Marvin Gaye, The Exorcist and the first Women’s Cricket World Cup
Marvin Gaye, The Exorcist and the first Women’s Cricket World Cup
Ahmed Kajee
Marvin Gaye, The Exorcist and the first Women’s Cricket World Cup
Close your eyes and let’s rewind. It’s 1973. Flared trousers sweep the sidewalks, cassette tapes are the new must-have, and Elton John’s glittery glasses sparkle under the spotlight. The world was moving fast, but the soundtrack slowed us down, picked us up, and stuck with us for a lifetime.
It’s the featured year on this week’s HOT Classic Countdown with Steve Bishop, every Sunday from 12 to 3pm on HOT 102.7FM.
Music was pure gold. Marvin Gaye turned intimacy into an anthem with Let’s Get It On, topping our chart at number one. Elton John made us dance with Crocodile Rock, Carly Simon sharpened her wit on You’re So Vain, and Stevie Wonder poured sunshine into our lives with You Are the Sunshine of My Life. Rock kept the amps buzzing — the Doobie Brothers gave us Long Train Running, Steve Miller became The Joker, and Stealers Wheel wedged us all Stuck in the Middle. Soul powered on too, with Gladys Knight’s Midnight Train to Georgia, Al Green’s smooth Here I Am, and the Temptations’ cinematic Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone. Right here at home, local legends like Steve Kekana with Raising My Family and The Flames with Knock on Wood proved South African music could stand tall.
But 1973 wasn’t just about the playlist. On the big screen, Bruce Lee’s Enter the Dragon kicked martial arts into mainstream culture, while The Exorcist made people scream in the aisles and faint in theatres. Hollywood also had charm, with The Sting pairing Newman and Redford for Oscar glory.
Television was rewriting its own story. Schoolhouse Rock! taught kids with cartoons and songs, The Young and the Restless began its marathon run on CBS, and in Britain, Last of the Summer Wine poured its first laugh — later becoming the world’s longest-running sitcom. Meanwhile, detective dramas like Kojak reminded us that TV could be tough, stylish, and addictive.
Beyond entertainment, the world was in flux. Watergate hearings unraveled trust in American politics, while the Yom Kippur War shook the Middle East and sparked the global oil crisis. Yet through it all, music remained the constant — a soulful escape and a powerful reminder of joy.
1973 was a year of groove, grit, and great storytelling. It was the sound of Marvin Gaye’s velvet voice, the shimmer of Elton’s piano, the shock of The Exorcist, and the charm of Newman and Redford. Half a century later, those songs and stories still make us smile, sway, and remember.
And while the music played, the world was on the move. 1973 was the year the Concorde made its first non-stop Atlantic crossing, promising a future of supersonic travel, while jumbo jets like the Boeing 747 were reshaping tourism and making international holidays more accessible than ever.
On the sports field, there were unforgettable moments too — from Billie Jean King defeating Bobby Riggs in the famous “Battle of the Sexes” tennis match, to Secretariat storming to the Triple Crown in horse racing. Cricket fans saw the very first Women’s Cricket World Cup in England, while in football, Ajax dazzled Europe with Johan Cruyff’s “Total Football.” Sport and travel were breaking barriers — just like the music.
1973 was a year of groove, grit, and great storytelling. It was the sound of Marvin Gaye’s velvet voice, the shimmer of Elton’s piano, the shock of The Exorcist, and the charm of Newman and Redford. Half a century later, those songs and stories still make us smile, sway, and remember.
More Posts for Show: Hot 1027 Classic Countdown with Steve Bishop
