If the biggest problem you ever encounter in your music career is that you ended up with a No. 2 single instead of getting all the way to the top spot, you’re doing all right. Still, it has to be a tad frustrating to be denied the ultimate prize after coming so close.
We looked back at the pop charts from the calendar year of 1973. And we found four standout songs that couldn’t quite get over the hump after reaching No. 2.
“Kodachrome” by Paul Simon
Paul Simon knew the anguish of just missing the top spot on the pop charts two different times in 1973. His album There Goes Rhymin’ Simon, the second he released after his split from Art Garfunkel, delivered a pair of No. 2 hits. The latter of the two, “Loves Me Like A Rock”, showed off his ability to slide into a gospel setting. Meanwhile, opening single “Kodachrome”, which featured members of the Muscle Shoals Rhythm section providing the galloping groove, found Simon opining on the folly of nostalgia. It very nearly made it to No. 1. But it couldn’t overtake Billy Preston’s “Will It Go Round In Circles” when all was said and done.
“Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” by Elton John
Like Paul Simon, Elton John had to deal with two of his singles coming tantalizingly close to the pinnacle of the US pop charts in 1973. “Daniel”, which appeared on Don’t Shoot I’m Only The Piano Player, was the first of his songs from that year to achieve the feat. The ever-prolific John then churned out a double album for later in the year. These days, many fans and critics believe Goodbye Yellow Brick Road was John’s finest album. The soulful title track certainly bolstered that reputation. Songs by The Carpenters (“Top Of The World”) and Charlie Rich (“The Most Beautiful Girl”) prevented its ascent to the top.
“Live And Let Die” by Paul McCartney & Wings
Wings, the band assembled by Paul McCartney on a lark in 1971, struggled to reach the commercial heights to which Macca was accustomed in their first few years of existence. But the dam started to break in 1973. McCartney penned “My Love”, the band’s first US No. 1, for the album Red Rose Speedway. Later in the year, he and wife Linda came up with “Live And Let Die” for the James Bond movie of the same name. The song also marked a reunion with George Martin, who produced the track. But Paul and company fell just short of the top spot on the charts. It also represented a near-miss on the awards circuit, as it didn’t win the Oscar for Best Song despite a nomination.
“Neither One Of Us (Wants To Be The First To Say Goodbye)” by Gladys Knight & The Pips
That whole adage about trying and trying again after failing to succeed certainly applied to Gladys Knight & The Pips and their pop chart history. Earlier in their career, their version of “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” went to No. 2, only to have Marvin Gaye take the song to the top months later. “Neither One Of Us (Wants To Be The First To Say Goodbye)”, written by Jim Weatherly, also reached No. 2 in 1973. The Vicki Lawrence novelty song “The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia” kept it from going any higher. Luckily, the persistent Knight went back to the well with another Weatherly song later that same year. And “Midnight Train To Georgia” finally landed her and her group at the chart’s ultimate peak.
(Photo by Chris Walter/WireImage)
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