America’s 250th has unleashed flashbacks to the Bicentennial, a buildup to July 4, 1976, awash in corporate patriotic branding, a flood of variety specials and a very memorable version of Schoolhouse Rock.
Less expected was the pop/folk song that became the soundtrack to that summer 50 years ago, which reached No. 1 on the Billboard charts just after Independence Day: The Starland Vocal Band’s “Afternoon Delight.” It would prove to be the only hit from the group, made up of Bill Danoff and Taffy Nivert and Jon Caroll and Margot Chapman.
It’s been featured in the years since —
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