It was an ordinary day. Looking back at the songs that were popular 50 years ago when I was in my mid- 20s with a wife and young son and a job teaching high school in the school district from where I had graduated. The 1970s rock music emerged because of monumental events, and cultural shifts such as the counterculture movement of the late sixties, The Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War protests...and a lot of new ideas that influenced life and changed many aspects of traditional culture. The 1970s also saw the rise of disco, which became one of the biggest genres of the decade, especially in the mid-to-late 70s. In Europe, a variant known as Euro disco rose in popularity towards the end of the 1970s. Aside from disco, funk, smooth jazz and jazz fusion, good 'ole Rock & Roll remained popular throughout the decade. Some of my favorite songs from 50 years ago were "Here Comes The Sun" by Richie Havens, "I Am...I Said" by Neil Diamond, "Here Comes That Rainy Day Feeling Again" by The Fortunes, "Sweet City Woman" by The Stampeders, "Ain't No Sunshine" by Bill Withers and "You've Got A Friend" by James Taylor. At the time I was singing in my church choir, but couldn't seem to find time or money to attend local live music concerts or travel to nearby cities for traveling rock concerts. A new house and a new son had me working weekends and summers with my cousin's husband putting aluminum siding on as many homes as we could find to do. I was good friends with the local photographer who did the class and team photographs for the school yearbook for which I was the advisor and he had a huge record collection and we talked music from time to time. Even gave me a few of my favorite 45s from time to time to listen to at home. I recently found a list of the top 100 favorite songs of 1971. I must admit that there were quite a few songs that I had never heard before or if I had, had forgotten them by now. Same goes for a few of the musicians or artists who performed the songs. Artists such as Denise LaSalle who sang "Trapped By A Thing Called Love", Dave Edmunds who sang "I Hear You Knocking" and Honey Cone who sang "Stick-Up" were performers whom I didn't remember. I still remember watching American Bandstand, but not sure if it was still on daily or whether it had changed to just Saturday afternoon by 1971. The show ran from 1957 to 1989 and was a staple for those who loved music and Rock 'n Roll. A list of the 100 best songs from 1971 follow so you too can see how many you may remember or so you can see the names of the songs that we old-timers listened to 50 years ago. "Goggle" some of the songs and you can more than likely listen to them. May bring back some long-ago memories from days when music was at it's best; long live Rock 'n Roll! It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. PS - Songs and artists follow with the best music from 50 years ago...1971!
Artist & Song
1
2
"Maggie May"/"Reason to Believe"
3
"It's Too Late"/"I Feel the Earth Move"
4
5
"How Can You Mend a Broken Heart"
6
"Indian Reservation (The Lament of the Cherokee Reservation Indian)"
7
8
9
"Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)"
10
11
12
13
"Want Ads"
14
15
Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose
16
17
18
19
20
"The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down"
21
22
23
24
"Signs"
25
26
"I've Found Someone of My Own"
27
Murray Head & The Trinidad Singers
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
"Chick-A-Boom (Don't Ya Jes' Love It)"
35
36
"Help Me Make It Through the Night"
37
38
39
40
41
42
Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds
43
44
45
46
47
"That's the Way I've Always Heard It Should Be"
48
49
50
"I Don't Know How to Love Him"
51
"Yo-Yo"
52
53
"Doesn't Somebody Want to Be Wanted"
54
55
56
"Beginnings"/"Colour My World"
57
58
59
"Me and You and a Dog Named Boo"
60
"Another Day"/"Oh Woman, Oh Why"
61
"If"
62
"Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)"
63
64
"She's Not Just Another Woman"
65
66
67
Delaney & Bonnie & Friends
68
69
"Liar"
70
"Stick-Up"
71
72
"(Where Do I Begin?) Love Story"
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
"Here Comes That Rainy Day Feeling Again"
84
85
"Trapped By a Thing Called Love"
86
87
"Timothy"
88
"I Woke Up In Love This Morning"
89
90
91
92
"The Wedding Song (There Is Love)"
93
94
95
96
97
"Right on the Tip of My Tongue"
98
99
100
Put your hand in the hand who can still the waters put your hand in the hand who can still the sea. Thanks for the memories.
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