Music to soothe the soul — In 1972

Music often soothes the soul. Music that we remember from years gone by often brings some comfort to us in times of need. As Hurricane Harvey continues to ravage Texas, Louisiana and their surrounding states, looking back on the music of our life can sometimes give us perspective on both then, and now, where we were and where we are going.

1972 was an interesting year, and it also had its own horrible storm, Hurricane Agnes, which was, at the time, the costliest such weather disturbance to hit U.S. soil, hitting up and down the East Coast from New York down to Florida, and everything in between.

It is almost a given that people listened to their radios for word on the storm, mixed in with the top music of the time, which could still be heard on the AM dial. FM radio had made huge strides during that period, but AM radio was still where one could hear the top hits of the day, the top 10 singles on the Hot 100 chart in Billboard magazine 45 years ago.

Yes, “45” is the operative word, or number in this case, because that is what music lovers were buying back then.

The top song in the country for the week of August 26, 1972 stands as one of the most beloved and remembered songs of the decade. “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl)” by Looking Glass rose to the top spot this week. Although the band had a few other chart hits, most people think of them as a “one hit wonder,” and you can’t really argue that. This was their defining musical moment, and this is simply one of the best songs of the entire era.

That song supplanted the previous week’s chart topper, Gilbert O’Sullivan’s “Alone Again (Naturally),” as the most popular song in the U.S. This song came in at No. 2 for the week.

The Hollies had a long string of hits both in the U.S. and Europe, and they continued that string with “Long Cool Woman (In a Black Dress),” which this week hit No. 3. It was a bit more hard-rocking than most Hollies’ tunes, but it hit the mark as one of the biggest hits in the band’s history.

Al Green brought his smooth soul to the chart as the No. 4 single in the country for the week with “I’m Still in Love With You.”

Rounding out the top five was the hard rocking “Hold Your Head Up” by Argent, a band led by Rod Argent, one-time member of the Zombies.

Another top soul number was at the No.6 position on the chart for the week, as Luther Ingram’s “(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don’t Want To Be Right” held that position.

One of the hottest acts during this period was the Carpenters, and Karen and Richard scored another big hit with “Goodbye to Love,” which came in at No. 7 for the week.

Harry Nilsson had been around for a while as a singer/songwriter, and people were finally latching on to his quirky tunes, with “Coconut” reaching No. 8 for the week.

The No. 9 song in the country was done by an emerging performer who died way too soon. Jim Croce hit paydirt for the first time with “You Don’t Mess Around With Jim,” and one has to wonder where his fertile musical mind would have taken listeners. He passed away a little more than a year later.

Rounding out the Top 10 singer/songwriter/actor Mac Davis’ “Baby Don’t Get Hooked On Me.” Davis had written for many artists, including Elvis Presley, and he was finally getting some recognition as a performer himself with this hit tune.

The highest debuting single on the chart was another smooth soul number. Bill Withers’ “Use Me” entered the chart at No. 80, and it would rise as high as No. 2 in a few weeks time.

The “Biggest Mover” on the chart–the song that moved up the most places on the chart in the span of one week–was Three Dog Night’s “Black and White,” which jumped from No. 47 all the way to No. 23 this week. It would eventually hit No. 1 on the chart by mid-September.

No, music cannot take away the pain and desperation one feels when a storm like Hurricane Harvey hits, but music can get us to look in the right direction, giving us hope for something better.

What songs this year will fill that need?