"Every week based on Billboard's national statistics of record sales, we count down the 40 most popular songs in the nation. My name is Casey Kasem, and the countdown continues."


American Top 40 with Casey Kasem aired on radio from July 4, 1970 until August 6, 1988. This recording is a rebroadcast from internet radio.

In this countdown:

As an extra, Casey plays the number one song of five years earlier. It's singer was a man whose last name was Presley, but his first name wasn't Elvis, and he lived in a cave for a short time.

Casey reads a letter that says, "I was wondering if there has ever been a song that was number one, then dropped out of the number one spot, and then came back to that position?" Casey says it has happened about ten times in the prior 15 years, and then tells how one song regained the top spot TWICE!

The highest debut of the week comes in at such a high position, you don't hear it till the second hour. It is a spoken word recording made by a DJ while he substituted at a Los Angeles radio station. So many people called in wanting to buy a copy that Motown picked it up and released it only a few weeks before this broadcast. 

There is a hit by a super star who has had eight chart records so far in 1971, and 69 in his career. His song is about Daisy Duke's (if you remember Daisy Duke's), but he calls them what they were called before there was a Daisy Duke to name them after.

There is a song called "Chicago" (by Graham Nash at number 35) and another one by Chicago ("Beginnings" at number 19).

Finally, Carole King is the hero of this countdown. She wrote "You've Got A Friend" (at number 32 by Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway, and also at number 3 by James Taylor, and then can be found at number 2 singing another one of her hits, "It's Too Late."

40: Love Means You Never Have To Say You're Sorry - The Sounds Of Sunshine
39: Riders On The Storm - The Doors
38: Want Ads - The Honeycomb
37: Sweet Hitch-Hiker - Creedence Clearwater Revival
36: If Not For You - Olivia Newton-John
35: Chicago - Graham Nash
34: Summer Sand - Dawn
33: Moon Shadow - Cat Stevens
32: You've Got A Friend - Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway
31: Liar - Three Dog Night
30: High Time We Went - Joe Cocker
SPECIAL: Wild Thing - The Troggs
29: Rings - Cimarron
SPECIAL: Misty - Johnny Mathis
28: Wild Horses - The Rolling Stones
27: Funky Nassau - Beginning Of The End
26: What The World Needs Now - Tom Clay
25: Get It On - Chase
24: Love The One You're With - The Isley Brothers
23: Double Barrel - Dave & Ancil Collins
22: When You're Hot, You're Hot - Jerry Reed
21: Signs - The Five Man Electrical Band
20: Hot Pants (Part #1) - James Brown
19: Beginnings - Chicago
18: Bring The Boys Home - Freda Payne
17: I Don't Wanna Do Wrong - Gladys Knight & The Pips
16: Here Comes That Rainy Day Feeling Again - The Fortunes
15: Mercy Mercy Me - Marvin Gaye
14: She's Not Just Another Woman - The Eighth Day
13: Never Ending Song Of Love - Delaney & Bonnie
12: That's The Way I Always Heard It Should Be - Carly Simon
11: Rainy Days And Mondays - The  Carpenters
10: Sooner Or Later - The Grass Roots
9: Take Me Home, Country Roads - John Denver
8: How Can You Mend A Broken Heart - The Bee Gees
7: Draggin' The Line - Tommy James
6: Treat Her Like A Lady - Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose
5: Mr. Big Stuff - Jean Knight
4: Don't Pull Your Love - Hamilton Joe Frank & Reynolds
3: You've Got A Friend - James Taylor
2: It's Too Late - Carole King
1: Indian Reservation - The Raiders