DAILY DIRT: All you need is (more) love, this time from the 1970s … and farewell to Ryno

Daily Dirt for Tuesday, July 29, 2025

It’s Day 2 of the countdown of the best love songs, decade by decade. … Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 1,356 of The Daily Dirt.

1. The 1970s proved to be a mother lode when it came to great love songs.

From pop to country to soul, there must have been something in the water during that decade. There were just so many great, great love songs that it was tough to narrow the list down to a top 10 — but narrow that list we have. 

Here’s our best from the ’70s as the love train continues, decade by decade through the 1990s, and on Friday there will be an overall top 10.

Enjoy the ’70s, my friends. I’m pretty sure more than one of the following songs will bring a smile and cause a reflection: 

1. “Your Song,” Elton John (1971): Remember the line in the song when Elton sings, “I sat on the roof and kicked off the moss?” At the time he and longtime music partner Bernie Taupin were putting the song together, Elton was working for a music publishing firm as an office boy. The two had breakfast one day on the roof of that office building, and the rest, as they say, is history. Surprisingly, this classic was actually recorded first by Three Dog Night.

2. “Wonderful Tonight,” Eric Clapton (1978): I once read this song described “the most poignant reminder(s) of all that is good in a relationship”. No argument here.

3. “Annie,” by John Denver (1974): For me, this is Denver’s greatest contribution to any genre of music, by far. And he wrote it in 10 minutes while riding on a ski lift in Colorado.

4. “For the Good Times,” Ray Price (1970): Not only was this a great song, but my memory of it always takes me back to the early ’70s when my wife and I were having dinner with friends. This song came on the jukebox and my buddy, Dave, who to his credit had a great voice of his own, sang along with the Ray Price recording and received an ovation from the other customers.

5. “Always On My Mind,” Elvis Presley (1972): Always a tear-jerker, and a good chance it will reappear with another artist later in this week’s countdown. Elvis recorded this shortly after his breakup with Priscilla. The background work by the Jordanaires is close to perfect.

6. “You’re In My Heart (The Final Acclaim),” Rod Stewart (1977)”: “You’re Celtic, United, but baby I’ve decided you’re the best team I’ve ever seen.”

7. “Kiss and Say Goodbye,” Manhattans (1976): Songwriter Blue Lovett originally felt this 1970s classic would best serve a country star like Glen Campbell or Charley Pride. I think he made the right choice with the Manhattans.

8. “The Wonder of You,” Elvis Presley (1970): Some Elvis trivia for you … Anne Murray was his favorite female singer. Elvis listened to “Snowbird” more than any other song.

9. “Let’s Stay Together, Al Green (1972): Green had an impressive string of hits in the early-to-mid part of the decade, and this might just be the best of them all.

10. “Do That To Me One More Time,” Captain and Tennille (1979): This was released three years following the classic “Muskrat Love”.

Underrated: “I’d Love You to Want Me,” Lobo (1972): Lobo’s real name was Robert Kent LaVoie and he owned a big piece of the 1970s soft rock sound. It all started with “Me and You and a Dog Named Boo”.

A few others that deserve to be mentioned: “First Cut is the Deepest,” Rod Stewart (1977); “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,” Roberta Flack (1972); “You Decorated My Life,” Kenny Rogers (1979); “Mandy,” Barry Manilow (1974); “Hooked on a Felling,” Blue Swede (1974); “Can’t Get Enough of Your Love, Babe,” Barry White (1974); and “If You Leave Me Now,” Chicago (1976).

1a. Remembering Ryno

I was talking with a friend Monday evening, shortly after news broke concerning the death of Hall of Fame second baseman Ryne Sandberg, who died from complications tied to cancer. Sandberg was 65.

“I was never a Cubs fan, but I loved Ryno,” said my buddy, a lifelong Cardinals fan.

I understood exactly what he was saying. Sandberg epitomized both talent and class, and thanks to superstation broadcasts of Cubs games back in the 1980s and 1990s, Sandberg was a household fixture across the nation among MLB fans.

Sandberg’s name was never tarnished by scandals of the time, particularly the drug and steroid problem(s) that engulfed MLB. First and foremost, Ryno was a ball player, and I think his image was especially refreshing — even comforting — at that time. He was the All-American boy, who just happened to hit home runs and collect Gold Gloves.

Sandberg, whose No. 23 was retired by the Cubs in 2005, will also be remembered for his dedication to The Game and for playing it “the right way”.

“I didn’t play the game right because I saw a reward at the end of the tunnel,” he once said. “I was taught you never, ever disrespect your opponent or your teammates or your organization or your manager … and never, ever your uniform.”

Yes, Sandberg played the game the right way because it was the right thing to do. And that’s what we’ll always remember about him.

“Ryne Sandberg had a relentless work ethic and an unshakable positive outlook,” Hall of Fame chair Jane Forbes Clark said. “With it, he inspired all those who knew him.”

2. Did you know (Part 440)

• That when Caitlin Clark was recently sidelined with injury problems, WNBA television ratings plummeted 55 percent.
• That the longest MLB plate-appearance streaks without a strikeout are: Dave Cash, 223 (1976 Phillies); Nellie Fox, 185 (1962 White Sox); and Bill Buckner, 184 (1972 Dodgers).
• That becoming a vegetarian is a big missed steak.
• That whoever came up with “a penny for your thoughts,” “don’t nickel and dime me,” and “another day, another dollar” sure knew how to coin a phrase.
• That one Roman emperor stopped aging after he turned 19. His name was “Constant Teen.”

3. Appalachian Word of the Day: Ammonia.

Appalachian cellphone call: “Hey, can you come outside … ammonia your porch.”

Steve Thought O’ The Day — Are the gambling-related suspensions of two Cleveland Guardians pitchers two isolated cases, or the tip of a much-larger iceberg that could be the next great MLB scandal?

Steve Eighinger writes daily for Muddy River News. What about “ammonia yard”?