Every Friday, I’m publishing my top ten songs from a single year and this week it’s the turn of 1973.
For previous top ten tunes, please click on the year: 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Princess Anne’s wedding
In 1973, the UK enters the EEC (European Economic Community), 400 children attack British troops in Derry, Northern Ireland, Pink Floyd release The Dark Side of the Moon the best-selling album of all time by a British artist, two IRA bombs explode in London killing 1 and injuring 250, the Northern Ireland sovereignty referendum voted in favour of remaining within the UK with 98.9% of the votes, the new London Bridge was opened, women were admitted into the London Stock Exchange for the first time, the Bahamas gains full independence, 18 coal miners are killed in Derbyshire in a cage brake failure accident and 7 miners die in West Yorkshire in another coal mine accident, more IRA bombs explode in both Manchester and London, the Princess Royal (Anne) marries Captain Mark Phillips, the US ends its involvement with Vietnam after signing the Paris Peace Accords, the American Indian Movement (AIM) occupied Wounded Knee in South Dakota taking 11 hostages to highlight the injustices that Native Americans faced, Sears Tower in Chicago is completed, the Sydney Opera House is opened, the World Trade Center is also opened, Basque terrorists kill the Spanish Prime Minister Luis Carrero Blanco, the films The Exorcist, American Graffiti, The Wicker Man, Live and Let Die, and Mean Streets are released and both my big brother and my husband were born.
Another absolutely storming week this week. Only two more weeks of these Top Ten Tunes after this week!
1. Nutbush City Limits by Ike and Tina Turner
2. Top of the World by The Carpenters
In 1973, The Carpenters performed at the White House.
3. Killing Me Softly With His Song by Roberta Flack
4. Living For the City by Stevie Wonder (Whilst the song is from 1973, this video isn’t quite, but almost. Listen to that voice!)
5. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road by Elton John
6. Love Train by The O’Jays
7. You Can’t Always Get What You Want by The Rolling Stones (from the 1969 album Let It Bleed, it was randomly released as a single in 1973)
8. Piano Man by Billy Joel
9. Life on Mars? by David Bowie
10. Love Reign O’er Me by The Who (this had to be in here this week as Quadrophenia is one of my all time favourite films)
Struggling to pick a favourite from those last three songs, but I’m going to go for Billy Joel this week. If you can pick one, which one is your favourite?
See you next week for 1974!
Just Another Blog From a Woman 
Of those events of the year I remember best the royal wedding because we went to my aunt’s to watch it on their colour TV. We still had black and white.
Life on Mars is my favourite on the list, but I doubt I liked it at the time.
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Ah love hearing the memories attached to royal weddings. Of course my memory attached to the latest royal wedding- is quite a positive one!
Love Life on Mars? so much, it might’ve been my favourite this week if I didn’t have such happy memories attached to Piano Man.
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At the time, the carpenters, now, Bowie. 1973 I took my O levels and found out I had a propensity to fit under stress. I think it was the 3 day week and sequential powercuts too. Effing grim basically… on and mum organised a lorry load of cow crap for the garden that was delivered on the extra days hols we had for Anne and the chinless wonders wedding which the delivery goons dumped blockin* the drive and the road so my bro and I had to shift it instead of enjoying a day off school. Yep, grim *shudders
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Haha “chinless wonder”. Yeah, that doesn’t sound like a great deal of fun! Poor you!
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There was a fab Private Eye cover at the time. It had Prince Philip leading Anne, whose hand was over her mouth and Mark Chinless at the back. The speech bubbles had Philip saying ‘how dare you fart in front of my daughter!’ Anne bleating ‘oh daddy!’ And Mark chinless saying ‘I’m terribly sorry, Sir, I didn’t realise it was her turn.’ Priceless
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Haha excellent.
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I think Billy Joel is my favourite too.
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It’s a two horse race this week between Billy & Bowie. Love Piano Man so much. Reminds me of living in NYC.
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Rolling Stones
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It’s a good un, isn’t it? X
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so good
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Piano Man has to be one of my all-time favorite songs, so it’s really hard not to pick that one. But I also love the Elton John, classic Goodbye, Yellow Brick Road. So many of these songs tell more complex stories than we see in today’s music–at least in my world.
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I absolutely agree, Angela. A lot more depth to these songs from the past. I love Piano Man as not only is it a great song, but it reminds me of when I lived in your wonderful country for a while. Lots of happy memories attached to it.
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I am glad that even with all of our messes lately, you still see the US as a wonderful country. I do, too. We are better than the problems at hand.
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Your country is so much more than it’s politics xx
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What a great year for music choices! Sadly not a good year in other ways with the troubles in NI. going strong, Bab bad my brother did six tours out there. The year we entered the EEC, not to be confused with what we are leaving now. They didn’t want us then …shame we joined, enough best say no more.
On the lighter side of things, what more can I ask for than
Bowie, Stones and the Who …💜💜💜💜💜, Closely followed by Tina Turner, Carpenters OMG need I go on! Our eldest was born October that year 💜💜💜
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SUCH a good year. Love all these tunes so much, but yes terrible year for news. Yet again. Must’ve been tough for your brother x
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It was it was the only time he wrote letters home!
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Oh I’ve realised I need to catch up on loads of these posts, I love them! I was only 8 in 1973, but I do seem to remember Princess Annes wedding. I remember us all watching it, well, me mum and my sister any way. My dad and brother weren’t interested. And all that music I kinda grew up with, particularly Sir Elton, what a legend!
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Thanks Sam. So glad you love these posts. I’m going to really miss doing them. EJ really is a legend. Our little country has produced quite a few, hasn’t it?
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Absolutely! I’m amazed all the time at our little island and the talent it produces not only in music, but sportsmen & women too. If we could only produce some decent politicians we’d be laughing 😂 x
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So true. We can but dream!
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So much great music in the year of my birth. I don’t want to take credit or anything, but there are no coincidences. Really, are there?
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I wholeheartedly agree and on behalf of humanity I thank you for the music of 1973. And I was born the same year punk was, so I like to think that was all down to me too. All in a day’s work…
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Carpenters for me (although closely followed by Stevie Wonder and David Bowie) – I’ve sung this song on karaoke. Badly 😆
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Haha, now that I’d like to have witnessed!
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…just not heard 😂
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It’s between ‘You Can’t Always Get What you Want’ and ‘Life on Mars’. I think Life on Mars wins but only just.
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Love, love, LOVE that song. Excellent choice.
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It’s so hard because Bowie is here, but I have to say The Stones this time!
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Ooh controversial. Not Bowie! Still Rolling Stones is an excellent choice.
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