1971 - Last Look

 Over the last year, I posted monthly summaries of what was happening in the music Top 40.  You can review the series HERE.  It's been a fun project, and 1971 was a great year for music.  And 1972 was also a great year, maybe I'll keep it up.

Looking back over my data, I figued to add a few last observation:

A total of 718 songs spent time in Billboard's Hot 100 during 1971, and 290 songs made the coveted Top 40.  That's a lot of great music.

19 Songs topped the charts, listed here (in chronological order)

• My Sweet Lord - George Harrison (3 weeks)
• Knock Three Times - Dawn (3 Weeks)
• One Bad Apple - The Osmonds (5 weeks)
• Me And Bobby McGee - Janis Joplin (2 weeks)
• Just My Imagination - The Temptations (2 weeks)
• Joy To The World - Three Dog Night (6 weeks)
• Brown Sugar - The Rolling Stones (2 weeks)
• Want Ads - The Honey Cone (1 week)
• It's Too Late - Carole King (5 weeks)
• Indian Reservation - The Raiders (1 week)
• You've Got A Friend - James Taylor (1 week)
• How Can You Mend A Broken Heart - Bee Gees (4 weeks)
• Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey - Paul McCartney (1 week)
• Go Away Little Girl - Donny Osmond (3 weeks)
• Maggie May - Rod Stewart (5 weeks)
• Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves - Cher (2 weeks)
• Theme From Shaft - Isaac Hayes (2 weeks)
• Family Affair - Sly and The Family Stone (2 weeks)
• Brand New Key - Melanie (1 week)

That's a great little playlist right there.

Meanwhile, there were some really great songs that made the charts, but fell short of the Top 40.  Here's 20 of my favorites, with peak position noted:

• Marianne - Stephen Stills (42)
• Cry Baby - Janis Joplin (42)
• Change Partners - Stephen Stills (43)
• Apeman - The Kinks (45)
• Lucky Man - Emerson, Lake & Palmer (48)
• Walk Away - The James Gang (51)
• Ride With Me - Steppenwolf (52)
• House At Pooh Corner - Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (53)
• Freedom - Jimi Hendrix (59) 
• Truckin' - Grateful Dead (64) 
• Black Night - Deep Purple (66)
• Black Dog - Led Zeppelin (67)
• Life Is A Carnival - The Band (68)
• C'mon - Poco (69)
• Military Madness - Graham Nash (73) 
• Hymn 43 - Jethro Tull (91)
• Revival - The Allman Brothers Band (92)
• Carey - Joni Mitchell (93)
• When You Dance I Can Really Love - Neil Young (93)
• Caught In A Dream - Alice Cooper (94)

So that's it.  Hope y'all liked it, we'll see if I stay inspired as we move into 2022.

December 1971

Finishing 1971, here's the final edition of my ongoing series of reviewing the Top 40 songs from 50 years ago.  I haven't always been on time (my goal was mid-month), but I have managed to make every month.  Which is better than previous years.  

So what was December like?

There were 4 weeks of December '71, and there were 54 songs that spent time in the Top 40. As usual, lots of great stuff.  Overall,  1971 was an outstanding year, with 718 songs spending time in the Hot 100, and 290 songs making the coveted Top 40.

Over the 4 weeks in December '71, only 2 songs topped the charts:  Sly and the Family Stone owned the first 3 weeks with "Family Affair", and gave way to Melanie with "Brand New Key" for the last week of the month (and the year).  

Moving on:  Here's the top 10 songs of the month, ranked by average chart position over the 4 weeks of the month:

• Family Affair - Sly and The Family Stone - 1.25
• Have You Seen Her - The Chi-lites - 4
• Got To Be There - Michael Jackson - 5
• An Old Fashioned Love Song - Three Dog Night - 5
• Theme From Shaft - Isaac Hayes - 6.5
• Baby I'm - A Want You - Bread - 6.75
• Brand New Key - Melanie - 6.75
• All I Ever Need Is You - Sonny and Cher - 8.5
• Cherish - David Cassidy - 10.75
• Gypsys, Tramps and Thieves - Cher - 12

Twenty (20) songs made their Top 40 debut, a couple of notable songs.  Here they are (listed by entering position):

• One Monkey Don't Stop No Show Part I - The Honey Cone - 30
• I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing (In Perfect Harmony) - The Hillside Singers - 31
• Sugar Daddy - Jackson 5 - 31
• Hey Girl/I Knew You When - Donny Osmond - 32
• Clean Up Woman - Betty Wright - 32
• American Pie (Parts I & II) - Don McLean - 34
• Sunshine - Jonathan Edwards - 36
• An American Trilogy - Mickey Newbury - 37
• Drowning In The Sea Of Love - Joe Simon - 37
• Behind Blue Eyes - The Who - 38
• Let's Stay Together - Al Green - 38
• Hey Big Brother - Rare Earth - 38
• George Jackson - Bob Dylan - 38
• I'm A Greedy Man - Part I - James Brown - 39
• Hallelujah - Sweathog - 39
• Can I Get A Witness - Lee Michaels - 39
• Day After Day - Badfinger - 39
• Kiss An Angel Good Mornin' - Charley Pride - 40
• Your Move (I've Seen All Good People) - Yes - 40
• White Lies, Blue Eyes - Bullet - 40

November 1971

 Winding down 1971, here's the penultimate edition of my ongoing series of reviewing the Top 40 songs from 50 years ago.  So what was November1971 like?

There were 4 weeks of November '71, and there were 57 songs that spent time in the Top 40. As usual, lots of great stuff, but a few that I'd thankfully forgotten.  Still,  1971 was a pretty outstanding year!

Over the 4 weeks in November '71, 2 songs topped the charts:  Cher's Gypsys, Tramps and Thieves was #1 over the first 2 weeks, and Isaac Hayes' Theme From Shaft was peak over the last 2 days.

Moving on:  Here's the top 10 songs of the month, ranked by average chart position over the 4 weeks of the month:

• Theme From Shaft - Isaac Hayes - 1.5
• Gypsys, Tramps and Thieves - Cher - 1.5
• Imagine - John Lennon - 4
• Maggie May - Rod Stewart - 6
• Peace Train - Cat Stevens - 7.25
• Have You Seen Her - The Chi-lites - 7.75
• Yo-Yo - The Osmonds - 9
• Baby I'm - A Want You - Bread - 10
• Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler) - Marvin Gaye - 13
• Superstar - Carpenters - 13.25

Nineteen (19) songs made their Top 40 debut, a couple of notable songs.  Here they are (listed by entering position):

• Family Affair - Sly and The Family Stone - 21
• Baby I'm - A Want You - Bread - 22
• Stones - Neil Diamond - 23
• Where Did Our Love Go - Donnie Elbert - 30
• Theme From "Summer Of '42" - Peter Nero - 31
• Superstar - The Temptations - 32
• All I Ever Need Is You - Sonny and Cher - 33
• Brand New Key - Melanie - 33
• Rock Steady - Aretha Franklin - 34
• You Are Everything - The Stylistics - 35
• Wild Night - Van Morrison - 36
• Respect Yourself - The Staple Singers - 37
• Scorpio - Dennis Coffey and The Detroit Guitar Band - 38
• (I Know) I'm Losing You - Rod Stewart With Faces - 38
• Got To Be There - Michael Jackson - 39
• She's All I Got - Freddie North - 39
• An Old Fashioned Love Song - Three Dog Night - 39
• I'd Love To Change The World - Ten Years After - 40
• Charity Ball - Fanny - 40

October 1971

 I'm still running behind, but only 1 day later than last month... so...GOOD (enough)...  Here's the next in my ongoing series of reviewing the Top 40 songs from 50 years ago.  I've been doing this version of the review for over a year now, plan to continue indefinitely.  

  So what was October 1971 like?

There were 5 weeks of October '71, and there were 58 songs that spent time in the Top 40. As usual, lots of great stuff, but a few that I'd thankfully forgotten.  Still,   1971 was a pretty outstanding year!

Despite there being 5 weeks in October '71, only 1 song topped the charts:  Rod Stewart's Maggie May.  A brilliant, brilliant song.

Moving on:  Here's the top 10 songs of the month, ranked by average chart position over the 5 weeks of the month:

• Maggie May - Rod Stewart - 1.0
• Superstar - Carpenters - 3.0
• Yo-Yo - The Osmonds - 4.6
• The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down - Joan Baez - 4.8
• Go Away Little Girl - Donny Osmond - 5.4
• Do You Know What I Mean - Lee Michaels - 7.0
• Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey - Paul & Linda McCartney - 10.2
• If You Really Love Me - Stevie Wonder - 10.6
• Sweet City Woman - Stampeders - 11.4
• Ain't No Sunshine - Bill Withers - 12.8

Twenty Two (22) songs made their Top 40 debut, a couple of pretty notable songs.  Here they are (listed by entering position):

• Theme From Shaft - Isaac Hayes - 9
• Imagine - John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band - 20
• Have You Seen Her - The Chi-lites - 21
• Everybody's Everything - Santana - 28
• Birds Of A Feather - The Raiders - 32
• Peace Train - Cat Stevens - 34
• Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler) - Marvin Gaye - 35
• Desiderata - Les Crane - 35
• Questions 67 And 68 - Chicago - 35
• One Fine Morning - Lighthouse - 36
• You've Got To Crawl (Before You Walk) - The 8th Day - 36
• Women's Love Rights - Laura Lee - 37
• Never My Love - The 5th Dimension - 38
• Two Divided By Love - The Grass Roots - 38
• Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves - Cher - 39
• A Natural Man - Lou Rawls - 39
• One Tin Soldier, The Legend of Billy Jack - Coven - 39
• Only You Know And I Know - Delaney & Bonnie - 40
• Long Ago And Far Away - James Taylor - 40
• Absolutely Right - Five Man Electrical Band - 40
• I'm Comin' Home - Tommy James - 40
• MacArthur Park (Part II) - Four Tops - 40

September 1971

I'm running behind, but the month hasn't ended quite yet, so I'm calling it GOOD (enough)...  Here's the next in my ongoing series of reviewing the Top 40 songs from 50 years ago.  I've been doing this version of the review for over a year now, plan to continue indefinitely.  

  So what was September 1971 like?

There were 4 weeks of September '71, and there were 55 songs that spent time in the Top 40. As usual, lots of great stuff.  1971 was a pretty outstanding year!

Only 2 songs topped the charts in September '71, but that is 1 more than August. Paul  McCartney opened the month with a 1 week run at #1 with "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey".Donny Osmond took over and spent the rest of the month at #1 with his version of the Goffin/King written "Go Away Little Girl".  The song made the Top 15 three times between 1963 and 1971, and was the first song to het #1 twice by two different artists.  That said, I'm not a fan.  Actually, that's an understatement.  Donny Osmond's version of "Go Away Little Girl" is a perfect example of where early 70's pop could go wrong.  Oh well, at least I'm not bitter.

Moving on:  Here's the top 10 songs of the month, ranked by average chart position over the 4 weeks of the month:

• Go Away Little Girl - Donny Osmond - 2.00
• Spanish Harlem - Aretha Franklin - 3.25
• Ain't No Sunshine - Bill Withers - 4.00
• Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey - Paul McCartney - 4.25
• Smiling Faces Sometimes - The Undisputed Truth - 4.75
• I Just Want To Celebrate - Rare Earth - 8.50
• How Can You Mend A Broken Heart - Bee Gees - 8.50
• Maggie May - Rod Stewart - 8.75
• Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get - The Dramatics - 10.25
• The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down - Joan Baez - 10.50

Twenty Three (23) songs made their Top 40 debut, a couple of pretty notable songs.  Here they are (listed by entering position):

• Superstar - Carpenters - 17
• Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep - Mac And Katie Kissoon - 30
• Make It Funky (Part 1) - James Brown - 30
• The Story In Your Eyes - The Moody Blues - 31
• Do You Know What I Mean - Lee Michaels - 34
• The Breakdown (Part I) - Rufus Thomas - 34
• Sweet City Woman - Stampeders - 35
• Thin Line Between Love & Hate - The Persuaders - 35
• Trapped By A Thing Called Love - Denise LaSalle - 35
• Wedding Song (There Is Love) - Paul Stookey - 36
• The Love We Had (Stays On My Mind) - The Dells - 36
• If You Really Love Me - Stevie Wonder - 37
• I Ain't Got Time Anymore - The Glass Bottle - 37
• Stagger Lee - Tommy Roe - 37
• Rain Dance - The Guess Who - 38
• So Far Away - Carole King - 39
• All Day Music - War - 39
• I've Found Someone Of My Own - The Free Movement - 39
• K-Jee - The Nite-Liters - 39
• Surrender - Diana Ross - 40
• I Likes To Do It - The People's Choice - 40
• Easy Loving - Freddie Hart - 40
• Yo-Yo - The Osmonds - 40

August 1971

 Here's for the next in my ongoing series of reviewing the Top 40 songs from 50 years ago.  I've been doing this version of the review for over a year now, plan to continue indefinitely.  

  So what was August 1971 like?

There were 4 weeks of August '71, and there were 55 songs that spent time in the Top 40. As usual, lots of great stuff.  1971 was a pretty outstanding year!

One one song topped the charts over August's 4 weeks:  The Bee Gee's "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart".  It was #1 for 4 weeks, spanning the whole month.

Here's the top 10 songs of the month, ranked by average chart position over the 4 weeks of the month:

• How Can You Mend A Broken Heart - Bee Gees - 1
• Mr. Big Stuff - Jean Knight - 3.25
• Take Me Home, Country Roads - John Denver - 3.5
• Mercy, Mercy Me (The Ecology) - Marvin Gaye - 6.75
• You've Got A Friend - James Taylor - 6.75
• Beginnings/Colour My World - Chicago - 8.25
• Draggin' The Line - Tommy James - 8.75
• Signs - Five Man Electrical Band - 9
• Indian Reservation (The Lament Of The Cherokee Reservation Indian) - The Raiders - 9.5
• Sweet Hitch-Hiker - Creedence Clearwater Revival - 11.25

Nineteen (19) songs made their Top 40 debut, a couple of pretty notable songs.  Here they are (listed by entering position):

• Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey - Paul & Linda McCartney - 21
• Go Away Little Girl - Donny Osmond - 24
• Ain't No Sunshine - Bill Withers - 27
• Spanish Harlem - Aretha Franklin - 29
• Bangla-Desh - George Harrison - 31
• The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down - Joan Baez - 33
• I Woke Up In Love This Morning - The Partridge Family - 35
• Mighty Clouds Of Joy - B.J. Thomas - 36
• Maggie May - Rod Stewart - 36
• I Just Want To Celebrate - Rare Earth - 37
• Go Down Gamblin - Blood, Sweat & Tears - 37
• Stick-Up - The Honey Cone - 38
• I'm Leavin - Elvis Presley - 38
• Saturday Morning Confusion - Bobby Russell - 38
• Won't Get Fooled Again - The Who - 39
• Tired Of Being Alone - Al Green - 39
• Mother Freedom - Bread - 39
• Where You Lead - Barbra Streisand - 40
• Resurrection Shuffle - Ashton, Gardner & Dyke - 40

July 1971

Here's for the next in my ongoing series of reviewing the Top 40 songs from 50 years ago.  I've been doing this version of the review for over a year now, plan to continue indefinitely.  

  So what was July 1971 like?

There were 5 weeks of July'71, and there were 58 songs that spent time in the Top 40. As usual, lots of great stuff.  1971 was a pretty outstanding year!

Three songs topped the charts over July's 5 weeks:  Carole King's "It's Too Late" held #1 for the last 3 weeks, finishing out a 5 week stay at the top.  "Indian Reservation (The Lament of the Cherokee) took #1 for a single week, and "Don't Pull Your Love" by Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds finished the month at the top spot. 

Here's the top 10 songs of the month, ranked by average chart position over the 4 weeks of the month:

• It's Too Late - Carole King - 1.25
• Indian Reservation (The Lament Of The Cherokee Reservation Indian) - The Raiders - 1.75
• Treat Her Like A Lady - Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose - 4.25
• Don't Pull Your Love - Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds - 4.5
• You've Got A Friend - James Taylor - 5
• Rainy Days And Mondays - Carpenters - 6.5
• Mr. Big Stuff - Jean Knight - 7.5
• She's Not Just Another Woman - The 8th Day - 11.75
• That's The Way I've Always Heard It Should Be - Carly Simon - 12
• Draggin' The Line - Tommy James - 13.5

Twenty Three (23) songs made their Top 40 debut, a couple of pretty notable songs.  Here they are (listed by entering position):

• Mercy, Mercy Me (The Ecology) - Marvin Gaye - 26
• What The World Needs Now Is Love - Tom Clay - 26
• Hot Pants (She Got To Use What She Got To Get What She Wants) (Pt. 1) - James Brown - 27
• Maybe Tomorrow - Jackson 5 - 30
• Signs - Five Man Electrical Band - 33
• Rings - Cymarron - 33
• Double Barrel - Dave & Ansil Collins - 36
• Love The One You're With - The Isley Brothers - 37
• Beginnings - Chicago - 37
• If Not For You - Olivia Newton-John - 37
• Smiling Faces Sometimes - The Undisputed Truth - 37
• Sweet Hitch-Hiker - Creedence Clearwater Revival - 37
• You've Got A Friend - Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway - 38
• Summer Sand - Dawn - 38
• How Can You Mend A Broken Heart - Bee Gees - 39
• Chicago - Graham Nash - 39
• Stop, Look, Listen (To Your Heart) - The Stylistics - 39
• Riders On The Storm - The Doors - 39
• Wild Horses - The Rolling Stones - 40
• Moon Shadow - Cat Stevens - 40
• Love Means (You Never Have To Say You're Sorry) - Sounds Of Sunshine - 40
• Liar - Three Dog Night - 40
• Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get - The Dramatics - 40

June 1971

  Time for the next in my ongoing series of reviewing the Top 40 songs from 50 years ago.  I've been doing this version of the review for over a year now, plan to continue indefinitely.  

  So what was June 1971 like?

There were 4 weeks of June '71, and there were 56 songs that spent time in the Top 40. As usual, lots of great stuff.  

Three songs topped the charts over June's 4 weeks:  "Brown Sugar", by the Rolling Stones opened the month at #1, carrying over from the last week of May.  "Want Ads" by The Hone Comb took over for 1 week, and Carole King held #1 for the last 2 weeks.  

Here's the top 10 songs of the month, ranked by average chart position over the 4 weeks of the month:

• Want Ads - The Honey Cone - 2.5
• Rainy Days And Mondays - Carpenters - 3.0
• Brown Sugar - The Rolling Stones - 3.25
• It's Too Late - Carole King - 4.25
• It Don't Come Easy - Ringo Starr - 5
• Joy To The World - Three Dog Night - 6.75
• Treat Her Like A Lady - Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose - 8.5
• Sweet And Innocent - Donny Osmond of The Osmonds - 8.5
• I'll Meet You Halfway - The Partridge Family  - 10.0
• Indian Reservation (The Lament Of The Cherokee Reservation Indian) - The Raiders - 11.75

Nineteen-two (19) songs made their Top 40 debut, a couple of pretty notable songs.  Here they are (listed by entering position):

• You've Got A Friend - James Taylor - 24
• Don't Pull Your Love - Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds - 30
• Never Can Say Goodbye - Isaac Hayes - 33
• Mr. Big Stuff - Jean Knight - 33
• Bring The Boys Home - Freda Payne - 33
• Albert Flasher - The Guess Who - 34
• Here Comes That Rainy Day Feeling Again - The Fortunes - 34
• Never Ending Song Of Love - Delaney & Bonnie & Friendsv34
• That's The Way I've Always Heard It Should Be - Carly Simon - 35
• She's Not Just Another Woman - The 8th Day - 36
• Take Me Home, Country Roads - John Denver - 36
• I Don't Want To Do Wrong - Gladys Knight And The Pips - 36
• Puppet Man - Tom Jones - 37
• Sooner Or Later - The Grass Roots - 37
• Escape-ism (Part 1) - James Brown - 37
• High Time We Went - Joe Cocker - 8
• Draggin' The Line - Tommy James - 38
• Get It On - Chase - 39
• Funky Nassau-Part I - The Beginning Of The End - 40

May 1971

 Time for the next in my ongoing series of reviewing the Top 40 songs from 50 years ago.  I've been doing this version of the review for over a year now, plan to continue indefinitely.  

  So what was May 1971 like?

There were 5 weeks of April 1971, and there were 61 songs that spent time in the Top 40. As usual, lots of great stuff.  

Despite 5 weeks in the month, only 2 songs made it to #1.  Three Dog Night's "Joy To The World topped the charts for the first 4 weeks of the month, finishing an impressive run of 6 weeks at the top.  The Rolling Stones' Brown Sugar took over for the last week of the month.

Here's the top 10 songs of the month, ranked by average chart position over the 4 weeks of the month:

• Joy To The World - Three Dog Night - 1.2
• Never Can Say Goodbye - Jackson 5 - 2.4
• Put Your Hand In The Hand - Ocean - 3.6
• If - Bread - 7.4
• Bridge Over Troubled Water - Aretha Franklin - 8.2
• Me And You And A Dog Named Boo - Lobo - 9
• Chick-A-Boom (Don't Ya Jes' Love It) - Daddy Dewdrop - 9.8
• Stay Awhile - The Bells - 10.2
• Brown Sugar - The Rolling Stones  - 2.6
• Love Her Madly - The Doors - 13

Twenty-two (22) songs made their Top 40 debut, a couple of pretty notable songs.  Here they are (listed by entering position):

• Rainy Days And Mondays - Carpenters - 20
• Sweet And Innocent - Donny Osmond - 22
• It Don't Come Easy - Ringo Starr - 24
• Superstar - Murray Head - 27
• Battle Hymn Of Lt. Calley - C Company - 27
• I Don't Know How To Love Him - Helen Reddy - 28
• (For God's Sake) Give More Power To The People - The Chi-lites - 28
• Treat Her Like A Lady - Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose - 30
• Reach Out I'll Be There - Diana Ross - 31
• Want Ads - The Honey Cone - 32
• Don't Knock My Love - Pt. 1 - Wilson Pickett - 32
• When You're Hot, You're Hot - Jerry Reed - 32
• I'll Meet You Halfway - The Partridge Family - 33
• Right On The Tip Of My Tongue - Brenda & The Tabulations - 33
• I Don't Know How To Love Him - Yvonne Elliman - 37
• It's Too Late/I Feel The Earth Move - Carole King - 38
• Indian Reservation (The Lament Of The Cherokee Reservation Indian) - The Raiders - 38
• Me And My Arrow - Nilsson - 39
• Double Lovin' - The Osmonds - 39
• Brown Sugar - The Rolling Stones  - 40
• Nathan Jones - The Supremes - 40
• Lowdown - Chicago - 40

April 1971

 Time for the next in my ongoing series of reviewing the Top 40 songs from 50 years ago.  I've been doing this version of the review for over a year now, plan to continue indefinitely.  

  So what was April 1971 like?

During the 4 weeks of April 1971, there were 54 songs that spent time in the Top 40. As usual, lots of great stuff.  

As with March, Only 2 songs made it to #1 during the month.  The Temptation's "Just My Imagination" held the top spot for the first 2 weeks of April, and Three Dog Night's "Joy To The World finish the month.

Here's the top 10 songs of the month, ranked by average chart position over the 4 weeks of the month:

• What's Going On - Marvin Gaye - 2.8
• Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me) - The Temptations - 3.0
• Joy To The World - Three Dog Night - 4.0
• She's A Lady - Tom Jones - 5.3
• Me And Bobby McGee - Janis Joplin - 6.8
• Another Day - Paul McCartney - 7.0
• For All We Know - Carpenters - 7.5
• Doesn't Somebody Want To Be Wanted - The Partridge Family - 9.5
• One Toke Over The Line - Brewer And Shipley - 11.8
• Proud Mary - Ike & Tina Turner - 12.3

Seventeen (17) songs made their Top 40 debut, a couple of pretty notable songs.  Here they are (listed by entering position):

• Bridge Over Troubled Water - Aretha Franklin - 24
• I Am...I Said - Neil Diamond - 26
• I Play And Sing – Dawn - 30
• Me And You And A Dog Named Boo – Lobo - 30
• Timothy - The Buoys - 32 (anybody know who played on this record?)
• I Don't Blame You At All - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles - 37
• Love Her Madly - The Doors - 37
• Baby Let Me Kiss You - King Floyd - 38
• Friends - Elton John - 38
• Don't Change On Me - Ray Charles - 38
• If – Bread - 39
• Chick-A-Boom (Don't Ya Jes' Love It) - Daddy Dewdrop - 39
• I Love You For All Seasons - The Fuzz - 39
• Here Comes The Sun - Richie Havens - 39
• Power To The People - John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band - 40
• Woodstock - Matthews' Southern Comfort - 40
• Ask Me No Questions - B.B. King - 40

• 
  

March 1971

Time for the next in my ongoing series of reviewing the Top 40 songs from 50 years ago.  I've been doing this version of the review for For 15 months, plan to continue indefinitely.  

  So what was March1971 like?

During the 4 weeks of March1971, there were 55 songs that spent time in the Top 40. As usual, lots of great stuff.  

As with February, Only 2 songs made it to #1 during the month.  The Osmonds' "One Bad Apple" spent the 1st 2 weeks at the top, finishing a 5 week stretch at the top.  Janis Joplin's posthumous release "Me and Bobby McGee" took over for the last 2 weeks.

Here's the top 10 songs of the month, ranked by average chart position over the 4 weeks of the month:

• Me And Bobby McGee - Janis Joplin - 1.75  
• Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me) - The Temptations - 3.25
• One Bad Apple - The Osmonds - 3.75
• She's A Lady - Tom Jones - 4.00
• For All We Know - Carpenters - 5.00
• Proud Mary - Ike & Tina Turner - 7.25
• Doesn't Somebody Want To Be Wanted - The Partridge Family - 9.25
• If You Could Read My Mind - Gordon Lightfoot - 9.5
• Mama's Pearl - Jackson 5 - 9.75
• Amos Moses - Jerry Reed - 10.5

Eighteen (17) songs made their Top 40 debut, some pretty notable songs.  Here they are (listed by entering position):

• Oye Como Va - Santana - 26
• No Love At All - B.J. Thomas - 28
• What's Going On - Marvin Gaye - 29
• Free - Chicago - 32
• Country Road - James Taylor - 34
• Joy To The World - Three Dog Night - 34
• Wild World - Cat Stevens - 35
• Another Day - Paul McCartney - 36
• Put Your Hand In The Hand - Ocean - 37
• You're All I Need To Get By - Aretha Franklin - 38
• Love's Lines, Angles And Rhymes - The 5th Dimension - 38
• Eighteen - Alice Cooper - 38
• One Toke Over The Line - Brewer And Shipley - 39
• Sit Yourself Down - Stephen Stills - 39
• Soul Power (Pt. 1) - James Brown - 40
• Heavy Makes You Happy (Sha-Na-Boom Boom) - The Staple Singers - 40
• Dream Baby (How Long Must I Dream) - Glen Campbell - 40

February 1971

Time for the next in my ongoing series of reviewing the Top 40 songs from 50 years ago.  I've been doing this version of the review for For 14 months, plan to continue indefinitely.  

  So what was February 1971 like?

During the 4 weeks of January 1971, there were 56 songs that spent time in the Top 40. As usual, lots of great stuff.  But some not-so-great stuff, I think more than prior months.  It'll be interesting to see if that's a trend for the year.

Only 2 songs made it to #1 during the month.  Dawn (before Tony Orlando's name was split out) started the month at #1 with "Knock Three Times", finishing a 3 week run at #1.  It was followed by the Osmonds' "One Bad Apple" which spent the rest of the month at the top of the charts (on the front end of a 5 week stay).  I usually don't editorialize, but while "Knock 3 Times" is a fun bit of fluff, "One Bad Apple" is not.  Maybe if they had used the Wrecking Crew to record it; it might've had the charm of Jackson 5's "ABC".

Here's the top 10 songs of the month, ranked by average chart position over the 4 weeks of the month:

• One Bad Apple - The Osmonds - 1.25
• Knock Three Times - Dawn - 2.00
• Rose Garden - Lynn Anderson - 3.75
• I Hear You Knocking - Dave Edmunds - 5
• If You Could Read My Mind - Gordon Lightfoot - 9.75
• Groove Me - King Floyd - 9.75
• Lonely Days - Bee Gees - 10.25
• Mama's Pearl - Jackson 5 - 10.75
• Watching Scotty Grow - Bobby Goldsboro - 11.5
• Mr. Bojangles - Nitty Gritty Dirt Band - 11.75

Eighteen (21) songs made their Top 40 debut, here they are (listed by entering position):

• Sweet Mary - Wadsworth Mansion - 15
• She's A Lady - Tom Jones - 24
• Mama's Pearl - Jackson 5 - 25
• Me And Bobby McGee - Janis Joplin - 25
• Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me) - The Temptations - 29
• (Theme From) Love Story - Henry Mancini And His Orchestra - 30
• Temptation Eyes - The Grass Roots - 31
• Have You Ever Seen The Rain - Creedence Clearwater Revival - 32
• Cried Like A Baby - Bobby Sherman - 32
• Theme From Love Story - Francis Lai And His Orchestra - 33
• Burning Bridges - The Mike Curb Congregation - 34
• (Where Do I Begin) Love Story - Andy Williams - 35
• Jody's Got Your Girl And Gone - Johnnie Taylor - 36
• Proud Mary - Ike & Tina Turner - 37
• Doesn't Somebody Want To Be Wanted - The Partridge Family - 37
• D.O.A. - Bloodrock - 38
• Don't Let The Green Grass Fool You - Wilson Pickett - 39
• For All We Know - Carpenters - 39
• Help Me Make It Through The Night - Sammi Smith - 39
• Your Time To Cry - Joe Simon - 40
• Just Seven Numbers (Can Straighten Out My Life) - Four Tops - 40

There were a lot of notable songs breaking into the Top 40, look for them in next month's Top 10!

January 1971

As we move into January 2021, my "50 years ago" Top 40 review moves into 1971.  My gut feel is that '71 was note quite as good as '72 or '71, but still very very good.  So what was January 1971 like?

During the 4 weeks of January 1971, there were 54 songs that spent time in the Top 40. As usual, lots of great stuff.

Three songs made #1 during the month.  Only 2 songs topped the charts though.  George Harrisons "My Sweet Lord" held the first 3 weeks, continuing from the end of 1970.  And Tony Orlando and Dawn took over the last 2 weeks, with "Knock 3 Times".

Here's the top 10 songs of the month, ranked by average chart position over the 4 weeks of the month:

• My Sweet Lord - George Harrison - 1.4
• Knock Three Times - Dawn - 1.8
• One Less Bell To Answer - The 5th Dimension - 3
• Black Magic Woman - Santana - 6
• I Think I Love You - The Partridge Family - 8.4
• Lonely Days - Bee Gees - 8.6
• Stoney End - Barbra Streisand - 9.4
• Groove Me - King Floyd - 9.6
• Stoned Love - The Supremes - 11.4
• It's Impossible  - Perry Como - 12.4

Eighteen (18) songs made their Top 40 debut, here they are (listed by entering position):

• Remember Me - Diana Ross - 31
• Let Your Love Go - Bread - 33
• Stop The War Now - Edwin Starr - 33
• One Bad Apple - The Osmonds - 34
• (Don't Worry) If There's A Hell Below We're All Going To Go - Curtis Mayfield - 34
• I Really Don't Want To Know - Elvis Presley - 35
• Born To Wander - Rare Earth - 36
• If You Could Read My Mind - Gordon Lightfoot - 36
• Amos Moses - Jerry Reed - 36
• Amazing Grace - Judy Collins - 37
• 1900 Yesterday - Liz Damon's Orient Express - 37
• Get Up, Get Into It, Get Involved (Pt. 1) - James Brown - 38
• Watching Scotty Grow - Bobby Goldsboro - 39
• Precious, Precious - Jackie Moore - 39
• Mr. Bojangles - Nitty Gritty Dirt Band - 40
• (Do The) Push And Pull Part I - Rufus Thomas - 40
• Somebody's Watching You - Little Sister - 40
• Most Of All - B.J. Thomas - 40

Games - Redeye

 So, I was working on the post for January 1971's Top 40, and "discovered" the song Games, from the band Redeye.  It didn't ring a bell, so I looked it up on YouTube.  Pretty decent, pure 1971 pop.  Games peaked at #27 in January 1971

Certainly worth a listen:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLB0hnpW6R0