Today’s almost-forgotten classic 1970s song of the day is “Do You Wanna Make Love” by Peter McCann. This one was pretty big at the time; released in May of 1977, it rose all the way to #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was ranked as the #17 single for the entire year. Not bad for a slightly cheesy soft rock tune by an relatively unknown artist.
“Do You Wanna Make Love” was written by Mr. McCann, who also wrote “Right Time of the Night” for Jennifer Warnes. Originally from Connecticut, he moved to Los Angeles in 1971 and was signed as a staff writer by ABC Records. It was there that he wrote his biggest hits. He moved to Nashville in 1987 and continued his songwriting success, writing hit country tunes for the likes of Earl Thomas Conley (“Nobody Falls Like a Fool”), Janie Fricke (“Do I Have to Say Goodbye”), K.T. Oslin (“Wall of Tears”), Mickey Gilley (“She Reminded Me of You”), and Baillie and the Boys (“Treat Me Like a Stranger”).
The song, “Do You Wanna Make Love,” explores the difference between meaningless sex and a more meaningful relationship. You see that in the lyrics to the chorus, which go:
Do you wanna make love
Or do you just want to fool around?
I guarantee it will bring you down
If you try and fool yourself
After his songwriting career cooled, Peter McCann became an expert on and lobbyist for copyright law. He passed away in January of 2023, aged 74. “Do You Wanna Make Love” was truly a one-hit wonder, but it was a good one.
And here’s your daily bonus, Peter McCann lip-synching his most favorite tune on some TV show back in 1977. It does sound of the time.
