3 Top 40 Hits From 1973 That Every 70s Kid Still Knows by Heart Today

The article revisits three songs from 1973 that it says remain familiar to many people who grew up in the 1970s: Anne Murray’s “Send A Little Love My Way”, The Temptations’ “Papa Was A Rollin’ Stone” and Lobo’s “How Can I Tell Her”. It outlines their origins and chart histories, showing how the songs’ paths to recognition differed.

Murray’s song, written by Henry Mancini and Hal David, appeared on her album *Love Song* and featured in the film *Oklahoma Crude*, earning a Golden Globe nomination; it did not perform well on country radio. The Temptations’ recording, written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong, became the group’s final US No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, after The Undisputed Truth released the song in 1972. Lobo wrote “How Can I Tell Her”; his next Top 30 hit came two years later, and “Don’t Tell Me Goodnight” was his last to reach that chart.