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MEL'S TOP 100 HITS OF 1971
Listen to some of the Top Hits of 1971 by activating the music players below.


  

I think 1971 had the most diversification of hit tracks played on top 40 radio. In those days all kinds of music got played and this chart, hopefully proves that fact.

Three Dog Night This was a big year if you were a Three Dog Night fan. The popular top 40 rock cover band peaked in fine form when their highly underappreciated album Naturally produced the #1 hit track of the year, "Joy to the World," a happy ditty penned by country singer/songwriter Hoyt Axton. The song contributed to the "feel good" times of the late spring and summer of the year. The Naturally album also produced the Three Dog Night hits "One Man Band" which charted in 1970, "Liar" in the summer of 1971 and the great album tracks, "Sunlight" (very nice Chuck Negron singing a Jesse Colin-Young song) and the rompus "I Can Hear You Calling," which should have been a hit, but was issued as the B-side to "Joy to the World". Three Dog Night ended the year by charting "Just An Old Fashioned Love Song," the first track to chart from their follow-up album, Harmony.

A lot of great tracks were big hits in Hawaii in 1971 without ever becoming a hit on the mainland. Cases in point: Middle of the Road's "Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep" was a #1 hit in Hawaii while it did not make it anywhere in the mainland. The Buoys' "Give Up Your Guns" only made it to #88 on the Billboard Hot 100, but broke into the top 10 in Hawaii. Latin rock was big in 1971 with Santana charting several hits. However one of the least known but highly regarded latin-influenced tracks was El Chicano's "Cubano Chant", a hauntingly beautiful instrumental hit that featured some great organ riffs.

Keeping with the theme of big hits in Hawaii only: For some strange reason, Aretha Franklin's remake of "Spanish Harlem" did not exactly take off on the mainland. It proved otherwise in Hawaii, becoming a huge hit and topping a couple of local radio charts. For me, this is the best song she recorded next to her legendary 1967 hit, "Respect."

One of my favorite songs from 1971 was the Poppy Family's "Where Evil Grows", which turned out to be their last American charting hit. To me this track is better than their 1970 hit, "Which Way You're Going Billy". The track was used a few years ago to promote the former Fox TV series, Melrose Place. It is too bad Terry and Susan Jacks who were the principle members of the Poppy Family split up. They made some fine records.

Other great non-hits showing up on my top 100 include "Morning Of Our Lives" by The Arkade, "I Hear Those Churchbells Ringing" by Dusk, "Circle Game" by Rick Ely, "I'm Coming Home" by Tommy James, "I've Found Someone of My Own" by the Free Movement, "Stuck in Paradise" by The Sweet Marie and "My Lady Rose" by Mungo Jerry.

Finally, Climax's "Precious And Few" made its debut in Hawaii in 1971, several months before becoming a #3 hit nationwide in 1972. It is one of the few hits that broke in the islands before making it nationally. Very cool record.


Rating TitleArtist
1. Joy To The World Three Dog Night
2. Brown Sugar Rolling Stones
3. Imagine John Lennon
4. My Sweet Lord George Harrison
5. Maggie Mae Rod Stewart
6. It's Too Late / I Feel The Earth Move Carole King
7. Sunlight Three Dog Night
8. Draggin' the Line Tommy James
9. Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey Paul & Linda McCartney
10. Black Magic Woman Santana
11. Indian Reservation Raiders
12. Timothy Buoys
13. It Don't Come Easy Ringo Starr
14. Your Song Elton John
15. Knock Three Times Dawn
16. Precious And Few Climax
17. How Can You Mend A Broken Heart Bee Gees
18. Baby I'm A Want You Bread
19. Colour My World Chicago
20. Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep Middle of the Road
21. Theme From Shaft Issac Hayes
22. Mr. Big Stuff Jean Knight
23. For All We Know Carpenters
24. Just My Imagineation Temptations
25. Give Up Your Guns The Buoys
26. An Old Fashioned Love Song Three Dog Night
27. Gypsies, Tramps & Thieves Cher
28. Temptation Eyes Grass Roots
29. If Bread
30. Peace Train Cat Stevens
31. Albert Flasher Guess Who
32. Liar Three Dog Night
33. Stay Awhile Bells
34. Sweet City Woman Stampeders
35. Never Can Say Goodbye Jackson Five
36. Oye Como Va Santana
37. Woodstock Matthew's Southern Comfort
38. Superstar Carpenters
39. Treat Her Like A Lady Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose
40. The Night They Drove Ol' Dixie Down Joan Baez
41. Have You Ever Seen The Rain Creedence Clearwater Revival
42. Put Your Hand in the Hand Ocean
43. Won't Get Fooled Again The Who
44. Black Dog Led Zeppelin
45. Cubano Chant El Chicano
46. If Not For You Olivia Newton John
47. Friends Elton John
48. Proud Mary Ike & Tina Turner
49. Lola The Kinks
50. What Are You Doing Sunday? Dawn
51. Spanish Harlem Aretha Franklin
52. Another Day Paul McCartney
53. Where Evil Grows Poppy Family
54. The Story in Your Eyes Moody Blues
55. Domino Van Morrison
56. The Circle Game Rick Ely
57. One Bad Apple Osmonds
58. Me & You & a Dog Named Boo Lobo
59. Smiling Faces Undisputed Truth
60. Just Want To Celebrate Rare Earth
61. One Fine Morning Lighthouse
62. Stick Up (Highway Robbery) Honeycone
63. What Is Life? George Harrison
64. If You Could Read My Mind Gordon Lightfoot
65. Morning Of Our Lives The Arkade
67. Rainy Days and Mondays Carpenters
68. Long Time To Be Alone New Colony Six
69. Mama's Pearl Jackson Five
70. Stuck in Paradise Sweet Marie
71. Want Ads Honeycone
72. Sweet Mary Wadsworth Mansion
73. Signs Five Man Electric Band
74. Let Your Love Go Bread
75. Go Away Little Girl Donny Osmond
76. Sweet Hitchhiker Creedence Clearwater Revival
77. Everything's Coming Our Way Santana
78. Two Divided By Love Grass Roots
79. Chica Boom Chica Boom (Don't You Just Love It) Daddy Dewdrop
80. I Found Someone of My Own Free Movement
81. Mother Freedom Bread
82. Summer Sand Dawn
83. Wild World Cat Stevens
84. Lonely Days Bee Gees
85. Nathan Jones Supremes
86. Sweet & Innocent Donny Osmond
87. Doesn't Somebody Want To Be Wanted Partridge Family
88. No Love At All B.J. Thomas
89. Cherish David Cassidy
90. My Lady Rose Mungo Jerry
91. Games Redeye
92. Maybe Tomorrow Jackson Five
93. Sooner or Later Grass Roots
94. I'm Coming Home Tommy James
95. Morning Girl Rick Ely
96. Number Wonderful Rockflowers
97. Dead & Gone McGuiness Flint
98. I Hear Those Churchbells Ringing Dusk
99. I Play and Sing Dawn
100. Yo-Yo Osmonds



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