The Hits of 1976: USA! USA!

This week on Past Tens, we celebrate America's 200th birthday the only way we know how—by firing up the musical time machine and heading back to the Billboard Top 10 for Bicentennial week, ending July 10, 1976. But first, there are pressing matters to address. Why has Burger King effectively been outlawed in Milt's house? Did Thelma the bird finally convince her babies to leave the nest? And perhaps most importantly, was Milt secretly replaced by AI on last week's episode? Listener feedback pours in, and we tackle it all.

Then we unveil something brand new for the show: our first-ever Listener Substitution Survey. We've picked 25 songs that made the charts but never cracked the Top 10, and we're turning the decision over to you. Vote for your favorites, and in two weeks we'll count down an all-listener-selected Top 10.

Once we're back in July of '76, it's a packed week. We revisit the daring Entebbe rescue, note the birth of Fred Savage, remember The Omen terrifying moviegoers, and somehow discover that the Miss Universe Pageant was America's favorite TV show.

The countdown itself is loaded with stories. We talk about Hall & Oates finally breaking through with "Sara Smile," the wonderfully confusing album cover that had everyone doing a double take, Gary Wright's "Love Is Alive," Dorothy Moore's "Misty Blue," the Brothers Johnson's arrival, and Captain & Tennille at the height of their powers. Along the way we uncover gems like Joe Pesci recording a Beatles cover, Andrea True's unlikely path from adult films to disco stardom, Quincy Jones' fingerprints all over the charts, and the bass line connection to "Billie Jean."

We also review Questlove's terrific new Earth, Wind & Fire documentary, argue about spoken-word intros, answer songs, and musical ripoffs, laugh over some truly questionable 1970s comedy, and, after all is said and done, crown Hall & Oates' "Sara Smile" as the clear winner of the week. We finish by giving this chart our official rating—solidly in Bee Gees territory—and remind everyone to cast their vote in the Listener Substitution Survey before next week's results are locked in.

Topics

00:50 Fast Food Banter

02:55 Thelma Bird Update

04:32 Last Week Pod Fallout

06:35 Listener Mail Highlights

09:41 Listener Substitution Survey

12:29 Bicentennial Week Setup

14:30 1976 News And Pop Culture

20:49 Concert Tragedy Detour

23:29 Top 10 Begins Beatles At 10

33:32 Hall And Oates Breakthrough

36:40 Androgynous Album Cover

39:07 Why Sarah Smile Works

41:00 Gary Wright Rediscovered

42:11 Love Is Alive Backstory

47:37 Dorothy Moore Misty Blue

51:35 Paul McCartney Diss Track

56:37 Linda on the B Side

59:17 Questlove Rock Doc Review

01:08:34 Andrea True Disco Scandal

01:15:39 Captain and Tennille Remake

01:17:58 Answer Songs and Ripoffs

01:19:32 Captain and Tennille TV

01:20:56 Corny Hat Comedy

01:22:59 Shop Around Revisit

01:23:31 Brothers Johnson Breakout

01:25:26 Quincy Jones Connections

01:27:46 Billie Jean Bass Reveal

01:31:20 Kiss and Say Goodbye

01:34:48 Spoken Word Intros

01:39:05 Afternoon Delight Scandal

01:43:30 Pop Culture Karaoke Clips

01:48:12 Recap and Winner

01:52:06 Ratings and Farewell