Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Coming up… We took a little break from this show but due to popular demand, we’re back. We take the time machine back to the 70s in a year full of classics, where Neil Young, one of rock's most cantankerous icons, had serious back issues but altered his style to create his lone #1 single, Heart of Gold. Instead of celebrating the song’s success, Neil decided to defy commercialism and purposefully write music that wouldn’t chart. Then America was accused of intentionally imitating this same notorious curmudgeon’s song by critics and the artist alike. It got worse when their song, A Horse with No Name, replaced said song at #1. Then there’s Harry Nilsson, the former bank worker who argued with his producer about transforming Without You into one of the first power ballads. He tried to sabotage the song at every end but it still hit #1; Without You would end up being a curse when he lost his voice after singing it so many times. Plus, a story of Gilbert O’Sullivan, a 21-year-old kid who wrote one of the most introspective masterpieces ever that no one thought was a hit, after it became one of the best-selling singles of all time.
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Executive Producer
Brandon Fugal
Honorary Producers
David Roche, Bob Bell, Holly, W.T.F, James Dorsey, Bruce Suit
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Subscribe to the Professor of Rock Podcast
Apple: apple.co/445fVov
Spotify: spoti.fi/42JpfvU
Amazon: amzn.to/44b5D6m
iHeartRadio: bit.ly/444h8MO
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Patreon: bit.ly/ProfessorofRockVIPFan
Merch Store: professor-of-rock-lsn-shop.fourthwall.com
Instagram: bit.ly/Instagram_Professor_of_Rock
#classicrock #70smusic #vinylstory #thecarpenters
Hey Music Junkies, Professor of Rock, always here to celebrate the greatest artists and the greatest songs of all time. Make sure to subscribe, like, share, and comment. It’s time for another Time in a Bottle countdown. I was going to stop doing these because of a lot of hateful comments, but I took a little break, and here we are again. It’s time to ask the question: Where were you in 72? 1972 was the year that the late, great storyteller, Jim Croce, recorded his eternal classic, “Time in a Bottle” that went to #1 when it was released as a single after his death in December of ’73. The way Jim used a metaphorical time bottle to save his favorite memories was so poetic and beautiful. We’re carrying on his legacy by honoring Jim’s amazing composition with today’s show.
Coming in at #10 on the Time in a Bottle countdown. We have the classic “Hurting Each Other” by The Carpenters: Released as the lead single from their A Song for You album, “Hurting Each Other” became one of the Carpenters’ defining hits, climbing all the way to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100, and held that position for back-to-back weeks. The tune stands out not just for its catchy flow of melody, but for its intricate, Richard Carpenter musical arrangement, and the moody, somber vibe that marks a big moment in the duo’s history and for the soundtrack of ’72.
The Original Version of “Hurting Each Other,” was an R&B tune. Before the Carpenters turned it into a pop and adult contemporary smash, “Hurting Each Other” started out as a more obscure rhythm-and-blues track. It was written by Gary Geld and Peter Udell and first cut in 1965 by Ruby & the Romantics: There are many elements of “Hurting Each Other” that make it such a distinctive track for its time.
The song gives us a demanding, soaring vocal from Karen Carpenter that shows off how gifted she was with her control. A standout feature is the stacked backing vocals from Karen and Richard. Richard was notorious for painstakingly layering their vocal tracks to build a thick, harmonic wall of sound, and “Hurting Each Other” is often cited as one of the trickier arrangements they pulled off in the studio. Karen loved the track and called it one of her favorites: To me, “Hurting Each Other” is one of Karen’s finest moments as a singer. While she and Richard sometimes disagreed on songs, such as “Solitaire,” which Karen hated, she really poured her heart into “Hurting Each Other.”
The next song that truly defined ’72 and deserves to be saved in our Time Bottle is a ‘feel good’ classic…”Saturday in the Park” by Chicago: Written by keyboardist Robert Lamm, Chicago’s joyous “Saturday in the Park” was inspired by a summer visit to New York’s Central Park. After what he experienced in Central Park, Robert matched his bouncy piano chords with lyrics inspired by homemade film footage he had, with shots of people, hanging out and having fun, while gathering in the park that
Coming up… We took a little break from this show but due to popular demand, we’re back. We take the time machine back to the 70s in a year full of classics, where Neil Young, one of rock's most cantankerous icons, had serious back issues but altered his style to create his lone #1 single, Heart of Gold. Instead of celebrating the song’s success, Neil decided to defy commercialism and purposefully write music that wouldn’t chart. Then America was accused of intentionally imitating this same notorious curmudgeon’s song by critics and the artist alike. It got worse when their song, A Horse with No Name, replaced said song at #1. Then there’s Harry Nilsson, the former bank worker who argued with his producer about transforming Without You into one of the first power ballads. He tried to sabotage the song at every end but it still hit #1; Without You would end up being a curse when he lost his voice after singing it so many times. Plus, a story of Gilbert O’Sullivan, a 21-year-old kid who wrote one of the most introspective masterpieces ever that no one thought was a hit, after it became one of the best-selling singles of all time.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Executive Producer
Brandon Fugal
Honorary Producers
David Roche, Bob Bell, Holly, W.T.F, James Dorsey, Bruce Suit
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subscribe to the Professor of Rock Podcast
Apple: apple.co/445fVov
Spotify: spoti.fi/42JpfvU
Amazon: amzn.to/44b5D6m
iHeartRadio: bit.ly/444h8MO
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Patreon: bit.ly/ProfessorofRockVIPFan
Merch Store: professor-of-rock-lsn-shop.fourthwall.com
Instagram: bit.ly/Instagram_Professor_of_Rock
#classicrock #70smusic #vinylstory #thecarpenters
Hey Music Junkies, Professor of Rock, always here to celebrate the greatest artists and the greatest songs of all time. Make sure to subscribe, like, share, and comment. It’s time for another Time in a Bottle countdown. I was going to stop doing these because of a lot of hateful comments, but I took a little break, and here we are again. It’s time to ask the question: Where were you in 72? 1972 was the year that the late, great storyteller, Jim Croce, recorded his eternal classic, “Time in a Bottle” that went to #1 when it was released as a single after his death in December of ’73. The way Jim used a metaphorical time bottle to save his favorite memories was so poetic and beautiful. We’re carrying on his legacy by honoring Jim’s amazing composition with today’s show.
Coming in at #10 on the Time in a Bottle countdown. We have the classic “Hurting Each Other” by The Carpenters: Released as the lead single from their A Song for You album, “Hurting Each Other” became one of the Carpenters’ defining hits, climbing all the way to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100, and held that position for back-to-back weeks. The tune stands out not just for its catchy flow of melody, but for its intricate, Richard Carpenter musical arrangement, and the moody, somber vibe that marks a big moment in the duo’s history and for the soundtrack of ’72.
The Original Version of “Hurting Each Other,” was an R&B tune. Before the Carpenters turned it into a pop and adult contemporary smash, “Hurting Each Other” started out as a more obscure rhythm-and-blues track. It was written by Gary Geld and Peter Udell and first cut in 1965 by Ruby & the Romantics: There are many elements of “Hurting Each Other” that make it such a distinctive track for its time.
The song gives us a demanding, soaring vocal from Karen Carpenter that shows off how gifted she was with her control. A standout feature is the stacked backing vocals from Karen and Richard. Richard was notorious for painstakingly layering their vocal tracks to build a thick, harmonic wall of sound, and “Hurting Each Other” is often cited as one of the trickier arrangements they pulled off in the studio. Karen loved the track and called it one of her favorites: To me, “Hurting Each Other” is one of Karen’s finest moments as a singer. While she and Richard sometimes disagreed on songs, such as “Solitaire,” which Karen hated, she really poured her heart into “Hurting Each Other.”
The next song that truly defined ’72 and deserves to be saved in our Time Bottle is a ‘feel good’ classic…”Saturday in the Park” by Chicago: Written by keyboardist Robert Lamm, Chicago’s joyous “Saturday in the Park” was inspired by a summer visit to New York’s Central Park. After what he experienced in Central Park, Robert matched his bouncy piano chords with lyrics inspired by homemade film footage he had, with shots of people, hanging out and having fun, while gathering in the park that
