The 20th of February 1974
Official U.K. Singles Chart results from Sunday the 17th to Saturday the 23rd of February 1974
Cut-off for sales figures was up to the end of Saturday the 16th of February
Results counted from Sunday the 17th,
published on Tuesday the 19th,
and broadcast on B.B.C. Radio 1 on Sunday the 24th of February 1974.
Charlie Rich
The Most Beautiful Girl
At No.20, on the “The Top 50 U.K. Singles Chart”, the week of my 2nd Birthday, is Charlie Rich with The Most Beautiful Girl.
An amalgamation…
…of two compositions, begins my journey through the Top 20 as I turn 2.
I personally remember this one playing on the radio a lot around this time, most probably downstairs in the kitchen, as my mum would have that radio on all day in there; and I came to grow fond of this song very much.
For me personally, it reminds me of that time when that old cream Bakelite radio effervesced this song warmly through the air, perfectly matching the new spring sunshine radiating gently through the kitchen window.
Charlie,..
…from the little town of Colt, in St. Francis County, Arkansas, had been performing since the early 1950’s, and even sold a million-seller in the United States by the early 1960’s;..
…but it wouldn’t be until now…
…before this silver fox hits his golden age with material which is being classed as Countrypolitan, a richer (pardon the obvious pun), warmer sound, accompanied by lush orchestral strings. Basically, the country music equivalent of sitting in a big comfy chair by the fire with your favourite pair of slippers.
This particular song,..
…had the input of three writers for the process. Billy Sherrill (who had perfected the Countrypolitan sound), Rory Bourke (being an up and coming songwriter), and Norro Wilson (who took two of his own compositions; namely “Hey Mister”and “Mama McCluskie” and blended them into this new creation; the results of their collective labours paying off impressively.
The single…
…had entered the UK Chart last week, landing at No.46, before leaping up to break the Top 20 this week.
From here,..
…the single will climb further, almost into the Top 10 when it lands at No.11, but by week four it will have inevitably broken through that too, as it saddles up to No.9 at the beginning of March.
As the days start to brighten, so the single’s popularity grows, when it gets a boost up to No.4, then No.3, and then another place up to No.2, where it gets stopped in its tracks by the single which is currently the 3rd highest New Entry this same week, and sits at No.38 in this very chart.
As the year turns to April, so the song falls back through the Top 10 and then regresses further back from the middle of the month, all the while continuing to rack up the weeks until, after completing its 14th, it disappears after the 18th of May.
The “A” Side
The “B” Side
Charlie Rich – The Most Beautiful Girl (Promotional Video)
Charlie Rich – The Most Beautiful Girl (TV Appearance)
Charlie Rich – The Most Beautiful Girl (“The Midnight Special” Performance – 26th April 1974)
Charlie Rich – The Most Beautiful Girl (BBC “In Concert” TV Performance)
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