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.
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.
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.