#1: Love Is A Beautiful Song by Dave Mills

City: Hamilton, ON
Radio Station: CKOC
Peak Month: November 1973
Peak Position in Hamilton ~ #1
Peak position in Vancouver ~ did not chart
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ did not chart
YouTube: “Love Is A Beautiful Song”
Lyrics: “Love Is A Beautiful Song”

Dave Mills was born in England in 1935. He moved to Australia in 1961. In 1965, he moved to South Africa and began a singing. He got a record deal with the Storm label in 1968. In 1969, he had a number-one double-sided hit in Rhodesia titled “Theresa”/”Nobody”. The single climbed to #2 in South Africa. An album was released in 1970 titled Theresa. His second single release from the album was “Love Is A Beautiful Song”.

“Love Is A Beautiful Song” was written by Terry Dempsey. He was born in England in 1941, and moved to South Africa. It was there he became a songwriter in the late ’60s. His songs were recorded by South African singers The Staccatos, Four Jacks and a Jill, Tidal Wave, Johnny Collini, Judy Page, Tommy Dell, Peter Cheney, Jessica Jones, Lance James, The Rising Sons, Tribe of Joshua, Lauren Copley, Rhodesian recording artists John Edmond, and Lincoln, and Australian recording artist Matt Flinders, among others. Dempsey wrote “Daydreamer”, a number-one hit for  David Cassidy in the UK. A French-language version by Claude François titled “Le mal aimé” was a number-one hit in France. Dempsey became a producer and director for MAP and Storm records.

Dempsey also wrote theme songs for South African TV shows, including Twist Grip, TopSport, DriveTime, as well as the Comrades Marathon and television series’ The Power of Persuasion and Wings Over Africa. In 1988 he joined the board of the National Organisation of Rights In Music (later called the Southern African Music Rights Organisation) for a period of three years before being elected as chairman for a further two years. In 1999, Dempsey produced and wrote the film score for the South African feature film Heel Against the Head. Terry Dempsey died in February 2019 in South Africa at the age of 77.

In the song, love is viewed as “a new way of living, a new way of starting each day…” Love imprints itself in those who are in love:

It’s so good to see that love,
has painted the stars in your eyes.
You’re looking the picture of loveliness,
you’re looking a picture my love.

“Love Is A Beautiful Song” was a number-one hit in Hamilton (ON) in 1973. Internationally, in 1970 it was a number-one hit in South Africa, and #2 in Rhodesia. In 1971 the single claimed to #2 in Australia, and #3 in New Zealand. On the strength of its chart run in Hamilton, the single climbed to #20 on the Canadian RPM Top 100 singles chart in late 1973. The B-side titled “All the Tears in the World” was a #5 hit in South Africa in 1970.

“Love Is A Beautiful Song” was covered by the Irish band Tommy Drennan and the Monarchs, New Zealand’s Tom Sharplin, Australian singer Barry Crocker, and others.

In 1970 Dave Mills won the SARI (South African Recording Industry) awards for both best male singer, and best Country and Western singer.

Dave Mills third Top Ten hit in South Africa was “Home”, reaching #2 in 1971. “Home” won a SARIE award in 1971 for Song of the Year. The B-side, “Tomorrow Is Over”, peaked at #15 later that year. In 1972, Mills “Mexico” was a Top 20 hit in South Africa. Though he moved to Australia in the winter of 1972-73, he had one more Top 20 hit in South Africa. This was “I Can’t Go Home to Mary”, which reached #17 in 1973. In Australia, Dave Mills became a much sought-after singer in the Sydney night club circuit.

Wikipedia states that Dave Mills died in Perth, Australia, in May 2014. He was 78 years of age.

August 25, 2024
Ray McGinnis

References:
“Dave Mills (singer),” Wikipedia.org.
“Obituary: Terry Dempsey,” Prowrite.co.za, February 21, 2019.

CKOC 1150-AM, Hamilton (ON), November 28, 1973