SATURDAY'S SINGLES : ZAGER AND EVANS AND JOHN DENVER

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Good morning gang and welcome to the return of Saturday's Singles, A Number Ones Edition. First up under our needle is the one hit wonder by Lincoln, Nebraska based pop rock duo Zager and Evans. The title track to their debut album, "In the Year 2525 (Exordium & Terminus)" was released in April 1969 on the RCA label. It was written by Rick Evans and then produced by Zager and Evans. It reached #47 in Italy, #2 in Australia, and #1 on Canada's Top Singles and Adult Contemporary charts, #1 Ireland, New Zealand, the UK, Billboard's Adult Contemporary survey, the Cash Box and the Hot 100. At the same time it topped the charts in the US it also peaked at #1 in the UK. To this day they are the only act to top both charts and then to never have a number one again. The lyrics are dystopian and describe a world where technology has turned the world into an automated nightmare with thought programming pills, machines that have replaced basic human functions, and children are created only in test tubes. The song has been covered over 60 times in 7 languages and has been used in films and television such as Alien 3, Millennium, and Futurama. It's B-side is "Little Kids", a non album track. 

Rick Evans – guitar, producer
Denny Zager – guitar, producer
Mark Dalton – bass
Dave Trupp – drums
Norm Christian – drums
Bobby Christian – arrangements, orchestrations

Technical
Brian Christian – engineer

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Our second number one is "Annie's Song" by New Mexico native and singer Songwriter , John Denver. The tune written by Denver and produced by Milt Okun was released June 1974 on RCA Records. It's parent album is from John's 8th studio album,  Back Home Again. Annie's Song reached #11 in South Africa, #9 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs, #5 in Australia, #3 on Canada's Country Tracks, and #1 on Canada's Top Singles and Adult Contemporary charts, #1 in the UK, the Adult Contemporary survey, and the Hot 100, where it remained for two weeks at the end of July and the beginning of August. It is b/w "Cool an' Green an' Shady", from the same LP. The song is about Denver's Wife,  Annie Martell Denver, and was written in 10 minutes atop of a ski lift" to the top of Aspen Mountain in Aspen, Colorado.

John Denver – 6 & 12-string acoustic guitars, vocals
Buddy Collette – clarinet
Jim Gordon – drums, percussion
Hal Blaine – drums, percussion
Jim Connor – banjo, harmonica, vocals
Julie Connor – vocals
Glen Hardin – piano
Lee Holdridge – orchestral arrangements
David Jackson – bass
Dick Kniss – bass
John Sommers – banjo, acoustic guitar, mandolin, fiddle, backing vocals
Steve Weisberg – acoustic guitar, dulcimer, dobro, backing vocals, arranger
Don Wardell – Executive Producer

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