Some songs just warm your heart. For whatever reason, they happen to boast some ephemeral quality that makes you feel good. They are like a warm blanket for your spirit, and with every note and lyric, the thing just gets more comfortable.
Here below, we wanted to highlight three songs from back in the day that did just that. These are three tunes that know how to charm an audience. Indeed, these are three one-hit wonders from 1971 with melodies that still echo decades later.
Videos by American Songwriter
“Sweet Mary” by Wadsworth Mansion from ‘Wadsworth Mansion’ (1971)
Sometimes you just want a bop. And that’s exactly what this song is. It’s almost as if Wadsworth Mansion was trying to write a track that hearkened back to the early 1960s, not the early 1970s. This song sounds a lot like those proto-rock tunes from back in the day. Think: The Beatles and holding your hand. But it’s that style that makes us return to this one over and over again. It’s comforting. Just because you’ve had chicken noodle soup many times doesn’t mean you don’t want it curled up on the sofa tonight!
“Stay Awhile” by The Bells from ‘Fly, Little White Dove, Fly’ (1971)
Love has long been the subject of popular music throughout the decades and centuries. And that reality carries on with this tune from The Bells. Indeed, “Stay Awhile” is a duet about lingering in the emotion. When you’re feeling good around another, you don’t want it to end. Finally, you think, that elusive moment is yours to share! And that’s the feeling The Bells have captured here in this 1971 one-hit wonder. It’s all about keeping that union alive.
“Easy Loving” by Freddie Hart from ‘Easy Loving’ (1971)
Did someone mention love? Well, this country offering from Freddie Hart certainly touches on the subject, too. We’ve all been in those relationships where things are tough. You want to connect with the other person, but then you realize things just aren’t working. Then there’s the opposite! Then there’s easy loving. And that’s what Hart highlights here—those moments when things flow smoothly. That’s the best, and Hart nailed it on this tune!
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