(The Hit Hammer is where I'm reviewing each #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100. Starting from when the chart started in 1958 and eventually working my way to the present. To see my inspiration and more information about this blog, please CLICK HERE)
Bread - "Make It With You"
Hit Number 1: August 22, 1970
Stay at Number 1: 1 Week
Throughout the history of pop music, there have been some things I don't understand. The stardom of Bread is one of those things. Consistently these guys pumped out material of airless, generic songs. To be fair, they were an airless and generic group. Lead singer David Gates has a pleasant voice, and his voice weaves around in their songs gracefully. But again, there's just not a whole lot about them to get excited about. In the 1970s, most people would disagree with me. These guys couldn't miss for a time. 13 of their songs charted on the Hot 100 in the span of 8 years.
While they had several charting hits, they only had one chart-topper, which was obviously today's post, "Make It With You". "Make It With You" was one of the first records released by the group, and was included on their second album On the Waters. To this point, the band didn't have a whole lot going for them. They had one album released, their self-titled debut album, which would eventually yield a top-ten hit in "It Don't Matter to Me", which made it to #10. (It's a 6) But that song's release was delayed for some reason, and it charted after the success of "Make It With You". So realistically speaking, "Make It With You" was basically Bread's debut hit, and it was a #1 hit.
It seems strange to me that "Make It With You" was their only #1 hit. If the music-listening public were such fans of their music, then why didn't some of their other material make it that far? I'm serious, a lot of their music sounds the same. There's nothing amazing about "Make It With You" that separates itself from the rest of Bread's hit list. If there was one song by them that should've been the chart-topper, I think it should've been "The Guitar Man". I can't explain why, I've just always had a soft spot for that song. Maybe it's the slick-sounding guitar slides that win me over. ("The Guitar Man" wasn't even a top-ten hit. It peaked at #11. It's an 8)
Let me clear the air a little. I don't think "Make It With You" is a bad song. In fact, I can't name one bad song by Bread. Their songs just aren't that exciting. They're just there. They could be a good option for you if you want to get into a relaxing mood or something. In "Make It With You", it's nothing but okay soft rock. Gates sings in his quiet and unintimidating voice; his voice surrounded by strings and other somewhat nice instrumentation. It's a nice listen sure, but I don't think this is worthy of being a #1 hit. Could be worse.
Anyway, Bread continued their run of fame, and they cranked out a few more hits. Gates would eventually go solo, and he had a hit with the song "Goodbye Girl", which followed the premiere of the movie of the same name in 1977. ("Goodbye Girl" made it to #15. It's a 5) Even though it's technically a Gates solo record, it still fits right into the Bread catalogue. Even though I've never gotten into Bread that much, they found a style that worked for them, and they were famous. I'm also sure along the way, Gates and the rest of the band made their fair share of money. Good for them.
GRADE: 5/10
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