This week in 1979, 15,000 protested at Shoreham nuclear plant in New York, all U.S. DC-10 flights were halted pending a safety inquiry, and a blind entertainer from North Carolina was about to have his 12th No. 1. According to Waylon Holyfield, Ronnie Milsap’s 1979 No. 1, “Nobody Likes Sad Songs,” took a lot of time and a lot of hard work to complete, as he and co-writer Bob McDill tried to hammer out the storyline about a nightclub performer whose musical act reflected his personal life. The song was originally titled “I Hate Sad Songs” but after completion they ...

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