This week in 1978
1 Three Times A Lady The Commodores
2 You’re The One That I Want John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John
3 Substitute Clout
4 It’s Raining Darts
5 Rivers of Babylon/Brown Girl In The Ring Boney M
6 Forever Autumn Justin Hayward
7 Boogie Oogie Oogie A Taste of Honey
8 5.7.0.5. City Boy
9 If The Kids Are United Sham 69
10 Northern Lights Renaissance
On this week 40 years ago ‘You’re The One That I Want’ - from the Grease soundtrack – was finally toppled from its perch at the top of the charts after a nine-week run at number one. Romantic ballad ‘Three Times A Lady’ gave US soul band The Commodores their first (and only) UK number one and helped pave the way for a solo career by the band’s lead singer Lionel Richie, one of the most successful solo artists in history. Richie says he was inspired to write ‘Three Times A Lady’ after an impromptu toast by his father to his mother. ‘It was just out of the blue. My sister and I looked at my dad and said, “Dad, are you OK?”. He said, ‘She’s a great lady, she’s a great mother, and she’s a great friend.’ The song was a US number one, spent five weeks on top of the chart in the UK (and three in Ireland), and was a chart-topper in many other territories.