Culture Gabfest
Hit Parade | Music History and Music Trivia - Near-Miss Hits—’70s Edition
Published: 30 May 2026 at 04:55 Europe/London
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Episode notes
In 1979, Sister Sledge changed the sound of wedding receptions forever with “We Are Family.” Believe it or not, the Chic-penned banger never made it to No. 1.
In 1977, Steely Dan helped invent Yacht Rock with the jazzy bop “Peg.” They would have loved it better if it had cracked the Top 10.
In 1972, Elton John told a timeless tale of a blue-jean baby, a “Tiny Dancer.” Casey Kasem never counted it down.
Today on Hit Parade: Chris Molanphy celebrates “near misses”—now-ubiquitous hits that missed the mark on the pop charts, stalling out at No. 2, No. 11 or No. 41. In this episode, Chris zooms in on near-misses from the 1970s, including songs from Paul McCartney, the Spinners, Jackson Browne, Cat Stevens, even Diana Ross and Michael Jackson.
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