On This Day in 1970, Three Dog Night Topped the First-Ever ‘American Top 40’ Countdown with Their First No. 1 Single

On this day (July 4) in 1970, the first American Top 40 countdown premiered on KDEO in El Cajon, California. Hosted by the legendary radio personality Casey Kasem, the show counted down the “best-selling and most-played songs from the Atlantic to the Pacific, from Canada to Mexico,” according to the Billboard Hot 100. At the time, Three Dog Night was at the top of the Hot 100 with “Mama Told Me (Not to Come).”

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Today, American Top 40 is a global show. However, it only appeared on seven California-based radio stations in its debut weekend. The show grew slowly, with Kasem counting down the hits and sharing tidbits of music trivia and stories. For many listeners, the host was just as interesting as the music he queued up. Kasem hosted the show for eighteen years, stepping down in 1988. Then, he returned in 1998, just in time for Millennials who grew up with him as Shaggy from Scooby Doo to hear him announce the biggest hits in the nation. In 2004, Kasem retired, handing the reigns over to Ryan Seacrest, who continues to host AT40 today, more than two decades later.

[RELATED: The Meaning Behind “Mama Told Me (Not to Come)” by Three Dog Night and the Changes They Made to Turn It Into a Hit]

The first episode of American Top 40 pulled its playlist from the Billboard Hot 100 dated July 11. That week, Three Dog Night’s “Mama Told Me (Not to Come)” topped the Hot 100, giving them their first chart-topping single.

Three Dog Night Tops the Hot 100 and the American Top 40

Three Dog Night released “Mama Told Me (Not to Come)” in May 1970 as the lead single from their third album, It Ain’t Easy.

Randy Newman wrote the song, and Eric Burdon & the Animals recorded the first version of it for their 1967 album, Eric Is Here. However, they didn’t release the song as a single. Decades after Three Dog Night topped the inaugural American Top 40 with the tune, Tom Jones and Stereophonics took it to No. 4 in the UK in 2000.

After the song went to No. 1, Newman reportedly called Three Dog Night’s lead singer, Cory Wells, and said, “I just want to thank you for putting my kids through college.”

“Mama Told Me (Not to Come)” is a little deeper than some might think. “It’s a guy going to a party, and he’s a little scared,” Newman explained. “The first line was a vague connection to acid. I don’t remember being thrown off by that stuff then. If I was that unsophisticated–which is possible–I wouldn’t admit it.”

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