3 Top 40 Hits From 1972 That Every 70s Kid Still Knows by Heart Today
Three 1972 hits by Donny Osmond, Todd Rundgren and James Brown have endured in listeners’ memories, each marking a different strand of popular music from the era. Their contrasting stories show how a teenage pop performance, a quickly written singer-songwriter track and an extended funk single all found an audience.
Osmond recorded Paul Anka’s “Puppy Love” at 14 and later said that, although he once disliked performing it, he still sings it. Rundgren recalled writing “I Saw the Light” in about 20 minutes; it became his first Top 15 single. Brown co-wrote “Talkin’ Loud and Sayin’ Nothing” with Bobby Byrd: its two parts run for more than 14 minutes combined, and it reached No. 1 on Billboard’s R&B chart and the Hot 100’s top 20.
- Donny Osmond recorded “Puppy Love” at 14.
- Todd Rundgren said he wrote “I Saw the Light” in 20 minutes.
- James Brown’s two-part funk single topped the R&B chart.
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In 1972, pop music reached audiences through radio, records and television, and the charts brought together performers with very different sounds. Teen idols such as Donny Osmond sang polished pop, while singer-songwriters including Todd Rundgren wrote and performed their own material.
James Brown was a leading figure in funk, a style built around strong rhythms and repeated musical patterns; Bobby Byrd was a frequent collaborator. The three songs reflect the range of music popular at the time, from a teenage love song to a concise singer-songwriter track and a long funk performance.