1972 in music

Contents

1 Events

2 Albums released

3 Top hits on record

4 Published popular music

9 Musical television productions

10 Births

11 Deaths

12 Awards

12.1 Grammy Awards
12.2 Country Music Association Awards
12.3 Eurovision Song Contest

Events

January 17 - Highway 51 South in Memphis, Tennessee is renamed "Elvis Presley Blvd"
January 31 - Over 40,000 mourners file past Mahalia Jackson's open casket to pay their respects in Chicago's Great Salem Baptist Church.
February 8 - Frank Zappa's concert at London's Royal Albert Hall is canceled because of Zappa's obscene lyrics
February 9 - Paul McCartney's new band, Wings, make their live debut at Nottingham University in England
February 13 - Led Zeppelin is cancels a concert in Singapore when government officials won't let them off the airplane because of their long hair
February 14 - "Steppenwolf Day" is declared in Los Angeles, California
February 17 - Pink Floyd debuts "The Dark Side of the Moon" during a performance at London's Rainbow Theater. It would be a full year before the song was released.
Mid February - John Lennon and Yoko Ono cohost an entire week on The Mike Douglas Show.
February 19 - Paul McCartney's single "Give Ireland Back to the Irish" (which was inspired by the "Bloody Sunday" massacre in Ireland on January 30, 1972) is banned by the BBC. The controversy caused by the banning only increases the song's popularity and it ends up in the Top 20 in England.
February 23 - Elvis and Priscilla Presley separate
February 29 - John Lennon's U.S. immigration visa expires, beginning his three-and-a-half year fight to remain in the country.
April 2 - John Lennon and Yoko Ono hold a press conference in New York. The Lennons discuss their appeal of the US Immigration Department's decision to deport John
April 29 - New York City mayor John Lindsay announces that he is supporting John Lennon and Yoko Ono in their fight to remain in the United States
May 2 - Stone the Crows lead guitarist Les Harvey is electrocuted on stage during a show in Swansea, Wales after touching a poorly connected microphone. Harvey died in a hospital a few hours later.The band's lead singer, Maggie Bell, who had been Harvey's longtime girlfriend, was also hospitalized. Bell collapsed on stage after the incident.
May 8 - Billy Preston becomes the first rock performer to headline at New York's Radio City Music Hall
June - Simon and Garfunkel reunite briefly to perform live at Madison Square Garden in New York City for a campaign benefit for Democratic presidential candidate George McGovern.
First Sunsbury Rock Festival held @ Sunbury, VIC, AUS
The Sonny and Cher Show begins airing
Sammy Davis Jr. makes a guest appearance on the television show All In The Family
Billy Ray Hearn founds Myrrh Records.

Albums released

Eat a Peach - The Allman Brothers Band
America - America
Black Sabbath, Vol. 4 - Black Sabbath
Squawk - Budgie
The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars - David Bowie
- An early glam rock album. Included the American and British hit "Starman".
Ege Bamyasi - Can
Chicago V - Chicago
Live in Japan - Chicago
Into the Purple Valley - Ry Cooder
Olympia 71 - Dalida
Il faut du temps - Dalida
Machine Head - Deep Purple
- This album contains the rock and roll staple "Smoke on the Water". The album is one of the first heavy metal records, as the style would come to be known.
Pink Moon - Nick Drake
Will the Circle Be Unbroken - The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
The Eagles - The Eagles
Pictures at an Exhibition - Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Trilogy - Emerson, Lake & Palmer
First Take - Roberta Flack
Foxtrot (album) - Genesis
Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway - Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway
Thick as a Brick - Jethro Tull
Living in the Past - Jethro Tull (band)|Jethro Tull
Dr. John's Gumbo - Dr. John
Honky Chateau - Elton John
Madman Across The Water - Elton John
Music - Carol King
The soundtrack to Superfly - Curtis Mayfield
American Pie - Don McLean
Catch A Fire - Bob Marley & The Wailers
The Divine Miss M. - Bette Midler
For the Roses - Joni Mitchell
All the Young Dudes - Mott the Hoople
I Can See Clearly Now - Johnny Nash
Sail Away - Randy Newman
Give Tomorrow's Children One More Chance - Ocean
Roy Orbison Sings - Roy Orbison
Obscured By Clouds - Pink Floyd
He Touched Me - Elvis Presley
Give It Up - Bonnie Raitt
Transformer - Lou Reed
Exile on Main Street - The Rolling Stones
Something/Anything - Todd Rundgren
No Secrets - Carly Simon
Paul Simon - Paul Simon
Simon and Garfunkel's Greatest Hits - Simon and Garfunkel
Can't Buy a Thrill - Steely Dan (debut)
Catch the Bull at Four - Cat Stevens
One Man Dog - James Taylor
Free to Be... You and Me - Marlo Thomas & Friends
Seven Separate Fools - Three Dog Night
Live at Max's Kansas City - The Velvet Underground
Album III - Loudon Wainwright III
Infinite - Kazumi Watanabe
Music of My Mind - Stevie Wonder
Talking Book - Stevie Wonder
Close to the Edge - Yes
Fragile - Yes
Harvest - Neil Young
- The best selling album of the year in the United States. Features hits such as "Heart of Gold" and "Needle and the Damage Done". The album blends country music and rock and roll and a degree of experimentalism, all led by Young's guitar and songwriting talents.
The Grand Wazoo - Frank Zappa

Top hits on record

"People Need Love" - ABBA
"He Is Your Brother" - ABBA
"Starman" - David Bowie
"Take It Easy" - The Eagles
"Jealous Guy" - John Lennon
"All The Young Dudes" - Mott The Hoople
"Me and Julio Down By The Schoolyard" - Paul Simon
"Mother and Child Reunion" - Paul Simon
"Duncan" - Paul Simon
"America" - Simon and Garfunkel
"You Wear It Well" - Rod Stewart
"Ben"- Michael Jackson
"Parle plus bas (Le Parrain)"- Dalida
"Les choses de l'amour"- Dalida
"Baby Don't Get Hooked on Me" - Mac Davis
"For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her" - Simon and Garfunkel
"American Pie" - Don McLean
"Horse With No Name" - America
"Ventura Highway" - America
"Rocket Man" - Elton John
"Layla" - Derek & the Dominoes
"Rock & Roll Part 2" - Gary Glitter
"You Don't Mess Around With Jim" - Jim Croce
"The Candyman" - Sammy Davis Jr.
"Lean on Me" - Bill Withers
"Freddie's Dead (Theme From Superfly)" - Curtis Mayfield
"If You Don't Know Me By Now" - Harold Melvin & the Bluenotes
"I Gotcha" - Joe Tex
"Without You" - Nilsson
"Let's Stay Together" - Al Green
"Brand New Key" - Melanie
"Signs" - The Drifters
"My Ding-A-Ling" - Chuck Berry
"Morning Has Broken" - Cat Stevens
"I Can See Clearly Now" - Johnny Nash
"The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face" - Roberta Flack
"I'll Take You There" - The Staple Singers
"Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)" - Looking Glass
"Long Cool Woman (In a Black Dress)" - Hollies
"Heart of Gold" - Neil Young
"Alone Again (Naturally)" - Gilbert O'Sullivan
"Nights in White Satin" - The Moody Blues
"Back Stabbers" - The O'Jays
"I'm Stone in Love With You" - The Stylistics
"I Am Woman" - Helen Reddy
"I Gotcha" - Joe Tex
"Song Sung Blue" - Neil Diamond
"The Candy Man" - Sammy Davis Jr.
"Starman" - David Bowie
"The Lion Sleeps Tonight" - Robert John
"Rock and Roll" - Led Zeppelin
"Metal Guru" - T.Rex
"Two Divided By Love" - The Grass Roots
"Burning Love" - Elvis Presley
"Joy" - Apollo 100

See also: Hot 100 No. 1 Hits of 1972

Published popular music

"Alone Again" w.m. Raymond O'Sullivan
"Alone At A Drive-In Movie" w.m. Jim Jacobs & Warren Casey
"American Pie" w.m. Don McLean
"Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" w.m. Jim Croce
"Burning Love" w.m. Dennis Linde
"C is for Cookie" w.m. Joe Raposo
"Come Dream With Me" w. Sammy Cahn m. Jimmy Van Heusen
"Freddy, My Love" w.m. Jim Jacobs & Warren Casey
"Greased Lightin' " w.m. Jim Jacobs & Warren Casey
"I Can See Clearly Now" w.m. Johnny Nash
"It's Raining On Prom Night" w.m. Jim Jacobs & Warren Casey
"Liza With A Z" w. Fred Ebb m. John Kander from the television production Liza With A Z
"Look At Me, I'm Sandra Dee" w.m. Jim Jacobs & Warren Casey
"Magic To Do" w.m. Stephen Schwartz. Introduced by Ben Vereen in the musical Pippin
"Maybe This Time" w. Fred Ebb m. John Kander from the musical Cabaret
"The Morning After" w.m. Joel Hirschhorn & Al Kasha from the film The Poseidon Adventure
"The Old Fashioned Way" w. Charles Aznavour, Joel Hirschhorn & Al Kasha m.George Garvarentz
"Ring Them Bells" w. Fred Ebb m. John Kander from the television production Liza With A Z
"Shakin' At The High School Hop" w.m. Jim Jacobs & Warren Casey
"Speak Softly, Love" w. Larry Kusik m. Nino Rota from the film The Godfather
"Tie A Yellow Ribbon 'Round The Old Oak Tree" w.m. L. Russell Brown & Irwin Levine
"Vincent" w.m. Don McLean
"We Go Together" w.m. Jim Jacobs & Warren Casey
"You Are The Sunshine Of My Life" w.m. Stevie Wonder

Classical music

Arthur Bliss - Metamorphic Variations
Friedrich Cerha - Spiegel
Mario Davidovsky - Transientes for orchestra
Paul Le Flem - Symphony No. 4
Charles Ives - Piano Sonata No. 2, Concord, Mass., 1840-60 (Concord Sonata, revised version)
Dmitri Kabalevsky - A Letter to the 30th Century (oratorio)
György Ligeti - Double Concerto for Flute, Oboe and Orchestra
Theo Loevendie - Horn Concerto, "Orbits"
George Rochberg - Recordanza (Soliloquy for Cello and Piano)