There was a whole lot of traffic you needed to overcome if you wanted to do well on the American pop charts in 1977. Disco, soft rock, arena rock, and many other genres made the race for No. 1 as competitive as ever.
These four songs ran that race quite admirably that year. But they were denied the ultimate prize and had to settle for a No. 2 spot.
“Fly Like An Eagle” by Steve Miller Band
Steve Miller was playing “Fly Like An Eagle” live a few years before he finally recorded it. Perhaps that explains why the song settles into a slow funk groove that doesn’t have much to do with the four-on-the-floor stuff many rock bands were trying circa 1976, which is when the song was first released. By the time he laid down the track, Miller had laid heaping helpings of synthesizers upon that funk. It made for an interesting hybrid. The aspirational lyrics added to the overall package. Miller hit No. 1 three times in his fantastic career. But “Fly Like An Eagle”, arguably his signature song, couldn’t quite get to that level when it peaked in early ’77.
“I’m In You” by Peter Frampton
Peter Frampton ascended from rock journeyman status to massive superstardom on the heels of his 1976 album Frampton Comes Alive! One of the byproducts of that was a focus on his good looks. That made him a teen idol, despite having knocked around the business for close to a decade by then. His record company pushed him to try and take advantage of his newfound fandom on his next studio album. “I’m In You”, the title track from his 1977 album, played up the romance. Despite Frampton later disowning the LP to an extent, this slow jam gets the job done quite well. Frampton’s newfound status was evident in the fact that he was able to snag Mick Jagger to sing backing vocals.
“Nobody Does It Better” by Carly Simon
James Bond themes have always been a bit of a hit-and-miss proposition. That’s especially true when they take the ballad route. They can come off as a big schmaltzy, often laboring to find their way around an awkward title assigned to them by the film’s producers. Luckily, Carole Bayer Sager and Marvin Hamlisch got the green light to try a different title for the theme to The Spy Who Loved Me. (They did include the title in the lyrics.) That freed them up, especially Bayer Sager on lyrics. She crafted a tale to which anyone in love with an elusive sort could relate. And Simon was the ideal choice to sing it. She imbued the lyrics of “Nobody Does It Better” with just the right blend of admiration and frustration.
“Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue” by Crystal Gayle
Crystal Gayle, like her older sister Loretta Lynn, staked her claim as a massive star in country music. A pop crossover didn’t seem likely, at least until “Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue” came along. Richard Leigh, a steady writer for Gayle, had intended to pitch the song to Shirley Bassey of “Goldfinger” fame. Luckily, producer Allen Reynolds heard the track first and insisted that he give it to Gayle. The playfully jazzy piano part is played by Harold “Pig” Robbins, a legendary Nashville session player. Meanwhile, Gayle, in her element as a torch singer here, offers a standout performance. By far her biggest pop hit, but not quite a No. 1.
(Photo by Brad Elterman/FilmMagic)
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