The Hits 0f 1972

What a year it was for music!

If you turned on the radio in 1972, chances are you heard a soaring ballad, a marching bagpipe, or a rock ‘n’ roll mischief-maker, all within the same hour.

#1 “Without You” (Harry Nilsson)
#2 “Amazing Grace” (The Royal Scots Dragoon Guard)
#3 “Puppy Love” (Donny Osmond)
#4 “I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing (The New Seekers)
#5 “Mouldy Old Dough” (Lieutenant Pigeon)
#6 “My Ding-A-Ling” (Chuck Berry)
#7 “Metal Guru” (T. Rex)
#8 “Mother of Mine” (Neil Reid)
#9 “Son of My Father” (Chicory Tip)
#10 “American Pie” (Don McLean)

Remember Harry Nilsson's “Without You”? That heartbreak anthem had us swaying by the fire, clutching a cuppa and thinking of old flames.

And who could forget the haunting pipes of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guard’s “Amazing Grace”? Even the hardest hearts went a bit misty-eyed. It was a rare moment when bagpipes topped the pop charts.

Then along came teen heart-throb Donny Osmond with “Puppy Love”, cue screams from the girls and grumbles from the dads!

Meanwhile, The New Seekers offered a sip of sweetness with “I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing,” first heard in a Coca-Cola ad. Suddenly, we were all peace-loving songbirds.

Let’s not overlook the glorious oddities Lieutenant Pigeon’s “Mouldy Old Dough” sounded like it had marched straight out of a pub piano session with Granddad on the keys.

And who remembers Chuck Berry’s “My Ding-A-Ling”? Banned from some airwaves, sung gleefully in schoolyards, cheeky, unforgettable, and Britain’s only No.1 for Chuck.

Glam rock strutted in too. T. Rex’s “Metal Guru” brought the sparkle, and Chicory Tip’s “Son of My Father” gave us our first taste of synth-pop. Ahead of its time, that one.

Oh! and Don McLean’s “American Pie.” Over eight minutes long, but we sang every word. Still do, if it comes on.

1972 wasn’t just music, it was a time capsule of our lives. First loves, first dances, transistor radios on the windowsill. Each song a memory.