The early 1970s are a bit of an underrated era of music, in my opinion. Not only was rock music going through an important transformation, but a ton of solid funk and soul music was coming out around that era. And the following nostalgic songs from 1971 prove that it was a fine vintage year for different types of music. Let’s dive in!
“Funky Nassau” by The Beginning Of The End
Let’s start off with a little bit of funk, shall we? “Funky Nassau” by The Beginning Of The End dropped in March of 1971 and was quite a successful song for the Bahaman funk group. The song, written by Tyrone Fitzgerald and Ray Munnings, peaked at No. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, as well as No. 7 on the Best Selling Soul Singles chart in the US. The song was also quite successful across the pond in the UK.
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“Funky Nassau” would be The Beginning Of The End’s only charting single of their career, landing them in one-hit wonder territory. But what a solid song to find success with!
“Trapped By A Thing Called Love” by Denise LaSalle
Remember this soothing soul hit from 1971? Denise LaSalle hit it big with this crossover hit song. “Trapped By A Thing Called Love” hit No. 1 on the Best Selling Soul Singles chart, and also made it all the way to No. 13 on the Hot 100 that year.
She wasn’t called the Queen of the Blues for no reason. While “Trapped By A Thing Called Love” was her finest release in 1971, I recommend giving the 1985 track “My Toot Toot” and the 1972 track “Now Run And Tell That” a spin for some real soulful throwbacks.
“Love Her Madly” by The Doors
“Love Her Madly” was released by the famed rock band The Doors in March 1971. It’s a standout release from L.A. Woman, the band’s final album with Jim Morrison before his tragic death. It’s one of the band’s biggest hits, as it hit No. 11 on the Hot 100 that year.
“Love Her Madly” was one of the most nostalgic songs of 1971, but it’s also haunting in a way. Morrison would pass away mere months after its release. But if The Doors were known for anything, they were known for haunting rock tunes.
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