The year 1971 helped kick off the decade with a bang in terms of music. Tons of pop, soul, psychedelia, and funk songs dominated the airwaves. If you were a 70s teen, I bet you once knew the following niche 1971 songs by heart. You might still know the words after all these years.
“Knock Three Times” by Tony Orlando & Dawn from ‘Candida’
“One floor below me, you don’t even know me, I love you.”
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You don’t hear this song much nowadays, but it was a sweet, light pop tune that was very popular with young radio listeners back in 1971. “Knock Three Times” technically dropped at the end of 1970, but it became a smash soft rock hit in 1971 when it peaked at No. 1 in countless territories, from the US to Australia to Canada to the UK.
“Me And You And A Dog Named Boo” by Lobo from ‘Introducing Lobo’
“Me and you and a dog named Boo / How I love being a free man.”
This niche hit was all the rage among high school students back in 1971. Another soft rock gem, tinged with a bit of bubblegum pop and even country music elements, “Me And You And A Dog Named Boo” resonated with younger listeners in a big way. That popularity among the youths of the era helped boost the song on the charts, and “Me And You And A Dog Named Boo” peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 4 on the UK Singles chart.
“Smiling Faces Sometimes” by The Undisputed Truth from ‘The Undisputed Truth’
“Smiling faces, smiling faces sometimes / They don’t tell the truth / Smiling faces, smiling faces tell lies / And I got proof.”
I would consider The Undisputed Truth to be on the niche side of funk and soul, considering they only had one Top 40 single during their tenure in the 1970s. That single is a niche entry on our list of songs, the 1971 psychedelic soul jam “Smiling Faces Sometimes”. It became a smash hit on the charts when it peaked at No. 3 on the Hot 100. Fans of psychedelia, young and old, enjoyed this tune quite a bit. And I bet diehard fans still know the words to it today.
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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