jamaica's The Pioneers were another Trojan Records success story, scoring three UK reggae hits between 1969 and 1972. This catchy cover of Jimmy Cliff's Let Your Yeah Be Yeah became the trio's biggest amongst them, peaking at Number 5 during September.

19: The Tams: Hey Girl, Don't Bother Me

The Northern Soul scene was flourishing at this time in the UK and it was responsible for pushing some otherwise obscure and forgotten American soul tracks into the British singles chart.

Among them was this 1964 recording of Hey Girl, Don't Bother Me by vocal group The Tams. A minor hit in the US on its initial release, it completely failed to register in the UK, but suddenly fell into favour when it was regularly played in British soul clubs.

It surprised even its most staunch supporters when it eventually went all the way to Number 1, remaining there for three weeks. [The video below shows a performance by the group on Top of the Pops at the time. Notice how one member suddenly disappears halfway through].

The American Top 10 (w/e August 21, 1971)

*Press play > to listen to each track

• 01 (01) How Can You Mend a Broken Heart? - The Bee Gees 
• 02 (02) Mr. Big Stuff - Jean Knight
• 03 (03) Take Me Home, Country Roads - John Denver
• 04 (09) Mercy, Mercy Me (The Ecology) - Marvin Gaye
• 05 (05) You've Got A Friend - James Taylor
• 06 (15) Sweet Hitchhiker - Creedence Clearwater Revival
• 07 (07) Beginnings / Color My World - Chicago
• 08 (10) Signs - Five Man Electrical Band
• 09 (04) Draggin' the Line - Tommy James
• 10 (14) Liar - Three Dog Night

The UK Number 1 album this week:

• Top of the Pops Vol.18 - Anonymous Various Artists

UK Music Chart: February 20, 1971

Number 14: Mungo Jerry

George Harrison's My Sweet Lord had now clocked up four weeks as the UK Number 1 song this week in 1971.

The track that would replace it had just entered the Top 20 as one of three new entries into the listing. However, it would be a couple more weeks before Mungo Jerry would claim the top spot as their own.

The Chart:

• 01 (01) George Harrison - My Sweet Lord 
• 02 (02) The Mixtures - Pushbike Song 
• 03 (04) Ashton, Gardner And Dyke - Resurrection Shuffle 
• 04 (03) The Supremes - Stoned Love 
• 05 (05) Judy Collins - Amazing Grace 
• 06 (06) Badfinger - No Matter What 
• 07 (13) Perry Como - It's Impossible 
• 08 (07) Elton John - Your Song 
• 09 (09) Clive Dunn - Grandad 
• 10 (10) Dawn - Candida 
• 11 (08) The Kinks - Apeman 
• 12 (14) T. Rex - Ride A White Swan 
• 13 (15) Tom Jones - She's A Lady 
• 14 (RE) Mungo Jerry - Baby Jump 
• 15 (12) Frankie Valli - You're Ready Now 
• 16 (16) Jackie Lee - Rupert 
• 17 (24) Smokey Robinson And The Miracles - (Come 'Round Here) I'm The One You Need 
• 18 (18) Elvis Presley - You Don't Have To Say You Love Me 
• 19 (22) Cliff Richard - Sunny Honey Girl 
• 20 (25) Glen Campbell - It's Only Make Believe (RE)

*Previous week in brackets; Climbers denoted in red; New entries in bold
Image: Baby Jump: Mungo Jerry, The Definitive Collection
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14: Mungo Jerry: Baby Jump

Mungo Jerry had just had one of the biggest hits of 1970 with In the Summertime and, this week, the band was set to repeat the feat. Two weeks previously Baby Jump had entered the charts at Number 32 but, because of a the shortage of sales data due to a national postal strike, the song had fallen off the listing. Nevertheless, the track leapt back into the chart at Number 14 this week, heading towards Number 1.

   

17: Smokey Robinson and the Miracles: (Come 'Round Here) I'm the One You Need

The success of Tears of A Clown meant that this Miracles' song, which had not charted well on its original release in the UK in 1966, had now earned a re-release. In the US, (Come 'Round Here) I'm the One You Need had been a Top Twenty hit, but had struggled to Number 45 on this side of the pond. This time around, it did much better, peaking at Number 13.

19: Cliff Richard: Sunny Honey Girl

Peaking at this week's Number 19 was Cliff Richard's second Top 20 song of the decade, Sunny Honey Girl. Compared to his 1960s output, this was quite a lean period for major hit records for the singer. It wouldn't be until his Eurovision entry in 1973 that he would land inside the Top 10 once again. Given the standard of songs such as this one, it's not surprising he had to wait a while.

The American Top 10 (W/E February 20, 1971)

• 01 (01) One Bad Apple - The Osmonds 
• 02 (02) Knock Three Times - Dawn 
• 03 (03) Rose Garden - Lynn Anderson 
• 04 (04) I Hear You Knocking - Dave Edmunds 
• 05 (11) If You Could Read My Mind - Gordon Lightfoot 
• 06 (10) Mama's Pearl - The Jackson 5 
• 07 (07) Groove Me - King Floyd 
• 08 (15) Sweet Mary - Wadsworth Mansion 
• 09 (14) Mr. Bojangles - The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band 
• 10 (05) Lonely Days - The Bee Gees

The Number 1 album this week:

All Things Must Pass - George Harrison

UK Music Chart: February 13, 1971

Perry Como

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My Sweet Lord by George Harrison had now clocked up the third of its five-week run as the UK Number 1 and there did not look to be any record to challenge its strong sales data.

Three new songs made their way into the Top 20, but none of them seemed to be likely contenders, even if two of them climbed over 15 places to get there.

The Chart:

• 01 (01) George Harrison - My Sweet Lord 
• 02 (02) The Mixtures - Pushbike Song 
• 03 (03) The Supremes - Stoned Love 
• 04 (09) Ashton, Gardner And Dyke - Resurrection Shuffle 
• 05 (06) Judy Collins - Amazing Grace 
• 06 (05) Badfinger - No Matter What 
• 07 (13) Elton John - Your Song 
• 08 (08) The Kinks - Apeman 
• 09 (04) Clive Dunn - Grandad 
• 10 (12) Dawn - Candida 
• 11 (10) The Jackson Five - I'll Be There 
• 12 (11) Frankie Valli - You're Ready Now 
• 13 (31) Perry Como - It's Impossible 
• 14 (07) T. Rex - Ride A White Swan 
• 15 (17) Tom Jones - She's A Lady 
• 16 (30) Jackie Lee - Rupert 
• 17 (15) The Equals - Black Skin Blue Eyed Boys 
• 18 (14) Elvis Presley - You Don't Have To Say You Love Me 
• 19 (21) The Weathermen - It's The Same Old Song 
• 20 (18) Neil Diamond - Cracklin' Rosie 

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

Number 13: Perry Como: It's Impossible

Perry Como was the artist who'd had the first Number 1 on the UK Singles Chart back in late 1952, but he had not made an appearance in the Top 10 since 1960 when Delaware made Number 3. There was suddenly a renewed interest in his output and It's Impossible was proof that, despite a previous decade of youth driven music, an old crooner never really dies. Como was nearly 60 when this song became a hit and his appearances in the Singles Chart were not yet at an end, as he returned five more times over the next couple of years.

Number 16: Jackie Lee: Rupert

Jackie Lee (as Jacky) had appeared in the UK charts three years earlier when White Horses had peaked at Number 10. That was the theme to a children's TV series, as was Rupert which entered the Top 20 this week at Number 16. While these were the only two occasions that her name appeared as a solo artist, Jackie Lee was a much respected session singer as well. She not only sang on Number 1 hits by both Tom Jones and Englebert Humperdinck but, perhaps more surprisingly, on Hey Joe by Jimi Hendrix.

Number 19: The Weathermen: It's the Same Old Song

Back in the early to mid 1970s, Jonathan King was well-known for re-recording European or American hits under a group or solo pseudonym for release in the British market. This was the first of them: a reworking of The Four Tops US hit, It's the Same Old Song from 1965. King was The Weathermen and there was some irony emanating from the title of the song and his arrangement of it. Missing that distinctive Motown sound, King gave it an English country feel and almost succeeded in making it a completely different song. It fared a little better than the original in the UK, peaking at this week's Number 19 position.

The American Top 10: (W/E February 13, 1971)

• 01 (02) One Bad Apple - The Osmonds 
• 02 (01) Knock Three Times - Dawn 
• 03 (05) Rose Garden - Lynn Anderson 
• 04 (06) I Hear You Knocking - Dave Edmunds 
• 05 (04) Lonely Days - The Bee Gees 
• 06 (03) My Sweet Lord - George Harrison 
• 07 (07) Groove Me - King Floyd 
• 08 (08) Your Song - Elton John 
• 09 (10) If I Were Your Woman - Gladys Knight & the Pips 
• 10 (25) Mama's Pearl - The Jackson 5

The Number 1 album this week:

All Things Must Pass - George Harrison

UK Music Chart: February 6, 1971

Elton John

Buy This at Allposters.com

Completing a second week (of 5) as the UK Number 1 on this date in 1971 was George Harrison's My Sweet Lord.

It was at a time when the UK chart was compiled by postal returns from a panel of 250 record shops. However, a national postal strike which had begun on January 20 meant that chart data had to be collected by phone. It was not an ideal situation and, as a result, the Top 50 shrunk to a Top 40. This may also explain why there was only one new entry to the Top 20 this week, albeit by an artist who would become one of the most successful in popular music.

The Chart:

• 01 (01) George Harrison - My Sweet Lord 
• 02 (03) The Mixtures - Pushbike Song 
• 03 (19) The Supremes - Stoned Love 
• 04 (02) Clive Dunn - Grandad 
• 05 (13) Badfinger - No Matter What 
• 06 (08) Judy Collins - Amazing Grace 
• 07 (04) T. Rex - Ride A White Swan 
• 08 (05) The Kinks - Apeman 
• 09 (15) Ashton, Gardner And Dyke - Resurrection Shuffle 
• 10 (06) The Jackson Five - I'll Be There 
• 11 (12) Frankie Valli - You're Ready Now 
• 12 (20) Dawn - Candida 
• 13 (30) Elton John - Your Song 
• 14 (14) Elvis Presley - You Don't Have To Say You Love Me 
• 15 (09) The Equals - Black Skin Blue Eyed Boys 
• 16 (17) McGuinness Flint - When I'm Dead And Gone 
• 17 (16) Tom Jones - She's A Lady 
• 18 (10) Neil Diamond - Cracklin' Rosie 
• 19 (07) Dave Edmunds - I Hear You Knocking 
• 20 (11) Johnny Johnson And The Bandwagon - Blame It On The Pony Express

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

13: Elton John: Your Song

Welcome to the UK Top 20 for the first time, Elton John. He was about to repeat what he had just achieved in America and secure his debut UK Top 10 hit - the first of 33 (to date). In the US, Your Song was originally the B-Side of the single, with Take Me to the Pilot the given A-Side. However, a favourable reaction to the former by disc jockeys meant that the tracks were flipped and Your Song became the hit. It peaked at Number 8 there and managed one place better in the UK at Number 7.

The American Top 10: (W/E February 6, 1971)

• 01 (01) Knock Three Times - Dawn 
• 02 (09) One Bad Apple - The Osmonds 
• 03 (02) My Sweet Lord - George Harrison 
• 04 (03) Lonely Days - The Bee Gees 
• 05 (05) Rose Garden - Lynn Anderson 
• 06 (07) I Hear You Knocking - Dave Edmunds 
• 07 (06) Groove Me - King Floyd 
• 08 (08) Your Song - Elton John 
• 09 (04) One Less Bell to Answer - The 5th Dimension 
• 10 (11) If I Were Your Woman - Gladys Knight & the Pips

The Number 1 album this week:

All Things Must Pass - George Harrison

UK Music Chart: January 23, 1971

 

George Harrison

Buy This at Allposters.com

Grandad by Clive Dunn completed its third and final week at Number 1 this week in January 1971, but would nevertheless remain in the listing for a little over six months. However, Dunn would never appear on the British charts again, making him a true One Hit Wonder: A Number 1 and then nothing else.

Grandad would make room at the top of the charts for this week's highest new entry My Sweet Lord, one of three songs making their debuts on this Top 20.

The Chart:

• 01 (01) Clive Dunn - Grandad 
• 02 (04) T. Rex - Ride A White Swan 
• 03 (03) McGuinness Flint - When I'm Dead And Gone 
• 04 (05) The Jackson Five - I'll Be There 
• 05 (11) The Kinks - Apeman 
• 06 (02) Dave Edmunds - I Hear You Knocking 
• 07 (--)  George Harrison - My Sweet Lord 
• 08 (19) Judy Collins - Amazing Grace 
• 09 (17) Elvis Presley - You Don't Have To Say You Love Me 
• 10 (15) The Equals - Black Skin Blue Eyed Boys 
• 11 (08) Johnny Johnson And The Bandwagon - Blame It On The Pony Express 
• 12 (06) Glen Campbell - It's Only Make Believe 
• 13 (24) The Mixtures - Pushbike Song 
• 14 (07) Neil Diamond - Cracklin' Rosie 
• 15 (09) Andy Williams - Home Lovin' Man 
• 16 (34) Badfinger - No Matter What 
• 17 (10) Gilbert O'Sullivan - Nothing Rhymed 
• 18 (13) Frankie Valli - You're Ready Now 
• 19 (12) Chairmen Of The Board - You've Got Me Dangling On A String 
• 20 (16) Ken Dodd - Broken Hearted

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

7: George Harrison: My Sweet Lord

It had already completed four weeks as the US Number 1 song and My Sweet Lord was about to repeat that feat in the UK. Bounding into the British charts at Number 7, it was Harrison's first solo single release and one which would cause him plenty of legal hassles over the next few years, following the successful copyright infringement suit over the song He's So Fine by The Chiffons. Nevertheless, it became the biggest selling single of 1971, returned to Number 1 in early 2002 following Harrison's death and is estimated to have sold over 10 million copies.

 

Number 13: The Mixtures: Pushbike Song

The Mixtures was an Australian group which had already made its name in its homeland with a hit cover version of Mungo Jerry's In the Summertime. The follow-up, a similarly constructed The Pushbike Song, received extensive airplay in the UK and, as a result, copies of this undeniably catchy track began to sell like hot cakes. It eventually peaked at Number 2, staying there for four consecutive weeks and becoming the sixth best selling single of the year.

Number 16: Badfinger: No Matter What 

Another Beatles connection this week in 1971, as Apple recording artists Badfinger entered the Top 20 for the second time, on this occasion with No Matter What. Written by the late band member Pete Ham, the song was as equally successful in the US, ultimately climbing into the Top 10 in both countries.

The Number 1 album this week:

Bridge Over Troubled Water

The Number 1 Song in the USA:
Knock Three Times - Tony Orlando & Dawn