Top Twenty 1970s Wimp Tunes
I am a child of the 1970s. I was too small to remember the 1960s very clearly. The 1970s were my formative years. This includes influencing my taste (or lack thereof) in music. I have 2 friends who share this influence and have an extensive collection of tunes we have dubbed "70s schlock." One night we put together a unique subcategory of these tunes: wimp tunes.
Wimp tunes are those pop love songs involving the love that will not be consummated. The failure is not due to a great tragedy or anything that might inspire really good poetry. Nope, these are the unrequited loves caused by wimpiness. The idiot won't get off his/her butt and go after the chick/dude. This wimpness is accentuated by the way the song is sung. In the 1970s pop singers specialized in this craft. These tunes represent another reason that the 1970s were a very special decade.
Here are our top 20 wimp tunes. They are not ranked except that "Sometimes When We Touch" is first as the "Wimp National Anthem" and "Auld Lang Syne" last as a 1980 tune that matches the style, but would probably get replaced if we did this again.
For your next iTunes download....
"Sometimes When We Touch" Dan Hill
"Feelings" Morris Albert
"Diary" Bread
"Last Song" Edward Bear
"Telephone Line" ELO
"Living Next Door to Alice" Smokie
"Sylvia's Mother" Dr. Hook
"All By Myself" Eric Carmen
"I Like Dreamin'" Kenny Nolan
"Stand Tall" Burton Cummings
"I Think I Love You" Patridge Family
"I'd Really Love to See You Tonight" England Dan & John Ford Coley
"Don't Pull Your Love" Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds
"I Honestly Love You" Olivia Newton John
"My Eyes Adored You" Frankie Valli
"Taxi" Harry Chapin
"Knock 3 Times" Tony Orlando & Dawn
"I'll Have to Say I Love You in a Song" Jim Croce
"Same Old Lang Syne" Dan Fogelberg
I believe I found a 21st Century version of this with James Blunt's "You're Beautiful." [Complete lyrics can be found at: http://www.seeklyrics.com/printer.php?lyric_id=649537] Yes, she's beautiful, in fact she's "an angel." But nothing ever happens. In fact, right after he says he's got "a plan," he sees her again but is too stoned to do anything. The chorus then whines, "I'll never be with you." Not unless you sober up and get off your ass you won't. This is a true wimp tune.
Update 7/14 Corrected the artists who sang "Taxi" and "Don't Pull Your Love" and title of Fogelberg tune
posted by redbarb at 11:39 PM
5 Comments:
Geez, what do I have to do to get some respect around here. Totally shut out?!?!? Hey, what gives?
Love,
Air Supply
Those are pretty much all truly horrible songs. The '70s had some great stuff too, but had so much garbage too...
There was a "worst heavy metal songs" show on VH-1 a couple years ago, and a hair metal band called White Lion took #6 with "Wait," which is about the song's character telling a woman he doesn't want her to go. As the guy commenting on the song said (paraphrasing), a metal song doesn't *beg* a woman to stay!!!
abz
Of course, if we're going to have a list of wimp songs, then we might also need a list of songs that went a little too far in the other direction. "Under My Thumb" by the Stones comes immediately to mind. Probably the whole Ted Nugent oeuvre (though Nuge would probably kill me for saying he had an "oeuvre"). And, of course, the champion of the genre, Tom Jones. Who else could record and make a hit out of a song ("Delilah") where the singer basically pulls an OJ Simpson on his cheating "woman"?
Sorry Air Supply but even we have some standards.
Which briliant people came up with this list? ;)
Of the "opposite" wimp songs, I'd have to say my favorite is The Beatles "Run For Your Life".
Well I'd rather see you dead, little girl
Than to be with another man
You better keep your head, little girl
Or I won't know where I am
You better run for your life if you can, little girl
Hide your head in the sand little girl
Catch you with another man
That's the end'a little girl
Well you know that I'm a wicked guy
And I was born with a jealous mind
And I can't spend my whole life
Trying just to make you toe the line
You better run for your life if you can, little girl
Hide your head in the sand little girl
Catch you with another man
That's the end'a little girl
Let this be a sermon
I mean everything I've said
Baby, I'm determined
And I'd rather see you dead
You better run for your life if you can, little girl
Hide your head in the sand little girl
Catch you with another man
That's the end'a little girl
I'd rather see you dead, little girl
Than to be with another man
You better keep your head, little girl
Or you won't know where I am
You better run for your life if you can, little girl
Hide your head in the sand little girl
Catch you with another man
That's the end'a little girl
Na, na, na
Na, na, na
Na, na, na
Na, na, na
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