Billboard #1 Hits: #348: “Angie Baby”- Helen Reddy. December 28, 1974. #1 for 1 week in Billboard Hot 100. The final #1 hit in 1974 which saw 37 #1 hits- and 36 different ones [“The Way We Were” was #1- dropped out and then returned to #1 earlier in the year}

• Single: “Angie Baby”- Helen Reddy
• Record Company-Capitol
• Genre: Pop
• Written by Alan O’Day
• Time: 3:29
• B-side:”I Think I’ll Write A Song”
• Album-Free and Easy
• Grade:B
• Peaked at #1 1 week in Billboard Hot 100.

Written by Alan O’Day who in 1977 would have a big hit on his own in “Undercover Angel” this may by my favorite Helen Reddy song. She said it was the one single she had that she didn’t have to push to get radio stations to play.

Alan O’Day would later say it took 3 months for him to write this song and originally it was loosely based on the character from The Beatles “Lady Madonna.”

from Wikipedia:

The song tells the story of Angie, a young girl who “lives [her] life in the songs” she hears on “rock and roll radio”, her mental disturbances led to her being removed from school and having no friends, leaving her to spend most of her time listening to the radio, imagining lovers entering her room and then disappearing when her father knocks on the door. One day, a young man arrives at Angie’s house with intent to do her harm, but once he enters Angie’s room he is disoriented by the loud music. The song then takes a decidedly surrealistic turn when, as Angie turns the volume of the radio down, the boy begins to disappear. The closing verse describes the disappearance of the boy and the townsfolk’s speculation that he was dead, but nobody asks Angie for an explanation.