(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)
The Bellamy Brothers - "Let Your Love Flow"
Hit Number 1: May 1, 1976
Stay at Number 1: 1 Week
Neil Diamond is not a country artist. Not even remotely close. But, he was one of the most successful musicians around in the '70s. He's appeared in this series twice already with "Cracklin' Rosie" and "Song Sung Blue," and those are just the two #1 hits he had had to this point. It's not often that somebody like Diamond swings and misses on a chance for a big hit, but that's what would happen sometime around 1974. Larry E. Williams was a roadie for Diamond's live performances, and he had just written and published a song called "Let Your Love Flow" with Bicycle Music, a company that Diamond had founded. The only problem was that Diamond didn't care to record this song. In hindsight, maybe it was better this way. We know "Let Your Love Flow" today as a sunny, positive country smash, which isn't the kind of thing Diamond recorded. Again, Diamond never even came close to sunny country songs. But the song would eventually find its way to the Bellamy Brothers, a duo that was meant to find this song.
Diamond passing on this song isn't surprising to me, but what is surprising is somebody like Johnny Rivers passing on it. Unlike Diamond, Rivers could sound a little bit country in his songs, and could have made "Let Your Love Flow" work wonderfully. Instead, he also passed on it, missing what could have been a great chance to score another massive hit. Rivers became something of a nobody deep into the '70s, so maybe he'd like a do-over on that. But again, maybe that's because the song was supposed to find the Bellamy Brothers all along. This was not a Doobie Brothers type situation either, this duo were actually real-life brothers, Howard and David. They had been working at a studio in Tampa, Florida in the first half of the '70s as session musicians. David had actually scored big after writing "Spiders and Snakes" for Jim Stafford, a song that would go on to hit #3 on the Hot 100. (After some long and serious thought as to what the hell I would rate "Spiders and Snakes," I've decided that it's a 6) Regardless of what some 24-year-old in Minnesota thinks of the song, it was still a breaking point for the Bellamy Brothers. After seeing the success of "Spiders and Snakes," Stafford's producer, Phil Gernhard, suggested that the brothers move to Los Angeles to pursue their own recording career, which they did.
Gernhard was able to score the brothers with their own record deal with Warner Bros./Curb, and they got into the lower depths of the Hot 100 with "Nothin' Heavy" which made it to #77. They recorded mostly with Neil Diamond's band, and the drummer of the band, Dennis St. John, went over to where the brothers had been staying. He had a demo tape of the rejected "Let Your Love Flow," and thought that it sounded like something they'd like to take a crack at. David was the one to hear it first, and immediately thought that the song was perfect for him and Howard. He called Howard about it, and it wasn't long before the Bellamys were in the studio again to record it. According to David, they had a successful recording within just a couple takes. The song would hit #1 in May of 1976, which must have been a real slap in the face for someone like Johnny Rivers. Either way, the Bellamys were able to take an obvious country song to #1, which like I've said before on here, isn't an easy thing to do. But they did it.
Honestly though, I'm not sure how something like this could even fail. I mean, the song is so positive and lighthearted, it almost feels like a giant warm hug of a song. The main chorus goes: "Let your love flow like a mountain stream and let your love grow with the smallest of dreams." When they say love, they don't only mean love like you do with your significant other. They just mean love in general; loving those around you and really just loving life and the people that are in it. The song's message is further supported by some real kick ass musicianship. The guitar parts are commanding, getting your attention without going overboard. The Bellamys vocal parts aren't anything outstanding, but they gracefully harmonize with each other, and deliver their message beautifully. The song's a real banger though at the same time, and could be best described as one of the lyrics in it: a loving embrace. With that, I think I can say with confidence that "Let Your Love Flow" is one of the most positive songs to ever top the Hot 100.
The Bellamy Brothers never had another hit that was as big as "Let Your Love Flow," but they still seem to be doing pretty well for themselves. They're still together and still performing after all these years, and they seem to be a pretty big staple in the Nashville music scene. I'd like to think they still perform "Let Your Love Flow" live in a time where people need to hear it. The world today really needs more songs like "Let Your Love Flow" out there. That's a fact.
GRADE: 9/10
JUST MISSED:
Maxine Nightingale's preppy disco hit "Right Back Where We Started From" peaked at #2 behind "Let Your Love Flow." It's a 7.
IN POP CULTURE:
There are instances of "Let Your Love Flow" being featured in movies or TV shows, but those clips aren't on YouTube. At least as far as I can tell. But there is a pretty good cover by Joan Baez that she did for her 1979 album Honest Lullaby. Here's that audio:
(Joan Baez's highest-charting single, "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down," peaked at #3 in 1971. It's a 6)
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