Today is International Day of Happiness. Do something that makes you feel like a room without a roof. As long as you don’t impinge on someone else’s happiness, it’s all good.
Today’s playlist consists of thirty songs with the word happy in the title.
This Throwback Thursday we revisit 1972. What happened in music in 1972?:
Michael Jackson had the first of 13 solo US #1 Hot 100 singles with a song about a rat.
Chuck Berry had his first US #1 single with a song about his penis.
Roberta Flack spent six weeks at #1 on the US Hot 100 with a song she released in 1969.
Helen Reddy rerecorded a song from her 1971 album I Don’t Know How To Love Him. It became the first of her three US #1 Hot 100 singles and became an anthem for women’s equality.
The Staple Singers scored their first of two US #1 Hot 100 hits with a classic song that had only one verse.
Neil Young scored his only US #1 Hot 100 single.
Some of the other classic singles to peak in 1972 are “American Pie,” “Let’s Stay Together,” “Me & Mrs. Jones,” “Without You,” “If You Don’t Know Me By Now,” “Alone Again (Naturally),” “Lean On Me,” “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone,” “School’s Out” and “The Harder They Come.”
David Bowie released The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.
The Rolling Stones released Exile on Main St.
Elton John released Honky Château.
As far as music goes, I’d say 1972 was pretty pretty pretty pretty good. Even the bad songs were good! Here are thirty highlights.
“You deplore the demonstrations taking place in Birmingham. But your statement, I am sorry to say, fails to express a similar concern for the conditions that brought about the demonstrations.” – Martin Luther King, Jr. 1963
“He had a dream now it’s up to you to see it through, to make it come true” – “King Holiday”
Inspired by the December 28 birthdays of Pops Staples, The Weather Girls’ Martha Wash, Alex Chilton, John Legend, Edgar Winter, Terrace Martin, Johnny Otis, Kym Sims, Lonnie Liston Smith, and 2 Unlimited’s Anita Doth.
Inspired by the season and the December 21 birthdays of Beach Boys‘ Carl Wilson, Carla Thomas, Frank Zappa, Betty Wright, Nick Gilder, Gwen McCrae, Paul & Paula’s Ray Hildebrand, and Jane Fonda.
Inspired by the season and the December 20 birthdays of Billy Bragg, Minutemen’s Mike Watt, Kim Weston, Alan Parsons, Heatwave’s Keith Wilder, Kiss’ Peter Criss, Anita Ward and The Easybeats’ Stevie Wright.
Inspired by the season and the December 19 birthdays of Earth Wind & Fire’s Maurice White, Lady Sovereign, Phil Ochs, KajaGooGoo’s Limahl, Walter Murphy and Lenny White.
Inspired by the season and the December 18 birthdays of The Rolling Stones’ Keith Richards, Billie Eilish, Sia, DMX, Christina Aguilera, Martha and the Muffins’ Martha Johnson, and Angie Stone.
Inspired by the season and the December 17 birthdays of The Temptations’ Eddie Kendricks, Bad Company’s Paul Rodgers, R.E.M.’s Mike Mills, Bananarama’s Sara Dallin, The Emotions’ Wanda Hutchinson, Dirty Projectors’ David Longstreth,The Meters’ Art Neville, and Dave Dee.
Inspired by the season and the December 16 birthdays of ABBA‘s Benny Andersson, ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons, Ying Yang Twins’ Kaine, Ludwig Von Beethoven and Glenda Collins.